TAMPA, Fla. — "Good luck." That's Tom Brady's advice to any player who wants to stay in the NFL for 22 seasons.
"It’s tough, but it’s up to them. If you do the right stuff you got a shot," Brady said after Thursday's practice. "But I see a lot of people not do the right stuff. First of all, you gotta love it. If you want to do it for a long period of time you have to excel at it. And that really comes from loving it."
Brady's known for putting as much emphasis on his diet as he does on studying the playbook.
Recently, the seven-time Super Bowl champ said he doesn't eat much bread. That seems a bit ironic, considering that he's featured in a new Subway commercial showcasing their fresh-baked bread. But Brady said he's never totally given up on sandwiches. He said he lived off of Subway sandwiches when he was at the University of Michigan.
"We used to have these little chip cards that the coaches would give us when we didn’t have a training table," Brady remembered. "It was good when my buddies worked there because we got a little extra meat on there. It was pretty cool. Kinda part of my past and part of my future."
Brady, 44, added that he doesn't have much gluten in his diet. He also hinted at the possibility of Subway rolling out a new product or two.
"We've got something coming for ya," he said with a smile as he ended the press conference.
Another key to lasting more than two decades in the NFL is staying healthy and upright. The Bucs were one of two teams that didn't allow any sacks in week one.
"That’s the standard. No sacks given up each week," said left tackle Donovan Smith. "What better way to start week one than that? It definitely feels good, but hats off to all five guys."
The Bucs (1-0) host the Atlanta Falcons (0-1) Sunday at 4:05 p.m.
