National Football League

Is the Iditarod next on Brady's to-do list?

Published Dec. 13, 2010 4:01 a.m. ET

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It's not as if Tom Brady needed the work.

Midway through the third quarter Sunday, the Patriots' destruction of the Bears was nearly complete. They'd already humbled Chicago's defense, shrugged off the town's much-fiercer weather, removed any doubt who the league's best team was and locked up a playoff spot in the bargain. They hadn't been tested in the first half and were still 29 points clear in a blizzard that made a comeback next to impossible.

Brady's quarterback rating, meanwhile, was hovering around 120, but if adjusted for the lousy conditions, would have been closing in on perfect. Again. There was nothing left for him to prove and even less reason, considering the injury risk, not to take a seat on the heated bench.

But there Brady was, with coach Bill Belichick's full blessing, still throwing. Still taking snaps in a backfield emptied of blockers, still peering between snowflakes in search of the next big play, still every bit as hungry and determined as the day he lucked into the starting job in New England nearly a decade ago.

By the time he was pulled, with less than five minutes still to play, Brady had thrown for 369 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.

''Was that fun?'' someone asked afterward, as if Brady just returned from a dip in nearby Lake Michigan wearing a Speedo.

He considered the question briefly, then flashed that killer smile.

''They don't cancel football games very often,'' he said. ''It's not baseball. ...

''You're out in whatever the elements are,'' he added a moment later. ''You've got to be mentally tough enough to play in them.''

A little bit of craziness doesn't hurt, either, though in Brady's case, there is a method to the madness.

At times, he and Belichick aren't content just measuring themselves against the opponent at hand, but against what might be possible. When other coaches run up the score, they mumble an apology and dread what might happen if the shoe ever winds up on the other foot. Belichick does neither.

It's rarely personal with him, save, perhaps, for the remainder of the season after the Patriots got caught videotaping opponents' practices. He's so consumed trying to run it up against everyone - which in a roundabout way explains the videotaping - that there's no point in trying to keep track of grudges.

It's hard, too, to find another coach so willing to take risks with the franchise's best player, let alone a player who embraces the risk the way Brady does. And because it emanates from the top of the organization, every player on the Patriots' roster understands he's expendable; not just that, but because Brady practices as hard as he plays, that message is reinforced every day.

As he was finishing up in the interview room, Brady was asked about two of his receivers, Deion Branch and Wes Welker, catching passes for more than 100 yards each.

''They're both dependable, tough, disciplined, smart and incredibly skilled,'' he began. ''They made some huge plays today.''

By the time he was done, Brady looked over to find Branch standing off to one side, waiting for his turn behind the microphone.

''I said some nice things about you,'' Brady said. ''You can return the favor.''

Branch did, with a story that illustrated how deep Brady's stubborn streak runs.

At the end of the first half, already ahead 27-0, New England had the ball at their own 41 with 12 seconds left. Without a huddle and with Brady a good 15 yards away in shotgun formation, he stole a glance at Branch lined up at the left sideline.

''There was a lot of stuff going on,'' Branch recalled, and he didn't mean the howling winds and swirling snow.

''There was a lot of yelling and screaming. I know I heard one of the coaches say they want to take a knee, but Tom's eyes got a little big. He looked over at me like, 'No, we're going to take this shot,''' he said, ''and we did. It worked out.''

What Brady had seen was one of the Bears two safeties cheating toward the middle of the field, effectively abandoning the cover-2 scheme and leaving cornerback Charles Tillman matched one-on-one against Branch. Brady waited until Branch was behind the cornerback and hit him in full stride for a 59-yard touchdown.

When it was all over, Belichick seemed like the least impressed spectator in the stadium. Asked how it felt to make the playoffs, he replied, ''good.'' He wasn't going to look any further ahead than next week.

''I'm pretty sure when the end of the season comes,'' Belichick said, ''someone will tell us what we need to do.''

---

Jim Litke is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jlitke(at)ap.org

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