Getty Tom Brady gets fired up after a big run.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tom Brady didn’t practice on Thursday but addressed the media and faced a burning question about how he approaches Thanksgiving Day with his strict diet.
Over his 22-year NFL career, Brady has become known for following a diet heavy in produce, protein, and hydration — the TB12 diet. Brady confirmed he takes a break for Thanksgiving Day though.
“It looks like pretty much everybody else,” Brady told the media. “I make my grandma’s biscuits. Those are always good. Same way she made them when we were kids. The kids ask for it, so that’s my contribution. So other than that, I don’t do much.”
Brady also talked about his Thanksgiving plans on his podcast Let’s Go! this week.
“That’s the one meal where I’m like, screw it, let’s go for it. And we all get to enjoy it,” Brady said on his podcast, speaking with host Jim Gray and special guest Oprah Winfrey.
Brady added that the celebration is “all mashed together” as “you only get about four hours to enjoy it” as an NFL player.
“Practice usually ends about 1 or 2 p.m., you eat about 3:30 and then you’re getting ready for the next day of practice,” Brady said. “And then same thing with Christmas. So, you know, I’m looking forward to the time when I’m done playing football so that I can have some of those more normal holidays that I had growing up that were important where the family’s all together.”
Brady added that he stays focused on football daily throughout the season, holidays included, especially with a big game at Indianapolis on Sunday.
Brady Faces Longtime Rival in Indianapolis
When Brady changed conferences in coming to Tampa Bay it appeared, his longtime rivalry with the Indianapolis Colts would end.
His first NFL start came against the Colts in 2001. Many of Brady’s postseason games came against the Colts. Brady’s most controversial moment in his career occurred against Indy — DeflateGate.
“It’s a team I’ve played a lot of games against and pretty meaningful ones,” Brady told the media. “I don’t think any of those will have an effect on this game this weekend. It’s a totally different opponent. It’s a totally different style of play. It’s going to be a great game.”
Brady owns a 15-4 record against the Colts overall.
Take the Crowd Out
Having played in Indianapolis many times, Brady knows a fiery fan base awaits. The Bucs also have a two-game road losing streak, and one of those came indoors at New Orleans. Tampa Bay hasn’t won indoors this season, going 0-2 with losses to the Saints and Los Angeles Rams.
“We’ve got to be prepared for it, and we’ve got to just play well early. We’ve got to try to keep the crowd out of it,” Brady told the media. “Getting the lead is always important, certainly on the road.”
Brady also wants to make sure Colts linebacker Darius Leonard doesn’t get the crowd going with big defensive plays.
“He’s a great player. He’s knocked the ball off the opposing team quite a bit,” Brady said. “He does a great job of getting in quarterbacks’ throwing lanes and batting balls up in the air. They come down with a lot of interceptions.”