When the New England quarterback isn't meeting the pope or dating Hollywood starlets, he's establishing himself as one of the game's greats.

12:04 PM EST on Tuesday, November 30, 2004

By TOM E. CURRAN
Journal Sports Writer

FOXBORO -- Since Sept. 30, 2001, Tom Brady has quarterbacked more games than anybody else in the NFL.

In 38 months, he has played in 63 regular-season and postseason games combined, has been sacked 128 times, has thrown 95 touchdown passes and 49 interceptions, has run 170 times, taken part in three training camps, three minicamps, three passing camps and 12 preseason games. He also has been an annual award winner for weight-room diligence, had his ankle sprained, his shoulder separated, his helmet sent flying (twice) and walked off the field a winner 50 times.

He's also kissed the pope's ring, toured Europe, played Pebble Beach a few times (carrying Jesper Parnevik in the AT&T one year), dated Tara Reid, dumped her, upgraded to Bridget Moynahan, hung out with The Donald, ridden down Main Street with Mickey Mouse (twice), done a few photo shoots, been a Beautiful Person, taped some commercials, whipped footballs at taxis with Letterman and been (by all accounts) a pretty solid son, brother and uncle and a very good teammate.

This preseason, a few hours before a game on the road, Brady was in the exercise room at his hotel running on the treadmill for 45 minutes. Running forward. Running backward. Running sideways. Running hard.

At times, he probably feels less like a superstar on a treadmill than a hamster

on a little metal wheel. But the difference is, Brady's actually getting somewhere. Which doesn't make his life any less grueling.

After Sunday's win over the Ravens, Brady candidly admitted he's a little gassed right now.

"We got in at 7 a.m. [Tuesday morning from Kansas City] and everyone is tired," Brady said. "Then we come in on Wednesday and everyone still feels [rotten] from the game, and you have to somehow find a way to bring energy into practice so you can prepare for a great defense. It was tough. I think a lot of guys were really tired. It is the most tired I have ever been as a football player."

Yet Brady and his teammates still had the mental wherewithal to prepare for and then beat one of the NFL's most difficult defenses in conditions that required greater than normal concentration. Yes, it is what they are paid handsomely to do. But that doesn't mean it's not worth noting.

And the pressure to perform for these Patriots falls more squarely on Brady than any other player. It's the nature of the business. Quarterbacks need to learn more, process more, mentor more, prod and cajole more and get hit more than any other player on the field.

Brady's ability to do it week-in, week-out with little variation in his performance constitutes greatness. Real and rare greatness. Especially when this team's weekly expectation is perfection and the margin of talent difference between the Patriots and their opponents is smaller than any other NFL dynasty has ever known.

There are other kinds of NFL greatness. Rewriting records by throwing absurd numbers of touchdown passes as Peyton Manning is doing symbolizes great talent and production. Playing in 200 straight regular-season games at a fairly high level while taking a solid battering as Brett Favre has done symbolizes great toughness and consistency.

But does their greatness meet or exceed the mental, physical, athletic and psychological greatness of Brady? Does Manning, who plays half his games indoors and just last year won his first playoff game after six seasons in the league, grade out higher than Brady? Does Favre, a brilliant player with a gambler's soul, have either the postseason résumé or overall consistency that Brady does? That's a debate to be held over a pitcher some time.

And it's not a debate that would seem to interest Brady in the least.

Sunday, he went without a touchdown pass but also without an interception. Asked if he liked that trade-off, Brady said, "Oh, yeah. Any day of the week I'll take that. And winning the game? I'll take that any day of the week."

Which is why he is who he is, does what he does, is 50-13 with two Super Bowl wins and has the NFL looking up at him.