Tom Brady Press Conference Day After Super Bowl LV Win Transcript

Speaker 1: (00:00) Yeah, you really delivered in every way, and really an extraordinary performance to give. The first time we've had the host city in the game, and now the first time, obviously, to win that game. So it's not unusual for us to see Tom Brady step up and win a championship and do it with just an extraordinary performance and lifting everybody around him, including, I think, this community and the nation. So Tom, congratulations on your fifth MVP award, seven Super Bowl champs, and 10 appearances. Just unmatched, unrivaled, and just extraordinary performance. So to you, fantastic. Speaker 1: (00:43) Coach Arians, I know how hard you worked, just your determination to bring a championship to this community was really remarkable. And we all know how hard it is to win in this league, and you've been in this league an awful long time and you deserve this. And congratulations to you and your staff for an incredible performance. Really great. So congratulations to both of you guys. Tom Brady: (01:10) Thank you. Appreciate it. Speaker 1: (01:11) Many more. Coach Arians: (01:12) [inaudible 00:01:12]. Speaker 1: (01:12) I know that's what you're talking about already, how are we going to win next year? Speaker 4: (01:19) Thank you, commissioner. We'll go ahead and get started with questions. Please address whether you're speaking with Tom or with coach as we get started. Our first one's going to come from Rick Straut. Rick? Coach Arians: (01:39) Well Rick, hit the unmute button, buddy. Speaker 4: (01:43) We'll actually pivot and we'll go over to Greg Allen. Greg: (01:48) Hey, congratulations to you both. Coach, I wanted to ask you, you guys very quickly moved onto the business of trying to return as much of this team for next year. And I just wanted to ask you how confident you are that you'll be able to kind of keep this team intact and try and do the same thing again next year? Coach Arians: (02:04) I'm very, very confident. I have all the trust in the world in Jason and what he will do. These guys, they have a bond, and there'll be dollars involved, but I think this group is so, so close that sometimes dollars don't matter. But we're going to do everything we can to get the dollars right too, because they earned it. Speaker 4: (02:29) We're going to go to Sam Farmer. Sam: (02:33) Congratulations guys. Tom, you alluded to this last night, but you had that stretch in November where you lost three or four games and had to sort of regroup. And this isn't the first time we've seen this with teams in the third quarter of the season. How does that sharpen your focus and sort of galvanize the team to go through a little loss, a losing streak before you ascend? Tom Brady: (03:02) I think, being an athlete for a long time, rarely does the season ever just go smooth sailing. So every team deals with adversities, it has to overcome different obstacles over the course of the year. Sometimes you start slow. Sometimes you ... we had a middle stretch where we didn't play our best and we played some really good football teams. And then sometimes you struggle a little late and you got to get it going, but this team found a way when it mattered most. And there are so many great plays by great players on our team at the biggest moments. And even thinking about the playoffs, to go to Washington and get a win there, and our team's first chance in the playoffs was incredible. Tom Brady: (03:46) And then to go to New Orleans and watch the defense play against the Saints team, which really beat us pretty well two times this season, and then to go up and play the MVP of the league and watch our defense play the way they did. And then again, last night was pretty spectacular. So offensively, we made some great plays when we needed to, but it was the ultimate team effort, ultimate team ... as BA said, it's an amazing team, amazing group of guys, and just very blessed to be a part of it. Speaker 4: (04:20) Thanks, Tom. We're going to go to James Palmer with the NFL Network. James Palmer: (04:26) I'd like you both to kind of answer this. Bruce, of all the things Tom brings to a team, I guess what aspect of on, off the field, leadership, talent that you saw the most in getting you guys to the Super Bowl. And then Tom, which part of it in terms of maybe prides you the most and what you bring to a team when you join it and when you're a part of it? Coach Arians: (04:48) Yeah, I think that this was a very, very talented football team last year, but we really didn't know how to win. And when you bring a winner in and he's running the ship, it makes a total difference in your locker room. Every time we step out on the field ... we came from behind I think two times by 17 points down. And I think the leadership that Tom brings, and his attitude that, "Hey, let's go play. It's never over until it's over. And we're going