Tom Brady understands athletic mortality even as he resists it, as he has created a brand and a life devoted to defeating it. He proselytizes about muscle pliability, measures the alkalinity of the food he eats and sleeps in special pajamas. At an age when almost every other quarterback in history had retired, Brady is improving. He plans to play football into his mid-40s. Brady is Ponce in shoulder pads.
Still, he realizes the reality of professional football. Brady grew up a San Francisco 49ers fan in San Mateo, California, and he was 16 when the 49ers traded Joe Montana to the Kansas City Chiefs.