Tom Brady expressed pride for his New England Patriots team-mates after insisting a sixth Super Bowl win had no bearing on his retirement plans.
The 41-year-old combined with Patriots head coach Bill Belichick to win Super Bowl LIII on Sunday, with a 13-3 victory over Los Angeles Rams.
Brady was playing in his ninth championship game and the Vince Lombardi Trophy win at at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta followed successes in 2001, 2003, 2004, 2014 and 2016.
But the fabled quarterback has no intention of quitting after the Patriots tied the Pittsburgh Steelers’ record for the most championships.
Julian Edelman was voted most valuable player with 141 yards receiving. The wide receiver now has 115 post-season receptions, second in NFL history to Jerry Rice, who had 151.
Speaking at the MVP media conference on Monday, Belichick lauded Edelman, while also highlighting the collective spirit.
Belichick added: “I can’t say enough about our football team. Certainly Julian epitomises the work ethic, toughness – mental and physical – determination and will and his extraordinary ability to perform under pressure. We have so many guys who do that well.
“He’s truly in the mould of one of the great versatile Patriots. I’m personally happy for Julian. It’s rewarding for me to see the success that he’s achieved.”
Belichik described comparisons with the NFL coaching greats as “incredibly flattering”, adding: “It’s what we were able to accomplish as a team that makes me most proud.”
There were no questions on Monday about Edelman’s four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing drug policy which saw him miss the start of the season. The substance has not been revealed.
He was asked about recovering from the knee injury which saw him miss the 2017 season before his return this year and spoke about the collective.
“A resilient group and one you’re never going to forget. It was unbelievable,” he said.
The win was built on defence – and Brady’s experienced leadership.
He threw for 262 yards and engineered the game’s only touchdown drive as Sony Michel punched the ball in to give New England the lead midway through the fourth quarter.
Brady told CBS: “We’ve been this far and lost, which is really tough. We had a lot of resolve these past couple of weeks.
“I wish we had played a little better on offence, but we won, I can’t believe it. Super Bowl champs.”
Rams head coach Sean McVay took responsibility for the defeat.
“I just never enabled us to get into a rhythm offensively,” he said on nfl.com.
“They did a good job, and it seemed that any time we got a little bit of a positive play then we’d end up having a penalty or move ourselves back.
“Credit to them, they did a good job, and I certainly didn’t do enough for us.”
Quarterback Jared Goff added: “I’m mad at myself. I wish I would’ve done things differently. I wish I could’ve made extra plays.”