Superbowl LIII: Tom Brady and the Patriots take their chance

In defeat Tom Brady said you always get another chance. The famous quarterback and his Patriots took theirs.

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady celebrates his teams fourth-quarter touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams. Picture: AFP

Tom Brady was sitting in a defeated New England Patriots’ locker room. A miserable joint it was. Brady presented as a mixture of all-American superstar, reviled showboating nincompoop, legendary quarterback and Instagram bikini model. No one should be that good looking.

His teammates were devastated by the loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIII. Brady was bizarrely unfazed. No amount of Elton John music through the loud speakers — Philadelphia Freedom was on repeat — could darken his mood. While his teammates slumped in chairs, bowed their heads, lay on the floor in the foetal position or stood motionless in the showers for the better part of an hour, Brady was almost perky. He was asked why he was OK with it all. He told The Australian: “I’ll tell you something about sport.”

Well, we were all ears. Perhaps he would sign an autograph, ruffle our hair and say, “Now get out of here, kid!” He calmly said: “You always get another chance.”

Brady was stating the bleeding obvious, of course, but it was still an unusually long-term reaction in the immediate aftermath of last year’s shock Patriots loss. Another chance was another year away. Another chance could only come in another Super Bowl. The Patriots might not even get there. Despite his fresh-faced physical appearance, their quarterback was not getting any younger. Hurry, hurry, hut.

A year later, the 41-year-old Brady did indeed receive another chance. His first half in Super Bowl LIII was a stinker. Those dark lines under his eyes may or may not have been painted on. There were sacks, fumbles, interceptions. He was throwing inside when he should have thrown outside. He was throwing outside when he should have thrown inside. In one especially harrowing moment, one hair fell out of place. The Patriots led 3-0 at halftime in the biggest bludger of a game since Parramatta beat Canterbury 4-2 in the 1986 NSWRL grand final. The only worse effort in Atlanta was from the frontman of Maroon 5 in the halftime show.

Brady returned to a dressing room always decorated with coach Bill Belichick’s favourite quote: “Do Your Job”. And in the second half, he did.

The Patriots won 13-3. He won his record-breaking sixth Superbowl. His franchise won their record-equalling sixth championship. In defeat a year ago, Brady was at peace. In victory yesterday, he was a weeping, emotional mess. Fascinating.

Brady finished 21-from-35 with 262 yards. He said during the season that his young daughter, Vivian, asks him the same question after every game: Could you hear me? I was shouting go daddy, go!

“What a game,” Brady said. “I know everyone back home is going to have a late night tonight. Look at this! How could this not motivate you. This is what it’s all about. We were struggling. We got out of rhythm. Our defence worked their tails off. We play our best when it matters most. That’s what the best teams do. It’s definitely not like any other game. In many ways it’s better than ever because these experiences are so once-in-a-lifetime. We fought through it more than anything. It’s unbelievable to win this game. We just kept fighting.”

A television reporter was crushed in a media scrum trying to get to Brady. “Oh, Jesus,” he said. “Are you OK?”

He forecast playing until the age of 45. Which would mean four more years of a strict vegan diet, special recovery pyjamas, 25 glasses of water a day and no coffee. The pyjamas? They’re lined with material that reflects far infra-red energy back into his body while he sleeps. Helps his muscles and joints recover. Promotes better sleep. Some pyjamas. No coffee? What a sacrifice.

He was wearing a T-shirt proclaiming the Patriots were Super Bowl champions. A year ago, boxes of those same T-shirts were unopened in the corner of the locker room. Brady did not win it for the Patriots. Their defence did. It was the 53rd most entertaining Superbowl in history. In other words, no great spectacle for the spectator — but the achievements of Brady, Belichick and the Patriots in winning their sixth Lombardi trophy in 18 seasons made it a significant one for the history books. Lombardi coached five Superbowl-winning teams. Belichick had one more title than the guy with his name on the silverware.

“Nobody prepares harder than Tom,” Belichick said.

“He has great anticipation and awareness. He gets the ball quickly to the guys who have the best opportunities to make plays. He does it quickly and efficiently. He’s been a great player for the New England Patriots. His record is unmatched.”