Tom Brady On Life Without Football: 'I Can't Find An Answer To That'
By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- Tom Brady is 42 years old. Randy Moss is 42 years old.
One of those two men is already in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and he'll serve as an analyst on the coverage for Monday Night Football between the Jets and Patriots this week.
The other will be playing quarterback for New England.
Of course, the two were dynamic teammates with the Patriots, and so it likely wasn't difficult for Moss to secure the exclusive 1-on-1 interview with Brady that will during Monday's pregame show.
ESPN shared a portion of that interview during a late-night edition of "SportsCenter" on Monday morning, and the interview began with Moss asking Brady how he still has the fire to compete every week at his age.
"That's a good question," Brady answered. "I think for me it's, one, it's the love of the game. I enjoy it. Football is my first love. I sit here and think, 'Well if I wasn't playing football, what would I be doing?' And I can't find an answer to that."
Brady said he still receives support from his children and his wife to continue dedicating his life to the sport, but he admitted that even he has a finish line set up for him at some point.
"It'll come. It'll come -- it's getting closer. I mean, we're close to the end. It's not gonna go on forever," Brady said. "But I'm enjoying it. And I think for me at this point, it's really just about the relationships. It's about the people that I've played for, the people that I've played with. That's what I'm enjoying."
On the note of people he's played with, Moss brought up a certain tight end who retired young but nevertheless has been and will continue to be discussed as a candidate to make an NFL comeback. Yet just like last week, Brady said he is not at all in the business of trying to coax Rob Gronkowski back to the football field.
"I do talk to him. He's a great friend. I see him doing some things that he's really wanted to do. And I think the thing for me is he's happy. And honestly, that's all I want for him," Brady said of Gronkowski. "So if happy to him is playing football one day, then I would love that. If happiness is not, then I would love that too. He's a fun-loving guy, you know him. He was one of a kind."
Brady compared his time playing with Gronkowski to his time playing with Moss.
"It was amazing having him, but I always realize it was amazing having you, and it doesn't last forever," Brady said to Moss. "And you love it when you're together, and then when you're not, you'll appreciate the memories you've had."
As for this year's team, Moss asked Brady for one reason why the Patriots are 6-0, atop the AFC yet again.
"Well, I think it's one word: defense," Brady answered. "I think it's been about the defense and what those guys have been able to do. I kind of sit on the sideline and I watch, and I'm like, 'This is unbelievable.' We're getting the ball, we're getting turnovers, sacking the quarterback, good field position."
With the offense, though, the perfectionist admitted that he feels frustrated because he knows the team can and should be better on that side of the ball.
"I think there's definitely frustrations that I feel because we're not excelling, but I also think it's important to have reasonable expectations for what we should accomplish," Brady said. "The fact that we're 6-0, I'm happy about that. I love the fact that we are 6-0, but I want us to be better too."
You can email Michael Hurley or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.