Tom Brady’s Crunch-Time Success Stems From California-Cool Persona in Huddle

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Jan 14, 2011

Tom Brady’s Crunch-Time Success Stems From California-Cool Persona in Huddle FOXBORO, Mass. — Conflicting with a popular belief, Tom Brady’s teammates say he’s really not any cooler inside the huddle in the fourth quarter of close games.

As a matter of fact, he’s the same guy for the duration of each game, through all four quarters, and that’s Brady’s real secret to his crunch-time success. If Brady, or any quarterback for that matter, were any different in the fourth quarter of a close game, it sounds like they’d start to get worried or nervous.

It’s that ability to be California cool for three hours on a game day that keeps Brady’s teammates so confident in his leadership attributes in the tensest circumstances.

“You have to be consistent,” said Pats running back Kevin Faulk, who has been through three Super Bowl runs with Brady. “He’s the leader of our offense. Guys pay attention to what he does. You can’t shy away from what you’re accustomed to doing, so he does it and he’s been consistent doing it.”

Brady always has control of the situation, especially on the field, and he’ll ride anyone at any time if they’re falling below a certain standard. The 11th-year quarterback discussed his relationship with wide receiver Wes Welker, and while Brady noted Welker is at the point in his career when he’s smart enough to know whether or not he’s playing well, Brady said he’ll still purposely do things to get under his receiver’s skin, just so everyone remembers who is in charge.

“I like to really feel like I’m in command out there so I can make sure they all know that this is what we’re trying to accomplish,” Brady said.

Brady has orchestrated 31 career game-winning drives in the fourth quarter and overtime, with two of those occurring this season. Of course, the two-time Super Bowl MVP built his legacy with some ice-cold postseason performances — he has six game-winning drives in the playoffs, including two in the Super Bowl — and now that Brady is set to embark upon his eighth playoff journey, his teammates have again recognized the importance of having such an historic leader in their huddle.

“It’s very valuable with all of the experience that he’s had,” said Patriots running back Danny Woodhead, who had a first-hand look at Brady’s fourth-quarter comebacks against the Ravens and Packers. “He’s been to Super Bowls. He’s done as much as he can in the game, and it’s definitely valuable to have him in there. The fact that he’s been there and done that, he shows it all the time, instead of just when the game is closer.”

Brady has all of the credentials as one of the game’s great passers, and he’ll almost certainly earn his second NFL MVP honor in a few weeks. One of Brady’s greatest values, though, has nothing to do with his golden right arm.

It’s upstairs, where he can stay even-keeled enough to keep his teammates thinking straight in the toughest situations. That’s usually the difference between the good quarterbacks and the Hall of Famers, and the Patriots will have that advantage for as long as they’re alive in the postseason.

“We all know what he can do with his arm,” Faulk said. “But after that, it’s his mind.”

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