Tom Brady’s team is under .500 and he’s had to deal with off-field challenges, but that does not mean the 45-year-old has any regrets about returning for a 23rd NFL season.
''Zero, no, definitely not,'' Brady told a crowded news conference in Germany ahead of Sunday's game against the Seattle Seahawks. ''I think I returned because I felt like I wanted to compete. I spoke to the team about it, and they were excited to have me back.''
Although just 4-5, Brady and the Buccaneers have the good fortune of playing in the weak NFC South where no team has a better record. Tampa Bay is coming off a come-from-behind 16-13 win over the Los Angeles Rams and can reach .500 with a victory Sunday.
''This is a very important game for us. We have a bye week after this. It gives you a chance to kind of evaluate where you are at, and I'd much rather evaluate being 5-5 than 4-6,'' he said. ''We've got to win this game and it will take care of that, but Seattle is going to challenge us. They're creating a lot of sacks and turnovers.''
Tampa Bay has been hit hard by injuries and is averaging just 18 points per game, the fewest by a Brady-led offense through nine games in his career.
"I think the frustrating part is we just haven’t played to the way we’re capable of playing – that's for a number of different reasons," Brady said.
Besides on-field issues, Brady and Gisele Bundchen recently announced that their divorce is finalized.
He was asked about how he copes with personal and professional challenges.
''You do the best you can do every day and, yeah, that's what I've been trying to do, be the best I can be for my family and for my teammates,'' he said. ''We all have our challenges. Life is challenging for everybody. We just do our best.''
Brady later explained that he loves the daily routine of the job.
''It's hard for me to believe I'm still playing at this age, but I enjoy it and I love competing,'' he said. ''Certainly, games like last week are reasons why we do do it because there's a thrill of victory that is hard to probably replicate at home on Xbox or something like that.''