Tom Brady was battling a runny nose and a coarse throat as he answered media questions Wednesday, but the quarterback expects to be 100 percent Sunday when the Patriots take on the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX.
"I've had it for four or five days," he said. "My kids got sick, and then my wife's pretty sick right now, so I brought it, unfortunately, to Phoenix."
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“It’s been lingering, so I’m just trying to get some rest,” he added. “A lot of garlic, old remedies, everything I can.”
Brady is making his sixth Super Bowl appearance under coach Bill Belichick, who took the time to offer some insight into core of his coaching philosophy that has resulted in the most playoff coaching wins in history.
"I try to give the players a good plan and opportunity to play to put them in a position that they’re able to be competitive and be aggressive and let the players play," Belichick said.
Getting the opportunity to play for the Patriots next season is a big issue facing star cornerback Darrelle Revis. While Revis made $12 million this season, there’s thought the Patriots will keep Revis at the $20 million price tag for 2015, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report.
With the way his two-year, $32 million contract is structured, Revis would actually count $25 million against the salary cap in 2015, which is why many expect that he will be on a restructured deal if he remains with New England.
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While Revis' status for next season is uncertain, he likes facing Brady on the practice field each week.
“It’s pretty awesome to go up against Brady all the time,” Revis said Wednesday. “This guy is probably going to go down as probably the best player to play the game, the best quarterback to play the game. It’s great to get that competition when we practice against him in practice.”
On the other side of Revis is Brandon Browner, a 6-4 cornerback and former Seahawk who has been providing the Patriots with tips on the strengths and weaknesses of their Super Bowl opponent.
"We’ve had a little insight from Browner who has talked to us about how he (Seattle's Pete Carroll) coaches and I think Pete has run the same defense for a long time," Brady said.