This offseason was the first in a number of years that Brady wasn’t surgically repaired or rehabbing broken or dented parts. A knee, a foot, a shoulder, a hand. Tune-ups one year, major rehab another. Such wear and tear can break the spirit as well as the body, but Brady has avoided that because the game has never become a burden to him.
Football remains his fascination and his obsession. For many professional athletes that can wane with the years, and when it does, focus is lost, and soon after, so is your job. It is the nature of the beast he rides 16-to-20 Sundays a year. It demands everything or leaves you with nothing.
“Physical skills have never been my strong suit anyway, so I don’t have to worry too much about that,” Brady said with a laugh. “In terms of quarterbacking, the physical aspect of it is you have to be able to throw with enough velocity that guys don’t have to be wide-open for you to complete a pass, but speed has never been part of my position. It’s not like other positions where if you lose that you’re in trouble.
“The ability to throw accurately is extremely important and I don’t think that will ever go away. I’ve found ways to take care of my legs, my arm and my head. I believe anybody can make good plays. It’s how many bad plays do you make? When the play is not there, what did I do?