Tom Brady Admits He Took A Nap Before Leading The Patriots To Victory In Super Bowl XXXVI

Former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady was unmatched in how he mentally prepared for Super Bowls, but that doesn’t mean he took any less care of his body either.

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The G.O.A.T.’s first Super Bowl was in 2002 against the St. Louis Rams, and he played it in the same city where he’ll be calling tonight’s title game bout between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs. He recalled the experience on "The Madden Cruiser Tour: A Bayou Adventure with Bill Belichick," and revealed that he did something rather unexpected to get physically ready before kickoff.

"We had to warm up on the field and then we have 50 minutes before we went back out. So, I took my pads off and I was like, you know, I’m just gonna lay down and rest and I literally took a 15-minute nap before the game," he said.

Unlike later in his career, Brady said that the gravity of the moment didn’t get to him. As such, he was relaxed enough to catch some z’s before heading onto the field.

"The difference is, when you’re young, you don’t realize the enormity of what you’re going through because I had not really been in the league that long. Eighteen years later, when I was playing in the Super Bowl, I couldn’t sleep the night before the game," Brady said.

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady pitches the ball to a back during first half action of Super Bowl XXXVI, February 3, 2002 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo credit should read TIM SLOAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Evidently, the strategy seemed to work. Brady would lead a last-minute drive to set up a 48-yard field goal from Adam Vinatieri that would give the Patriots a 20-17 victory over "The Greatest Show on Turf." It would mark the first of six Super Bowl titles for the Patriots, and the first of seven for Brady.

So if someone catches Brady getting some shut-eye before today’s game, don’t worry. He’s probably gearing up for a legendary performance.