With seven Super Bowl titles, when Tom Brady talks, all young quarterbacks should listen. At age 44, Brady is still going and playing at a high level.
Last week, with his start against Dallas, Brady, who won FedEx Air Player of the Week, became the first player in NFL history to make 300 career starts while also tying Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre (302) for the ninth-most games played in NFL history.
In addition, Brady threw three-or-more touchdowns in a game for the 94th time in his career, surpassing Peyton Manning (93) for the second-most such games in NFL history.
Earlier this week, the 22-year veteran gave advice to young quarterbacks.
“Good luck,” he said. “It’s tough, but it’s up to them. Yeah, if you do the right stuff, you have a shot. But I see a lot of people not do the right stuff. I try to influence the people I can. First of all, you have to love it. If you want to do it for a long period of time, you have to really excel at it, and that really comes from loving it. It’s a lot of different motivations over long periods of time. Lots of little things at different moments – some is more motivation, some is more inspiration, but there are a lot of different things that play into it.”
Football is a physical game that takes a toll on your body, but Brady’s love for football and his competitive spirit pulls him through.
“Well, I always love it. There are probably days I love more than others, but I definitely love it,” Brady said of football. “I love working out. I think the point is you push your body physically, your mind, and your spirit mentally and emotionally, and all of those things have to kind of stay in the right place over a long period of time. There are a lot of things that can take away from it. It’s a hard thing to do. There haven’t been many people who’ve done it, but I think I, in my part, have been very fortunate to have the right people in my life that have really allowed me to be successful – physically, mentally, and emotionally.”
To do what Brady has done in football, you have to love the sport, and Brady loves it, which is why he might be the G.O.A.T.
