Final Episode Of 'Tom vs. Time' Offers Look At Brady's Nasty Cut, His Thoughts On Super Bowl LII Loss
BOSTON (CBS) -- The final chapter of "Tom vs. Time" was supposed to be a celebration. Unfortunately for Tom Brady and Patriots fans, that's not how things worked out.
The final episode of Brady's docuseries -- titled "The End Game" -- was released on Facebook Watch on Monday, offering fans an inside look at the weeks leading up to New England's Super Bowl LII defeat at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles, and the days that followed.
Everyone knows Brady hates losing, but the quarterback seems to be taking this year's loss uncharacteristically well. His wife, supermodel Gisele Bundchen, said that the five-time champ has "been much better this time than other times."
The 40-year-old is now looking forward to spending as much time as possible with his family, a luxury the Brady family can't enjoy during the NFL season.
"This offseason is going to be about my family, and they deserve it," said Brady. "There is more to think about than just me, and that's what you commit to when you have a family. They commit a lot to me, and that goes both ways."
That doesn't mean Brady isn't reflecting (or dwelling) on that 41-33 loss.
"I thought we were going to go down and score. I thought we were going to win the game," he said of New England's final, unsuccessful drive. "I thought about that play 500 times in five days. 'What should I have done?' It's easy when you look back, but football is the blink of an eye. And that's what you have to live with the rest of your life.
"You play the game to be in those moments, and you play those games to have the chance to win the Super Bowl. When you don't come through, it's very painful," said Brady. "I gave everything I had. I gave my best effort. We were just a coupe of plays short."
Here are some other tidbits that we learned about TB12 in the final episode of "Tom vs. Time":
Super Bowl Loss Was A Teaching Moment For Brady's Kids
Brady's son and daughter were crying when they saw their father after the Super Bowl. Brady used it as a moment to teach his children an important lesson.
"They were sad for me and the Patriots. I said to them, 'This is a great lesson. We don't always win. We try our best; sometimes it doesn't go the way we want.' That's probably one of the best moments I've had as a parent, because you feel like you're parenting," said Brady.
It sounds like the fact that he now has three kids at home is a big reason Brady is taking last month's loss so much better than his previous two Super Bowl defeats.
Brady Didn't Think He'd Be Able To Play In AFC Championship Game
The biggest news leading up to the AFC Championship Game was the cut on Brady's right hand, though the team and the quarterback had very little to say about it. But we finally have a look at the slice that Brady suffered in practice, and it's pretty darn nasty:
Brady didn't think he was going to be able to play against the Jacksonville Jaguars when it first happened.
"When I hurt my thumb, I though, 'This is it. This is the way the season ends.' Looking down at my thumb as it's split open, thinking I really don't know what happened, but I know it doesn't feel good. I had a real tough time believing I'm going to be able to go out and play well against the No. 1 ranked defense in the league in four days," Brady recalled.
Brady was stitched up and underwent some acupuncture around the wound, and by Friday of that week was feeling more confident that he could play. He then went out on Sunday and threw two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to erase a 10-point deficit and guide New England to a 24-20 win.
"We played good, came from behind. One of the great wins we ever had," said Brady.
Brady Loves Gronk
OK, we already knew this. But as Brady and Gisele were driving home from Gillette Stadium after New England's comeback win over the Jaguars, the quarterback got a call from Gronkowski. Gronk didn't play in the second half due to a concussion, but said he was feeling better when Gisele asked for an update.
Brady was surprised that the Patriots pulled off their fourth quarter comeback without No. 87's services.
"That was a miracle, us winning without you. A f---ing miracle," Brady said, showing off that potty mouth again.
Gronkowski chimed in, wanting to know how Danny Amendola gets so much better in the playoffs.
Super Bowls Are Still Special
Brady played in his eight Super Bowl last month, an accomplishment that is not lost on the quarterback.
"It's really unbelievable. People dream to go to Super Bowl one time in their life; I'm fortunate enough to be on eight great teams that have made it that far," said Brady. "And then again, that game is so hard to win because you're going against the other best team in the league. It comes down to the end, maybe one or two plays. The lingering thought from a Super Bowl game is, 'Man, if I had just made that one play or maybe those two plays, maybe the game is different."
Brady Had A Lot Of Fun Doing 'Tom vs. Time'
Brady has been guarded about his personal life for most of his career, so it was a little surprising when we first heard he'd be documenting his life on and off the field. But Brady said he enjoyed the experience, which gave him an opportunity to do something different.
"I've really enjoyed it and it's been a great experience for me to try something different. When you get out of your comfort zone, you stretch. You reach in different directions and know what feels comfortable, and what's not so comfortable," he said. "I also realize I'm a lot closer to the end than the beginning, and you don't know when you're going to get opportunities again."
That's really the first time that Brady has admitted that he's on the back nine of his career.
Watch the final episode of "Tom vs. Time" here. Tom Brady will be on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Monday night. The Late Show airs on WBZ-TV at 11:35 p.m.
