Tom Brady: Already Back to Work

 

You do not get to be a professional athlete in your 40s if you are not both blessed with great genes and possessed of a ferocious work ethic. That work ethic might also be characterized as a sense of self-preservation. Tom Brady has all this in spades. He led his second National Football League franchise to Super Bowl victory this past Sunday. Today, Saturday, February 13, 43 year old Tom Brady was back in training, one-on-one, with his personal trainer of many years, Alex Guerrero.

Tom Brady TrainingI have no special fondness for Brady, have ignored the NFL entirely for the past season, and last really cheered the Jim Zorn era Seahawks. Yet, I have to cheer for the old guys to win. You bet I have a George Foreman grill.

Tom Brady is more than the old guy. His focused, disciplined professional life is exemplified by this quiet photograph, capturing the moment that is the first of many foundational to a realistic campaign for an 8th Super Bowl ring.

For context, no other player, every, has earned even seven rings. Charles Haley retired with five. Thirty-two players have earned four rings, of which only one, a kicker, is still an active player. So, Tom Brady has no one even close to breathing down his neck, and no reason to believe anyone will equal his current championship tally even if he lives to a very ripe old age.

Of course, Brady is also doing what an athlete must to maximize the chances of an active old age, not crippled by the long term effects of old injuries. Staying in the very best shape at all times and keeping game reflexes sharp is the best way to survive one brutal season after another.

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  1. Django Member
    Django
    @Django

    When I was about seven years old, the parquet floor was etched in my memory. I had watched my dad and grandpa watch the Celtics because a local, i.e. Kentucky boy, was playing. Naturally, I watched during the Cowens and Bird eras. I met someone who claimed that she knew Bird and she mentioned that after his back injury, after the season was over, he trained with weights for the first time. After that one summer of training, the man who guarded him best said that Bird was a step quicker, that he had “got around” him on moves that wouldn’t have worked earlier. After one summer of weight training. As great as Bird was, one can’t help but ask, “What if …?” What if he’d been a workout warrior for his whole career like Brady, LeBron, Michael Jordan? 

    • #1
  2. CACrabtree Coolidge
    CACrabtree
    @CACrabtree

    Not bad for a 199th draft pick.

    • #2
  3. Stad Coolidge
    Stad
    @Stad

    CACrabtree (View Comment):

    Not bad for a 199th draft pick.

    A stark contrast to those high, first-round picks that flame out . . .

    • #3
  4. CACrabtree Coolidge
    CACrabtree
    @CACrabtree

    Stad (View Comment):

    CACrabtree (View Comment):

    Not bad for a 199th draft pick.

    A stark contrast to those high, first-round picks that flame out . . .

    Calling Ryan Leaf…

    Calling JaMarcus Russell…

    • #4
  5. Clifford A. Brown Member
    Clifford A. Brown
    @CliffordBrown

    Stad (View Comment):

    CACrabtree (View Comment):

    Not bad for a 199th draft pick.

    A stark contrast to those high, first-round picks that flame out . . .

    Brian Bosworth

    Tony Mandarich.

    Ryan Leaf.

    Johnny Manziel.

     

    • #5
  6. CACrabtree Coolidge
    CACrabtree
    @CACrabtree

    Clifford A. Brown (View Comment):

    Stad (View Comment):

    CACrabtree (View Comment):

    Not bad for a 199th draft pick.

    A stark contrast to those high, first-round picks that flame out . . .

    Brian Bosworth.

    Tony Mandarich.

    Ryan Leaf.

    Johnny Manziel.

     

    At least Bosworth is part of a highlight reel; getting run over by Bo Jackson.  I had forgotten about Mandarich (like a lot of people).  As for Manziel (as a long suffering Browns fan), what a complete no-talent jerk.

     

    • #6
  7. Clifford A. Brown Member
    Clifford A. Brown
    @CliffordBrown

    CACrabtree (View Comment):

    Clifford A. Brown (View Comment):

    Stad (View Comment):

    CACrabtree (View Comment):

    Not bad for a 199th draft pick.

    A stark contrast to those high, first-round picks that flame out . . .

    Brian Bosworth.

    Tony Mandarich.

    Ryan Leaf.

    Johnny Manziel.

    At least Bosworth is part of a highlight reel; getting run over by Bo Jackson. I had forgotten about Mandarich (like a lot of people). As for Manziel (as a long suffering Browns fan), what a complete no-talent jerk.

    The Mandarich link is to a Getty image, as his highlights were his beefcake photos, showcasing a physique that turned out to be chemically induced.

    • #7
  8. Stad Coolidge
    Stad
    @Stad

    CACrabtree (View Comment):

    Clifford A. Brown (View Comment):

    Stad (View Comment):

    CACrabtree (View Comment):

    Not bad for a 199th draft pick.

    A stark contrast to those high, first-round picks that flame out . . .

    Brian Bosworth.

    Tony Mandarich.

    Ryan Leaf.

    Johnny Manziel.

     

    At least Bosworth is part of a highlight reel; getting run over by Bo Jackson. I had forgotten about Mandarich (like a lot of people). As for Manziel (as a long suffering Browns fan), what a complete no-talent jerk.

     

    I loved what the announcer said after the RB bowled Bosworth over:

    “Welcome to the NFL.”

    • #8
  9. crogg Inactive
    crogg
    @crogg

    Brady has also done it playing the most difficult and critical position in football, if not all of sport.  He is no kicker.

    • #9
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