Brady Hopes To Remain With Patriots For Rest Of Career: 'A Privilege To Play Here'
BOSTON (CBS) -- It has been pretty clear over his 15 years in New England that Tom Brady is all about winning.
It's the most important thing to the future Hall of Fame quarterback, who hopes to win the fourth Super Bowl ring of his career in about a month's time. But Brady knows he and his Patriots, the top seed in the AFC who are currently enjoying the benefits of a first-round bye, have a lot of work to put in if they want to have success over the next four-plus weeks.
"It really doesn't matter at this point what has happened -- good, bad or indifferent. It really matters what we do from this point on," Brady said Wednesday at Gillette. "Every team has the same record. It's one loss for everybody and you go home.
"We really always feel like it's our year. You work pretty hard in the offseason to get yourself to this point. It's tough to do; there is only one team out of 32 who gets to win it. Hopefully you're the one who gets a chance to do it," he said. "We have a great football team, so we'll see. We have to go out and earn it. No one is going to give it to us. You have to play your biggest at the biggest moments against the best teams in the toughest conditions. You have to see what you're made of."
Brady was asked about reportedly reworking his current deal with the Patriots, with the contract tweak giving the team $24 million to spend this offseason. He wouldn't confirm the deal, but again circled around to what he holds as his highest priority: Winning.
"It's been a privilege to play here," said Brady. "I love playing here. It's been a great experience in my life. Hopefully I am here for the rest of my career and hopefully I go out and play really well for this team. That matters more than anything. I am going to try to be the best I can be. I've played with a lot of great teammates over the years, so I don't take those things for granted.
"I can only make personal decisions, things that really work for me and what I think is most important in my life. That is kind of what my focus has always been on," he continued. "The most important thing for me is winning and, like I said, I have been very fortunate to be part of a team that has been able to do that. It's tough to do in this era. It's tough to win a lot of games. It's just a competitive league. Hopefully we keep doing it."
What drives Brady's passion for winning the most is not letting his teammates down on the field.
"I want to go out there and be the best I can be for them. Those guys work really hard and I never want to be the reason why we lose a game. You have to put a lot into it and go out everyday in practice to prove yourself and earn the respect of your teammates, by your work ethic and what you are able to accomplish on a daily basis. That's what pro football is all about to me."
This goes back to Brady's long path to becoming an NFL superstar. He fought to see the field nearly every step of the way, a route he reflected on during Wednesday's press conference.
"I love the game. I love playing. To get a chance to go out and compete — I was a backup quarterback as a freshman in high school and I didn't get to play. We were 0-8. I went to college as the seventh quarterback and barely played in my fourth and fifth year. Got drafted in the sixth round. I was the fourth quarterback here in my first year. You have to learn to compete and you have to love to win," he said. "I think that is a great motivation, to get out on the field and try to win. It's fun to do. I don't think you really take those things for granted. That is really the motivating factor."
Brady and his teammates hit the field for the second of three bye week practice on Wednesday, and held an offense-defense scrimmage. Brady said it was good to compete against the New England defense on Wednesday, and doesn't envy opposing teams who have to game plan against them.
"When you break training camp there isn't much competition between the offensive and defensive players. Without really an opponent to work on, the only thing you really can do is go up against your own team and see what they do. It was fun," he said. "I can see why it's hard to score on our defense though. They have a lot of good players."
Of course, when the offense and defense square off there is going to be some trash talk. You'll probably get a different answer regarding the results of Wednesday's scrimmage depending on who you ask, but Brady said it was pretty even.
"Guys made plays on both sides of the ball which is good to see," said Brady. "I don't know if its good or bad to have one team dominate like that; it's good to see the offense make some plays and the defense make some plays. That's what we need in 10 days."
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