It was the 2005 Pro Bowl, and the Patriots had just won their third Super Bowl in four years.
But Tom Brady was already onto the next one.
tedy bruschi reflects on playing with Tom Brady
On “Gresh & Fauria” Wednesday, Patriots Hall of Famer Tedy Bruschi, who won those three Super Bowls with Brady, told a story that personifies Brady’s incredible addiction to winning. He was so obsessed with Super Bowls, he couldn’t bring himself to enjoy the moment.
“We all made the Pro Bowl together after we beat the Eagles in the Super Bowl. We had just gone back to back. Back in those days, the Pro Bowl was played, and then teams were announced. Representatives were announced, and the last ones in the locker room were the Super Bowl champions,” said Bruschi. “We were about to be introduced, and Tom looks to myself and [Adam] Vinatieri and [Ryan] Izzo was a Pro Bowl special teamer and I think [Richard] Seymour was there also. He says, ‘Nobody has ever won three in a row.’ Gresh, fellas, I still had confetti on the bottom of my cleats from the celebration in Jacksonville. You love it, but it’s like, ‘Bro, I’m trying to relax right now. We’re all just trying to relax and enjoy this Pro Bowl. We’re about to be introduced as world champions. I’m not there yet.’”
One of Brady’s signature lines was that his favorite championship was always “the next one.” Bruschi’s anecdote shows that Brady lived up to the slogan.
“That’s just the standard that a lot of us couldn’t uphold,” he said. "It’s the addiction that was Tom Brady winning championships, and multiple championships. That’s all he did it for.”