With seven Super Bowls won, he is the “GOAT” of American football, but at 44 years old, Tom Brady is by no means satisfied: he is preparing to write on Thursday a new chapter in a career that defies time, with his Buccaneers, who open the NFL season against Dallas.
In February, the best player of all time carried Tampa Bay to the title.
He had sparked again, breaking the defense of Kansas City and sickening the quarterback opposite Patrick Mahomes, yet called to dominate since the coronation obtained from his magic hands a year earlier.
Brady has been tormenting and piercing the opposing rearguards for almost 20 years and collecting rings of champions.
His career began on September 23, 2001, when he replaced injured quarterback Drew Bledsoe at a moment's notice in a game against the New York Jets.
No one imagined then that this would mark the start of the New England Patriots dynasty, with Brady retaining the starting status for the remainder of the season, which ended with his first Super Bowl.
Two decades later, the player is still there, performing, and successful.
An extraordinary longevity in a professional sport among the most destructive for the bodies, where the average length of a playing career is only about 3 years and four months.
- On one leg -
After 19 years and six titles with the "
Pats
", Brady left the northeast of the country to descend in the southern tip of Florida.
And, well helped by the reinforcement of Rob Gronkowski, out of retirement after having accompanied him for a long time with New England, he led Tampa Bay to a surprise victory (31-9).
Many have wondered if this was the greatest achievement in a career that has no shortage of it and has a host of supposedly unbeatable records.
Because the course was strewn with pitfalls in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, without preseason training, making it more difficult to integrate into his new team.
“
He brought a winning mentality to a group that was certainly talented, but did not know how to win,
” summarizes the coach of the “
Bucs
”, Bruce Arians.
Especially since Brady played the season on one leg, in permanent delicacy with a ligament in one knee.
Not the type to look in the rearview mirror, Brady is resolutely turned towards his new challenge, which remains the same: adding a Super Bowl to his collection.
“
We were lucky to keep the entire squad from last season.
We are betting on continuity, we have a lot of things to achieve, building on a greater collective experience
, ”he said, adding:“
as good as we were last season, I can't wait to see how much we can be this season
”.
- Revenge Chiefs -
Brady believes there is room for improvement for a team that finished second in their conference behind the New Orleans Saints in the last regular season (11 wins, 5 losses), before shining in the play-offs. .
“
It's not like we've won all of our matches.
We had to struggle many times.
We can improve in a lot of areas,
"Brady warned, as a message to the competition, which will first be embodied by Kansas City.
Revengeful, the Chiefs reinforced their line of attack around Mahomes, recruiting Joe Thuney and Kyle Long.
Which makes them credible favorites.
This season will also be an opportunity to discover the first steps of young quarterbacks, such as Trevor Lawrence, chosen in first position in the Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars, and Zach Wilson, who will try to make the New York Jets a competitive team.
Finally, the public will be back. The new Covid-19 protocols encourage players to get vaccinated, with those refusing it being subject to stricter rules and more frequent testing.