No NFL player is more synonymous with the Super Bowl than Tom Brady. He's about to appear in his 10th and has already won six, both of which are records. That lessens the oddity of seeing him in the big game as the quarterback for the Buccaneers after everything he accomplished over two decades with the Patriots.
Brady was asked Thursday, having grown up a diehard 49ers fan and then seeing favorite player Joe Montana finish his career elsewhere, if he were a Patriots fan today, how would he feel seeing himself in the Super Bowl with Tampa Bay? Brady didn't answer the question directly. But his appreciation for his former team and town is apparent.
"I had an incredible 20 years, really just an incredible 20 years," Brady said. "And I wouldn't trade anything over the course of 20 years that were magical. And all the relationships that I developed, those shaped me into who I am as a person, as a player. My kids were born in Boston. I have great affection for the city, everything that Boston has meant to me and my family. And all of New England. Not just Boston."
It was a region the Michigan product and Bay Area native knew little about upon being selected by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 draft.
"That was always a funny story," Brady continued. "They called me and said, you've been picked by New England. I was like, that's amazing, where's New England? I landed in Providence, which really screwed me up because that's not even in Massachusetts."
Brady, of course, found his way to Foxborough and once he replaced an injured Drew Bledsoe early in the 2001 season, he never looked back. He migrated south to Tampa Bay last spring only after the Pats allowed him to become a free agent for the first time in his storied career. No matter what happens versus the Chiefs next Sunday, and for however long Brady continues to take the field, it's clear he'll reflect fondly on his time in New England.
It was the most successful run by one franchise -- and player -- in league history.
