Tom Brady, Super Bowl XLIX MVP, On Winning The Super Bowl

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PATRIOTS QB TOM BRADY

(on the resiliency that his team has shown all year) “It’s been a long journey. It’s just a great win. We left it all on the field.”

(on the keys to victory in today’s game) “Mental toughness.”

(on if he thought this was a game that he would throw the ball 50 times) “You know, whatever it takes. We were playing a great defense and they’re a great team. Took everything all the way to the last play. Just proud of our effort and our determination. We showed it all year. Every team has a journey and a lot of people lost faith in us early, but we held strong, we held together, and it’s a great feeling.”

(on if he was able to process his emotions going from Seattle about to score to New England getting an interception on their final drive) “Unbelievable play by Malcolm (Butler). We didn’t call a timeout and the clock was winding down and we realized, you know, this is basically it if we stopped them. I saw the interception and couldn’t believe it. It was just an incredible play. You know, what a play. A championship play. My guys made them. A lot of guys just did some great stuff out there. Took everybody. We knew it was going to take everybody. It was a 60-minute game. Just proud of how everybody played.”

(on if he is thinking about where his legacy fits in NFL history) “No. I’ve got a lot of football left. It’s hard to play this game and it take a big commitment, a lot of sacrifice. For all the players that have played in the past and I’ve looked up to and admired and a lot of the players now who I look up to and admire – it’s a big challenge and it’s incredible to experience this feeling once and I’ve been fortunate to play on four really great teams, so I’m really blessed.”

(on what it means to have won four Super Bowls and three Super Bowl MVPs like former San Francisco QB Joe Montana and to be compared to him) “Well, I haven’t thought about…I never put myself in those discussions. That’s not how I think. There are so many great players that have been on so many great teams and we’ve had some great teams that haven’t won it and I think you’ve got to just enjoy the moment. Enjoy (it). We’ve been on the other end of this twice now and being ahead late and not being able to make the plays to win, and, this time, we made the plays to win. Just awesome. What an experience. A lot of mental toughness by our team, a lot of physical toughness. We played against a phenomenal defense and we just ultimately made enough plays. We made a couple of crappy plays – I certainly did – but we made enough plays to win.”

(on what it means to get those performances out of guys like WR Julian Edelman, WR Danny Amendola and RB Shane Vereen) “We needed them because without those guys, we don’t win. They stepped up. They did it. They were in there a lot. It was hot. It’s a long game. I don’t know what time it is, but it’s late. But we needed a great play at the end and we got it. Offensively, a lot of guys made huge, huge plays. Defensively, a lot of those guys made huge plays. It’s a great team. They’ve got a great offense, well-coached, great defense – that’s why they’re here and it took a lot to beat them.”

(on what the attitude was taking the field down three points on the final drive) “We were down 10 and we just said, ‘Look, we’ve got to put one good drive together to get us back in the game.’ We made the plays. We overcame a couple of penalties and made the plays to do it and then got the ball back and then scored again. They had a great drive, made some phenomenal plays, and we made a great play in the end. These games, they’re tough. They go down to the end. Glad we finally pulled it out.”

(on finding wide receiver Julian Edelman on the game-winning drive) “I saw Jules. I had an opportunity to move up in the pocket, and Jules had kind of a deep in-cut. I tried to drill it to him and he caught it and made a great catch – took a big hit, and that was the key to the whole drive. There were a lot of keys to the game. You single any one play out today, it could be different. Like I said, I give a lot of credit to them. They’re a great team, but we just made a couple more plays than them.”

(on some of the things Seattle did to disrupt the timing of the offense) “We made some good plays. We had some great drives. Early in the game, I thought we moved in really well. We just stopped ourselves. I threw the interception on the first drive after a great drive, and then we had a third down play, which could have been a really big play, but execution was pretty poor. Going into the second half, I felt like we were ready to do it, and then Bobby (Wagner) made a great interception on the one I threw him. We got behind bad, and then found a way to slug it out and come back. It was a tough day – a lot of energy, a lot of effort. We just made enough plays to win.”

(on going 8-for-8 on the final drive, and if that will be a signature drive in his career) “I didn’t think about that. A lot of guys – we made great catches. It’s a team effort. There’s never one player. It took the whole team. We blocked great all day against a great front, made a lot of great catches and a lot of critical plays in the red area. A lot of guys overcame a lot of mentally-challenging moments, and I’m just proud of the way we overcame it.”

(on comparing his game-winning drive tonight to his game-winning drive in New Orleans in his first Super Bowl) “Hard to remember that far back. I’m a little bit older now. You just have to make the plays to win. It was great. We haven’t had many games this year that have come down like this. I’m glad we made the plays when we needed to.”

(on if he thought Marshawn Lynch was going to get the ball at the one-yard line) “They had a lot of options, so you know, that was their choice. Russell (Wilson) played a phenomenal game. Marshawn played unbelievable. We lost the turnover battle two to nothing and won, and that’s pretty hard to do. I’m glad we did.”

(on what it means to have the most Super Bowl touchdown passes in NFL history) “However we get them, the goal is to score points, so running it, throwing it – I don’t care. Whatever it took today, that’s what we needed to do. We played against a great defense and they made a lot of great plays. We found a way to get it down there at the end, and I’m just proud of the way our guys played.”

(on the last two weeks being mentally challenging and if he feels any vindication now after all the controversy) “No. I don’t feel any.”

(on if he’s tired) “Yeah, it’s a long day. I think we put a lot into it. Yeah, I’m tired.”

(on if it felt at home and at peace on the field after all the controversy surrounding the team leading up to the Super Bowl) “Well, it’s just a lot of mental toughness. I think the whole team had it. Coach (Bill Belichick) always says, ‘Ignore the noise and control what you can control.’ We had a great two weeks of practice. That’s what it took, and every situation that came up was important – every third down that we made, every short-yardage, every red area possession. So that’s who we were focused on, that’s who we needed to be focused on, and that’s how we got the victory.”

-SB XLIX-

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