Maybe that’s why, within a few days of last January’s Baltimore thrashing — normally a time when star players are licking their wounds on a tropical beach — Brady was working out so maniacally that a friend looked at him in disbelief, genuinely concerned, and said, “Buddy, you gotta slow down.” Brady wasn’t working that hard to catch Peyton Manning; he was doing it to remain Tom Brady. Big difference. Every day when something isn’t happening is a lost day. Every day serves a smaller purpose for a larger goal — a goal that can never officially be enjoyed, because, instantly, it becomes about the ensuing goal. For Brady and Manning, it never ends. That’s what makes them great.
