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Four years ago in Glendale, the Giants and Patriots played one of the more memorable Super Bowls of the last decade. It was a game filled with drama and spectacular plays down the stretch. The Patriots-Giants rematch last night turned out to be just as memorable. Like the first meeting, it had everything. It had two elite quarterbacks going pass-for-pass against each other, it had late game heroics by unlikely players, and it came down to the final play. Unfortunately for Tom Brady and the Patriots, even the ending followed the script of the last Super Bowl between the two teams. After a nightmare start to the game where the Patriots and Tom Brady took a safety on their first offensive play, Brady and the offense picked up their play and it looked like he was going to avenge his only Super Bowl loss. The ball was in his hands twice down the stretch. With the Giants low on timeouts and the end of the game approaching, Brady had a chance, with the lead, to ice the game and win his fourth ring.
Instead, Wes Welker dropped a pass that was just a little bit off and then Brady misfired to an open Deion Branch over-the-middle. An opportunity lost. He had one last shot. With under a minute to go, one timeout left, and trailing by four, the ball was in Brady hands and Big Blue nation was holding their collective breath. He got the Pats within shouting distance and Brady’s shot at quarterback infamy came down to a Hail Mary. While he was magnificent at times last night, it’s a cruel game and many will only remember the final outcome. He still has plenty of time to get back to the game’s biggest stage, he has done more with less offensive talent than any quarterback I can remember, but he has also been outplayed in his last two Super Bowl appearances by the same guy and his two losses will always be a part of his resume. Tom Brady joined the Dial Global Sports Network with Jim Gray to talk about how he feels after the loss, what he was thinking in the locker room following the game, whether or not he is going to lament some of the mistakes that were un-Patriot like, and if he injured his shoulder.
How he feels after the loss:
“Obviously we put a lot of work into the year and it’s disappointing to have it end this way but certainly very proud of the guys as we fought to the end as we really have shown we have done all year. Just came up a little bit short. I’d rather play in this game and lose than not play at all I will tell you that. It was a great season, we just didn’t close the deal.”
What he was thinking in the locker room following the game:
“I think just a missed opportunity and I’m sure every guy in this locker room wishes we could’ve done a little more and the outcome would’ve been a little bit different. We fought hard, we fought to the end, it’s really the hallmark of this team, but we just didn’t make quite enough plays. Certainly give a lot of credit to the Giants for making the plays.”
On committing uncharacteristic errors and lamenting those:
“We knocked some balls out and they really didn’t bounce our way. We tried to force a few turnovers and got the ball out, we had a few other opportunities that got called back by penalty, but for the most part we played hard and moved the ball. We just didn’t score enough points.”
If he injured his shoulder:
“It’s football so you always have bumps and bruises.”
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