It’s been a long time since Tom Brady was just a player.
In the second half of his career in New England he was part-coach, a locker room reminder of the Patriot Way, echoing Bill Belichick’s “Do your job” mantra, serving as a team-first presence by accepting criticism and trying to outwork even the back of the depth chart.
Some of that carried over to Tampa Bay, including, teammates said, his Super Bowl-week belief — complete with late night texts expressing confidence against the mighty Kansas City Chiefs — that was critical in winning it all.