Seventeen years ago, Tom Brady was 24 years old and in his second from zhangzk's blog

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(AP) —  NFL season when he led the Patriots to a last-second victory over the St. Louis Rams for New England’s first Super Bowl title.Four rings later, Brady will arrive in Atlanta for the Patriots’ Super Bowl matchup with the Los Angeles Rams having already established himself as the most-decorated Super Bowl quarterback in league history.But as Brady prepares to play in his ninth Super Bowl, he will have another chance to do something no other NFL player has done.If New England beats Los Angeles, the 41-year-old quarterback will break a tie with Hall of Fame defensive end Charles Haley and become the first player to win six rings.But to his coaches, teammates and admirers across the sporting world, he already stands alone.Known to Brady affectionately as “Jules,” receiver Julian Edelman called it an honor to be a part of the quarterback’s career.“He’s a really good football player,” Edelman said. “The best. And he goes out and he consistently proves it.”Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski has caught more passes from Brady than any other player and will play alongside him in a Super Bowl for the fourth time. He said Brady’s approach has been the same since their first practice together back in 2010.“The guy is just so precise with everything. Just the way he is out on the field, the way he prepares,” Gronkowski said. “You know every single time you’re going to get the best out of him no matter what the situations are.”After New England’s divisional-round win over the Chargers, Brady was openly miffed about what he perceived as pessimism outside of the Patriots’ locker room about their chances of reaching a third straight Super Bowl following a regular season which they started 1-2 and lost five games.“I know everybody thinks we suck and, you know, we can’t win any games,” Brady said. “We’ll see. It’ll be fun.”A week later, Brady led the Patriots on a winning drive in overtime to beat the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship game — his 12th such drive in the postseason in the fourth-quarter or overtime.The next day he posted a video on Instagramof himself and Gronkowski walking to the team bus after the game.Both are smiling and Gronkowski flashes his AFC championship T-shirt.It was the kind humble brag that Brady has steered away from in the past.But this postseason he has been more open with his emotions and acknowledged after the AFC title win he was “as excited as I have been in a long time.”“When you have 70,000 people cheering against you, it is pretty sweet when you win on the road Devin Singletary Jersey ,” Brady said.On Twitter, congratulations came from all corners of sports.Among them was one from Paul Pierce , who helped lead the Celtics to the NBA championship in 2008. “There’s aliens there’s Pegasus and there’s Tom Brady,” Pierce wrote.Left tackle Trent Brown is in his first season in New England after being traded to the Patriots last April. He said sharing the huddle with Brady has lived up to his expectations.“There’s one word, G.O.A.T. That’s it,” Brown said. “He’s one of those great leaders and it trickles down to the rest of the team.”Brown is a member of a starting lineup on offense that, excluding Brady, has an average age of 27.Brady’s continued ability to lead and inspire teammates more than a decade his junior is a unique skill, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said.“He communicates well with every player,” McDaniels said. “One of the things that’s always impressed me is how he’s one of the first guys in the building to know a new person’s name, which speaks to how important that is to him, to introduce himself to somebody and also get to know that person, whether it be a practice squad player, a rookie, whatever it is.”Brady’s introductions to new players is always the same. At some point after they arrive Brady seeks them out, walks up and says plainly, “Hi, I’m Tom Brady.”Linebacker Kyle Van Noy said he still remembers his reaction to hearing those words.It was October 2016 and Van Noy http://www.billsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-dawson-knox-jersey , following a trade from Detroit, arrived at the team facility about 5:30 a.m.. Hours later while on a restroom break from a meeting, he turned and saw an outstretched hand.“Tom comes up and kind of shakes my hand like, ‘Hi, I’m Tom Brady.’ And I’m like, ‘You’re an idiot.'” Van Noy said.But he said the moment was emblematic of a player he has no doubt will be at his best on Super Bowl Sunday.“Those little things are why he’s where he’s at,” Van Noy said. “Those little things that people don’t pay attention to, those detailed things, that just separates him. He’s really good at what he does. … That’s what makes him Tom.” Cam Newton can’t keep from grinning when he looks around at the playmakers that surround him in the Panthers‘ locker room.