New England Patriots quarterback, Tom Brady, credited mental toughness for the historic win that helped his team prevail against the Atlanta Falcons and won him Most Valuable Player in the largest comeback in Super Bowl history Sunday night in Houston’s NRG stadium.
“Well, there was a lot at stake tonight. You know, we played our tails off all season to get to this point and it’s hard to win a game in the NFL. And to beat this team and to get down 28-3, it was just a lot of mental toughness by our team and we’re all going to remember this for the rest of our lives,” said Brady on what went into the Patriot’s historic comeback win.
Brady was voted the winner of the Pete Rozelle Trophy, awarded to the Super Bowl LI Most Valuable Player, marking the fourth time Brady has won the award. The New England Patriots quarterback has previously been voted the Most Valuable Player in Super Bowls XLIX, XXXVIII and XXXVI and is the only player in NFL history to win the award four times.
Brady has won five Super Bowls – the most by a starting quarterback in NFL history.
The award is chosen by a panel of 16, comprised of members of the Pro Football Writers Association of America, selected members of the electronic broadcast media and by fans interactively through the National Football League’s official website, NFL.com.
Brady completed 43 of 62 pass attempts for 466 yards, two touchdowns and one interception for a 95.2 rating. Brady set Super Bowl single-game records in pass attempts, completions and passing yards and is only the second player in Super Bowl history to pass for more than 400 yards in a game, joining Super Bowl XXXIV MVP Kurt Warner(414). He also extended his Super Bowl records for most career completions (207), passing yards (2,071) and touchdown passes (15).
In the first-ever Super Bowl to go to overtime, Brady, a 17th-year player from Michigan, helped New England rally from a 25-point deficit, the largest comeback in Super Bowl history.
On the opening possession of overtime, Brady orchestrated a game-winning, eight-play, 75-yard drive, culminating with a two-yard touchdown run by running back James White.
His response to reporters on his feelings on his team’s historic win.
“Yeah, they’re all sweet. They’re all different and this was just an incredible team and I’m just happy to be a part of it. It’s just a great group of coaches and teammates and we overcame a lot of different things and it’s all worth it,” said Brady.
