NEW ORLEANS – Winning three straight Super Bowls is something not even Tom Brady accomplished. Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs can be the first team to do so Sunday with a win in Super Bowl 59 over the Philadelphia Eagles. On the call will be Brady, the winningest player in NFL history with seven Super Bowls, as the FOX game analyst wraps up his first season in the booth.
Of course, Brady took the easy way out when asked Wednesday during a conference call with reporters about Mahomes’ pursuit of history and how the Chiefs quarterback stacked up to “TB12.”
“The comparisons are fun naturally for the media because it serves different kinds of perspective and context that people can write about and talk about,” Brady said, “but in terms of being a competitor, I never viewed it that way.”
Brady sat down with Mahomes on Wednesday morning for a pre-taped segment to air during Sunday’s pregame show and told him there is “nobody happier for you than me” if Mahomes and the Chiefs pulled off the historic three-peat.
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Brady’s dynasties with the New England Patriots never three-peated despite their chance to do so after the 2004 season. Additionally, had Brady’s Patriots beat the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl 52, New England would have won three in a row from the 2016-18 seasons.
That people want to compare the two doesn’t surprise Brady. It’s just not the way he considered things.
“I think I approached the game in a way that was, ‘Can I be the best I can be for myself and my teammates?’” Brady said. “And, ‘What’s the best version of myself every single year?’ without comparing myself to anybody else.”
While Brady didn’t entertain comparisons at all, his praise of Mahomes was effusive.
“I love Patrick as a player, as a person,” Brady said. “Since he came onto the scene, I couldn’t think any more highly of a player in that position, knowing all that he’s going through, gone through and will continue to go through to try to accomplish things at the highest level.”
Where that puts Mahomes in a historical context is not Brady’s forte. The five-time Super Bowl MVP does appreciate the mental and emotional aspects Mahomes brings to the game.
“He’s a competitor. He’s driven to succeed,” Brady said. “He approaches that in practice and the offseason. as well as the games, and that’s what it takes to truly be great at what you do.”
Whether the Chiefs have received a beneficial whistle from the officials – a theory commissioner Roger Goodell called “ridiculous” Monday – Brady said that he never made excuses as a player.
“I understand (officials) have a difficult job to do,” Brady said. “If anything, I would love for those guys to have their jobs be a little bit easier.”
The amount refs have to dissect in one play while making split-second decisions is an arduous task. Brady noted that everyone watching on television at home has the benefit of high-definition and super slow-motion replays with various angles.
“These officials are very talented at what they do,” Brady said. “They don’t get to this point in their careers by being less than the best. They’re not going to get every call right. I don’t get everything right in the booth. I didn’t get everything right as a quarterback.”