“The talent level we have on this team is extremely scary,” Newton said.The Panthers proved that again Sunday.Newton completed 19 of 25 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns, running back Christian McCaffrey racked up 157 total yards and scored twice and second-year wide receiver Curtis Samuel scored on a 33-yard double reverse and hauled in a 19-yard TD catch midway through the fourth quarter to seal Carolina’s 42-28 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.The Panthers (6-2) are on a roll midway through the season, scoring 99 points in the last nine quarters.They have wide receivers that can run the ball, running backs that can catch, a big body receiver, a third-down receiving specialist, one of the best pass-catching tight ends in the league and, of course, a one-time league MVP at quarterback who can do it all.Those weapons were all on display in the first half as the Panthers scored touchdowns on five straight possessions to build a 35-7 lead en route to their 10th straight win at home.Even a little “Fitzmagic” wasn’t enough for the Buccaneers (3-5).Ryan Fitzpatrick Brian Burns Jersey , who started in place of the turnover-prone Jameis Winston, finished with 243 yards passing and four touchdowns — two each to Adam Humphries and O.J. Howard — and led the Bucs back to within 35-28 in the fourth quarter before running out of steam.Fitzpatrick threw two costly interceptions — one on the game’s second possession which led to Carolina’s first touchdown, and other late in the fourth quarter that sealed the Bucs’ fate.“We know we have the talent, it’s just we can’t keep digging ourselves in these holes, especially on the road,” Fitzpatrick said.The deficit — and Carolina’s offensive firepower — proved too much.Tight end Greg Olsen called the versatility the Panthers now have on offense with players like McCaffrey, Samuel and D.J. Moore is unlike anything he’s seen since his arrival in Carolina in 2011.“We have guys who are so explosive, so dynamic and so good in the open space,” Olsen said. “We can give them balls on handoffs, throw it to them all — they’re very unique in that regard. I don’t know what we have had this many guys who are that dynamic with the ball in their hands.”That was evident throughout.McCaffrey leaped a defender on a reception in the flat and kept going, racing 32 yards for a first down. Samuel’s 33-yard TD on the reverse included the speedster reversing field and running a combined 103 yards , according to NFL’s Next Gen Stats. And Olsen, the cagey veteran, hauled in a one-handed catch in the end zone — his third TD in three weeks.“We were playing with momentum and when you’re playing like that, we have a lot of juice coming our way so it does make it very fun,” McCaffrey said.Said Newton: “When it’s clicking, it’s clicking.”BREAKING THE PATTERNBucs coach Dirk Koetter is eager to find a solution for his team, which seems to be stuck in a repeating pattern.“We go out http://www.panthersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-greg-little-jersey , we get behind, we get killed in the second quarter, then rally like (heck) in the third quarter and then everybody thinks we’re back in it and then we fade off at the end,” Koetter said. “That’s definitely the pattern that we’re in. If I knew one thing to fix it I’d do it right now, but I don’t know what that is.”ADDISON TURNS IN TRIFECTAPanthers defensive end Mario Addison had a big game with three sacks to raise his team-leading total to 7½.“I’m a pretty strong guy,” said the 6-foor-3, 260-pound Addison. “People underestimate me because I look kind of small but I pack a punch. By the time they miss and my hands get on the inside of them, I’m running them back and they’re like ‘Dang, this guy’s stronger than I thought.'”SLAMMING THE DOORThe Panthers have been touting James Bradberry as their shutdown cornerback and he did quite a number on Tampa Bay’s Mike Evans, who finished with one catch for 16 yards despite being targeted 10 times.Panthers coach Ron Rivera called Bradberry’s defense “as solid as it gets.”THIEVES AVENUEThe Panthers secondary is coming up with big turnovers this season. Carolina has 11 interceptions at the midway point of the season after just 10 picks last season. Jackson, a rookie, has four of them.“The secondary is shaping up nicely and the more they play together the more chances they will have,” Rivera said.NATIONAL ANTHEMPanthers safety Eric Reid took a knee during the national anthem to protest racial and social injustice.INJURIESBuccaneers: None reported.Panthers: Reid left in the fourth quarter with a shoulder injury, but returned to the game.UP NEXTBuccaneers: Host Washington on Sunday.Panthers: Play four of their next five games on the road, beginning Thursday night at Pittsburgh.