Reporting from atlanta — Tom Brady was untouchable.
The Rams struggled to get close to him. And so did Kevin Simkins, the burly NFL Films cameraman who has shot all six of the New England quarterback’s Super Bowl victories.
The crush of people surrounding Brady after Sunday night’s game was so thick, that Simkins actually felt his feet lift off the ground when the pack moved.
“I was bouncing around like a piece of popcorn out there,” said Simkins, built like a linebacker.
Chad Steele knows the feeling. He’s assigned by the NFL to shepherd the winning quarterback from spot to spot after the Super Bowl, yet this year was especially difficult.
“Everybody’s pushing and pulling different directions,” said the 6-foot-7 Steele, in charge of media relations for the Baltimore Ravens when he’s not working Super Bowls. “You’ve got his teammates trying to come see him, his coach trying to come see him. You don’t know which way to go, because he’s turning left, turning right. It’s just crazy.”
Then again, it’s riding shotgun to NFL history. Brady is the first starting quarterback to win six NFL championships — and that includes the era before the Super Bowl. He had been tied at five with Green Bay legend Bart Starr.
At 41 years, 183 days, Brady extended his record as the oldest quarterback to win a Super Bowl.
“It’s kind of chaotic, but it’s really cool,” Steele said. “It’s history. You see him and the emotion that he has, the emotion that his teammates have, it’s amazing.”
With Brady at quarterback and Bill Belichick as coach, the Patriots have won six Super Bowls in 18 seasons. No matter what you feel about the franchise — and it is football’s most polarizing — that’s stunning. An average of one Lombardi Trophy every three years during that span — and in the salary-cap era, no less, when it’s nearly impossible to keep the core of teams together from year to year.
The one constant on the field for the Patriots is Brady, who, as ESPN number crunchers point out, has six game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime of Super Bowls. Nobody else in the modern era has more than six in all of the playoffs.
Sunday night, all that Brady-Belichick experience was on display. The quarterback and coach are a combined 107 years old, whereas the Rams’ Jared Goff and Sean McVay are a combined 57. In Super Bowl LIII, that seasoning showed.
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Patriots quarterback Tom Brady celebrates a touchdown by Sony Michel against the Rams inthe 4th quarter in Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes Benz Satdium in Atlanta Sunday.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 2/45
Rams quarterback Jared Goff watches after throwing an intereption in the fourth quarter as Patriots Adrian Clayton (94) and Duron Harmon celebrate.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 3/45
Rams receiver Brandin Cooks has his pass broken up by Patriots Duron Harmon (center) and Stephon Gilmore in the fourth quarter.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 4/45
Super Bowl MVP Julian Edelman hoists the Lombardi Trophy after New England beat the Rams 13-3 in Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 5/45
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff (16) sits on the bench behind his teammate after giving up a late game interception.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 6/45
Rams quarterback Jared Goff is hit by Patriots Dont’a Hightower in the end zone after an incomplete pass in the 3rd quarter.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 7/45
Rams losing head coach Sean McVay walks off the field after meeting with Patriots head coach BIll Belichick in Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes Benz Satdium in Atlanta Sunday.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 8/45
New England Patriots wide receiver Chris Hogan (15) hugs New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman (11) as the Patriots beat the Rams 13-3 in the Super Bow.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 9/45
Rams receiver Robert Woods walks off the field after losing to the Patriots in Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes Benz Satdium in Atlanta Sunday.
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Rams running back C.J. Anderson, left, and reeiver Josh Reynolds look at the scoreboard late in the 4th quarter in Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes Benz Satdium in Atlanta Sunday.
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Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski catches a pass in front of Rams linebacker Samson Ebukam in the 4th quarter in Super Bowl LIII.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 12/45
Patriots running back Sony Michel breaks free from the Rams defense in the 3rd quarter in Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes Benz Satdium in Atlanta Sunday.
