Brady Credits Good Fortune

PHOENIX - Not surprisingly, there has been a lot of talk here this week about Tom Brady being one of the best quarterbacks ever. Brady doesn't buy it. What he has been, he said, is one of the most fortunate quarterbacks ever.

"The best thing about my career is that I've had to deal with one offense," Brady said. "I've never had to change offenses. I've been in the same system my entire career.

"For me to never have had to change schedules, to have had the same head coach, there are a lot of factors that play into being successful in this game, and I think that's one of them - the history we've had here."

The history is unprecedented. Brady's overall record as a starter is 100-26, by far the best ever among quarterbacks in the Super Bowl era. Throw in his three Super Bowl rings and it's hard to say he's not the best ever.

Still, Brady doesn't buy it. Mention his name in connection with greats such as Joe Montana and Johnny Unitas and he almost blushes with embarrassment.

"Those guys, as far as I'm concerned, are in a league of their own," Brady said. "As a quarterback in the league now, you look at those guys who led the way for you.

"So for me, the greatest part about all of this is that you can share experiences with people you've always looked up to, guys you really admired as a kid growing up."

DOWN AND DIRTY: The Patriots could go down in history as not only one of the greatest teams ever, but also one of the dirtiest.

Critics long have argued that their illegal taping of opponents' signals was a dirty tactic, and players such as T Matt Light

and S Rodney Harrison have been labeled dirty.

Light continually has brushed off the claims that he's dirty as baseless, and the Patriots have refused to talk about the "Spygate" saga.

Harrison, however, took on his critics this week and defended himself.

"Football is a dirty sport," he said. "Look at how linemen cut block and how receivers intentionally go at your knees and try to take you out, which I was last year by Bobby Wade.

"Is that dirty? I missed the AFC Championship Game and he could have ended my career. But they look at me and say I'm dirty. It's all good. I'm not going to change the way I approach the game or the way I play."

SURPRISE STORY: Sunday's game will be the 56th that G Stephen Neal has played in as a pro. And a victory will mark the fourth time he has hoisted the Lombardi Trophy as a Super Bowl champion.

It all seems rather unlikely when you consider that Neal never played college or even high school football. He was a wrestler during those years and those skills have served him well since joining the Patriots.

"We worked him out as an athlete," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said of the 2001 tryout Neal received, "and we were impressed with his athletic ability, size and overall body balance.

"I felt that even though he didn't have much experience playing football, he'd still be able to compete with the guys on the line of scrimmage because of his leverage and ability to run. He's a real interesting story."

Roy Cummings