Patriots great Willie McGinest: Rule out a Tom Brady ‘retirement anytime soon’

Former New England Patriots great Willie McGinest doesn’t see Tom Brady hanging up the cleats anytime soon, even at the age of 40.

If anyone knows Tom Brady, it is former teammate and New England Patriots great Willie McGinest.

The two were teammates during the early to mid-2000s and won three Super Bowl championships together.  McGinest also knows what it takes to play in the league well into his 30s.  What he doesn’t know is what it takes to play at the age of 40.

Brady still has it

But, the fact that Brady is still on top of his game at his position impresses McGinest.  He expressed as much while he was in town covering the team for the NFL Network on Tuesday.

"“I see a lot of motivation now because people keep throwing that number around [40] and all the players I’ve talked to, or people who really understand the game of football, we don’t really measure the games by numbers,” McGinest said, as transcribed by WEEI.  “It’s more about production, what you’re doing on the field.  It’s easy to talk about his age, but if you look at a player who’s involved, who keeps getting better who’s setting records in the Super Bowl, the biggest game of his life, and people are comparing him to nobody now because he’s accomplished so much.”"

McGinest went on to point out the fact that Brady was a finalist in MVP voting last season and was voted the top player in the NFL’s top 100 this year. With those accolades, he doesn’t see Brady having the type of slide other quarterbacks have had at that age.

As far as production goes, he doesn’t see why Tom Brady can’t play another 10 years, which is why a retirement announcement from the great quarterback will not come anytime soon.

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Dietary habits

In an interview with Willie McGinest, Brady talked about the dietary habits and approach to the game that has enabled him to stay on top of his game.

With a new book, “The TB12 Method,” hitting the shelves soon, the New England Patriots quarterback and sudden entrepreneur didn’t miss the opportunity to plug his book and share what has helped him prevent long-term injury.

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"“I love playing and I think all of the work that I’ve been able to do has really set me up for this.  I’ve been working hard for a long time.  Because of you,” Brady said in the interview with McGinest.  “When I was out here in 2004 and couldn’t go through a training camp practice without being hurt.  You said, ‘Listen, this is what you’ve got to do, you’ve got to go work with Alex [Guerrero].  You’ve got to start preventing these injuries, because it’s no good if you’re sitting on the sideline.’  From that day, my elbow hasn’t hurt, my shoulder hasn’t hurt.”"

Brady went on to share that continued treatments as well as the right diet and nutritional approach to eating has helped him tremendously.  His commitment to it is due to his love of football, which he hopes to play for a very long time.

In summary

Whether Tom Brady does play until he’s at least 45 years old will depend on how deep that love for the game is on a season-to-season basis.  While I am certainly not doubting this man, there is no defeating father time.

Brady is proving on the field that 40 is indeed the new 30, but the type of decline we saw in a player like Peyton Manning rather quickly is a reminder that when a player’s time come, it comes.

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That time is not this year.  With the array of weapons, he has and the way he has looked in training camp, Brady is as motivated and focused as ever.  As long as the arm strength and foot work is there, this quarterback will continue striving as the best in the league.