FOXBORO, Mass. — New England Patriots rookies often discuss being awestruck by their first impressions of Tom Brady.
But the youngest Patriots aren’t the only ones who consistently marvel at the way the soon-to-be 42-year-old quarterback carries himself around Gillette Stadium.
Speaking one day before New England’s first training camp practice of 2019, longtime special teams captain Matthew Slater — a teammate of Brady’s since 2008 — said Brady’s enthusiasm and love for football provide daily motivation for the entire roster.
“I look at a guy in Tom who’s doing this for the 20th time, and he’s having as much fun now as he’s ever had,” Slater said Wednesday morning. “And he’s always led by example. For all of us in this building as players, you know there’s always going to be one guy that’s older than you that you can look up to, and we look to him and see how he approaches things. He takes nothing for granted. He prepares himself just as any professional should — day in and day out, he’s ready to go.
“He takes care of himself, and he comes in here with a lot of excitement and joy. I think he realized how special the opportunity that he has each and every year to be a part of this team is, and that’s contagious for all of us. So I think just his overall attitude and approach when it comes to the game of football and the process of preparation has been tremendous for everyone in this building.”
Running back James White, a Patriot since 2014 and Brady’s most-targeted receiver last season, offered a nearly identical assessment of the QB’s off-field impact.
“He’s energetic,” White said. “He greets you with energy. He’s very excited. You’d think this was his first year here even though it’s his 20th year here. He enjoys the process, and you see from the rookies, when they step in here in OTAs, they see how hard he works in the classroom and out there on the field. You can’t help but try to emulate a guy like that. He’s been doing it for 20 years, so us young guys, we only want to be like that.”
Slater and White each have won three Super Bowl titles during their respective Patriots tenures. Brady, the oldest non-kicker/punter currently on an NFL roster, is seeking his seventh championship in the 2019 season.
