Tom Brady Doesn't Want Healthy Players Resting in Week 18: 'Iron Sharpens Iron'

If you're an NFL player who's healthy and able to play this weekend, Tom Brady wants to see you put the pads on and get out there for at least a little bit in Week 18.

In the most recent edition of "Story Time with Tom," Brady emphatically stated his belief that fully healthy players should play in their team's regular-season finale, even if their team has already secured a playoff spot and knows their postseason seeding. He also didn't state any regrets about playing the full four quarters of the New England Patriots' regular-season finale against the New York Giants in 2007, when they completed a perfect regular season before losing to that same team in Super Bowl XLII. 

"That was actually one of the best games of the year, when we went to the Meadowlands to take on the Giants in Week 17," Brady said. "We played our butts off in that game, just like they did, and it was a great kind of Super Bowl preview. But we felt sharp throughout. We knew we had the bye week after that. 

"To take an extended period of time off when you have the bye and take the extra week, I think that's a lot of time off for sure. Again, you don't wanna be rusty going into the biggest games of the year against the best teams."

IRON SHARPENS IRON ⚔️ Tom Brady on Whether NFL Stars Should Rest Before Playoffs

While the Patriots were able to beat the Giants in that matchup, they needed a four-quarter effort to do so. They trailed early in the fourth quarter until Brady threw a 65-yard touchdown pass to Randy Moss, a play that set the record for the most touchdown passes thrown (50 for Brady) and touchdown receptions caught (23 for Moss) in a single season in NFL history. New England eventually held on to win, 38-35, but lost to New York in Super Bowl XLII five weeks later, 17-14. 

As the years have passed, some have debated whether the Patriots' going all out in that game caused them to lose the Super Bowl. The Philadelphia Eagles certainly lend credence to the idea that it's better to rest your top players when you have nothing to play for in the regular-season finale last year. They sat quarterback Jalen Hurts, running back Saquon Barkley and others in Week 18 before winning the Super Bowl. 

Tom Brady doesn't have any regrets about playing in the Patriots' 2007 regular-season finale against the Giants, where they improved to 16-0 before losing in the Super Bowl. (Photo by MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images)

Brady believes cases like the ones with the Eagles are an extenuating circumstance of when a team should rest their starters in the final week of the regular season before a postseason. 

"In that instance, it worked out," Brady said. "If you take off too much time, I do think there's a degree of rust in this sport you don't want. When you go into playoff football, you can't afford to go through the first two quarters of the game at a slow start and have a slow start [cause] a slow pace and not score points or not stop them because you're playing against too good of a football team. 

"My belief is you have to go in as sharp as possible. If you're fighting for a No. 1 seed, of course, you're going to play. Sometimes, when you're locked into a wild-card matchup, maybe you can rest a few players that maybe aren't entirely healthy, which is smart. But to rest healthy players, I was never quite in favor of that."

There were a few times in his 23-year career when he played limited snaps in the regular-season finale. He only played three quarters or fewer in the Patriots' 2005, 2010 and 2014 regular-season finales as they already knew their playoff seeding in those games. He also didn't play the entirety of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' regular-season finale in 2022, as they already clinched the NFC South. 

Whatever rest Brady got from those games didn't wind up paying off, though. He didn't win the Super Bowl in any of those four seasons. His teams actually lost in their first playoff game in two of those instances, while they lost in the divisional round in the other two cases where Brady played limited snaps in the regular-season finale. 

Brady never sat out the regular-season finale for rest once in his career, insisting that he wanted to play every game he could. 

"I wanted to start every game," Brady said. "There were a few times where I was taken out at halftime and watched the backups go in and played. It always leaves a little bitter taste in your mouth when you lose those games late in the year and you're trying to get into the playoffs. But the overall health of the team is so important in these critical postseason matchups."

The Eagles rested Saquon Barkley in their regular-season finale last year even though he had a chance to set the single-season rushing record. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)

And if you continue to believe that the Patriots' decision not to rest their starters for the regular-season finale in 2007 hurt them in the long haul, Brady will insist that you're wrong. 

"Not entirely sure about that," Brady said when asked if he would've had an eighth Super Bowl if he didn't play in the 2007 regular-season finale. "I've gotta go with my gut instinct, and my gut instinct is that iron sharpens iron. If you're a football player and you're healthy, it's great for you to go out there and try to win the game and play your best because there's always a degree of difficulty and risk involved. Now, if you've got some injuries and you need to take a week off, I think that's the best approach as well. 

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