Brady, Patriots prepared to adjust vs. Rams

ATLANTA – Tom Brady did not expect to encounter many Super Bowl firsts in his ninth appearance on the grand NFL stage, but Thursday brought another unique moment.

In the middle of his 15-minute press conference at Hyatt Regency Atlanta on Thursday, an enthusiastic ukulele player serenaded Brady with a groaning rendition of “We are the Champions.”

“That’s kind of a nice break in the action here,” Brady said.

Unlike his previous eight trips, Brady has passed on any offered breaks from practice this week. Prior to Super Bowl LII, Brady did not practice much to be rested and ready for the Philadelphia Eagles. This week, he’s gone into hyperdrive to make sure he is comfortable and confident with the cadre of playbook options on the table against the Los Angeles Rams.

“You just kind of go with what you feel you need – more film study, more treatment, more practice, more rest,” Brady said. “We only have so much time left. I feel like I’ve done what I needed to do to get to this point.”

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, at the microphone before Brady, said the Patriots will go to any depths of their play-calling catalog, on both sides of the ball, knowing the finality that awaits Sunday night. Brady and Belichick are 5-3 with the Patriots in the Super Bowl.

“In this game, you try to do whatever you need to do to win. It’ s a one-game season,” Belichick said. “There’s nothing else to save it for. There’s only 150, 160 plays left in our season. We need all of those plays to be our best plays.”

Brady knows things don’t always go according to plan.

The scripted portion of the call sheet has not been a boon for the Patriots in their Super Bowl history. It was only last February, thanks to a first-quarter field goal by Stephen Gostkowski, that the Patriots put up points in the opening quarter.

Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is hammering the accelerator this postseason with his scripted opening drives, turning up surgical touchdown drives against the Chargers and Chiefs. Against Kansas City, Brady was 3 of 3 on third down on the first drive and the Patriots chewed up eight minutes, five seconds.

Brady and Belichick agree slow starts are not acceptable against the Rams, who lead the NFL in scoring since Sean McVay became head coach.

“You always put together the plan. You wish you always went according to plan, but it usually doesn’t,” Brady said. “It adjusts right up until game time. After the first series, you’re already making adjustments.”

Even when the first quarter or first half hasn’t gone Brady’s way, the Patriots have always been within a nose at the finish line – 28-3, anyone?

He reminded teammates of that this week, noting the season, and the Super Bowl, can feel like a marathon or climbing a mountain.

“There are some moments of achievement and there are some moments of disappointment,” Brady said. “It’s tough. It’s a daily grind in discipline, determination, mental toughness. In the end, that probably matters more than anything you can measure.

“You have the two best teams. You fight it out, and the best team wins.”

–By Jeff Reynolds, Field Level Media