Ahead Of Super Bowl LIII, Let's Remember A Prescient Tom Brady Quote
By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston
ATLANTA (CBS) -- You know, in this media age, athletes get to talk. A lot.
Quarterback Tom Brady, who entered the NFL when Bill Clinton still lived in the White House, has certainly seen that aspect of his job change over the years, and he remarked on the change earlier this week.
"It's hard to believe that this is my ninth time doing this. It wasn't always like this," Brady said Thursday, gesturing to the assembled crowd of hundreds of media members and dozens of TV cameras pointed in his direction. "I remember it was a little bit smaller back in the day, the first time I did it."
And in the 24/7 media world, quotes and comments can often fly through the night and then disappear into the ether just as quickly. Memories are short, because there's always the next thing to be said. And heard. And dissected. And debated. And then forgotten.
So in this age, it's important on occasion to go back and look at something that was said and turned out to be quite prescient. In the case of Brady, there's likely many to choose from. But one in particular -- a private message sent to a friend in an email made public in the DeflateGate hysteria -- that has truly stood the test of time.
The message was sent on Nov. 1, 2014, to Brady's friend -- Kevin Brady (no relation). The subject at hand was about the rivalry between Brady and Peyton Manning, something that burned fiercely at the time but by now has been settled long ago.
Even in his private conversations, Brady sidestepped the rivalry talk -- not because he wasn't competitive, but because the quarterback knew he'd be accomplishing a lot more in his career.
That message?
"Thanks popa. I've got another 7 or 8 years. He has 2. That's the final chapter. Game on."
When the email became public, it was big news. Manning was still playing. Future head-to-head meetings awaited.
But now with some time past, and with Brady preparing to play in his ninth Super Bowl, it really is a remarkable quote to look back upon.
You have to remember where Brady was in 2014. Yes, he did what he did from 2001-04, and nobody could ever take those three Super Bowls away. But his postseason luck appeared to have run out at that point. He and the Patriots went one-and-done in both 2009 and 2010, before losing a heartbreaking Super Bowl rematch against the Giants in 2011. The team lost to the Ravens in the AFC title game in 2012, before losing to Manning's Broncos in the 2013 AFC championship.
The year was 2014. Brady hadn't tasted a Super Bowl victory in a decade. Yet he clearly knew he'd be achieving more.
To Manning's credit, the greatest passer of his generation did manage to win another Super Bowl -- albeit in a season where he threw nine touchdowns and 17 interceptions, lost his job to Brock Osweiler, and threw for under 200 yards per game in the postseason. Manning went out on top, and he beat Brady along the way. Physically, though, his body was clearly done. With two Super Bowl victories and a 14-13 record as a starting quarterback in the playoffs, Manning rode off into the sunset and retired.
That was precisely two seasons after Brady sent the email.
And now, we know what Brady has done. He won the Super Bowl three months after sending that email, putting forth a nearly perfect performance in the fourth quarter against an all-time great Seahawks defense to earn Super Bowl victory No. 4.
He fell to Manning in 2015, but only after surviving an absolute onslaught of abuse from the Denver pass rush -- which registered 17 quarterback hits that day.
Undeterred, Brady came one two-point conversion shy of forcing overtime.
The following season, Brady was 39 years old, the same age Manning was when his body completely failed him. Brady threw 28 touchdowns and just two interceptions in his 12 regular-season games, before leading the Patriots to a miraculous yet believable comeback from a 25-point deficit in Super Bowl LI for his fifth title. Brady's Patriots averaged 35 points per game during that postseason run.
And then at 40, though Brady's Patriots ultimately came up one score shy of winning a third Super Bowl in four years, Brady went down in a most impressive manner, throwing for a Super Bowl-record 505 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions in a 41-33 loss to the Eagles.
And now, here we are again. He's 41 years old -- four years removed from that proclamation that he had seven or eight years yet.
Since that email was sent, Brady has gone 64-17 overall, and 11-2 in the playoffs. He's played in three of the four Super Bowls since, and he's set to play in a third consecutive one on Sunday night.
When Brady made that statement four years ago, people probably thought he was crazy. Maybe he was. Maybe he is.
But he was also correct.
Game on.
You can email Michael Hurley or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.