Tom Brady was more than happy to accept his fourth Super Bowl MVP award, though he had his own ideas on who should have taken it home.
"I think James White deserves it," Brady said of the Patriots running back. "It'd be nice for him. It took a real team effort."
White set a Super Bowl record for receptions (14) for 110 yards and a touchdown in the Patriots' stunning 34-28 comeback win in overtime. He also rushed for a pair of touchdowns. Brady completed 43 of 62 passes for 466 yards and two touchdowns, setting records for both completions and attempts in a Super Bowl.
"White is like my oldest son," Brady said at Monday's victor news conference. "He just does everything right and you can never get mad at him because even if he doesn't make the play, he feels worse about it than you do. He's just the best teammate. He's an incredible player. He's been that way since he really assumed that big role when Dion got hurt last year. I'm so proud of him and everything he's accomplished. I've seen him grow from a rookie to working his tail off to become a big factor in all of these games.
"That particular role in our offense -- in the Kevin Faulk mold, in the Danny Woodhead mold, in the Shane Vereen mold. Ultimately what Dion and James have done has been incredible for our offense because they're tough matchups and not only can they run and not only can they catch but they pass protect too. There's a lot of toughness and they're so well coached by Ivan Fears who is a great coach for our team and gets those guys so ready every week. It's just a great performance by him when we needed it the most on the biggest stage and he really came through for us."
White, for what it's worth, had just 60 catches and five touchdowns all season long.
Here's what else Brady had to say:
» With his mother battling illness all season long, unable to make it to any previous game, Sunday was quite an emotional experience.
"It was great," Brady said. "She's been through a lot -- way harder than what I went through last night, way harder than what our team went through last night and my dad's been there every step of the way. They set such a great example for me and all families go through challenging times personally. She has a lot of support and a lot of love and I was just happy last night to be able to celebrate with her. She hadn't been to a game all year, but what a hell of a game for her to be at.
"It was really great. It was great to celebrate. My sisters were there, my wife, all my kids, my little girl was there. It'll be nice to go home and spend some time with them, they haven't had their dad around much lately."
» Brady, when asked to reflect on lifting the Lombardi Trophy at nearly 40: "I don't feel 39. I hang out with a bunch of 20-year-olds so that makes you feel pretty young." Brady again credited his disciplined training regimen for his success.
» Brady's jersey is still missing in action. "I put it in my bag, came back out and it wasn't there anymore," he said. "So, it's unfortunate because that's a nice piece of memorabilia. If it shows up on Ebay somewhere, someone let me know and I'll try to track that down."
Don't miss: Live coverage of the Patriots' Super Bowl LI victory parade starts at 10 a.m. ET Tuesday on NFL Network.
