When quarterback Tom Brady first jogged onto the field before Sunday's Super Bowl, thousands of New England Patriots fans rose from their seats, burst into applause and then sat down. But Brady was not in the mood for idle celebrations of his appearance, his sixth in a Super Bowl, a record for a quarterback. He waved his arms over his head and gestured for the fans to get back on their feet and cheer. Brady (37) continued this unsubtle demonstration until he was greeted by a more raucous response. Kickoff was still 90 minutes away. Long before the game began, Brady knew the stakes and the effect the outcome would have on the narrative of his career. The bold, lasting impressions of Brady's story have always been written in the postseason, with precocious success and a 3-0 Super Bowl record before he was 28 years old.
Legacy
But two straight losses in the biggest football game of the year followed, and Brady was clearly growing weary of the stain that was leaving on his legacy. Sunday’s game unfolded like a microcosm of his Super Bowl experience. At first, he could do no wrong against the Seahawks, and then, he could do little right. Still, as he walked onto the field midway through the final quarter, with the Patriots trailing by three, the crowd chanted: “Bra-dy! Bra-dy!”
After a stumbling third quarter in which he looked harried and old, Brady was suddenly resurrected. Poised in the pocket, he again looked like the carefree 24-year-old who won his first Super Bowl in an upset. His three-yard touchdown pass to Julian Edelman with two minutes remaining – with Brady, looking one way and throwing the other – sealed the Patriots 28-24 victory over Seattle.
Brady became just the third starting quarterback to win four Super Bowls, after Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana. “It’s been a long journey,” Brady, who was named the game’s most valuable player, said afterward. “There have been a couple of tough losses in this game. But we made the plays at the end of this one.” His coach, Bill Belichick, with whom he shares a 4-2 Super Bowl record and with whom he will forever be linked, said Sunday’s performance was quintessential Brady. “Tom does not doubt himself and he sticks to the plan,” Belichick said. “He’s a great player and at any time he can make great plays.” That includes when his skill and aptitude appears to have deserted him. With a visible, defiant determination, Brady cruised through the first half, completing 20 of 27 passes with two touchdown passes. But as the second half began, after Seattle’s fearsome defence and wily coach, Pete Carroll, had a chance to make adjustments, Brady appeared befuddled. New England ran 11 plays in the third quarter and picked up one first down, and the Seahawks took their first lead of the game, 17-14, early in the period.
Uncomfortable
Worse for the Patriots, the Seahawks made Brady uncomfortable in the pocket – a key goal of the Giants in their two Super Bowl victories over the Patriots. In a pivotal sequence, Brady was hurried and then hit just after releasing a pass.
On the next play, Brady unwisely rushed a pass over the middle toward tight end Rob Gronkowski. The ball landed instead in the hands of Seattle middle linebacker Bobby Wagner, an interception that led to a Seahawks touchdown and a 10-point Seattle lead. "That wasn't exactly the way we drew it up," Brady said of the third quarter deficit. "Throwing a couple of picks didn't help."
The turnaround in the fourth quarter was not surprising to those who have been around Brady the longest. “I’ve been coaching for 14 years, and I’ve never known anyone who has more mental toughness,” New England’s offensive co-ordinator, Josh McDaniels, said. “It was a fitting end for him.”
In the aftermath of his fourth Super Bowl victory, Brady could do something he might only have dreamt of 90 minutes before Sunday’s game. He was plotting a fifth Super Bowl victory. Asked to assess his legacy, he shook his head. It was too early for that. “No, not going to do that,” Brady said. “I’ve got a lot of football left.” New York Times Service
