TomBradyWorld.com Latest Blog Posts

Tom Martinez remembered as 'Quarterback Whisperer'

Sat, 25 Feb 2012 12:44:35 GMT

Two of the many quarterbacks mentored by Tom Martinez spoke at his memorial service in Menlo Park on Friday, while the most famous of the bunch listened from a pew alongside his parents.

"It didn't matter whether you were Tom Brady or a spindly sixth-grader," Turner Baty said, remembering the day six years ago when he started working with Martinez. Now playing for City College of San Francisco, Baty said he could hardly wait to start rifling passes, showing off for the man nicknamed "the Quarterback Whisperer" for his work with Brady. The coach would have none of it. "Two and a half hours of footwork," Baty said, and everyone who knew Martinez's methods grinned along with him.

The other quarterback to speak was Martinez's son and namesake, who inherited the College of San Mateo coach's renowned sense of humor. The younger Tom Martinez told the congregation that his father hated ties, and not just the kind that happened on the field. "So here's to you, Dad," he said, tugging off the tie around his neck.

Tom Brady Sr. also spoke at the service, saying he had known Martinez for 50 years. His son, the future Patriots quarterback, began learning his craft from Martinez at age 12 and kept calling on him even after he had won three Super Bowls.

The elder Brady told the packed congregation at the Menlo Park Presbyterian Church that his son had flown west last fall and sought help from Martinez, who was fighting kidney failure while seeking a transplant. Tom Sr. said his friend showed up in a wheelchair, looking gray. The Bradys, he said, later learned that Martinez had left the hospital for the training session, which lasted an hour and a half.

"I kept saying, 'Tom, it's time to go home,' " Brady said. But he realized that Martinez wouldn't stop even after the two-time NFL MVP left; Baty was there, too, waiting for advice. In his 32 years at CSM, none of Martinez's teams in football, women's basketball or softball endured a losing season.

The coach died Tuesday, his 67th birthday, from a heart attack during a dialysis treatment. He left behind his wife of 46 years, Olivia; their son; daughters Lisa and Linda, who also spoke at the service; and six grandchildren, with a seventh on the way.

All the grandchildren would eventually be taught to throw a football, Baty vowed. "I promise the first time they work out, they won't touch the ball," he said. "All footwork."

Tom Brady headlines Serra High School fundraiser

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 11:44:35 GMT

SAN MATEO -- Less than three weeks after his fifth trip to the Super Bowl, Tom Brady returned to the place where his football life began. The New England Patriots quarterback was the main attraction Thursday night at a fundraising dinner at his alma mater, Serra High School, where he once rose from backup on the freshman team to varsity star. Eight hundred people packed the school gym to hear Brady's keynote address for the Fund a Dream Scholarship Benefit, an annual event that has raised $850,000 in financial aid for students since 2005.

Demonstrating that the Patriots' last-minute defeat Feb. 5 to the New York Giants hasn't dimmed his competitive fire, Brady told the crowd he wanted to crush the previous fundraising totals for the event. "I want tonight to be a record-breaker," he said.

That wasn't a problem. Attendance was several times larger than it's been in previous years, with guests paying $1,500 to $15,000 per table. A live auction also featured signed Brady jerseys and a weekend trip for two to attend a Patriots game.

As enthusiastically as the Serra community embraces Brady, the future Hall of Famer showed the feeling is mutual. The San Mateo native said everything he's accomplished in life, on and off the football field, had its seeds at the all-boys Catholic school, where he learned about honor, hard work and discipline. "All that began here under this roof, and I'm forever grateful for that," said Brady, who earlier noted, "It means so much to me to be able to call this place, Serra High School, home."

Thursday's dinner came just two days after the death of Tom Martinez, the renowned College of San Mateo coach who became Brady's quarterback tutor when Brady was 12. Brady choked up when he mentioned Martinez, saying the quarterback guru was with the gathering in spirit.

That was the only somber moment of the night, as Brady delighted in telling stories from his days at Serra, including some coaching feedback the slow-footed quarterback received early in his football career there. "'Brady, you look like you're running in slow motion!'" he recalled a coach shouting from the sideline, adding, "(It) was true then, and still true today."

Two men who benefitted from Fund a Need were in attendance Thursday. One of them, Hanna Malak, said he and his brother wouldn't have been able to attend Serra, where tuition this year is $16,320, without it.

Malak, 22, was a three-sport athlete and president of the student body at Serra. He's now student body president at Menlo College and a member of the National Youth Council of the American Red Cross. He said the school taught him to be a leader. "It really is a special place," Malak said before Thursday's event. "The brotherhood there is absolutely amazing."

