He had me at hero.
Easily, the highlight of Super Bowl week came Monday's media night when a 7-year-old reporter asked Tom Brady who his hero was. Brady repeated the question, reached deep into his collection of rehearsed answers and came up with nothing. No cliche could cover what was going through Brady's mind. The kid had done what so many defenses couldn't — shake the NFL's most unshakable quarterback.
"Who's my hero? That's a great question. … Well, I think my dad is my hero, because he's someone I look up to every day,'' Brady said.
At that point, Brady paused, collecting himself. He glanced down and played with the microphone. Tears welled in his eyes as a lump formed in his throat.
"My dad,'' Brady said.
My goodness.
Any son who ever valued the relationship with his dad as much as anything else in his life understood the emotion Brady revealed choking on those words. Any father who works hard to set an example for his son to follow identified with the pride Tom Brady Sr. must have felt hearing such praise.
Suddenly, the NFL's most reviled quarterback turned into America's most relatable, just a boy still trying to make his dad proud. It just so happens that 160 million people will watch Brady try Sunday at NRG Stadium.
This year, thanks to Brady, Super Bowl Sunday is Father's Day.
Tom Brady BEN MARGOT / ASSOCIATED PRESSPatriots quarterback Tom Brady, left, hugs his father Tom Brady Sr. on the first hole of the Poppy Hills course during the first round of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am golf tournament Thursday, Feb. 9, 2006, in Pebble Beach, Calif.
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, left, hugs his father Tom Brady Sr. on the first hole of the Poppy Hills course during the first round of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am golf tournament Thursday, Feb. 9, 2006, in Pebble Beach, Calif.
(BEN MARGOT / ASSOCIATED PRESS)Rooting for Brady feels odd but right. Pulling for the favorite for a change makes me slightly uncomfortable but makes sense. Trying to spot flaws in Brady this week was like trying to find a parking spot at The Galleria. And, no, it doesn't bother me Brady exercised his right to separate politics from sports and say nothing about his support for a president whose recent actions made him hard to defend. If Brady manages the Patriots offense as deftly as he did Super Bowl mania, the Falcons will lose by two touchdowns.
The guy who gets grief for everything from being married to a supermodel to wearing Uggs came across as one of the most grounded players in the league. He appeared more relaxed than past Super Bowls, whether humbly deflecting questions about his individual legacy or discussing how sleep, diet and discipline factor into keeping his 39-year-old body fit.
Asked who would retire first, him or Patriots coach Bill Belichick, Brady just laughed.
"Good question,'' he said.
When Patriots precocious tight end Martellus Bennett scared Brady on stage with a noise from behind the curtain, Brady shot back with a smile.
"Go to sleep, Marty,'' he said.
The quarterback living a dream kept it real, whether opening up at news conferences or running sprints at practice during a break.
For someone who doesn't have the privilege of covering the Patriots regularly, it became easy to see why Brady is to Boston what Michael Jordan was to Chicago in the 1990s, a superstar in the midst of a dynasty combining polish and passion, image-conscious yet authentic. What else but jealousy can explain Brady being the NFL's least favorite quarterback, according to Public Policy Polling? Because of Deflategate? Does anybody really believe Brady has thrown for 61,582 yards because he manipulated the PSI of footballs? Why aren't players actually arrested for real crimes vilified to this degree?
People tend to hate what they don't understand, and Brady's consistency is difficult to grasp. At 39, he posted his second-highest completion percentage (67.4) and second-highest passer rating (112.2). The best argument against Brady winning the NFL most valuable player award was that the Patriots went 3-1 during his four-game suspension for his role in Deflategate.
Now Brady stands four quarters from his fifth Super Bowl title, which would distinguish him from everybody else. Bart Starr won five NFL championships with the Packers but lacks Brady's body of work. One more title would elevate Brady above all others — but you suspect that isn't what drives him most these days.
Tom Brady Maddie Meyer / Getty ImagesTom Brady looks on after defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers 36-17 to win the AFC Championship game at Gillette Stadium on Jan. 22, 2017, in Foxborough, Mass.
Tom Brady looks on after defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers 36-17 to win the AFC Championship game at Gillette Stadium on Jan. 22, 2017, in Foxborough, Mass.
(Maddie Meyer / Getty Images)The longer Brady talked leading up to his record seventh Super Bowl, the deeper he left the impression that this one feels different. That perhaps this one offers Brady more satisfaction, partly because he could be receiving the Lombardi Trophy from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who suspended him, but mostly because he has been dealing with family issues like everybody does.
On Thursday, the concern in Brady's voice was obvious when addressing the uncertainty over whether his mother, Galynn, would attend the game. Reports surfaced that Galynn Brady had been suffering from an illness for the past 18 months, something that weighed heavily on the minds of Tom and his three sisters. Not to mention Tom Sr., who showed where his son gets his fiery nature from when blasting Goodell publicly last week.
Asked shortly after his "hero" reply whether his father's feelings about Goodell echoed his opinion, Brady again showed vulnerability that increased his likability.
"Well, I'd say my dad represents his feelings, because he's a dad, and I'm a dad and…" Brady said, halting to regain composure.
"He was just a great example for me, and he was always someone who supported me in everything I did, to come home at night and bring me out, hit me ground balls and fly balls. And to have a chance to go to 49ers games on the weekend with him and my mom and throw the ball in the parking lot before games; those are memories I'll have forever.''
I am sure Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan is a dutiful son too but, at 31, doesn't have the sentimental hold on this Super Bowl that his counterpart does. I hope the Patriots win for Tom Brady — both of them.
dhaugh@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @DavidHaugh
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