ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:
The pressing question in Boston today is, is Tom Brady the greatest quarterback ever? He led the New England Patriots to a come-from-behind victory over the Atlanta Falcons in last night's Super Bowl, the first Super Bowl to be decided in overtime. And that means Patriots fans are celebrating again today. From member station WBUR in Boston, Anthony Brooks reports.
(CHEERING)
ANTHONY BROOKS, BYLINE: This was the scene at the Boston Beer Works last night a moment after Patriots running back James White pushed the ball into the end zone, completing the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history.
JAMESON FREDERICK: If anybody could do it, the New England Patriots can. You have to believe.
DAVID FREDERICK: Well, you didn't believe in them in (unintelligible).
J. FREDERICK: I believed. I believed. I never lost faith. You heard us. You heard us cheering.
BROOKS: It's true. These guys never gave up, even when the Patriots were down by 25 points and looked like certain losers. Jameson Frederick and his brother David, wearing face paint and Patriots jerseys, kept cheering, yelling, urging Tom Brady and his teammates on. Jameson, who lives in Framingham, Mass., west of Boston, says the victory makes one point loud and clear.
J. FREDERICK: To me, this means that there is no more argument. Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback of all time.
BROOKS: A lot of people agree with that, especially after last night. After a shaky performance for much of the game, Brady took command in the fourth quarter and in overtime, completing 21 of 27 passes for a total of 246 yards. He erased a 25-point deficit and, along with his coach, Bill Belichick, won a record fifth Super Bowl.
This morning, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell presented Brady with his fourth MVP trophy and said Brady may be one of the greatest players of all time and Belichick one of the game's best coaches.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
ROGER GOODELL: And it's a great honor for us, for me personally to have both of these guys here this morning. So, Tom, come on up. Get your trophy.
BROOKS: This was sweet redemption for Brady and his fans because of course it was Goodell who hit Brady with a four-game suspension at the start of this season for an alleged scheme to use underinflated footballs in the AFC Championship Game two years ago. Today, Goodell and Brady were all smiles and didn't mention Deflategate directly, though Brady did suggest this win was particularly sweet.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
TOM BRADY: You know, I faced a lot of adversities over the course of the year and overcame with lot of mental toughness. And it was just a great way to really culminate the season. You know, it took a - kind of a miraculous effort to do it - and just so happy that we were able to get it accomplished.
(CHEERING)
BROOKS: As they celebrated at Boston Beer Works last night, the Boston Globe was rewriting this morning's front page. Early editions published in Florida showed a fallen Tom Brady beneath the headline "A Bitter End." After his stunning comeback, the revised edition shows a jubilant Brady raising the Vince Lombardi trophy above his head for the fifth time beneath the headline "Win For The Ages." For NPR News, I'm Anthony Brooks in Boston. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
