Great news for the Patriots as they try to win their fourth Lombardi Trophy since the 2001 season: future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady promises to play better when the Pats face the Giants in Super Bowl XLVI nine days from now.
Of course, it's hard to imagine what Brady would do to improve his game. He's a seven-time Pro Bowler, two-time NFL MVP, and also a two-time Super Bowl MVP. He seems to have a firm grasp on showing up big on the sport's biggest stage. Turns out, Brady was referring to bettering the effort he gave against the Ravens in the AFC Championship game last Sunday.
He finished the game 22 of 36 for 239 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. It was eerily reminiscent of his conference finals matchup against the Chargers in 2007, the game before the Patriots were eventually upset by the Giants in Super Bowl XLII. He was 22 of 33 for 209 yards, two touchdowns and three picks. And perhaps that memory coupled with last week's effort against Baltimore, Brady will make sure he's ready when he takes the field against the Giants.
After Sunday's victory, the Pats quarterback made a promise to owner Robert Kraft: "I'm going to play a lot better in two weeks."
Brady was asked about that following Thursday's practice.
"I'm always trying to play better," he said via ESPNBoston.com. Every player on this team is trying to play better every week. I'm glad we won that game, glad we're sitting in this position now. I think a lot of guys played really well and that's what it is going to take again this week. I always have private conversations with Mr. Kraft, but they're supposed to be private. I guess they're not."
Kraft was a tad more realistic about Brady's effort than Brady was.
"He's still pretty good in my book. I'll take him over any quarterback," Kraft told reporters last Sunday. "I've been watching the NFL for a long time and there's no quarterback I'd rather have. He might say he sucked, but we won the game."
Right. There are at least 25 NFL teams that wished their quarterbacks sucked as bad as Brady.