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Rams receiver Josh Reynolds makes a catch in front of Patriots Jason McCourty inthe 3rd quarter in Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes Benz Satdium in Atlanta Sunday.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 14/45
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Brandin Cooks (12) was wide open in the end zone but couldn’t hang onto a pass while getting hit by New England Patriots cornerback Jason McCourty (30) in the second half.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 15/45
New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman (11) beats Los Angeles Rams linebacker Dante Fowler (56) for a reception in the Super Bowl.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 16/45
Patriots receiver Julian Edelman leans into Rams defensive back Aqib Talib during first half catch and run in Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 17/45
Patriots defensive lineman Trey Flowers tips a pass that was ultimately completed to Rams receiver Josh Reynolds from Jared in Goff during the first half.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 18/45
Rams quarterback Jared Goff is harrassed by Patriots defenders as he throws a second half pass in Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 19/45
Rams receiver Brandin Cooks fails to haul in a pass after it is broken up by Patriots defenders Stephon Gilmore and Duron Harmon during the fourth quarter.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 20/45
Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore intercepts a pass intended for Rams receiver Brandin Cooks near the end zone during the fourth quarter.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 21/45
Rams receiver Brandin Cooks can’t haul in a pass in the end zone as he is defended by Patriots defensive back Jason McCourty in the third quarter.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 22/45
Rams quarterback Jared Goff (16) barely gets a pass off under pressure from Patriots defensive end Trey Flowers (98) and outside linebacker John Simon (55) during the second half.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 23/45
Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski just misses a pass from Tom Brady as he is defended by Rams linebacker Cory Littleton.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 24/45
Linebacker Brandon King (36) lies in the confetti on the field after the Patriots defeated the Rams 13-3 in the Super Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 25/45
Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald drags down Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, forcing an incomplete pass during the first half.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 26/45
Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski (3) celebrates with offensive lineman Ted Karras (75) after kicking a field goal late in the fourth quarter to give New England a 13-3 lead.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 27/45
Patriots defensive back Stephon Gilmore prevents Rams receiver Brandin Cooks from making a catch in the third quarter.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 28/45
Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore (24) intercepts a pass intended for Rams wide receiver Brandin Cooks (12) to end a scoring threat late in the fourth quarter.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 29/45
Rams receiver Brandin Cooks walks away as Patriots defensive backs celebrate an interception by Stephon Gilmore to kill a fourth-quarter drive.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 30/45
Patriots defensive back Stephon Gilmore intercepts a Jared Goff pass in the fourth quarter.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 31/45
Patriots running back Sony Michel dives into the end zone for a two-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 32/45
Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski hauls in a 29-yard pass to set up a Patriots touchdown.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 33/45
Adam Levine of Maroon 5 performs during the Super Bowl LIII halftime show.
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From fire to lights, Adam Levine of Maroon 5 performs during the Super Bowl LIII halftime show.
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Maroon 5’s Adam Levine, before he peeled off his shirt, performs during the Super Bowl LIII halftime show.
( Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 36/45
Patriots cornerback Jason McCourty tries to grab the ball after breaking up a pass intended for Rams receiver Josh Reynolds during the first half.
(Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times ) 37/45
Rams defensive end John Franklin-Myers (94) and defensive tackle Ethan Westbrooks sack Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and forces him to fumble in the first half.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 38/45
Rams linebacker Cory Littleton intercepts a pass intended for Patriots receiver Chris Hogan in the first quarter.
(Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times ) 39/45
Patriots middle linebacker Kyle Van Noy sacks Rams quarterback Jared Goff for a loss in the first half.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 40/45
Patriots defensive end Deatrich Wise takes down Rams running back C.J. Anderson for a loss in the first half.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 41/45
Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski can’t catch a pass while defended by Rams cornerback Aqib Talib during first-quarter action.
(Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times ) 42/45
Patriots fans outnumber Rams fans at the Marta train stop near Mercedes-Benz Stadium before Super Bowl LIII.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 43/45
Rams tight ends Tyler Higbee (89), Johnny Mundt (82) and Gerald Everett (81) take the field to warm up for Super Bowl LIII.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 44/45
Rams running back Todd Gurley jogs around the field during warmups for Super Bowl LIII.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 45/45
Patriots fans yell for players during warmups before Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) It was far from an offensive masterpiece for New England, but Brady was happy to direct the spotlight to the other side of the ball.
“How about our defense?” he said. “They played unbelievable. Challenged all these plays and we finally had a touchdown drive in the fourth quarter. Took us a while, but you’ve got to grind it out and find a way. We did that against [Kansas City], we did it against L.A. [Chargers], and then obviously again tonight.
“All different teams. All different styles. But world champs, man.”
If there was a signature play in what was an uneven performance by Brady, it was his pristine pass to diving tight end Rob Gronkowski for a 29-yard gain to the two-yard line midway through the fourth quarter. One snap later, the Patriots scored the game’s only touchdown.
“Tom threw it to me and I had to make a play,” Gronkowski said. “He knows to trust in me and throw that ball, and I’m going to grab it.”
This was the first of Brady’s nine Super Bowl appearances in which he didn’t throw a touchdown pass. It was his fifth such postseason game, and the Patriots are 5-0 in those.
The 13 points by the Patriots matched the fewest they have scored in any of Brady’s postseason starts.
Still, is there any debate Belichick and Brady are the greatest coach and quarterback, combined or individually, in NFL history?
Certainly not in New England’s locker room.
“The comparisons should have been dropped long ago,” said Jonathan Kraft, president of the Patriots. “Anybody who thinks you can compare Bill Belichick and Tom Brady to any other coach or quarterback is just wrong. There’s no relative comparison. You think of greatness in other fields, and there’s just nothing. And it’s keeping that competitive hunger over such a long period of time.”
Brady and Belichick, Kraft said, even top the singular Boston sports icon of the generation past.
“I watched Larry Bird, I love Larry Bird,” Kraft said. “I’m not being critical of him. But Tom and Bill transcend him. Any comparisons are a joke. If someone’s comparing them to anyone, they have another agenda.”
As the throng around Brady continues to grow, everyone gets closer to him — yet he only creates more separation.
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