photo: Alexander Jones, Wikimedia Commons
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is heading to his first Super Bowl.
Tom Brady may have retired from the NFL this week, but he's still a pro at talking smack about — and giving some love to — Ohio.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback announced his retirement from his 22-season career on Tuesday, but not before giving Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow some Super Bowl advice and dogging the Ohio State University just one day prior.
During the Jan. 31 episode of the Let's Go! podcast, Brady talked to guest Burrow about his own 10 Super Bowl experiences (nine of those with the New England Patriots), imploring the young quarterback to stay the course as he leads the Bengals into the team's first Super Bowl berth since 1989.
"We always had great advice from (Patriots) Coach (Bill) Belichick. He said, 'What we'll remember most from this week is whether we win or lose,'" Brady told Burrow. "And unfortunately, I've been a part of three Super Bowl losses. You don't remember those much. But when you win, you remember everything."
"So the best part is ultimately getting to the game. When you get to the game, you'll realize it's just that. It's exactly what you've done all season long. The ball's gonna get kicked off, and it's gonna feel like a football game," Brady continued. "Getting to that point, it'll feel quite a bit different from any game. But you just realize when you get to that moment, it's a really exciting time for everyone. And I'm sure it's exciting for your family and friends—and it should be, because we've all dreamed about getting to that moment."
Brady also complimented the way Burrow plays the game.
"I think (Joe has) some tools that I didn't quite have when I was his age. Super impressed by how he's kind of come into the league. … Two years into his career after a really tough injury last year, (he) showed a lot mental, physical toughness coming back and having an incredible season," Brady said during the show.
Burrow returned Brady's compliments, saying that he was inspired by Brady immediately soldiering on after taking a big hit during the 2001 season.
"You got up so fast, and I saw that and I was like, I want to be like that," Burrow said. "I just remember that vividly and trying to model myself after that."
In Brady's eyes, Burrow is exactly like that, having been sacked multiple times throughout the AFC playoffs.
"The quarterback, there's very few ways to display toughness, because we don't play at the line of scrimmage. We don't have to block, we don't have to tackle. We don't hit anybody. But the way we can show our toughness is to stand in the pocket and make throws," Brady said. "I think what I love about Joe's game is that he does just that. He gets knocked down, he gets up and he's ready for the next play."
Brady, who had attended the University of Michigan, also couldn't help but throw a little shade to rival Ohio State, which Burrow had attended for two years before transferring to Louisiana State University.
"One of the great decisions you ever made was leaving Ohio State to get out of that godforsaken place and go to LSU," Brady told Burrow. "As a Michigan man, I could tell how smart he was when he did that. Thank God. That was one of the best decisions you ever made, Joe."
During Monday's episode, Brady demurred when asked about his rumored retirement plans, but the seven-time Super Bowl champ and the man widely considered to be the best quarterback of all time posted Tuesday on Instagram that he was hanging up his cleats.
Listen to the full Let's Go! episode.
"This is difficult for me to write, but here it goes: I am not going to make that competitive commitment anymore. I have loved my NFL career, and now it is time to focus my time and energy on other things that require my attention," Brady said.
The Cincinnati Bengals will take on the Los Angeles Rams during Super Bowl LVI on Sunday, Feb. 13. The game will be played at the Rams' home of SoFi Stadium, but the Bengals will be the home team. NBC will broadcast the game, and fans also can watch on Peacock, Telemundo, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app.
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