09:03 AM EST on Friday, January 28, 2005

BY TOM E. CURRAN
Journal Sports Writer

FOXBORO -- One of the more engaging aspects of Tom Brady, NFL quarterback, is that his alter ego, Tom Brady, 27-year-old from northern California, observes what happens to the superstar and ponders what it all means.

Journal photo / Bill Murphy

Tom Brady downplayed his high fever the night before last Sunday's AFC Championship Game, saying many of his teammates were dealing with worse.

In this runup to Super Bowl 39, Brady is being fitted for icon status and having a place set for him at the Table of Legends. Yesterday, Brady was buffeted with questions about Joe Montana, the Niners' Hall of Famer that Bill Walsh first compared Brady to in the Journal three years ago.

But the question he warmed to was being asked what it was like to have kids want to be "Tom Brady."

"It is really neat," he smiled. "That is the reality. (Wide receiver) Troy Brown tells me that I'm his little kids' favorite player. When you hear stuff like that from your own teammates, you get just the biggest kick out of it. It is really neat. Even on Halloween when you see those jerseys. I had a little kid come up to my door with a number 12 jersey on. I've come such a long way."

He's come so far that a Saturday night fever before the AFC Championship gained national attention, a fact that rankled him.

"All that stuff came out and there were a lot of guys that were sick and not feeling good and a lot of guys that were probably playing with tougher ailments than I was," he said. "Guys have been doing that all year. A bunch of guys didn't feel well. I think I was one of many and probably felt the best out of the group. It is over with and we are moving on. There are plenty of other guys that got sick. There are guys in that locker room that have played with broken bones and messed up backs and necks. I don't deal with any of that."

Asked why he was peeved, Brady said, "I think it takes away from what everyone else does and what everyone else plays with. Everyone else plays with great toughness and never complains. A little flu bug is not a big deal. It takes away from what those guys do. Nothing should be taken away from what they do every week."

This attitude, of course, is part of the reason little kids wear his jersey on Halloween (or are encouraged to by their parents).

As for the Montana comparisons?

"I'm very flattered. What a great comparison. To ever think when I was a kid growing up playing that I would ever be compared to him -- never in a million years," he insisted. "I think part of it is that I don't think I'm on that level. The second thing is still trying to get better. That is something really to aspire to. What a great goal that would be to play like one of the best quarterbacks of all time. I think that I'm a long way from that. I think Joe and Steve Young, Dan Marino and John Elway and some of these really great quarterbacks did it over such a long period of time. For me, this is my fourth year [as a starter]. That is not a long time at all. Brett Favre has been doing it forever. There are many more football games left. Those comparisons, hopefully they are done at the end of my career."

Another Brady fan

The Eagles' highly respected defensive coordinator, Jim Johnson, said that two of Brady's most impressive assets are his size and accompanying knack for surveying in the face of chaos.

"He's 6-5 and it seems like he's 6-9 back there," Johnson said. "Nothing bothers him, that's probably the most impressive thing. He's been in the same system for three years, same coordinator and nothing rattles him. He knows exactly what he wants to do. He's playing at a high level but the biggest thing is how big he looks back there."

Johnson said Brady's game is definitely on the upswing even as he's being heralded as one of the best ever.

"I was always impressed with Brady but he's so much better right now," Johnson said. "He doesn't take the sacks. A couple years ago he might have taken more sacks. He gets rid of the ball. [He's just] a smarter quarterback and experienced after being in pressure games and taking people down the field. He's dangerous in a two-minute situation. He doesn't lose too many games in a two-minute situation. Miami [Dolphins] kind of got to him but other than that he's been very good in two minutes.

"He's kind of in a class by himself right now," Johnson added. "He's one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL. I'm not sure you start comparing him to some of the better quarterbacks in the NFL. He's been to the Super Bowl and won the Super Bowl. To me he's one of the top five quarterbacks going around and eventually he might be one of the top ones of all time the way he's playing and the number of Super Bowls he's winning."

On schedule, off by a day

Bill Belichick detailed some of the team's practice plans for the rest of the week.

"We are going to go through a normal week (as if there was a game)," he said. "Today is Thursday, but we are treating today like a Wednesday. So, we are going to do a Wednesday, Thursday, Friday this week, which will be Thursday, Friday and Saturday. So, all of the things that we would normally do during the week, we will do. We will cover all the phases of the kicking game, all the phases and situational stuff on offense and defense. We won't cover it maybe 100 percent -- maybe 75 or 80 percent of it -- and then we will do it again next week on our Wednesday, Thursday and Friday in Jacksonville. So, we'll pretty much get two days of practice on each segment the way it is broken up in our normal schedule. So, today is a Wednesday for us."

Squib kicks

Outside linebacker Roman Phifer played sparingly against Pittsburgh. Asked why yesterday, he said, "Heh, heh. I don't really want to discuss that." . . . Eagles special teams coach John Harbaugh said Brian Westbrook could return punts in the Super Bowl. "He's in the mix. He's one of our options, but our young returners have done a really good job all year. [CB] Dexter [Wynn] has handled the ball. [S] J.R. [Reed], [CB] Rod Hood, they've been remarkably consistent. They make good decisions, so we're happy with the guys we have right now." . . . Eagles special teams ace Ike Reese was asked about fellow special teams ace Larry Izzo of the Patriots. "I don't know him personally but the few times we played against the Patriots we've conversated before the game, during the game and after the game."

Digital Extra: See what journalists, coaches, players and fans around the country have to say about the Patriots, via projo.com's Jack Perry's View from the Cybersideline:

http://projo.com/blogs/patriots/