Tom Brady Admits He's Gone Soft, Thanks To Tampa Weather: 'I Never Want To Deal With That Ever Again'
By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- For two decades, Tom Brady's career was defined in part by his ability to thrive in any conditions. Through the blistering cold, driving snowstorms, and intense rain, Brady always managed to play his best no matter what the weather situation was for the Patriots. Along with all of the winning, it's part of what endeared him to New England. (His first iconic game, of course, came to be known as The Snow Bowl, after all.)
Alas, Brady has moved on. And he's learned that blue skies ... aren't so bad.
Appearing on ESPN's alternate broadcast of Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli Manning, Brady said he's learned some things about himself since moving to Tampa.
"The reality is I always considered myself -- and I told this to [Bucs QB coach Clyde Christensen] the other day -- I always considered myself a cold weather quarterback. But being here now, down in Tampa, I'm a warm weather quarterback," Brady said. "That's just, I mean screw that. I never want to deal with that ever again."
Considering how well Brady adapted to the cold during his time at Michigan and New England, it's hard to believe.
Alas, old age and a move south comes for everyone at some point or another.
Brady did win the NFC Championship Game with the Bucs in Green Bay last season, but he definitely faded in the second half. He was also mediocre in his return to Foxboro this year on a rainy night. Perhaps his newfound disgust for cold or inclement weather played a role.
Brady also admitted that he's gone through his schedule just to make sure he doesn't get surprised by any cold weather games this season.
"I'm already checking the weather forecast in November," Brady said, regarding the Bucs' Week 10 game against the Washington Football Team. "So it tells you how much I've softened up here in my very short period of time down here in South Florida."
Brady's already won just about everything there is to win, so perhaps the motivation for him to keep his toes warm in January will drive the Bucs to earn home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs.
Some other highlights from Brady's lengthy guest appearance:
--Brady said that he's giving a Bitcoin to the fan who gave back his 600th touchdown ball. That fan's name is Byron's Kennedy, and though he made out with a decent little package, Brady noted that the fan didn't have his best day at the negotiating table.
"Byron realized he lost all of his leverage when he gave the ball away. He should've held it and had as much leverage as possible," Brady said.
Still: "At the end of the day, I think he's still making out pretty well."
--Peyton Manning ribbed Brady for stealing all of his coaches. In Tampa, Brady has Bruce Arians, Clyde Christensen and Tom Moore.
Manning finds this to be a little creepy.
"I feel like you're 'Single White Female,' stage one stalker/clinger," Manning said to Brady.
Brady couldn't do much but laugh after that, telling Manning that he's always a topic of conversation in the quarterbacks room in Tampa.
Brady also said he sometimes feels like he's learning Manning's offense in Tampa.
"I think I'm actually learning the Peyton Manning offense," Brady said. "You know, all these formations I never heard of. So that actually took a while."
Poor Christensen was minding his business at home on Monday night but ended up catching some stray bullets from Peyton.
That's not nice.
Brady might have hit Manning with a joke about not being on the TB12 Method right off the bat, though.
--Eli asked Brady about Rob Gronkowski's comments from his own Manningcast appearance, when he said he doesn't watch film and makes Brady watch it for him.
"You know, the thing about Gronk is he's such a quick study," Brady said. "I mean, sometimes when you give Gronk too much information, he processes it so quickly, you can't give it too him too much early in the week. So I like his process, it's worked pretty well. His mind doesn't need to be bogged down with film study."
--Tom Brady: Still damaged from Super Bowl XLII and XLVI:
Understandable.
