Tom Brady describes feeling of being a hunted player during his career

Tom Brady knew the more he won during his NFL career, the more pressure he would face from his opponents each week. While appearing on The Pivot Podcast, Brady revealed when he realized he felt like a hunted player in the league.

“I think it was after the third Super Bowl we won,” Brady said. “Then it was like, there was nobody that was hoping we’d ever win another game. And then ’07 came, and we went undefeated which I thought was so talented. It was unbelievable. It was the most fun I’ve ever had playing football. And the fact that we can have probably the most fun we can have playing football and have the most success and then not win, that was still a tough loss.

“But I give the other team a lot of credit. They beat us, so even when I see [Michael] Strahan or Eli [Manning] and they joke. I’m like, ‘Respect.’ Like, good for you. I’m happy when other people win.”

Brady went on to talk about hating “haters.” He said: “That really bothers me. Everyone’s just trying to win. When you win, give them the respect they deserve. …They did it.”

Why Tom Brady loved playing football

Brady had a lot of success because he loved playing football. On the podcast, the 46-year-old former quarterback explained why he loves the game so much.

“It was never to be a champion, I love just throwing the football,” Brady said. “When I throw the football and I see that ball spiral out of my hands, I’m like ‘Woo! Love that! You guys want to go to the beach? Let’s throw the football.’ I’ll have a hell of a time. We would laugh, we would probably play for three hours out there.

“…When I got older, I actually liked the practices more than the games,” Brady continued. “I felt like I had such high expectations in the game, like if I went out and threw two interceptions, ‘Oh Tom Brady threw two interceptions. You’re Tom Brady. You’re supposed to be perfect out there. You can’t f— up in the game.’ But in practice, no one was watching, I could have a little more fun. I could be a little more lighter.”

No player in the history of the NFL had as much success as Brady. In his 23-year career, Brady played in 10 Super Bowls, won seven championships, was named Super Bowl, MVP five times and NFL MVP three times.