Tom Brady on fourth Super Bowl: "I still have plenty of chances to do it."
That's not something you'd ordinarily expect to hear said about a quarterback who seemingly has it all. From the super model wife, to the millions of dollars, to the hundreds of awards and, of course, the three super bowl rings.
Brady has been to more Super Bowls than his childhood hero Joe Montana, but the problem is, he's won one less.
If the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick duo is to live on as the greatest of all time, they need at least another one.
Brady tackled the subject earlier today in a quote released by Peter King of MMQB, Sports Illustrated.
MMQB:
“We’ve had our chances. Twice. More than twice, actually. I still have plenty of chances to do it. What I’ve learned is it’s really, really hard to win the Super Bowl. I didn’t get that perspective early, winning three out of the first four years I played. What I like about this franchise is we’ve got a shot every year. I love the fact we were in the AFC title game last year, the Super Bowl the year before that, and 14-2 the year before that. Can we win this year? It’ll be determined by our level of commitment, the mental toughness. We’ll find it out before the season. How committed are we?”
In some ways the Bill Belichick-Tom Brady duo is a victim of it's own success. Certainly not a position that inspires sympathy, but one that does come with a fair amount of scrutiny. Most of that revolves around the spygate controversy of 2007.
The Patriots were caught taping the New York Jets sidelines, a significant league infraction. Their reputation was being tarnished in the media, their success attributed to cheating. They responded by going on a tear: a 16-0 regular season, breaking numerous records along the way. However, they fell short in the Super Bowl, as they've done once more again since.
Is that because the New York Giants (victors both times) present a terrible match up for the Patriots offense?
No. In the eyes of the public outside New England at least, the Patriots lost those Super Bowls, because they couldn't bring their camera anymore.
It's an almost laughable thought, but a popular point. "No Super Bowls since Spygate" hangs over the Patriots franchise, their coach and their quarterback. The only thing they can do to erase it is loft that Lombardi trophy again.
The problem is, time is running out for Tom Brady (35) and Bill Belichick (61). They've had plenty of opportunities, but they just haven't been able to take advantage of them. Hopefully this year they finally can.