Tom Brady Vacationing in Costa Rica

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 09:23:04 GMT

Tom Brady has a nice life. That might be hard for you to believe, considering his wife has been mocked mercilessly for sending an e-mail to friends and family to pray for Brady in Super Bowl XLVI and for complaining about the team’s receivers afterward and since, you know, the Patriots lost to the Giants, leaving Brady alone with his thoughts in the postgame locker room.

But it’s true. Brady has a pretty good life. You know, with the exotic supermodel wife, the Hall of Fame talent, the solid bankroll and all the Uggs he can wear. Oh, and the vacations. The very strong after-season vacations.

This week, Brady and the family are in Costa Rica, eating local food, drinking coconut water and wearing skimpy bikinis (well, only one of the family members is wearing the tiny bathing suit). So, if you care enough about that, click this link to x17online.com (it’s a celebrity gossip site, NOT a NSFW site. I promise). Otherwise you can go about your day, knowing that your supermodel wife will NOT reward you with a luxurious vacation when you screw something up at work.

Tom Martinez, Tom Brady’s mentor, dead at 66

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:54:36 GMT

Tom Martinez, the coach who mentored New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, died Tuesday after suffering a heart attack during dialysis. The man known as "The Quarterback Whisperer" was in need of a kidney transplant due to diabetes complications.

Martinez first came into Brady's life when the future MVP was just 13. He signed up for a quarterback clinic and then worked with Martinez for the rest of his career. Brady said he would never be the quarterback he is today without Martinez's help.

Brady used his platform in the Super Bowl to encourage organ donation. People from around the NFL immediately reacted to Martinez's passing. Brady's teammate, Julian Edelman, tweeted, "RIP coach Tom Martinez. He was such a great mentor to many in the bay area. His legacy will always live on." Brady's father told CSN New England, "There are a lot of sad people in San Mateo County tonight."Martinez's impact was felt beyond football. He coached football, women's basketball and softball at the College of San Mateo, where he won a combined 1,100 games. He was 66 years old.

Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen are vacationing with Wes Welker, despite his inability to catch

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 10:17:13 GMT

You may have been wondering how Wes Welker was going to get along with Gisele Bundchen after she pinned the Super Bowl loss on receivers who couldn't catch ? you probably weren't, but maybe. In case you were, put your mind at ease, because they're going to be fine.

Thanks to the Boston Herald and people at x17online.com who hide in bushes and take pictures of people, we know that Tom and Gisele are vacationing in Costa Rica with Welker and his lady, Anna Burns. I say good for Wes Welker for not taking Gisele's slight personally. She was angry and trying to defend her man from some insensitive Giants fans. I'm sure it was nothing personal towards Welker, and it's not like Wes Welker isn't aware that he made a mistake, either. It's probably hard to be angry at anyone while on a beach in Costa Rica, though.

Kind of reminds me of my Saturday. The sun was out for a good fifteen to twenty seconds, and one of the local children at the grocery store threw a small carton of milk at me. As the sun went down (at about 5:30, for some reason), I waved goodbye to the day and drank alone while watching Pitt and South Florida play uninspired basketball. So in that way, Tom Brady and I have a lot in common.

Tom Brady: What's Happened to New England Patriots Quarterback, and What's Next?

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 12:47:42 GMT

The way some in the media have talked about Tom Brady after the New England Patriots lost Super Bowl XLVI, you'd think the guy kicked a puppy, robbed a bank and hit a grandmother in the head with a bottle of Stetson cologne.

Nope. All he did was everything he could to will his team to win not just all season long, but in the second-biggest game of his career, only to fall short of the ultimate prize once again.

In an article on Cold, Hard Football Facts, Scott Kacsmar says, "No longer has Brady been able to consistently pull out playoff wins, or even perform admirably in these games as he’s increased his regular season standards to much loftier levels."

That got me thinking—just how much has he raised his standards? It turns out, he's raised his standards so drastically that there are actually two very well-defined eras of Tom Brady, clearly divided in two by one playoff game: a divisional round road game against the San Diego Chargers back in 2006-2007.

Tom Brady's sister engaged to Kevin Youkilis

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 12:28:27 GMT

The Boston Red Sox and the New England Patriots apparently are about to be linked by more than proximity. The Boston Herald reports that Tom Brady's sister Julie is engaged to Red Sox infielder Kevin Youkilis.

The newspaper says Youkilis was in the Brady family suite at the Super Bowl. The two have been dating for about a year and Julie is a teacher in California who has a 5-year old daughter, Jordan, according to the Herald.

They met at a party at Patriot Place in 2011, right after the Jets ousted the Patriots from the playoffs. It will be Julie's first marriage, and the second stroll down the aisle for the player known as "The Greek God of Walks." In 2008 he had a marriage ceremony with Ben Allfeck's ex, Enza Sambataro, but apparently the paperwork was never filed to make it legal. That couple split after two years. And let's just hope that this doesn't make Gisele Bundchen feel empowered to bash any Red Sox players who drop fly balls.

