HOUSTON _ Bill Belichick was waiting for a long time to unload like this, and he clearly had his words ready for one final and unequivocal defense of his quarterback.
Less than 12 hours after Tom Brady completed a historic comeback in a 34-28 overtime win against the Falcons in Super Bowl LI, Belichick didn't even need a direct question about Brady's motivation after being suspended this season to deliver a definitive stiff-arm to that popular story line.
"With all due respect, I think it's inappropriate to suggest that in Tom's career, he's been anything but a great teammate, a great worker and has given us every single ounce of effort, blood, sweat and tears that he has in him," Belichick said. "To insinuate that this year was somehow different, that this year he competed harder, did anything to a higher degree than he has in the past is insulting to the tremendous effort and leadership and competitiveness that he's shown for the 17 years that I've coached him."
And just for emphasis, Belichick added some more defiance in defense of his quarterback.
"It's been like that every year, every day, every week, every practice," Belichick said. "I don't care if it's in May, August or January. Tom Brady gives us his best every time he steps on the field."
Despite not being in the room when Belichick spoke, Brady no doubt will have heard about those words by now. But then again, hearing this kind of sentiment from those who are around him most will be nothing new for the quarterback, because he really has displayed the same level of passion for football throughout his career. Not only is Brady arguably the most talented player to ever step onto a football field, but he is also one of the most intense and well-prepared.
Belichick's right about this: No amount of motivation from being disciplined at the highest level of his profession can fuel a player to the level Brady has reached. Anger and inspiration are only temporary emotions; it's Brady's diligence in practice, in the offseason, in watching every single morsel of food that goes into his mouth _ and of course, his brilliance in games _ that separates him from every player that has come before him.
Belichick simply felt the need to reinforce that point after months of biting his tongue. There was no better moment to make that pronouncement than now, when Brady once again reached the peak of his sport's success.
It was the perfect time to offer this kind of impassioned message, because there was nothing left for Brady to prove after finishing off a season that began with him serving a four-game suspension for his alleged role in Deflategate. He had reached the pinnacle of NFL success for a record-breaking fifth time in what had been arguably the most difficult of his 17 NFL seasons, so now was the right moment for Belichick to defend his quarterback and blow up this idea that Brady was somehow more motivated to excel this year than any other season.
It was certainly a trendy and understandable plot line, given Brady's protracted court fight to have commissioner Roger Goodell's ban permanently overturned. It seemed especially appropriate in that Brady ultimately gave up his fight not with one last moment of bravado, but with a Facebook post early last July, when the NFL was in its offseason slumber.
Brady never directly cast aspersions at Goodell or the league, although team owner Robert Kraft indulged in several opportunities to excoriate the league over its handling of the Deflategate saga. Brady had plenty of opportunities to publicly rip the commissioner but remained above the fray throughout _ even after he returned from suspension and put together one of his most statistically impressive seasons at the age of 39.
He followed it up with a spectacular performance in the AFC championship game and Sunday night's improbable comeback.
A day after, Belichick's words resonate even more about how steadfastly he believes in his quarterback.
And how his quarterback believes in himself. Even if he doesn't feel the need to announce it to the world.
