Buccaneers QB Tom Brady – Media Availability – January 23, 2022
Buccaneers QB Tom Brady – Media Availability – January 23, 2022
(On how this loss feels after coming back from such a big deficit)
“Yeah, we were down a bunch, and a lot of guys made a bunch of different plays to get us back into it. And they just made one more than us. So, kind of back and forth, we got off to a slow start which we certainly didn’t want to do against a good football team like that, who plays well from ahead. It made us pretty one-dimensional. But, you know, it is always tough losing at the end of the year. Obviously, we showed a lot of fight, but at the end of the day you lose a game, you lose a game.”
(On what he was thinking in the fourth quarter and if he was thinking the team was going to win)
“Well, we made it – after I hit Mike [Evans] on the deep one, that was a pretty good feeling. You know, we are right in it at that point. And then we got a great turnover. It gave us great field position and then had the play there before Leonard’s [Fournette] touchdown, we were kind of figuring down what down it was. First, they said it was a first down then all of a sudden it wasn’t a first down, mid-snap, so made the play then they [Rams] made a couple plays after that.”
(On the relationships in the locker room and how much he cherishes them and how some guys may not be back)
“Yeah, it’s just the reality of football, you know. It’s one team one year, and it’s never the same after that. You know you got to work hard to put yourself in a position to be successful. We certainly worked hard, and every team at this point does. And every team is really qualified when you get to the final eight, then the final four, and then the final two and it doesn’t feel good to lose any one of those games, and I have lost each of those stages. So, at the end, there is only one team that is going to be happy. It feels good to move on when you move on, and obviously when you don’t, whether it was last week or this week, or next week, the week after, two weeks after that, if you are a loser in that game, it all sucks to lose in the end.”
(On how he will process going forward regarding his future)
“I haven’t put a lot of thought into it, so you know, we will just take it day by day and kind of see where we are at.”
(On if he took a moment during the game today to take it all in that it could be the last time out there)
“No, I was thinking about winning. That’s kind of my mentality always to go out there and try to win. Give my team the best chance to win.”
(On what the biggest factor will be in determining if he returns)
“Truthfully guys, I’m thinking about this game. I’m not thinking about anything past five minutes from now.”
(On the exchange with the referee that drew a penalty)
“I’d get fined if I said something, so.”
(On the if his comeback against the Atlanta Falcons in the Super Bowl flashed in his mind)
“It was a great comeback, and obviously it took a lot. Guys made a lot of great plays to get us back into it. And you don’t have a lot of margin for error at that point. And then the defense kept coming up big. You know, sometimes we made it and sometimes we didn’t. We had guys went down. Tyler [Johnson] went down, Jaelon [Darden] went down. We were down to Cam [Brate] playing slot receiver. There was not a ton of healthy bodies, but we found a way to get the ball in the endzone there at the end against a really good defense. It’s tough to lose a game that comes down at the end like that, but it’s just the reality of pro football. It’s a tough sport, it’s tough to win. It’s tough to win these games, tough to win the next week’s games, tough to win the game two weeks after that.”
(On Leonard Fournette being out and coming back to play in game)
“He played great. You know, he shows up in the big moments. Just dependable. I think his maturity and growth over the last couple years since I’ve been with him has been really exceptional. Great teammate, works his tail off. He really cares about winning. Certainly, cares about his teammates. That’s really what your two goals should be. You care about your teammates, and you care about winning. Anything else you have to put to the side.
(On how he feels after playing 20 games last year and 19 games this year)
“I feel great. Physically, I feel great.”
(On the resiliency and passion of the team)
“You know, we have had that since I’ve got here. I think there are a lot of really tough, hard-nosed guys that believe in each other. We all believe that we just got to make one play, get ourselves in the endzone, we did. We kicked a field goal, then we scored, then we got a turnover, had a short field and the defense held. We just overcame a lot of mistakes. At the end of the day, there was just way too many mistakes. You know, you got to play a clean game if you want to give yourself the best chance to win. If it’s less than that, then you’re not going to have a great chance to win. You may have a chance to win, but not the chance to win that we needed. You know, they made plenty of mistakes too. I wouldn’t say a perfect game by them either. But, you know, in the end, they just made one more play than us.”