By Frank Pingue
(Reuters) – Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady will step onto his home field this weekend in search of a record-extending seventh Super Bowl title but on Wednesday the 43-year-old was already talking about plans to be even better next season.
Brady, widely considered to be the greatest quarterback of all time, said he had every intention of making the most out of however many years he has left in his glittering NFL career.
“As long as I’m playing, I want to improve and get better,” Brady said during a video news conference ahead of Sunday’s clash with the top-seeded defending champion Kansas City Chiefs.
“And I think next year’s going to be a lot better than this year. I feel like I’ll be in a much better place mentally. I’m going to train a lot better this year. Physically, next year I’ll be in a better place,” he said.
Brady joined the Buccaneers last March after 20 seasons and six Super Bowl titles with the New England Patriots and the transition was not made any easier given the absence of an NFL pre-season schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Still, despite being limited to intra-squad scrimmages with his new team mates, Brady went out and threw 40 touchdown passes in the regular season, which is his highest total since setting what was then an NFL record of 50 in 2007.
Brady now has the Buccaneers on the doorstep of their first Super Bowl title since the 2002 season and should he come out on top it will not be long before he turns his attention to the 2021 campaign that kicks off in September.
“As soon as this game ends we’re on to next season,” said Brady. “So we’ll get ready for this game and then start thinking about next year.”
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Ken Ferris)
