Tom Brady wants to play his whole career in New England
"My wife [Gisele Bundchen] said to me, 'When I met you [in 2006], you said you wanted to play 10 more years. How come that number never goes down?' It's that I love the game. I love the game. I'm going to play until they tell me they don't want me anymore.''
Coming off a season with 13 wins, a career-best 5,235 passing yards and 39 touchdown passes (second-best in his career), he won't be evicted from the lineup soon.
"I just met with coach Belichick this morning,'' Brady said. "I still feel like I'm in my first year trying to prove myself. There's no entitlement around coach Belichick. I've got to be the best guy for him to keep playing me. When I'm not, someone else will play.''.....
As for how long that will be, Brady says all the right things -- he'd love to play his entire career in New England, but he's got to earn his spot every year. He saw what just happened with Peyton Manning, and he knows that might be something he faces one day. "That's a great example of how sometimes true professionals have to move on,'' he said. "Nothing surprises me anymore in the NFL.''
It's unlikely Brady moves on, but it's not impossible. Brady knows if it can happen to Manning, it can happen to him, especially with a bottom-line guy like Belichick making the calls.
Part of what makes Brady great is his approach. Every year he fights for a spot on the roster, just like everyone else on the team. He doesn't feel entitled to be the starting quarterback just because of what he's done in the past. He wants to earn it each year.
In interviews every summer you always hear Brady say something like, "assuming I make the team" or "I have to make the team first". It's comical because, well, of course Brady is going to make the team. But he says it every year. you get the sense that he actually believes that he needs to work as hard as he can to get a spot on the roster. That's what makes great players, and that' what has Brady and the Patriots in Super Bowl contention every year.
King also asked Brady about his arm strength, particularly on an interception in the Superbowl where he under threw Rob Gronkowski.
"It was a bad throw. Bad throw. You hope your bad throws don't come at big times or really hurt the team, but that one did. Bad throw, bad decision . . . I can throw the ball today as far as I've ever been able to throw it. That's not the issue there. [Brett] Favre threw it great in his last year or so. [50-year-old Rockies pitcher] Jamie Moyer's still getting people out. That's not a problem.''
