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    COLUMN: Why Tom Brady's going strong at 43 - and a younger Conor looks done

    Brady's latest run to the Super Bowl with the Buccaneers is the stuff legends are made of
    Jan 25, 2021
    PHOTO: AP
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    CHICAGO - For nearly a decade now, the Grim Reaper has been aggressively trying to collect the sports soul of Tom Brady.

    Earlier today, in the NFL's most sacred grounds - the Lambeau Field in Green Bay - the ageless quarterback closed the door on both time and athletic mortality.

    At age 43, in a dangerously violent sport where the young almost always swallows the old, Brady continued to rewind the clock and charged triumphantly unto another improbable conquest.

    Seeking his seventh championship ring, he is Super Bowl bound for the tenth time in a glorious career that began in 2000 when he was the NFL's 199th overall draft pick out of the University of Michigan.

    Yup, that's from 199 to No. 1.

    Of all time.

    These days, Tom is taking snaps at the line of scrimmage as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer, not a New England Patriot where he recorded his greatest triumphs.

    Move over, Captain America. The world has a new super hero. He wears cleats and a helmet. And he is 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, with movie star looks and a toothpaste smile.

    Who knew that we can all fall in love with a Buccaneer?

    HOW HE HAS KEPT THE RIFLE IN HIS ARM AND THE FLEET IN HIS FEET AFTER SO MANY SUNDAYS OF BATTLES ON DIFFERENT TURFS IN A FASCINATING MYSTERY.

    There are kinky whispers and innuendos about the use of human growth hormones and botox injections.

    But maybe Tom is just gifted with good genes. Like LeBron James, he takes excellent care of his body, watches what he eats, and tucks in bed at night earlier than Pope Francis.

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    Tom shuns clubs and gatherings outside the team facility. He only goes to victory parties.

    Which is a stark contrast to MMA star Conor McGregor, who at 32 looked old and done after being TKO'd by a swarm of punches from Dustin Poirier in UFC 257 hours before Brady orchestrated Tampa's Super Bowl march.

    If you're looking for more contrast, consider this: Brady endorses SmartWater. McGregor sells his own whiskey brand.

    That should stop you from wondering why Brady is still upright while the flamboyant Irishman is careening.

    Unlike other aging sports stars, Brady did not hitch his wagon to another talent-loaded team in pursuit of one more glory ride.

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      On the contrary, he attached the shine of his name and the skill of his game to a rotting franchise and dragged it all the way to football's most sacred place.

      Prior to his arrival, the Buccaneers haven't won a postseason game in over two decades and this was their first postseason trip in 13 years, per ESPN.

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      "It's been a great journey thus far," Brady said after euthanizing the Green Bay Packers 31-26.

      Intercepted thrice and sacked once, Brady completed only 20 of 36 passes for 280 yards. He wasn't close to perfect but the great ones always find a way.

      Against Green Bay's menacing, blitzing defense, Brady kept his poise in the pocket and hurled three touchdowns. And everytime his receivers were covered, he still moved the chains of the offense by handing the keys over to their running game.

      Exactly a week after smoking Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints, Brady tormented another future Hall-of-Fame quarterback in Aaron Rodgers.

      Rodgers had more yardage (346) and pass completions (33) and less interceptions (1) than Brady. But Rodgers was swallowed by a Tampa defense that sacked him five times.

      One more game. One more Sunday.

      But win or lose on February 7, his mere arrival at Super Bowl LV has guaranteed Tom Brady's claim as the NFL's GOAT.

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      PHOTO: AP
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