New England Patriots
The former New England signal-caller sees similarities between himself and Drake Maye when it comes to being humble.
Legendary former Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was known for many things as a player.
His consistent humility was one of them.
Brady wasn’t interested in complimenting himself or in talking about his contributions to New England’s two-decade-long run of success. He focused on praising his teammates and his coaches, who played similarly important roles on those historic Patriots teams.
Brady, a FOX NFL color commentator, said Friday that he notices a resemblance between himself and current New England QB Drake Maye in terms of staying humble.
“Drake Maye has that humility,” Brady said on “The Herd” with Colin Cowherd. “Everything that comes out of his mouth is always about the team. It’s always about praising his defense, praising his offensive line, and that’s how you connect with people. That’s the reality. That’s what great leaders do.
“Great leaders are in service to other people. It’s not, ‘What can you do for me?’ It’s, ‘What can I do for you? How can I be the best to support your dreams, your goals, your vision?’ Whether that’s supporting your coach, supporting your offensive linemen, supporting your receivers. True leadership is about humility because true leadership is about service, and how do I show up every day to be the best I can be for my teammates. That really should be the lesson for all quarterbacks in the NFL.”
The most recent example of Maye’s humility came during his Friday press conference, his final time speaking with the media before Sunday’s game to determine which AFC team will play in Super Bowl LX.
Maye, 23, was asked what he’s done to help prepare himself for these do-or-die playoff games. Instead of talking solely about himself, he mentioned the importance of trusting in his teammates to be prepared as a unit.
“I think prepare and trust your teammates, prepare and trust the confidence in myself,” Maye said. “I’m going to have full confidence in myself and trust in my teammates. I think that’s the biggest thing going into a game like this. Don’t lose sight of that, and don’t lose sight of what got you here. Try not to make it as big as it is.
“So, just go out there and do my part, and I think that’s what we’re trying to preach in the offensive room, especially, is do our part. When we’re all 11 on the same page, we’re pretty tough to stop.”
That level of humility and embracing one’s teammates is key to a young player’s development, according to Brady.
“If you’re not humble, this game will humble you,” Brady said. “Every time you take the practice field, there’s an expectation to perform at a high level. When you’re one of the best to be playing, you are the measuring stick for every team. They’re gonna come out there and you’re usually gonna play their best game against you. Now that’s a positive if you understand that … You’re getting someone’s best, so that means you need to be at your best, which over long-term, that’s a great way to continue to develop.”
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