Tom Brady Quotes Classic Tennis Book On Mental Toughness In New Instagram Post
By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- Tom Brady has become perhaps the single greatest player in National Football League history for his mental toughness as much for his play on the field. There's no other way to explain how a 39-year-old quarterback, who already has four Super Bowl rings and has rewritten the NFL record books, could still be as driven, competitive, and consistently excellent as Brady is right now. He's as good as anyone you'll ever see at staying "locked in."
It appeared that Brady may have gotten a little rattled by the Houston Texans defense in Saturday's AFC Divisional Playoff win, proving that he is, indeed, human. But he understands as well as anyone that calmness and bravery in the face of adversity is even more important than tangible skills. There have been plenty of NFL quarterbacks who could "make all the throws" but whose minds simply didn't measure up to their physical talent. Mental aptitude is what separates Brady from most signal-callers in league history.
That brings us to Brady's latest Instagram post, which highlights a notable passage from a classic bestseller about, of all things, tennis. W. Timothy Gallwey's The Inner Game of Tennis was considered a revolutionary work when it was first published in 1972, mainly because it detailed the mental aspects of succeeding in tennis even more than the physical, or "outer" elements.
Some of the book's most quotable moments can extend to any sport, such as the one Brady posted on Instagram:
"Perhaps this is why it is said that great poetry is born in silence. Great music and art are said to arise from the quiet depths of the unconscious, and true expressions of love are said to come from a source which lies beneath words and thoughts. So it is with the greatest efforts in sports; they come when the mind is as still as a glass lake."
Brady's caption was simply a teardrop emoji - but in this case, it seems more like it's supposed to be a drop of sweat.
This advice is especially valuable for players in individual sports like tennis or golf. But they could also apply to any athlete, especially quarterbacks like Brady who are singularly responsible for engineering the entire offense in front of them.
This deeply philosophical approach didn't exactly help Brady last weekend, when he posted a video of Bruce Lee saying "Be water, my friend" ahead of the game against the Texans. But considering how much the Patriots offense underperformed that night, and how locked in Brady appeared during his press conference, you can feel more confident that the quarterback's mind will resemble a glass lake on Sunday.
Matt Dolloff is a writer for CBSBostonSports.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Have a news tip or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.