Tom Brady's Super Bowl Preparation: Trump, Very Little Sleep And Inspiring Quotes

Tom Brady has been here before. Super Bowl LI, scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 5, will be the seventh in the storied career of the New England Patriots quarterback.

It's unlikely you'll get much out of Brady regarding the gameplan for the Atlanta Falcons. He and coach Bill Belichick are notoriously stingy with the media and work to create an insular environment around the team.

But while Brady probably won't disclose if the Pats again plan to focus on exposing the Falcons linebackers in coverage as they just did against the Pittsburgh Steelers, some of the quarterback's activities in the lead-up to the big game are publicly available.

For one, he's likely to continue to answer questions about President Donald Trump, who Brady counts as a friend. As SB Nation pointed out, the Patriots base of supports comes from a largely liberal area, yet both Brady and Belichick have ties to the controversial president.

In an appearance on WEEI radio in Boston, Brady questioned why he's asked so often about his relationship to Trump, even after Trump said the quarterback called him before inauguration last week.

"I have called him, yes, in the past. Sometimes he calls me. Sometimes I call," Brady said. "But, again, that’s been someone I've known. I always try to keep it in context because for 16 years you know someone before maybe he was in the position that he was in. He's been very supportive of me for a long time. It’s just a friendship. I have a lot of friends. I call a lot of people."

Complaints aside, it's pretty clear a lot of Brady's preparation will include media obligations, which will almost certainly mean answering more questions about Trump.

Brady might also lean on books for inspiration during the run-up to the Super Bowl. Ahead of the AFC Championship game against Pittsburgh, he posted to Instagram a passage from the classic sports book "The Inner Game of Tennis." Written by W. Timothy Gallwey and published in 1972, it's filled with bits of wisdom and Brady shared a passage about keeping the mind still.

Of course, Instagram might not always provide information of any importance. Brady, for instance, posted an image of himself with the other Patriots quarterbacks after the team advanced to the Super Bowl. The caption was a joking reference to the 2009 comedy "The Hangover." It's unlikely "The Hangover" holds any real significance to the veteran quarterback. Or perhaps Brady is using the movie as escapism to keep his mind still ahead of the pressure of the game.

Brady, however, doesn't seem to be getting ready for the game with extra rest. On the WEEI show, recorded at 6:30 a.m., he said he had been up until 1:30 a.m. the night prior studying the Falcons.

"It'll be a big test," Brady said. "They’re playing great, and Matt [Ryan] has had an incredible year. And I think their offense, what they did yesterday, in the first quarter I was paying attention, it looked like they were on fire."

If nothing else, Brady appears to be ready to enjoy the lead-up to the matchup with Atlanta. After the Patriots secured their spot in the game Sunday night, he let an expletive fly about his joy.

“Yeah, it was a good day,” Brady said. "I mean, we're going to the Super Bowl, man. S---, you've gotta be happy now."