Brady at 45: Why age is just a number

“With the 199th pick in the (year) 2000 NFL draft, the New England Patriots select Tom Brady, quarterback, Michigan.” The rest, as they say, is history.

Tom Brady will be entering his 23rd season in the NFL for in 2022. After a 41 day flirt with retirement, he will return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this offseason to begin training.

To give the 45 years olds career further context, in 2005, Brady’s backup quarterback for the Patriots was Kliff Kingsbury. He’s the current third year head coach of the Arizona Cardinals. Mike Vrabel was playing alongside Brady as a linebacker, and is now the head coach of the Tennessee Titans. Vrabel retired in 2010!

Cornerback Asante Samuel was in the first year of his career. He retired in 2013 and his son is now playing in the same position for the Los Angeles Chargers. The list goes on and on…

Maybe the conspiracy theories have some merit. Perhaps Brady really is an alien. An otherworldly, shapeshifting, reptilian lifeform! Alright, perhaps there was an ounce of facetiousness about the previous statement. But Brady does appear to be defying the aging process in a way that nobody else is able.

He’s famous for his commitment not only to the game we love. But also to his training regime, diet and mental wellbeing.

Brady’s secret

Alternative Medical Practitioner, 57 year old Alex Guerrero from Argentina, has been working alongside Brady for nearly 15 years. In 2012, the pair collaborated to create TB12, a health and wellness brand dedicated to aiding athletes.

Speaking about what has allowed Brady to continue to be an elite performer at the age of 44 when almost every other athlete is in decline, he said “there truly is no secret.” He elaborates “dedication is absolutely essential, as is diet, getting enough sleep and hydration. But for me, pliability of the tissue is where most fail but Tom succeeds.”

Guerrero has been an advocate of manual therapy for 30 years, combined with tissue pliability being the key factor in an athlete being able to perform consistently at a high level, without sustaining soft muscle injuries. Many have called him mad in the past, a handful still do. All of this stems from his masters degree in traditional Chinese medicine that he received from Samra University in California.

Of his practice of alternative therapies he says “at the beginning of my career nobody had even considered the idea that the pliability of ones tissue could prevent injuries from occurring, everyone believed I was mad for even suggesting it.”

Guerrero added about the frequency with which he treats Brady. “It has become a full time job in the last few years. I used to fly out to New England and treat him two or three days every other week, then a couple of days every week, every day and now it is twice a day during the season.”

Despite regular questioning about his role from the media, Guerrero – once dubbed by a Boston publication as a “glorified snake-oil salesman” – has not been put off answering questions about his involvement with Brady over the years. He seems happy to talk at length with anyone who shows an interest in his work.

Brady has been both Guerrero’s biggest advocate and success story. To the point that Brady has even credited his latest Super Bowl victory to treatment that Alex continues to provide for him.

The G.O.A.T Mindset

Becoming a serial winner is not only about understanding the needs of ones physical self but is also about self belief. The drive and determination to succeed daily. Brady has gone on record in the past stating that “having the right approach, the right mindset and attitude will give us the opportunities to do the best we can”. 

To his credit, Brady has often said during press conferences that every game means the same to him as the next and the last. This may well have become ‘the’ trope phrase of the modern athlete but there are a few for whom it feels more genuine, whose mindset is able to separate the game from the occasion, such as a Super Bowl. 

Nottingham University’s Professor of Behavioural Neuroscience, Helen Cassaday, 56 from Guernsey was asked whether the dedicated, positive, mental approach of an elite athlete such as Brady, could drive their success further than their age would usually allow.

She admits that it is “true that success does breed success but for the majority of athletes accepting defeat is difficult and can hinder their progress and future performances”, adding that “viewing a defeat as an opportunity for growth is what separates the truly special individuals from the rest. The importance of the growth mindset stems from having a mind that is open not only to learning through success, but also through failure.”

Brady has not known a lot of failure throughout his career. In his 318 games, he has a win loss record of 243-73. This means he has a winning percentage of roughly 76.5. Perhaps then it is his ability to not dwell on the past that allows him to continue to carve out such a successful future.

Age Reversal

Nobody is suggesting a Benjamin Button type scenario is occurring with Brady. It’s more that he is a rare specimen, utilising all of the scientific tools at his disposal, in order to, at least temporarily, halt the ageing process.

Given what is known about vision, noticeable changes will regularly occur in people at around their mid-30s. However, tudies have suggested that anyone can train their brain using a series of simple games, in order to focus their attention and perception. Perhaps it is this then that allows Brady to continue to read the field. Like a grandmaster of chess and anticipate his opponents moves before even they have made them.

Muscle strength is another attribute that will begin to diminish at roughly the same age as vision. It sucks to get old! Losing both muscle mass can even accelerate at age 40 mostly due to the body producing less testosterone than before.

Certain research though, and Brady is likely to be the primary case study for this, has noted that continual resistance training can slow, even reverse this process if begun early enough.

So, it looks as though pairing up with Alex Guerrero might have been a masterstroke for Brady.

We go again

Many are waiting, likely have been waiting for a while now, for Brady to show signs of physical decline. Just like all humans do at some stage in life. Providing we do still believe that he is human of course? 

Brady has said himself when asked about hanging up his cleats “when I stink, I’ll retire.” It is possible that thanks to his unique genetics combined with his stalwart dedication to his physical conditioning, that day will never come.

The quarterback has already entered the history books as being the oldest player to compete in the NFL. And there is no reason to doubt that after his birthday in August, Brady will continue to be as successful at 45 as he was at 25.