Tom Brady getting new bro-in-law: Red Sox’ Kevin Youkilis!

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:42:00 GMT

This is supposed to be hush-hush and on the deep down-low, but you know us. It’s time to pop the bubbly because Kevin Youkilis [stats] and Tom Brady [stats]’s sis, Julie, are engaged! The happy couple, who spent Super Bowl week together with the Brady clan in Indy, got engaged “recently” after dating for at least a year, we’re told from a few F.O.Ys.

So where was Youk’s betrothed when he was making the red carpet scene at the Maxim Super Bowl bash? Nowhere to be found. But we were reliably informed that Tom Brady’s future brother-in-law was stashed in the family suite at the stadium to watch 12 lose his second championship to Giants you-know-what Eli Manning.

Anyway, no one seems to know when the sweaty Sox slugger and Patriots [team stats] QB/QT’s sis will tie the knot, But word is, it will happen on the Left Coast, most likely in the offseason. In fact, the future Mrs. Youk, a schoolteacher, and her daughter, Jordan, 5, will move to Florida from California when the third baseman reports to spring training later this month.

“He’s really lucky,” one of Youk’s buds told the Track. “She’s a really nice person, but all the Bradys are nice people.” We put in a couple of calls to congratulate No. 20, but he was unavailable. Shocking. Friends report that Youk and Julie met at a postgame party at Patriot Place last year after that other New York team Jet-tisoned the Patriots out of the playoffs. Not a good night for Tom, but a rather good one for his sis!

It will be Nancy’s first marriage and Youk’s second. He was married in 2008, but turns out not legally, to Ben Affleck’s ex, Enza Sambataro. They split two years later and she resigned as CEO of his charity, Youk’s Kids.

So, now that the Sox corner man is out of the bachelor slump, do we dare think he’ll be back to hitting homers at Fenway???

Tom Brady's legacy wasn't tarnished by Super Bowl loss to the Giants

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:58:18 GMT

This was supposed to be the year that Tom Brady elevated over the rest of the ghosts, grabbed the trident and claimed his throne as the best quarterback ever. Unfortunately, the script didn’t unfold like that. The New York Giants beat the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl for the second time since 2007, and Brady is operating as John Elway in reverse after winning his first three times trips to the big game. So, what does that mean for his legacy? Is it tarnished? Has he fallen out of the company of greats and taken a seat next to Jim Kelly at the kids’ table?

The man seated at the head of the main table believes that such talk is nonsense. “Oh, yeah, long before this,” Joe Montana, who won four Super Bowl titles with the San Francisco 49ers, said when asked if Brady should be considered one of the best ever. “You’ve got guys who’ve done not anywhere near what he’s accomplished and made it to the Hall of Fame so obviously he’s well past that.”Montana wasn’t simply trying to be politically correct with his answer. He initially scoffed because he felt the question was so absurd.

Brady’s stature as one of the greatest ever should have been cemented long ago. He’s won three Super Bowl titles and played in the game in five of his 10 seasons at the helm. Getting to the game losing twice shouldn’t be considered a black mark on his overall body of work, otherwise that would suggest not getting to Super Bowl at all is better than earning a berth and coming up short.

But that hasn’t stopped some experts and fans from arguing that the way Brady’s performance Sunday somehow takes something away from his earlier championship performances. While it’s true that he didn’t play the best game of his career, a pair of highly regarded statistical analysis websites – Football Outsiders and Pro Football Focus – both actually graded his performance positively and feel that he played good enough for the Patriots to win.

Brady’s performance (27 of 41 passing, 276 yards, two touchdowns) is being widely defined by what he did wrong – there was an intentional grounding penalty that resulted in a safety, a handful of poorly placed passes and an ill-advised interception, all of which look worse because Brady was only sacked twice.
But what the box score doesn’t show is that he was hit eight times and faced pressure on 21 other snaps.

In other words, he was under the whole night yet still managed to keep New England in the game and had a stretch where he completed 16 consecutive passes between the second and third quarters.
A lesser player would have likely wilted under that pressure and allowed the Giants to run away with the game.

Brady had the Patriots, and their second-worst defense of all-time, one play away from victory. It may be a hard pill to swallow for many fans who believe that No. 12 failed to live up to the lofty standard he’s set for himself, but to those less emotionally invested viewed his performance positively. “He wasn’t sensation, but he played well against a good defense while under constant pressure. It wasn’t enough to win the game at the end, but that should be a credit to the Giants, not a sign of failure on Brady’s part at all,” Vince Verhei of Football Outsiders reasoned. “The idea that Brady cost New England the game, that he somehow sullied his legacy or even that he would have been better off not reaching the Super Bowl at all, is just silly.”

