The most important news to come out of Foxborough on Wednesday most certainly was Tom Brady telling the media that he was "feeling better. Better than he was a couple of days ago." Beyond that, not much the quarterback said was all that different from how Bill Belichick described the postseason about an hour earlier at his press conference.
Brady didn't display much of a limp as he walked to and from the podium before being asked about the state on his ankle, which he reportedly suffered a high sprain thanks to a hit from Miami's Ndamukong Suh on Sunday.
Beyond that, Brady fielded a few other questions which we'll highlight.
PEAK CONDITION -Asked about dealing with the dips that exists through a season, and even more so for Brady during such a tumultuous 12 months, the quarterback said he's pretty much been through it all at this stage of his career.
"The experience of being through a lot of seasons, you get conditioned for it. I think I'm pretty well conditioned for the regular season at this point. Regular season, postseason ... think it's different for a younger player. Let's say it's your first year for example. The most games you've ever played is 12 and you've never played into January. You get a lot of time off during the offseason. When you're a pro this is what you condition your whole life around, at least that's what I do. This is what I prepare myself for and a lot of my teammates do the same. Mentally I'm ready to go. Physically you always want to feel your best and I think you just have to work so you're doing the right things to get to that point."
Not surprisingly, Brady finished by explaining how he's always ready when it matters most.
"Football season is a challenge in a lot of ways for a lot of people. I think I'm always up for a challenge."
EXPERIENCE MATTERS ... SORT OF -Asked about helping to get the younger players prepared for the postseason, Brady said the experience only works if it's used properly.
"I think coach does a great job preparing our team for that. It's important for the veteran guys to always set a good example of leadership because we have some experience. Our coach talks a lot about that being an advantage only if we use it as experience. So, I think that we're challenged in a lot of different ways. Every team that's still playing is a great football team. There are a lot good things that teams do well. Nobody's first in the league in every statistical category. You're just trying to build upon the strengths of your team, understand where your weaknesses are. The veteran guys, obviously it's good to have experience but it's also good to be able to communicate to the younger players what to expect, where we're heading and how we're going to get to the place we wanted to get to."
PHILOSOPHICAL BRADY -When asked a curious question wondering if he had to keep calm those close to him who are outraged over the national coverage of Peyton Manning, Brady dismissed it before offering a quote.
"I haven't thought one bit about that. I've just tried to do my best to help our team win. I think that's what my goal is, to be as mentally focused as I can be on that to help our team win because we've all worked really hard to get to this point. I read a great quote the other day that said, 'I didn't come this far to only come this far.' So we've still got a long way to go."
