Success Doesn’t Inflate Brady

Tom Brady has reached incredible heights in part because he has kept his feet on the ground.

The New England quarterback, who won his second Super Bowl most-valuable-player award in the Patriots’ victory over Carolina, has put a priority on maintaining his humility throughout his dizzying ascent to the top of the NFL. He spoke to reporters Monday wearing a brown leather trench coat, an untucked striped shirt that looked like a pajama top, jeans, a week’s worth of beard stubble and an irrepressible smile.

“His hat size hasn’t changed one bit,” remarked his father, Tom Sr.

Everyone in the sports world might want Brady, but all he was looking for was a little shut-eye.

“It’s been an exciting, exciting season,” he said. “So excuse me if I stutter a little bit today; I’m working on an hour’s sleep. Forgive me now.”

Brady, 26, is the youngest two-time Super Bowl winner and the youngest player to win a pair of Super Bowl MVPs. He’s 40-12 as a starter, and Sunday evoked memories of Joe Montana as he directed the Patriots down the field for Adam Vinatieri’s game-winning field goal with four seconds to play.

Dramatic as that was, and good as he has been, Brady has laughed off the suggestion that he’s the next Montana, who retired with four Super Bowl rings.

“I’m 26 years old, and [Sunday], for as great as it was, really wasn’t perfect,” Brady said. “So there’s always things to improve on. And it was a good year, and it was a great year. And the way it turned out [Sunday] just capped it off. But there’s a lot -- still a lot of room to grow, and there’s a lot of progress. From two years ago to now, I feel that I’ve continued to develop. Hopefully, that continues.”

It would have been impossible for Brady’s life to stay just the same after his first Super Bowl victory. People close to him say he maintained his friendly edge, wasn’t intoxicated by all the praise. But, to some extent, he was caught up in the whirlwind. He flew on Hugh Hefner’s jet, dated celebrities, lived life under the microscope with his every move documented by the Boston media.

That scrutiny only figures to intensify. It did for Montana. After the San Francisco quarterback won his first Super Bowl, it was not uncommon for him to stand on the lawn in front of a Redwood City, Calif., sports complex and give interviews into the evening. He complied with just about every request. But three years later during the 1984 season, when he was working his way toward a second ring, a 49er employee used to drive Montana’s car onto the practice field and pick him up so the quarterback could avoid the throngs of reporters and autograph hounds.

As Montana was to the 49ers, Brady is a key component to the Patriots, who had so many injuries they had to start more than 40 players this season.

“Nobody has worked harder than Tom in the four years he’s been with us,” Coach Bill Belichick said. “He’s improved tremendously, and that’s due to his work and the coaching he’s received from [offensive coordinator Charlie Weis] and this year [quarterbacks coach] John Hufnagel.”

Still, mistakes happen. Brady overcame a big one midway through the fourth quarter, when his pass for Christian Fauria was intercepted in the end zone after the Patriots had reached the Carolina nine. Had New England scored, it would have taken a 12-point lead. The interception gave Carolina new life, and the Panthers took advantage of it with a touchdown that gave them a 22-21 lead.

It was a costly interception at the time, but it wasn’t Brady’s most expensive one. That came in practice recently, when the Patriots ran a rare drill that pitted their No. 1 offense against their No. 1 defense. Before the drill, Brady and safety Rodney Harrison made a bet that Harrison wouldn’t pick off one of his passes. At stake, two first-class plane tickets to anywhere in the world. Harrison won.

“Ruined my whole weekend,” said Brady, explaining what he and Harrison were discussing when they hugged on the field after the Super Bowl. “I think it ruined my night, and Rodney reminded me of that.”

Brady and Harrison are friends, but they are incredibly competitive. They got into a shouting match at practice Friday, clearly tired of facing each other for almost two weeks. When Brady embraced him after the game, he did so gingerly, careful not to jar Harrison’s arm, which sustained a fracture during the second half.

“For him to get a Super Bowl ring, I think it’s special,” Brady said. “For me to see him and the excitement he had ... hopefully he feels better so he can lug that ring better.”

Brady, meanwhile, has two rings. Which is his favorite? He has a pat response for that one, a comeback he decided on sometime before the end of the game and Monday morning:

“My favorite ring? My next one.”