to win this thing, somehow, some way." And it permeated through our whole locker room, his belief that we're going to do this, and knowing that he'd been there and done it, our guys believed it, and it changed our entire football team. Speaker 4: (05:48) All right, Tom? We're going to go over and go to Gemma [inaudible 00:05:52]. Tom Brady: (05:52) Cool. Gemma: (05:54) Hey Tom, I believe it's your sister, is it Marueen that's the nurse? Tom Brady: (06:01) Yep. Gemma: (06:02) What did it mean for you last night to see healthcare workers honor in such a big way? And also between her and then, of course, with your parents having both dealt with COVID-19, what was that like for you last night to be part of that? Tom Brady: (06:18) It was just amazing to have everybody there, and my family's been so supportive in this journey with me for a long time, like all of our families. And I know I couldn't do it without my family. So my sisters ... I've always said I had three sisters who are way better athletes than I am. And they were three of the most competitive girls I've been around growing up. I was the little brother. I would just tag along to all their softball games. And my oldest sister, Maureen, was an All-American pitcher at Fresno State. And her daughter now plays at UCLA and is going to be an All-American at UCLA as one of the best players in the country as a young softball player. So there's a lot of competitiveness. Tom Brady: (06:56) And she's a nurse now, but in her heart, she's still an athlete. So she gave me a hug after the game and she said a few things that probably aren't appropriate for this call, like we all do when we win, but it was great to everybody there, great to have everyone celebrate, and it will be a good day today of rest and have some time with them today. And we've all kind of been away from ... well I've been away from my family for ... I said nobody comes to the house until this game's over. So we're going to get some time today to all chill out and enjoy it. Speaker 4: (07:27) All right. We're going to go over to Peter Carline from the Daily Mail. Peter: (07:36) Congratulations to both of you. I just wondered how you celebrated and how different it was for you, Tom, to spend the night in your own bed with your family? Tom Brady: (07:47) I actually spent the night in my daughter's bed, because I had five of my nephews and nieces in my bed. So that was pretty unique. It was probably about two hours of sleep. So I'm going to be trying to get some extra sleep today. Speaker 4: (08:03) All right. We'll go to Scott Renolds. Scott: (08:07) Hey guys. Congrats. To either Bruce or Tom, 30 has been the magic number for you guys all year. You finished the regular season averaging 30.8 points per game. You finished the season undefeated with 12 and 0 each time you guys have scored 30 or more, including last night. Can you speak to what an accomplishment that is from an offensive standpoint? And coach, you said it a few weeks ago when I asked you this question, you believe you can still hit 35 points per game next season with an entire off season with Tom? Coach Arians: (08:38) Oh, I don't think there's any doubt about that. And I was pissed because we really had about 40 or 45 out there last night and we left a few out there, but yeah, this group of guys are so, so, so special, and hopefully we can keep this band together and have an off season where we actually know what the hell we're doing and all are on the same page. And yeah, I think the sky's the limit for this crew. Speaker 4: (09:09) We're going to go to Terez Paylor from Yahoo! Sports. Terez Paylor : (09:13) Hey, congratulations guys. This question is for Tom. Tom, you've had a few, just a few rough games in the playoffs, just with protection and stuff. A little bit with what Patrick Mahomes just kind of went through, and you found a way to come back, you found a way to continue to win. Just what was your advice to Mahomes after the game? And what's the key to bouncing back as a team when the past protection and the pressure kind of hurts you like that in a playoff game, in a big playoff game? Tom Brady: (09:43) Well, I think in any game ... I think what our defensive line did last night was incredible. And it's very difficult, almost impossible to play quarterback under duress like that. That's just the reality of football. You have a rhythm in your head of how a play should go or the rhythm of a certain play, and if that rhythm is thrown off from the snap of the ball, you're just scrambling to make plays. And Pat was doing everything he could to make a bunch of plays last night. He was running around, reversing field, doubling back, tripling back, and then made some great throws. But in the end, it's tough to do that consistently and play on rhythm. But our D-line really made him uncomfortable all night. Tom Brady: (10:29) It's a good feeling from our sidelines, seeing them do