MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. _ If you're Tom Brady, this is a great time to be alive.
He's turning 40 into the new 20. He's turning winning into something that's easy.
He's turning comebacks into something that's expected.
He's simply great.
Brady enters Super Bowl LII Sunday looking to add to an incredible legacy of greatness. Brady and the Patriots, his Patriots, will face the underdog Philadelphia Eagles at U.S. Bank Stadium with the winner claiming the Lombardi Trophy.
When you talk about a face of the franchise, look no further than Tom Brady _ he seems to be having the time of his life.
"He's got a lot of joy about him," Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said. "He's got a great family, he's got great kids. I like to think he's got a good group to come to work with, the players that he works with everyday, our coaching staff, we're all in it together. We have a lot of fun in our meeting room, we have a lot of fun at practice. We work really hard to try to get it right and I know he cares deeply about that. I know he likes winning, he likes to win."
The numbers are staggering.
He will make a record eighth Super Bowl start on Sunday and he's got more victories (5, along with Charles Haley) and MVP awards (4) than anybody who has played in the game. In the postseason, Brady is tops in touchdowns (68), wins (27), passing yards (9,721) and starts (36). He's surpassed legendary quarterbacks such as Joe Montana, Terry Bradshaw _ each with four Super Bowl titles _ John Elway with five Super Bowl appearances, Roger Staubach with two titles, Troy Aikman with three titles and Jim Kelly with four Super Bowl appearances.
Those quarterbacks are in the Hall of Fame and when it comes time for Brady to retire to somewhere warm, the debate will be short regarding his entry to Canton, Ohio.
When you look at what he's accomplished on the field it seems almost amusing that he was asked about retiring.
"Why does everyone want me to retire so bad?" Brady said smiling.
To Brady, age is just a number. He still has his hairline, the color of his hair, brown, has no signs of grey and he looks fit and trim. Brady sites a workout program where eating right with the proper exercise is vital to long-term health.
Brady hinted this week he wanted to play until his mid-40s.
"I've always wanted to play to my mid-40s, so we'll see," Brady said. "Football is such a physical sport. Every game could be your last game, that's the reality of the sport."
He doesn't have the appearance of a quarterback on the backend of his career. The way Brady goes about his business, he gives off the vibe that when he leaves the game, it will be with a beautiful sunset in front of him.
Remember that black and white photo of former Giants quarterback Y.A. Tittle on his knees, bleeding in an end zone in Pittsburgh with his helmet behind him? Brady is determined not to go out looking like that. Brady just won't be that guy who was once a star and comes off the bench to rally his team like Johnny Unitas did in Super Bowl III for the Baltimore Colts.
When Brady strolled into news conferences this week, he had the appearance of a big-time actor meeting studio executives, waiting to hear about the next project.
Sunday's project is against the Eagles defense, a group that's determined to knock him around and pull off an upset.
And yet, Brady has seen virtually all sorts of defenses in the Super Bowl. Beside him for big events is a grouchy yet brilliant coach in Bill Belichick. Together they've won eight conference titles and five Super Bowls. When you put it in prospective, Chuck Noll and Bradshaw of the Steelers won four conference titles and four Super Bowls, Tom Landry and Staubach of the Cowboys won four conference titles and two Super Bowls and Vince Lombardi and Bart Starr of the Packers won five NFL championships and the first two Super Bowls.
"No quarterback I'd rather have playing for my team, than Tom Brady," Belichick said simply. "Glad to have him."
At 40, Brady is not as mobile as he once was, but the arm strength is still there. The smarts are there. The winning is there. In the two postseason games this season, Brady has completed 67 percent of his passes for 627 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions. There were the two fourth-quarter touchdowns in the comeback victory over the Jaguars in the AFC championship game. It marked Brady's eighth fourth-quarter postseason comeback in his career.
There are times he will miss throws, but when his team trails, like it did in Super Bowl LI against the Falcons (28-9 in the fourth quarter), there is nobody better at rallying a team. In the AFC title game two weeks ago, Brady played with 12 stitches in his right thumb that have since been removed. He will most likely play Sunday's game using black tape to protect the wound.
What makes Brady great?
" ... There isn't one thing, he's a well-rounded player," Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz said. "He's in a well-rounded offense. It's not an offense where you can take one aspect of it away and render it ineffective, and I think Brady is that same style of quarterback. He can beat you in so many ways."
It's hard to bet against Brady. Yes, he's lost two Super Bowls (both to the Giants) and his victories in the biggest game of the year have been close. The winning margins have been 6 points, 4 points and 3 points (three times).
But he wins and that's the point.
"I could never imagine being in this position eight times," he said. "To be in it one time is a dream come true and to be here eight times is unbelievable. I just appreciate it as I've gotten older."
What makes him so great is a work ethic and attention to details.
Patriots backup quarterback Brian Hoyer said the film room work is educational.
"It's fun to watch film with him because it's good to see what he's looking at," Hoyer said. "He sees the little intricacies that he's looking at. 'Look at this guy's leverage, the rotation of the safeties.' For me, it's such a privilege to be in there and be a part of his preparation and see that."
The practice field is something else.
"I'd say relentless," running back Mike Gillisee said. "He never just stops. Every time you see him, he's either taking care of his body or working on his craft. First one on the field and the last to leave, even in the classroom."
Sunday night the greatness of Tom Brady will be on display again. Whether it results in a victory is unknown but he will have the time of his life trying to find out, again.
"Early on, it went so fast," Brady said. "I think I really relish these experiences and opportunities and make the best of them. We lost a couple of them in 2007 and 2011. We were lucky to get back and win a couple more times, but this is the one that matters the most."
