Tom Brady is set to call a game between the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears for the second time in three weeks on Saturday, with the two rivals battling at Soldier Field following a close tilt at Lambeau Field. As the Packers and Bears meet again in such a short span, that reminded Brady of how he won one of the biggest games of his career.
In the latest edition of “Story Time with Tom,” Brady shared how his familiarity with the Kansas City Chiefs’ led to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ victory over them in Super Bowl LV.
“One instance where I thought I knew a defense really well was in Super Bowl LV, Bucs-Chiefs,” Brady said. “I studied for two weeks. We played the Chiefs earlier that year and I kinda saw the trend of how they continued to play, and I just locked in like I never had before on film study for those two weeks. I knew the rotation of the safety so well — [Daniel] Sorenson and Tyrann Mathieu. I had such an excellent really feel after they have been going to blitz and the ball all the time got here out of my hand very fast.
“I all the time stated I knew them higher than they knew themselves. I used to be a veteran participant on the time, so all my movie examine was so environment friendly and it was such an enormous benefit for us in that recreation.”
Should you recall, that Tremendous Bowl was probably the most decisive of Brady’s seven Tremendous Bowl wins. The Buccaneers took down the Chiefs, 31-9, with Brady main Tampa Bay to a scoring drive on 5 of its six possessions from late within the first quarter by way of the top of the third quarter.
Tremendous Bowl LV performed out a lot in a different way than the Chiefs-Buccaneers matchup in November of that season, which Kansas Metropolis gained, 27-24. In that recreation, the Chiefs truly obtained out to a 17-0 lead earlier than the Buccaneers got here again late to drag inside three and practically win the sport.
The Buccaneers might need solved one thing with their robust second-half efficiency in that recreation, however Brady had additionally solved the Chiefs in his movie examine simply hours earlier than Tremendous Bowl LV.
“I keep in mind sending clips to my teammates the morning of the sport,” Brady stated. “I used to be simply filming issues on my iPhone of my laptop display and sending them to my teammates, ‘Hey, if we get this look, that is what I would like you to do.’ There was in all probability like, seven clips.
“I feel all of my teammates have been like, ‘This dude is a whole psycho.’ That was lower than 18 hours earlier than kickoff of the Tremendous Bowl.”
Statistically, Brady did not have his finest efficiency in Tremendous Bowl LV. However he was fairly environment friendly, finishing 21 of 29 passes for 202 yards and three touchdowns, serving to Tampa Bay primarily management the sport wire-to-wire.
Tom Brady led the Bucs to victory over the Chiefs in Tremendous Bowl LV. (Picture by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire through Getty Photographs)
Whereas that Tremendous Bowl win was the most effective instance of Brady figuring out an opponent so nicely that he used it to his benefit, he shared that there was an occasion the place his intimate information of an opponent truly labored in opposition to him. That got here after they took on the Indianapolis Colts within the 2007 season, which marked Brady’s eighth assembly in opposition to them in 5 seasons.
Brady shared that within the prior conferences with the Colts forward of the 2007 matchup, they ran 2 Tampa protection — the place the center linebacker turned and ran out to the center of the sector and the linebackers keyed on his imaginative and prescient to maneuver on a string. Because the Patriots ready to face a 2 Tampa protection that Brady referred to as “very predictable” all week lengthy, the Colts threw a curveball at them.
“We get to that recreation, and as a substitute of taking part in that protection 2 Tampa, they performed this 2 Match protection, the place as a substitute of the Mike operating down the center, the Mike locked down near the road of scrimmage to the third eligible extensive receiver towards the center of subject, which screwed up our recreation plan,” Brady stated. “So, it was like going into the sport planning for this one protection, and abruptly, the sport plan was directed towards beating that protection. Then, the Colts got here in and have been like, ‘Checkmate, we’re taking part in 2 Match,’ which pressured me to carry the ball and allowed [Dwight]Freeney and [Robert] Mathis to get dwelling and sack me.
“I keep in mind after the primary play within the recreation once I noticed it, I used to be like, ‘Oh, no. You imply they’re taking part in 2 Match at the moment?’ We needed to go over and manipulate the sport plan. … It was an epic recreation.”
The matchup, which featured the 8-0 Patriots in opposition to the 7-0 Colts, was largely managed by the defenses within the first half. However, as Brady stated, he and the Patriots’ offense finally discovered a rhythm as the sport progressed. He led the Patriots to a landing of their remaining two drives earlier than they ran the clock out, serving to New England safe a 24-20 victory. Brady threw for 255 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions in that recreation.
Tom Brady’s previous information of the Colts’ protection practically damage the Patriots of their 2007 matchup. (Bob Leverone/Sporting Information through Getty Photographs)
Saturday’s Packers-Bears matchup is a bit totally different than the 2 matchups that Brady talked about, contemplating they’re division rivals. However he expects the familiarity with the opponent to each assist and damage the quarterbacks (Jordan Love, Caleb Williams) on Saturday.
“There is no concern on both facet as a result of there is not any intimidation issue since you play one another two occasions a 12 months and also you sort of know your matchup,” Brady stated. “These are numerous occasions the hardest video games, division opponents, as a result of they know you so intimately nicely. It is not like you may sneak something by them.
“I used to look again at these video games, the second time round taking part in a division opponent, and say, ‘What have been the few issues they did that have been profitable in opposition to us? OK, we’re in all probability going to get extra of these issues.’ Then, you propose for these. The one factor that is arduous in soccer is planning for ghosts. It is arduous to, ‘Nicely, they don’t play this protection, however let’s run designed performs for it in case they do.’ You may actually solely recreation plan for what they do.”
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