Thursday is the day the media gets the chance to interview Bucs quarterback Tom Brady at his weekly press conference. While a more light-hearted video came out on the team’s YouTube channel earlier in the day for his Armchair QB series, his press conferences always seem to evoke themes of wisdom and life lessons. Maybe it is because he is a 45-year-old quarterback with 23 years of NFL knowledge, or maybe it is his true calling to be a wise man sitting atop a mountain peak.
Regardless, this week provided one of the best chances to hear him reflect and give deeper perspectives. Brady spoke at length regarding relationships, confidence, the overall process, appreciation, and resilience.
Bucs QB Brady: “It’s A Lot Of Fun For Me Still”
Perhaps one of the clearest examples was when discussing his ACL injury in 2008. “I really think since I hurt my knee in 2008, I appreciate football and every opportunity,” Brady said.
“I’m very fortunate to basically play every game I’ve been allowed to play since that year. I have a lot of perspective on not even being out there. I love playing, and I love playing with my teammates, I love practicing, I love working out, I love training, I love talking about football, I love talking about pass protection and run blocking and all the crazy stuff that [is] probably the stuff that not many of us think about. It’s a lot of fun for me still.”
It is nice to hear that he is still having fun this far into his career, as nearly everyone with a vested interest in the Bucs wishes for his return in 2023 like kids wish for presents at Christmastime. Before that happens, the team looks to close out its season on a high note before making the playoffs.
The 2022 Bucs are a team unlike any other Brady has led in the regular season. He has never lost eight games in a regular season, nor have the statistics and offensive output he has orchestrated looked this poorly before. Brady continues to chart into deeper uncharted waters as he battles father time, but leading a 6-8 team is even more unfamiliar with the standards he places upon himself as a leader.
Confidence and Resiliency Are Part Of The Process
This does not mean all is lost. Brady is the right man for the job to carry the team up the rungs of the NFC ladder. He has overcome plenty of adversity in his career to reach his status. A lot of that adversity ties back to being confident and resilient in facing these obstacles.
“I think just confidence in yourself, confidence in your teammates, confidence in what you’re doing. I think the process of trying to get things right is more important than the outcome of things all the time. We’re always so focused on wins and losses, and I’m always focused on the process of how you get to wins, why you win, and why you lose, because sometimes things don’t go your way.
“You could quit, you could take the easy way out, you could find a way to not play in games. I’m sure a lot of players can do that, but I don’t think there are a lot of rewards in that. So at the end of the day, I feel like you’ve got to find what you’re learning from the challenges of losing games and the challenges of dealing with adversities. It brings a lot out of you. I think when you overcome them, you learn a lot from it, you can apply it in different ways in life, and I think there’s a real benefit to that as you move forward.”
The team and its fans are going to learn a lot from the fight the team truly has as they close out this season. Are they going to wave the white flag, or are they going to stick true to pirate fashion and plunder weaker foes?
The Bucs have lost quite a few games in frustrating ways this year, to say the least. Having experienced this could make them stronger as they look to prove the doubters from the outside. Inside the walls of their facility, hopefully, they heed the wise words of Brady and become resilient in the face of adversity.
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