Sky Sports NFL presenter Neil Reynolds reflects on Tom Brady’s NFL career, his highs and lows, and what’s next for the seven-time Super Bowl winner.
Sky SportsNeil Reynolds gives his reaction to the retirement of seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback Tom Brady from the NFL on Wednesday, calling time on an incredible 23-year career at the age of 45…
It’s a sad day. Brady will be sorely missed.
I think he summed it up best. He knew he made a big deal of it last time round; he wanted to exit a bit quicker and without as much fuss. But he deserves all of the fuss, all of the praise, all of the accolades.
Tom Brady appears on the brink of tears after announcing he is retiring ‘for good’ on a video message to his fans.
He’s the greatest we’ve ever seen, the greatest we will ever see. We’ll never see his like again.
To win seven of the 10 Super Bowls he played in – six of them with the New England Patriots, and then taking another team straight to the Super Bowl in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers – it’s amazing.
He won three Super Bowls in his 20s, two in his 30s, and two in his 40s; I just don’t think anyone can match that.
Brady the ‘ultimate competitor’
I saw him win his first in Super Bowl 36 and I presented the coverage when he won his seventh, at the age of 43. I was privileged to be at six of them, actually in the stadiums, and you just knew you were watching greatness .
Look back as Tom Brady inspired the New England Patriots to come back from a 28-3 deficit to defeat the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI.
Even in the three Super Bowls he lost, you could argue he was the best player on the field. In the one he lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2017 season, he threw for close to 500 yards!
And, not only was Brady great on the field, but he was also an outstanding ambassador for the NFL off the field. He conducted himself brilliantly the whole way through his career; I got to meet him a few times and he was just a joy to interview.
There is that argument that he carried on one year too long. But, to me, he was still right at the top of his game.
I don’t think anything he did in the last two years damages his legacy. He had his team in the playoffs at the age of 44 and 45, which is just stunning – absolutely stunning.
I think, for someone like Tom Brady, it’s hard to walk away.
Peter King revisits encounters he had with Tom Brady and gives his opinion of what led him to become the most successful NFL player of all time as the former seven-time Super Bowl winner announces his retirement for good. .
Brady now facing ‘biggest challenge’
He could have gone out as a champion with Tampa Bay in 2020, but he came back. He probably shouldn’t have come out of retirement last year, if you think about it, but he’s the ultimate competitor.
He always said his favorite Super Bowl ring was the next one. And I think if he’d have found another team, like the San Francisco 49ers, for this year, he could even have chased [Super Bowl] number eight.
Sky Sports NFL pundit Jeff Reinebold says this is the right time for Tom Brady to leave after the seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback announced his retirement after 23 seasons in the NFL.
Instead, he’s now going to move on to TV commentary and, while I’m sure he’s going to be amazing at that as well, it’s the biggest challenge for him – more so than any defender he has ever stared down, or any last- minute drive needed to win a Super Bowl.
I don’t think he knows yet how to operate away from the NFL, that’s why he retired for only 40 days last year.
This time it’s for good, I believe it is – I believe he’s done – but that’s his biggest challenge. This has been his lifeblood for 23 seasons.
Leading sports stars talk about the timeless Tom Brady and what makes him the greatest of all time.
Brady the ‘classic underdog story’
He leaves behind a huge hole in the NFL too.
There are young quarterbacks coming up all the time. Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals is one who has been compared to Brady, but he hasn’t won a Super Bowl yet. There’s also Patrick Mahomes, who has now played in five-straight Super Bowl semi-finals (AFC Championship games).
A look at Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ best plays from an outstanding two touchdown performance against the Cincinnati Bengals.
As it stands right now, Mahomes has one Super Bowl win, with him chasing number two a week on Sunday when the Kansas City Chiefs face the Eagles in Super Bowl 57. But he has got to start stacking those wins if he’s going to match Brady.
The other thing with Brady is, he’s the classic underdog story, and we all love an underdog story in sports.
A look back through Tom Brady’s glittering career as he announces his retirement from the NFL.
Brady wasn’t allowed to play on his high-school team, couldn’t get a game, despite the fact they hadn’t won all year. He then went to the University of Michigan where on their list of quarterbacks, Brady’s name was number seven.
He was picked 199th overall in the 2000 NFL Draft – no one had heard of him – and yet he went from those humble beginnings to become the best NFL player we will ever see. Arguably the best sportsman ever.
Running the 40-yard sprint at the NFL combine before the draft, he was this skinny, unathletic kid, like he’d just come out of the office, with a baggy t-shirt on. He couldn’t have looked less like an American Football player; his legs were gangly, he looked like he was going to fall over.
It was the least impressive five seconds of a man running 40 yards you’d ever see in your life. He went from that to an absolute legend of the sport.
It was a privilege. It has been an absolute privilege to cover the career of Tom Brady.
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