In the NFL, stats mean nothing and wins and losses trump all other arguments, but it’s hard to understand how Brady’s performances in the 2001 (16 of 27, 145 yards) and 2004 (22 of 33, 236 yards) somehow make him one of the best ever while his most recent showing qualifies him as a dog.
It shouldn’t. And as Montana said, Brady has nothing left to prove.

He’s fourth all time in passer rating (96.4), third in completion percentage (63), fifth in touchdown passes (300), and became the third quarterback to pass for 5,000 yards in a season this year. He is also tied with Montana for the most postseason victories by a quarterback (16).

The titles, which quarterbacks receive too much credit for, mostly serve as validation for his other accomplishments. Without them, he’s merely Dan Marino – a great quarterback who couldn’t win.
Still, in many minds, Brady needs to earn his fourth ring before he enters the realm of the best ever, and that’s fine.

At 34 and still playing his best football. There’s time for that, and it could even come as soon as next season with a few minor tweaks to the roster. But if that day never comes, his position should remain the same. Coming up a play short in the Super Bowl shouldn’t change his standing. He could have been knocked out earlier in the playoffs like Montana was seven times during his career.

Tom Brady Shouldn't Shoulder the Blame for Patriots Super Bowl Loss

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 10:28:53 GMT

After another Super Bowl loss to the Giants, the natives in Boston are getting restless.Everywhere you look, there are people in New England expressing their disgust at the Patriots and, in particular, Tom Brady. The quarterback who could do no wrong for so long is now getting a reaction usually reserved for the Bill Buckners and Grady Littles of the world, a turn of events that, isn't surprising in the kneejerk world of sports. Being predictable doesn't make it any less wrongheaded, though.

That's not to say that Brady was perfect on Sunday night. The intentional grounding for a safety on the first offensive play was a tremendous blunder, albeit one Brady probably thought he could get away with given the inconsistent application of that rule, and he wasn't as accurate as usual over the course of the night. You could add his interception if you like, although the potential rewards of that play (long gain, pass interference, touchdown) outweighed the risk of giving up the ball deep in Giants territory.

While we're mostly sticking to actual football here, we will concede that the reaction to Brady's night is not helped in the least by the fact that his wife's comments have been interjected into the discussion. The Gisele issue is tied into the reaction, but her lack of tact has nothing to do with what actually happened on the field.

Above all else, Brady is catching hell because he missed on his biggest pass of the night. That would be the one that Wes Welker couldn't reel in while wide open on second down with under five minutes to play. Welker still should have made the catch, he said as much himself, but Brady didn't nail a pass that he has nailed hundreds of times in his career.

Eli Manning did nail his pass to Mario Manningham on the next drive and the rest is history. And, apparently, that is enough to convince some people that Brady is ready for the glue factory. Believing that takes an incredibly short memory and narrow viewpoint of the game.

The Giants didn't just win because of that pass to Manningham. They won because the Patriots defense couldn't make a play after that catch. They won because two fumbles bounced back into their possession. They won because a Patriots recovery of a third fumble was wiped out because the defense couldn't see their way clear to playing with less than 12 players. They won because Deion Branch dropped a pass on the first play of the final drive with room to run and because Aaron Hernandez dropped a pass on the next play.

In short, it was a slim margin of defeat and any number of players could have turned things in the Patriots' favor. Brady was one of them and he could have played better, but he wasn't the only one guilty of coming up short. The same is true of 2008, a game that's now being tied to this one to diminish Brady's accomplishments. In that game, Asante Samuel's dropped interception and more good luck on fumbles helped the Giants block the Patriots' undefeated season.

The Patriots fell agonizingly short, but it shouldn't be forgotten that they wouldn't have been that close if not for Brady hitting 16 straight passes, a Super Bowl record, on two sizzling touchdown drives. And they wouldn't have sniffed the Super Bowl without Brady having one of his finest seasons and leading them to Indianapolis despite playing without a sturdy defense, a capable deep threat or much of a running game.

Yet the Patriots not only made it to the Super Bowl, they made it far enough to lose the Super Bowl in the final minute. That's two Super Bowl losses in the final minute in a sport where the line between winning and losing is often thinner than one of Mrs. Brady's modeling pals. Measure that against a decade of dizzying success, including three Super Bowl rings, and it is hard to understand the overwhelming negativity coming from Boston.

No one should weep too much for Brady. He almost certainly got too much credit for the Super Bowl wins so it is natural that he is going to get too much blame when the team loses. Such is life for quarterbacks in the NFL, and nothing will counteract that.

Results of games are black and white. The reasons for those results are usually gray. Super Bowl XLVI was full of gray, and that perspective shouldn't be lost in the rush to assign blame.