Father Time has yet to slow down Tom Brady, and every NFL player would be wise to seek the advice of the New England Patriots quarterback and maybe learn the secrets to enjoying a lengthy career.
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan was fortunate to receive some wise words from Brady nearly a decade ago when the two teams held joint practices in the Atlanta area. Ryan, in a recent interview with NBC Sports' Peter King, told the story of his interaction with Brady and the valuable advice the Patriots quarterback gave him.
“The Patriots came down here and practiced with us maybe in 2009 or 2010, I can’t remember what year it was, but I was having tendinitis in my elbow, and I remember Tom was working out in our weight room right here after one of the practices,” Ryan told King.
"And I just was in there doing my routine after and just talked to him a little bit about how he was staying as healthy as he could like this time in his career — I was only in Year 2 or 3 — and he was saying, ‘When we’re young, we do all this lifting and we get real tight and bulked up and all these things, and you just hurt.’ He’s like, ‘And now I’m trying to lengthen and be strong but be mobile and all those things.’ I remember hearing that as a young player and being like, ‘Man, that makes a lot of sense. He might be on to something.’ I think the trend has gone that way. Obviously, him with the TB12 and their method and everything that he does, obviously he’s doing a great job with it, but I think there’s a lot of guys who are following that mold.”
Ryan clearly has followed Brady's advice because the Falcons quarterback hasn't missed a single game since the 2009 season. He's played in 147 consecutive games -- one of the most impressive streaks in football. The Falcons missed the playoffs last season but Ryan played very well. He completed 69.4 percent of his pass attempts for 4,924 yards with 35 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
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The advice Ryan needs next is how to beat Brady and the Patriots on the football field. Ryan is 0-4 in his career versus Brady, including the worst meltdown in Super Bowl history two years ago when the Falcons blew a 28-3 second-half lead and let a championship slip away at NRG Stadium in Houston.
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