Tom Brady says he can't even feel some of the hits he takes anymore because his body is 'wired' for contact
- Tom Brady said his body is "wired" for contact and that he has become "calloused" to some hits he takes.
- Brady said he doesn't even feel some hits because his pliability training helps his muscles absorb the contact and re-disperse it.
- Brady is not immune to injury, but at 41, he's been remarkably healthy, and he says his body hurts less now than when he was in his 20s.
Tom Brady has dedicated his life, from his diet to his training regimen, to playing football into his 40s, an age when most other players are retired.
Brady has said numerous times that his body feels better now than he did in his 20s. In an interview with Jim Gray of Westwood One in December, Brady said his body had become "calloused" to hits.
"Your body gets used to the hits," Brady said. "The brain understands the position that you're putting your body into. And my brain is wired for contact. I would say in some ways it's become calloused to some of the hits."
Brady said when reviewing film, he's sometimes asked if the hits he takes hurt. He said he doesn't even feel some of them anymore.
"I look at certain hits in the game that I see on film, and people go, 'God, did that hurt a lot?'" Brady said. "And I'll say, 'No, I didn't even really feel it.'
"It's just from all of the work that I'm putting in, understanding the things I need to do to prepare my body."
"Based on all of the pliability treatments that I do, my muscles just absorb the forces and disperse the forces as well as they ever have. I take hits better now at 41 than I did when I was 25."
That's not to say Brady doesn't get hurt. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported last Sunday that Brady had been playing through an MCL sprain for some of the 2018 season, but eventually got over it.
Not everyone agreed with Brady's assessment. Former Patriots linebacker Ted Johnson said on the "Felger and Mazz" show that Brady's comments made him "throw up in [his] mouth a little bit," calling them "irresponsible."
So, what, Kevin Turner's wasn't? Junior Seau's wasn't? Justin Strzelczyk's brain wasn't? Andre Waters' brain wasn't wired for contact? But yours is? It was very insensitive, and I thought irresponsible to talk like that."
Brady told Grey that he thinks he has an advantage on other players from his training. He said he thinks about what he can do to improve on a daily basis and works at it year-round.
With Brady and the Patriots seemingly rounding into form as soon as the playoffs began, it's hard to argue that he must be onto something.
Listen to the entire interview here >
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