enlarge The Associated Press

Tom Brady has drawn almost as much attention off the field as on this season, but he always seems to maintain an even keel, whether trying to avoid a pass rush or the paparazzi.

enlarge The Associated Press

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady’s teammates appreciate his talents as a football player, but they’re equally impressed by his work ethic and leadership. “He makes all of us better,” said tight end Benjamin Watson.

TOM'S TERRIFIC SEASON

Tom Brady had one of the greatest regular seasons an NFL quarterback has ever had. Here's a look at some of the records and numbers he put up: NFL RECORDS

Most TD passes in a season (50)

Highest completion percentage in a game (92.9)

Most games with three or more TD passes (12)

Highest TD-interception differential (plus-42)

Most consecutive games with three or more TD passes (10)

Most consecutive completions to begin a playoff game (16)

Highest single-game passer rating (perfect 158.3)

Most completions in first 100 passes of season (79) GOOD RESUME

117.2 passer rating in '07 (second all time in NFL history)

4,806 passing yards (third all time) in '07

398 completions in '07 (fifth all time)

197 career touchdown passes (tops in team history)

.782 winning percentage (86-24, tops in Super Bowl era)

On a typical Wednesday in the New England Patriots' locker room, quarterback Tom Brady is scheduled to speak and the media can't wait to capture his words.

Brady is late. Watching some film, taking a conference call, whatever the reason, he's running about 15 minutes late.

Some of the cameramen who stake out his locker move on to other interviews, to capture sound bites from other players.

Suddenly, there is a whisper spreading through the crowd: "Brady's heading to his locker. Brady's at his locker."

Cameramen turn and run. It's almost comical to see them chase after Brady, who has to squeeze through a group of them to get to his locker. Suddenly, as the crowd running catches up to the crowd that never left the locker, there is a collision.

A couple of cameramen are knocked off the stools they stand on to get a better vantage. They hit the ground with a thud.

This is what it's like to be Tom Brady, at 30 one of the NFL's most recognizable stars. He's deemed to be everything good in a pro football player. He's handsome, has a great smile, is smart and, most importantly, he's a winner.

That his private life - his relationship with model Gisele Bundchen and his previous relationship with actress Bridget Moynihan, which produced a son - is as engrossing as his exploits on the field is merely a reflection of America's insatiable appetite for gossip.

"I think that's just part of the world we are living in these days," said Brady, after being followed by paparazzi in New York last week. "Those places I used to go for refuge aren't necessarily the places you go anymore."

PERFORMANCE COUNTS

His teammates don't seem to care about that stuff.

"If you guys want to report on it, then go ahead," said center Dan Koppen. "Tom's a good guy who handles himself accordingly. I'm just thankful he's on our team."

And why not? When the Patriots defeated the San Diego Chargers 21-12 in the AFC championship game, it was Brady's 100th victory, including playoffs. He reached 100 victories faster than any quarterback in NFL history, 16 games earlier than Joe Montana.

If the Patriots beat the New York Giants tonight in the Super Bowl, Brady will join Montana and Pittsburgh's Terry Bradshaw as the only quarterbacks to win four Super Bowl championships.

But Brady doesn't talk about his achievements.

"I'm 30 years old, the eighth year in my career, and I don't really think this is time to evaluate my place in history," he said on media day Tuesday. "There'll be plenty of time for that.

"We're all still building our resumes, we're all still trying to achieve as much as we can. We have a great opportunity ahead of us.

"And I don't think you reflect on what people are going to think about you 30 years from now; that doesn't do much good because your focus should be on the game, what you can do to control the outcome."

Giants Coach Tom Coughlin was asked what made Brady so special. His answer: "That's an easy one. Just turn on any tape."

Brady had one of the most incredible seasons a quarterback has ever had. He threw for a record 50 touchdowns and 4,806 yards - the third-best total in league history. Incredibly, he threw only eight interceptions in 578 passing attempts.

He had a perfect passer rating of 158.3 - only the 17th since 1970 - in a 49-28 win over Miami in which he threw a team-record six touchdown passes.

STRIVING TO IMPROVE

Yet, when asked what Brady's greatest asset is, those closest to him don't mention statistics or physical attributes.

"Tom is special," said New England assistant coach Pepper Johnson, who played with a pretty fair quarterback named Phil Simms with the Giants. "He's a guy that ... what I like most about him doesn't have anything...