Former Michigan Wolverines football quarterback and current Tampa Bay Buccaneers signal-caller Tom Brady is in search of his seventh Super Bowl ring tonight against the Kansas City Chiefs.
The 21-year NFL veteran advanced to Super Bowl 55 in his first year in the NFC and with his new franchise, defeating the Washington Football Team, New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers on the playoff run.
Brady often refers to football as the "ultimate team sport," and winning one for his team is exactly what's been on his mind in the lead up to the big game.
"It's not about me, Tom Brady, it's about us, the Bucs, and what we can accomplish," Brady said on a press conference in anticipation of the Super Bowl. "We've just got to go finish the deal. It's been a great year thus far.
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"I've learned a lot about myself, learned a lot about my teammates. But we've got a chance now to accomplish the ultimate goal and we're four quarters away. It's going to take a great effort. We're playing a great team — another team that I think has a lot of those things and they're doing it the right way and it's going to be a great challenge."
While Brady is 43 years old and nearing the end of his career, there is no sign of imminent retirement in sight, with the former sixth-round pick in the midst of the top statistical season by a quarterback in Bucs' history. In leading the organization back to its first Super Bowl in 18 years, Brady threw a team-record 40 touchdown passes in the regular season (by seven scores), and his seven postseason scoring throws are the most by a Buccaneers quarterback for a career. His 102.2 passer rating is also a franchise record.
"I got to the pros and wanted to be a consistent, dependable player and every year just tried to improve my game a little bit," Brady said Wednesday. "Going to have to keep improving it. As long as I'm playing, I want to improve and get better.
"I think next year is going to be a lot better than this year. I feel like I'll be in a much better place mentally. I'm going to train a lot better; physically next year I'll be in a better place. I know as soon as this game ends, we're on to next season. We'll get ready for this [game], then start thinking about next year."
Brady has one more season after this one left on his deal with Tampa Bay, meaning he'll be around for at least the 2021 campaign — and perhaps beyond that.
"I think it's going to be hard to walk away whenever I decide to walk away because it's been a huge part of my life for a long time," Brady said. "I love thinking about it. Football, to me, is much more than a sport. There's the physical element, there's the mental approach — how you're going to get the job done — and there's the emotional part. All of those things I've found ways to evolve at different times so that I could maximize my potential.
"I think for an individual player like myself, as a quarterback, it's never about what I do, it's really about what we do. Because so much of it is being on the same page with my teammates – with the receivers, the tight ends, the offensive line, the coaches."
Before his career with the New England Patriots and the Buccaneers, Brady was Michigan's starter for two seasons, beginning 25 games in 1998 and '99, and completing 61.9 of his passes for 4,773 yards in his career. He went 20-5 as the starting signal-caller, beat Ohio State in 1999 and led the Wolverines to a thrilling overtime victory over Alabama to cap off that same season. Brady was also a part of the Wolverines' 1997 national championship team and won two Big Ten titles.
Five different former Michigan football players are on the Chiefs' roster — defensive ends Frank Clark, Taco Charlton and Mike Danna, quarterback Chad Henne, and offensive lineman Patrick Omameh.
Kickoff for Super Bowl 55 is at 6:30 p.m. at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Fla., and will be nationally televised on CBS. Commentators Jim Nantz and Tony Romo will be on the call, with former Michigan kicker Jay Feely and Michigan graduate Tracy Wolfson reporting from the sidelines.
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