When it comes to Tom Brady and his many accomplishments, the surprising is hardly casual.
Still, it’s quite surprising that Brady, at 43, is two years older than his offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich, 41, and is still playing at the supernatural level at which he played in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers race for the Super Bowl Championship LV.
Brady, who won his fifth most valuable Super Bowl player and set a franchise record with 40 touchdowns, dazzled even Leftwich. He even admitted that he could not understand the excellence displayed by TB12 last season in the last episode of Huddle & Flow Podcast with Jim Trotter and Steve Wyche of the NFL Network.
“Of course not. You just didn’t think it was possible, did you?” Leftwich responded when asked if he thought it was possible for Brady to succeed as he did. “Like, you watched his tape and I knew his arm was still alive, you know, you could tell me that he still had a live arm. So you knew his arm was alive. But then you get around that and you like, look at that ball. It’s the kind of ball he throws, it’s a friendly ball. It’s a penetrating ball. So it was unique to see him be able to do all those things, still. I tried … and see him, I’m like, man, just to see how he is still able to do things that young people could do. “
Brady is ready for a knee cleanse, but he hasn’t missed a game during the Buccaneers’ 20-game season. His arm was as excited as ever and culminated in a three-touchdown night on Super Bowl Sunday. But along with Brady’s physical prowess, his work ethic and commitment to the game is a prevalent factor, in Leftwich’s view.
“He started this process 20 years ago, you know, 18, 17 years ago. And it is a testament to hard work, to have an understanding, to have a final goal in mind. And you see all the sacrifices he had to make to long the way of being able to play for so long, “said Leftwich. “So, I mean, it’s incredible to see you do that, but it’s incredible to see the commitment that is needed to ensure that you are able to play that long.”