Tom Brady rekindles reminiscences previous Bucs and Chiefs QB
Steve DeBerg has completed the mathematics on Tom Brady’s age.
The previous NFL quarterback is aware of that Brady, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback, doesn’t flip 44 till August.
DeBerg additionally is aware of that an NFL file is in danger – his personal for being the oldest QB ever to start out a sport, a file he set on Oct. 25, 1998, when DeBerg’s age was 44 years and 279 days.
So if Brady goes to interrupt DeBerg’s file, Brady might want to begin not less than one sport past subsequent yr’s Tremendous Bowl, no prior to the beginning of the common season in September 2022, when Brady can be 45.
DeBerg, now 67, even mentioned the matter throughout a golf outing earlier than the season with Tampa Bay head coach Bruce Arians.
“I discussed to him that Brady must win the Tremendous Bowl the subsequent two years,” DeBerg informed USA TODAY Sports activities not too long ago as Brady and Arians ready to guide the Buccaneers within the Tremendous Bowl in opposition to Kansas Metropolis Feb. 7.
“I like the best way you suppose,” Arians replied, in accordance with DeBerg.
“It’s type of egocentric,” DeBerg informed him. “As a result of in the event you win the Tremendous Bowl the subsequent two years, I feel Brady will in all probability retire, and he received’t break my file.”
It was price a chuckle on the time, however then issues received bizarre. Cosmic forces appeared to align and switch again the clock on DeBerg.
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Not solely did a part of his want come true with a Tremendous Bowl berth for Brady and Tampa Bay, however the sport can be in Tampa, the primary time a workforce will play a Tremendous Bowl in its dwelling stadium. And residential remains to be Tampa for DeBerg, who’s having a senior second as the previous beginning QB of each Tremendous Bowl groups – the Bucs and Chiefs.
He performed for Tampa Bay (1984-87), then Kansas Metropolis (1988-1991), after which Tampa once more (1992-93), establishing a whirlwind tour of previous occasions for DeBerg since November, when he watched the Chiefs beat the Bucs in Tampa 27-24.
An previous good friend even had come to city to go to on Thanksgiving weekend: former Chiefs operating again Christian Okoye, DeBerg’s former Chiefs teammate. Their operating backs coach again then in Kansas Metropolis was Arians, now 68, then in his late 30s.
“We went to the sport collectively,” DeBerg stated of Okoye. “I bear in mind telling him, ‘I’m predicting this can be a preview of the Tremendous Bowl.’ It was wishful pondering on the time.”
Now it’s actual, with previous man Brady enjoying an uncommon position on a Tremendous Bowl workforce, very similar to DeBerg did in 1998 – a player-coach who was sufficiently old to be the daddy of a lot of his teammates.
Tremendous Bowl path
One massive distinction between them is how they received there. Brady, 43, has performed in 20 straight seasons since 2000, all of them in New England till this season. Against this, in the summertime of 1998, DeBerg hadn’t performed within the NFL since 1993 and even had began a profession in teaching as an assistant in 1995-96 beneath then-New York Giants head coach Dan Reeves.
He wasn’t within the best form again then. However he had a aim: He needed to be a player-coach as a third-string quarterback, even when it meant he no means stepped on the sector.
So he despatched out letters to pick out groups, together with the Atlanta Falcons, the place Reeves was head coach. He requested for a tryout, received one with Atlanta and finally made the workforce as a backup behind starter Chris Chandler.
Then Chandler received injured and couldn’t play. In stepped DeBerg to start out in opposition to the New York Jets, the sport through which he set the age file. The Falcons misplaced 28-3, one in all solely three losses that season for Atlanta, together with the Tremendous Bowl in opposition to Denver in January 1999.
“He was such a relaxing constructive affect to me,” Chandler informed USA TODAY Sports activities. Coming off the sector throughout video games, Chandler stated typically he can be upset concerning the sport. DeBerg would see him on the sideline and say, “You’re tremendous. Calm down.”
On the time, Chandler was 33 and a veteran himself after 10 seasons within the league.
“When you could have a man that has been within the league so lengthy, he type of commanded respect, as a result of he’s been the wars,” stated Chandler, now retired and residing in St. George, Utah. “He was the funniest man as effectively.”
Requested for an instance of his humor, Chandler stated, “You in all probability can’t print any of it.”
DeBerg’s physique nonetheless received shocked.
“I bear in mind one sport I feel we nearly received him killed,” stated Bob Whitfield, one in all DeBerg’s blockers in that sport for Atlanta. He believes it was the Jets sport.
“He needed to are available, and he caught a vicious hit, woo-eee!” Whitfield informed USA TODAY Sports activities. “Any person missed a blitz pickup, however he received up, wounded. However he received up. That’s saying one thing.”
Whitfield remembers DeBerg took his share of teasing for being previous. DeBerg lapped it up.
“It was an superior expertise, particularly serving to a number of the receivers and a number of the younger gamers on the workforce, encouraging them and making an attempt to assist them with options,” stated DeBerg, who performed in eight video games that season together with his one begin. “The workforce actually blossomed and had a magical yr.”
Reeves has stated that was the position he needed DeBerg to play for that workforce. Arians has stated the identical about Brady, calling him “one other coach.”
DeBerg ‘cannot lose’ on this Tremendous Bowl
This can be Brady’s third Tremendous Bowl since turning 40, an unprecedented feat. However DeBerg remains to be the oldest participant to be on a Tremendous Bowl roster at 45 years, 12 days. Although DeBerg didn’t play in that Tremendous Bowl with Atlanta in opposition to Denver, he suited up for it, and it’s nonetheless a profession spotlight.
Earlier than that, his profession had been marked twenty years of sturdiness, a footnote cease in Denver, plenty of losses in Tampa and a rebound in Kansas Metropolis.
“He’s a greater participant than he received credit score for,” Chandler stated.
After beginning his professional profession in San Francisco from 1978-80, he performed beneath Reeves in Denver from 1981-83, paving the best way for quarterback John Elway’s arrival there in 1984.
Then got here Tampa, the place he wore these basic creamsicle orange and white Bucs uniforms however had little success till after he was traded to Kansas Metropolis in March 1988. That’s the place he helped lead the Chiefs to the playoffs twice, in 1990 and 1991, earlier than ending there with a beginning file of 31-20-1.
He then returned to Tampa as a free agent for his ultimate stint with the Bucs in 1992-93, the place he served as a backup to Vinny Testaverde and Craig Erickson. His file as a starter in Tampa was 8-29 over six seasons.
Practically 30 years later, he’s retired with two youngsters and two grandchildren. He plans to look at the large sport along with his household at dwelling, the place is rooting curiosity has been neatly thought of.
“I’m going to put on a Buccaneers shirt and a Chiefs shirt and a Buccaneers hat and a Chiefs hat and whoever’s on offense I’ll put on that outfit,” he stated. “I can’t lose. I actually have a very good relationship with each organizations.”
Regardless of what he informed Arians earlier than the season, DeBerg additionally stated he’d be tremendous with Brady breaking his age file. His solely recommendation to him is to remain wholesome and don’t get injured.
“He’s the best of all time,” DeBerg stated. “If any person’s going to interrupt your file, that’s the man.”
Comply with reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. E-mail: bschrotenb@usatoday.com
