Tom Brady saw a lot of things during his NFL career. But a player reading a book during a game? That’s a new one.
That was the case Sunday when Brady was on the call for the Wild Card Round matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers.
During the fourth quarter, cameras caught Eagles star A.J. Brown pulling out a book and reading it while sitting on the bench. You can see the clip here.
Brady was bewildered by what he saw.
“I haven’t seen too many people read books,” the former Patriots quarterback said. “But I’ve seen a quarterback eat a hot dog.”
Who was the hot dog-eating QB? That would be former Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez back in 2009.
But more importantly: What was Brown reading? That would be the book “Inner Excellence: Train Your Mind for Extraordinary Performance and the Best Possible Life” by Jim Murphy.
The 2020 book — which goes for $17.97 in paperback on Amazon — is a “step-by-step training manual from one of the world’s top mental skills coaches” that aims to help you “train your mind like the very best.”
After the game, posted photos of the book, which was well-worn and filled with passages that were highlighted and underlined. Brown explained that he regularly turns to the book to help him mentally prepare for taking the field.
“It gives me a sense of peace,” Brown said, via NJ.com. “That’s a book that I bring every single game. My teammates call it a recipe. That’s the first time I heard that you all got me on camera with it, but it’s not the first game. I’ve had it.”
A three-time Pro-Bowler and three-time All-Pro Second-Team selection, Brown is one of the NFL’s top receivers. Over 13 regular-season games, he caught 67 passes for 1,079 yards and 7 touchdowns.
But on Sunday, he posted his quietest game of the year, catching just one pass for 10 yards on three targets — all season lows. One can see why he wanted to get back on track mentally.
“I physically believe I can do anything and everything, but I have to make sure my mental is good,” Brown said. “It’s something that I use to refresh every drive, regardless of if I score a touchdown or drop a pass. I always go back to that book and just refocus. Nothing matters, nothing happened, and I just reload when I go back on the field.”
Eagles tackle Jordan Mailata said that Brown has been pulling out the book “all year.” So Sunday’s revelation is nothing new.
As for the book itself, it’s rocketed up to No. 1 on the Amazon Best Sellers charts. Philadelphia fans have been more than eager to pump the reviews as well.
“AJ Brown reads it, so it must be good GO BIRDS,” Rosemary B. Casey wrote in a review.
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