that. Just seeing the other quarterback work for passing yards is a great feeling. There's nothing ... I know when I feel in rhythm and I feel like, okay, things are really clean, I'm seeing everything, it's fun, it's relatively easy. But when you feel God man, every play for a six yard gain, I got to fire it in there and thread the needle between two guys, I mean that's tough to play football like that. So I just give credit to our D-line, to coach Bowls, the scheme he came up with, all the linebackers, Devin, Lavante, what they did in pursuit of him. They played their ass off. Speaker 4: (11:10) Okay. We're going to go to Joey Knight. Joey: (11:15) Coach, last night was another night of minimal mistakes. Four penalties, no turnovers. That's been kind of a prevailing theme during this whole stretch run, right? Coach Arians: (11:25) Yeah, there's [inaudible 00:11:26], Joey, I mean ever since Chicago. And I think our guys, coming back on the plane from Chicago, made a commitment to each other that we're going to stop beating ourselves. And what a great, great job they have done all the way through. And yeah, I mean if you don't beat yourself, no turnovers, very, very few penalties, you're going to be hard to beat. And we realized that after that game, and it's been an easy job coaching ever since. Speaker 4: (11:58) We're going to go to Richard Graves from Sky Sports. Richard: (12:05) Hi Bruce, Tom. Tom, I'll come to you first and get your thoughts on this as well, Bruce. Can the pair of you conceptualize just what you've achieved between you for this community over the last year for you, Tom, two years for you, coach, because this is a team that only had one winning record in the last 10 years, hadn't been to the playoffs since 2007, and yet here you sit as champions. Coach Arians: (12:27) Yeah, I think the commitment to each other. This thing started in August and it was all about sacrifice and commitment to each other. We had to beat the virus before we could beat another team. And I can't say enough about our guys' commitment to each other. And this is one of the closest teams I've ever been on and we couldn't eat together, we couldn't talk to each other. I mean, for them to care this much about each other and not ... the bonding experience somehow happened. And I'm still trying to figure out how, because under the pandemic, this was so, so hard of a year for a team to be close. And this was one of the closest teams I've ever been on. Speaker 4: (13:12) All right, we're going to go over to John Crick. John: (13:16) Tom, we're only just learning this week about how serious it was with your parents and COVID in September. How hard was it for you to concentrate and try to show your teammates that you're the teammate guide team first when you had this immense personal distraction. And Bruce, were you and the team aware and what kind of support were you giving Tom at that time? Tom Brady: (13:38) Yeah, BA was very supportive of me, and Clyde, my quarterback coach was very supportive. It's anything where ... anything that affects your parents is pretty tough, especially on the other side of the country. They're in California, I'm in Florida. I think a lot of families have been affected by this COVID situation and it hit my dad pretty hard. My mom recovered pretty quickly. My dad had a little rough go, but in the end he came through like he always does. He's a fighter and I was just so happy that he was there last night watching us play. So it all ended up well. Speaker 4: (14:26) We're going to go to Grace Remington. Grace: (14:31) Hi, congratulations to you both. And for Tom, you had talked throughout the season about winning the big moments for the teammates who had never been there before. So the long-timers like Lavante, Mike Evans. What was it like seeing their reaction last night? Tom Brady: (14:46) It was amazing. That's the best part. I mean, for me, that's the best part is just watching Mike, watching Lavante, Kevin, Cam [inaudible 00:14:57], Will Golston, guys that have been here for a long time, and just everybody wants to win the Super Bowl. I know everyone, hey, that's the goal every year, but as the commissioner said earlier, it's hard, man. It's a hard league and these guys are good. These talented players, talented coaches, very, very ... you need a lot of good fortune. Injuries and stuff like that always play a part, but just to see them celebrate ... our locker room, man, that was amazing after the game. I'm sure it's probably a lot on Instagram and social media with a lot of guys and the cameras, but there was champagne bottles popped and cigars being lit. It was just a moment I'll never forget. So just celebrating with them, that was an amazing feeling. Speaker 4: (15:47) All right, we're going to go to John Later with [inaudible 00:15:49] Report. John L.: (15:51) Bruce, I'm curious what kind of went into the game plan to call as much play