The quarterback age disparity is one of the big storylines heading into the NFL's Championship Sunday.
In the NFC, 40-year-old Drew Brees and the Saints face 24-year-old Jared Goff and the Rams. And in the AFC, Tom Brady, 41, has talked plenty this week about 23-year-old Chiefs QB and MVP candidate Patrick Mahomes.
- MORE PATRIOTS - Does Belichick still get nervous before big games?
The 18 years and one month between Brady and Mahomes is the largest age gap between two QBs in NFL playoff history.
When it was brought up again at his Friday press conference, Brady got a little wistful thinking back to his first AFC Championship Game, as a second-year sensation who had taken over for Drew Bledsoe in the 2001 season.
“Well, I was that age at one point, too. I mean, I remember pretty well — it’s a little while ago, but I still remember it — my first playoffs and having the experience to go to the AFC Championship game. It was different. I flew to Pittsburgh to do a press conference with Lawyer Milloy on Friday and waited for the team to come on Saturday," Brady recalled. "It was a little bit different. But, it goes fast and I’m sure it will go fast for them and their young career. Jared and Patrick have had great seasons, great offenses. And we’re still here plugging around, me and Drew, doing our thing, having a lot of fun doing it.”
- MORE PATRIOTS - Lessons from the first meeting with Chiefs
Brady's numbers from that first championship game? 12-for-18 for 115 yards and a knee injury that knocked him from the game in the second quarter. Bledsoe finished the 24-17 victory over the Steelers that sent the Pats on to Super Bowl 36 against the then-St. Louis Rams. The rest is history.
New England Patriots
So, no matter who wins Sunday, age will again be the quarterback story in two weeks at the Super Bowl.
Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device.