Brady races to beat two play clocks

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – In the first episode of his online documentary series Tom vs. Time, which was released in installments throughout last season and its aftermath, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was confident in his commitment to continue playing.

“I feel like, man, I still do this better than I’ve ever done it,” he said. “So why should I stop?”

Good question.

Brady, who turned 41 on Aug. 3, is entering his 19th season since being drafted in the sixth round with the 199th overall pick in 2000. He is a three-time NFL MVP — including last season, when he was the oldest NFL MVP ever and also the oldest MVP in any of the major sports. He surpassed Major League Baseball’s Barry Bonds, who was 40 years and 3 months when he won his seventh MVP award in 2004.

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“When you lose your conviction, you probably should be doing something else.” Tom Brady Hinting in the final episode of his docu-series “Tom vs. Time” on when he’ll know it’s time to retire from the NFL

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But as the docu-series progressed, Brady’s conviction appeared to waver at times.

“You don’t want to make sacrifices for your sport,” he said in the fourth episode. “But when you have a family, you do.”

By the end of the series, he appeared to see the end on the horizon.

“I realized I’m a lot closer to the end than the beginning,” he said in the sixth and final installment, which was released after the Patriots’ loss to Philadelphia in Super Bowl LII. “And you don’t know when you’re going to get opportunities again.

“When you lose your conviction, you probably should be doing something else.”

There will come a time — five years after he is done playing — when Brady is comfortably ensconced in the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, and no longer leading the Patriots offense. He has led New England to five Super Bowl championships, has been named MVP four times and is a 13-time Pro Bowler.

When that time will be, though, is uncertain. He often has said he wants to play until he is 45, which is looming like a freight train for New England. It will be a tall order to find a replacement for Brady.

In an uncharacteristic move for head coach Bill Belichick, Jimmy Garoppolo was traded in October to San Francisco for a second-round pick this year. Garoppolo, now the 49ers’ starting quarterback, signed a five-year, $137.5 million extension in February.

The Patriots brought in journeyman backup Brian Hoyer in November for his second stint with the team that signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2009. Hoyer, who will be 33 in October, has played for five other teams and made 37 starts over nine seasons.

New England also took Danny Etling with a seventh-round pick this year. Whether either will be the Patriots’ quarterback of the future remains to be seen.

Whether Brady has any interest in grooming his replacement is also uncertain. Brady and Garoppolo were friendly, but according to an ESPN report in January, Brady “didn’t see it as his role to advise Garoppolo, even on matters as trivial as footwork, as nobody had helped him during his climb.”

Neither Hoyer nor Etling is likely to see much playing time this season, barring injury or anything else unforeseen happening to Brady. However, each got plenty of work during the voluntary portions of offseason workouts, when Brady was a no-show.

“I don’t think it’s about who is or isn’t anywhere,” Belichick said when asked if Brady’s absence could help the development of Hoyer or Etling.

“It’s about each of us individually trying to make the most out of our opportunities every day to get ready for the season. That’s what we’re all doing. You’d have to ask those guys. I’m not sure.”

Hoyer saw the time as beneficial but not unprecedented.

“I look at it as a great opportunity to be out there, to be the guy who’s in charge in the huddle and lead those guys, obviously get to know the guys that were here last year a little bit better and obviously get to know the new guys, too,” Hoyer said.

“(But) it’s not unique at all because I’ve been in other places where I’ve been the guy that’s responsible for leading the huddle, being the guy that’s the presence there, the leadership, those type of things. So for me, I come out every day and look at it as a great opportunity to get better.”

He also can see the experience from Etling’s perspective.

“This isn’t easy,” Hoyer said. “This isn’t an easy system to come into as a rookie. You’ve got to come in, (you) get a lot thrown at you and you’ve just got to take it one day at a time. So I think Danny’s doing a good job.”

Etling said Hoyer has been a great tutor, but the rookie is keeping his expectations in check.

“I don’t have any expectations besides for the next meeting, the next rep, the next chance I get to get better and the next chance I get to learn and improve as a player,” Etling said. “That’s the only thing I’m really focused on right now.”

The situation is also a reminder to Brady’s teammates to appreciate the here and now.

“Absolutely,” said wide receiver Matthew Slater, who is entering his 11th season. “And also to never take anything for granted. The relationships that you have with players, the opportunity that you have to share a locker room with these men, you can’t take it for granted and you got to try to just cherish every day and maximize the opportunities.

“Certainly it’s human nature to worry about things like that, and sometimes it’s in our nature to worry about things we can’t control and worry. And you just have to be mentally tough enough and strong enough to put that out of your head and focus on the task at hand.”