At what point does Tom Brady fall off?

[Tommygriffin]

40 years old my goodness this man is a machine

[FNQ]

At his age, one good hit might do it. But he protects himself exceptionally well, so I think he has at least a couple years left. Pats do too, evidenced by the Brissett and Jimmy G trades.

[Pharmcat]

45

max kellerman looks like a moron

[Worm Guts]

He really could fall off at any point. Manning and Favre both fell off a cliff at 39-40, from All-Pro to washed up in a single season.

[mplsfonz23]

Where are all the Gronk supporters?

I hope they fall as a unit. The attitude they have is unwatchable. Cheap shot cheaters.

[Yoshun]

He really could fall off at any point. Manning and Favre both fell off a cliff at 39-40, from All-Pro to washed up in a single season.

Yea, I wonder why this happens. Less then a year can't make that much of a difference in your body, unless you have an injury. I wonder if it's just the combination of motivation and physical grind. Manning, for example, had a chip on his shoulder when he went to the Broncos. After he satisfied that, I think he just lost the motivation to do the work. He was probably in pain all the time. I think of that recent Dana White quote about McGregor, something like "Try getting punched in the face for a living when you have $100 million in the bank."

[Worm Guts]

He really could fall off at any point. Manning and Favre both fell off a cliff at 39-40, from All-Pro to washed up in a single season.

Yea, I wonder why this happens. Less then a year can't make that much of a difference in your body, unless you have an injury. I wonder if it's just the combination of motivation and physical grind. Manning, for example, had a chip on his shoulder when he went to the Broncos. After he satisfied that, I think he just lost the motivation to do the work. He was probably in pain all the time. I think of that recent Dana White quote about McGregor, something like "Try getting punched in the face for a living when you have $100 million in the bank."

I just turned 39, and two things I've noticed:
1. The flexibility really goes. It's easy enough to run in a straight line or lift weights, but the ability to translate those things into athletic movements really suffers.

2. Recovery is a lot more challenging. In my 20's I could take a couple weeks off my routine and then get right back into it. Now if I do that, the next day after I work out I can't move.

Based on my experience, to maintain longevity as athlete I would assume you really need to focus on diet and flexibility and you can't take any extended breaks from your routine.
So it's not that you necessarily lose motivation, as you get older you need an increased level of motivation, and at some point you just can't give enough.

[Yoshun]

He really could fall off at any point. Manning and Favre both fell off a cliff at 39-40, from All-Pro to washed up in a single season.

Yea, I wonder why this happens. Less then a year can't make that much of a difference in your body, unless you have an injury. I wonder if it's just the combination of motivation and physical grind. Manning, for example, had a chip on his shoulder when he went to the Broncos. After he satisfied that, I think he just lost the motivation to do the work. He was probably in pain all the time. I think of that recent Dana White quote about McGregor, something like "Try getting punched in the face for a living when you have $100 million in the bank."

I just turned 39, and two things I've noticed:
1. The flexibility really goes. It's easy enough to run in a straight line or lift weights, but the ability to translate those things into athletic movements really suffers.

2. Recovery is a lot more challenging. In my 20's I could take a couple weeks off my routine and then get right back into it. Now if I do that, the next day after I work out I can't move.

Based on my experience, to maintain longevity as athlete I would assume you really need to focus on diet and flexibility and you can't take any extended breaks from your routine.
So it's not that you necessarily lose motivation, as you get older you need an increased level of motivation, and at some point you just can't give enough.

Yea, all true. I'm 35 and I can feel it. I definitely need to push myself more to do things I used to do back in my 20s. I remember playing basketball almost all day 5 to 6 days per week. Wake up, go to work, play ball until after midnight, do the same thing again the next day. Definitely can't do stuff like that any more. I play one game and feel it the next day, especially if I'm out of my work out routine, I can't walk. I could definitely see how a professional athlete, could get to a point where they're just say "Screw this, I'm out." Especially if they have rings and accolades, etc...

[Pharmcat]

check out tom brady diet, its a big reason why he keeps going, its amazing what he eats and doesnt

[therealbig3]

It's obviously going to happen soon, but the one thing he has going for him is that NE protects him well, and his arm strength is miles ahead of what Manning's was, so physically, he's still at the top of his game.

[lobosloboslobos]

another thing that happens very suddenly for most people in their early 40s is your eyesight goes. one day you pick up a menu and go "whaaa...?" could happen to him too