action as you did in this game. I think it was close to about half of Tom's drawbacks were play action passes. That would be the highest rate for you all all season long, I believe. Just what went into the mindset to be so play action heavy? Coach Arians: (16:10) Yeah. I thought Byron had a great, great plan, and I can't give him enough credit, man. Byron is just ... he's a superstar. I mean, he had a great plan, we were going to run the football, and we were going to max protect and get our one-on-ones. And Tom did a great job of getting out of bad plays, getting us in good plays. And I can't say enough about the game plan. I mean, all three phases. I mean, Byron, Todd, Keith, they all did such a great, great job, but Byron's game plan was outstanding. Speaker 4: (16:48) Okay. We're going to go over to Paul [inaudible 00:16:52]. Paul: (16:55) Yeah, Tom, Bruce talked about the challenges of this season because of the pandemic. It's difficult enough for a quarterback to assimilate himself into an offense, a new team under normal circumstances. How much more difficult was it made this season for you to kind of get to know this team and to play with them under all of the restrictions that COVID presented? Tom Brady: (17:21) Well, I think everybody was dealing with, like I said, just a bunch of different things that are a little bit challenging and so forth. And I think anybody that is just trying to learn some new verbiage, it's not like curl routes are any different or [inaudible 00:17:35] or any different or comebacks or go routes or posts, but just how you put them all together and how you call them and stuff. But again, I think everybody just worked at it together. That was the best part. It was just everyone everyday showing up, "Hey, this is what we're going to do. This is how we're going to do it, this is how we're going to try to make it better." And we just worked every day. And I know BA ... I would say BA had incredible confidence in us from the moment we got started. Tom Brady: (18:01) And even we hit a rough patch, he never lost his poise. He never doubted what we could accomplish. He just kept believing that we could do it and he saw it, and the players, when the coach believes in it, the players believe in it too. And we're just going to ... we're a really hardworking team. Guys showed up wanting to put the work in. And when you do that, it usually pays off. So it doesn't always pay off, but most of the time it does. So the guys put the work in and we all went out and we got it done. Speaker 4: (18:34) We have time for a few more. We're going to go to Jack Hart. Jack: (18:41) Hey Tom. Congratulations, and congratulations to you both. Obviously you're no stranger to this feeling. I just want to know, where does this rank in your previous wins? Tom Brady: (18:55) Yeah, I said last night, every year is different. This year has been so ... it's been incredible for me. It's just been incredible. So it's great. That's where I rank it, it's great. It's been a great year and incredibly ... I mean just fun. There's a lot of ... I think in a unique way, it was kind of like with the coronavirus situation and all the protocols, it was really like football for junkies. There was not really a lot of other things to do other than show up to work and play football. Normally there's a lot of other things that go along with playing football. So if you love football, this was a year to be a player in the NFL, because that's all it was. It was like football camp with all your buddies year round. So I really enjoyed that part. Speaker 4: (19:46) Our last one is going to come from John Romano. John R.: (19:51) Hey Bruce. As Tom mentioned, routes are the same wherever you go, but could you just talk about the dance between a coaching staff and a quarterback, the rhythm they have to find to get together and understand what the two of each other want to do? Coach Arians: (20:07) Oh, gosh. Yeah, John, I mean it takes time. And this year was so unique in that we had no time. We were going to New Orleans, and I think I'm speaking for Tom here, like what the hell is that play? What's that word mean? And what the hell is this guy going to do on this play? I think it just took time and it's not easy. I mean, it's not easy. And I can't give Tom enough credit for just hanging in there with the coaches and knowing this is going to work out sooner or later, and it did. And I'm just so proud of all our guys, but I just can't say enough about Tom and him just hanging in there and just continuing to battle just the verbiage itself. When you do something for 20 years, and I was in that system. I know that system. So ours is different and I'm just so grateful for him to just battle through this thing and just watch the performances as we got better and better. Speaker 4: (21:20) Okay. That's all for today. Thanks coach. Thanks Tom. Coach Arians: (21:23) Appreciate it guys. Thank you.