ATLANTA — You might think that going into a Super Bowl playing for your sixth ring would be the wrong time to be naming athletes that are your better than. Tom Brady doesn't think so.
That's because the star athlete in his household growing up wasn't him - it was his sister Maureen. During an interview ahead of Atlanta's Super Bowl LIII, Brady reminisced on many parts of his own career, from his first NFL completion to his history with Rob Gronkowski.
But perhaps the question that brought the biggest smile to his face was regarding a previous comment he made about struggling to surpass his sister's stellar performance on the field growing up.
"Yeah, she was the best athlete in our family and a great competitor - she was an All-American softball player; so much toughness," Brady said. "I just remembered when I was a kid traveling around and watching them going to all of their games and their tournaments on the weekends."
He remembered her pitching seven games in a day and how she would go 7-0 with two no-hitters.
"I used to go up and visit her when she was pitching for Fresno State and watch Trent Dilfer play - they had a great football team," Brady said. "And just some great memories that I had."
During his interview, Brady said that looking back and then to the present day where he's preparing to hit the field for Super Bowl LIII is still an unbelievable moment.
"You know, there's no way to describe, you know, what my career has been and I just feel like I've been in the moment so much," Brady said. "And, uh, every year just trying to get a little bit better - and to have the opportunity to play in this game, I think I have more appreciation because the older you get, you know, the fewer chances you're going to have."
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Among those teams he'd played in the Super Bowl, Brady names a few "great teams" by name, including the Philadelphia Eagles, the Seattle Seahawks, and the Atlanta Falcons.
"And the Rams are as good as any teams we've faced all year, so it's going to be a great game," Brady said. "You know, we're going to work hard to get everything out of the way, put all the distractions aside, focus on what we need to do to try to get us to play our best football because that's what it's going to take."
Kickoff for the biggest game of the year will be at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. In the meantime, the days leading up to the event will feature many events - and some complex traffic plans.
Whether you're heading to the game, the concerts or just trying to get through town, be sure to keep an eye on the roads.
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