MUNICH ― Halfway through his post-practice news conference Friday in front of more than 100 media members, Tom Brady was presented with a gift: customized Bucs lederhosen, the traditional Bavarian trousers with suspenders sometimes worn during Oktoberfest.
“Like that?” Brady said, holding up the outfit presented to him by Neil Reynolds of London-based Sky Sports. “How would that look going out into a game with that? Pretty good. Thank you.’'
As Brady and the Bucs arrived Friday in Munich for Sunday’s game against the Seahawks, the German fans weren’t hiding their appreciation for the 45-year-old Bucs quarterback.
A half hour before the team arrived at FC Bayern Munich Academy following an exhaustive overnight flight, reporters and cameramen lined the driveway hoping to catch a glimpse of Brady getting off one of the team buses. They scurried with notebooks and tripods to the end zone to capture his warmups.
Brady genuinely appeared flattered and amused by the attention, although it is certainly not new to the seven-time Super Bowl winner. He is attempting to win an NFL regular-season game in his fourth country, having already done so in the U.S., Mexico and England.
Brady admitted he didn’t know much about Germany and had never visited before. He said his daughter, Vivian, was disappointed she couldn’t join him on the trip but said he promised to bring something nice back for her.
He obviously had heard about FC Bayern Munich, the professional soccer club whose men’s team plays in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the German soccer system. The cramped interview room was lined with pictures and trophies commemorating their success and included a full bar at the back.
How much did Brady know about the club?
“Not as much as I should, but that’s a great soccer team,” he said. “I’ve actually followed them quite a while. We’re all just very excited to be here. It’s a beautiful place. We all just got in here (Friday) morning, so it’s good to kind of move around a little bit and get ready for a game on Sunday. It should be exciting. I know the fans will be excited. I think the players will be more excited. We want to go out there and do a great job.”
Brady is 3-0 in international games, while the Bucs are 0-3. He says there’s no secret to winning in another country, no matter the distance or opponent.
“I think playing well is playing well,” Brady said. “It doesn’t matter where you’re at, which stadium, what country. For us, it’s got to come down to how well we do our job and we’ve talked about execution quite a bit lately.
“(Seattle) is a good team, they’re good in all three phases of the game. We’re going to be challenged. They have a lot of good skill players. (Quarterback) Geno (Smith) is playing great. Very well-coached. Good team, and we’re going to have to bring our best.”
Before leaving for Germany, Brady told his teammates to cherish the memories of games such as this.
“You’re not necessarily going to remember every game you played your whole career, but these ones you do remember,” he said. “They’re very special. Just to go to another place and have an experience like this. When I’m older, I’ll be thinking about practicing in that stadium right there and then going to play in Allianz Arena, which is amazing.
“Your whole life is made of memories and experiences, and to do it with teammates and the game that I love. ... Football has brought me a lot of places in my life, and it’s brought me to Germany now because I’ve never been here before. But I’m definitely coming back.”
Brady was asked about the kind of year he is having, given the Bucs’ 4-5 record and his recent divorce from wife, Gisele Bündchen, after 13 years. He repeated that he’s just trying to do the best job he can for his team and family.
When the NFL schedule came out with the Germany game on it, Brady was still in the midst of his 40-day retirement.
Even with the sub-.500 start and end to his marriage, Brady said he didn’t regret ending his retirement and returning for a 23rd NFL season and third with the Bucs.
“Zero. No. Definitely not,” he said. “I think I returned, because I felt like I wanted to compete. You know, I spoke to the team about it and they were excited to have me back, and I don’t really regret those types of things. When I commit to it, I mean it and I do my best. I try to give everything I can to this particular opportunity.
“I think the frustrating part is we just haven’t played the way we’re capable of playing, and that’s for a number of different reasons. This is a very important game for us. We have a bye week after this, and it gives you a chance to evaluate where you’re at, and I’d much rather evaluate being 5-5 than 4-6, so we’ve got to just win this game and take care of that.”
And try to beat the lederhosen off the Seahawks.
