To Antonio Cromartie, Tom Brady is an a—hole.
To Patriots fans, he’s a god.
But to Brady’s teammates, he’s not only their MVP quarterback. He’s also their leader.
The latter hasn’t always been the case for Brady, who came into the league on a team filled with veterans on both sides of the ball. But it’s something that, along with other parts of his game, he’s worked at over the years.
“Just overall, being the quarterback that he is, he’s always been the same guy that he was in ’02, except he had to establish his leadership role,” wide receiver Deion Branch said. “It has to be a little more dominant now versus when I came in in ’02. We had so many veteran guys on the team that it’s a little different now.”
Those vets are long gone, and younger, less experienced players have replaced them — players who now look up to Brady.
“Naturally, as you get older, you have more of a vocal role on the team,” Brady said. “As I’ve been elected as a captain, I have more of a voice for the team, which I really take seriously.
“It’s certainly an honor when your teammates elect you as a captain, as a representative to speak for the team in that role.”
Brady’s contagious off-field attitude and preparation has been just as important to the Patriots’ success as his on-field production.
