Tom Brady intimates that he’d be fine with 18-game schedule

Tom Brady said that as long as NFL players train, practice, play, and recover properly, expanding the season to include 18 games shouldn’t be a problem.

New England quarterback Tom Brady has made no secret of his plans for his post-football life.

Of course he’ll spend more time with his wife and children. He’ll plan visits and vacations with his parents and siblings, as well as their families. Knowing Brady, he’ll probably keep feeding his adrenaline junkie side and find new ways to put his body in peril through extreme sports – especially since he’ll no longer find himself beholden to an NFL franchise and its rabid fans.

From a professional standpoint though, Brady plans on staying busy and focusing on his second great love outside of football: physical fitness and nutrition. He’s already authored a successful book that outlines his diet and exercise habits, and he’s expressed an interest in expanding his rapidly-growing collection of TB12 Centers.

So it should come as no surprise that when NBCSports’ Tom Curran asked Brady for an opinion on rumors that the NFL is considering shortening its preseason and expanding the regular season from 16 to 18 meaningful games, the 41-year-old quarterback replied that he’s actually in favor of it – so long as players make the necessary physical adjustments to such a change.

“It depends how you take care of yourself,” Brady told Curran. “That’s how I see it. I think your ability to play, your ability to practice is as good as your ability to recover. So if you can’t recover, I think a six-game schedule is hard.”

Brady’s point is that it doesn’t matter if the NFL season is 16 games, 18 games, or six games – if players aren’t taking the necessary steps through their conditioning, fitness, and nutritional habits to maximize their preparation, performance, and recovery as professional athletes, they’re doing themselves a major disservice.

According to Brady, the length of the season isn’t what matters. It’s how finely the players keep their bodies tuned.

"“I try to focus on the recovery of things and try to be out here every day in practice. I know it takes a level of focus and commitment to do that. There’s a lot of work in advance that needs to be done to make that happen. So . . .  I love football.”"

Brady might be in the minority, though.

The NFL Players Association has previously expressed trepidation over expanding the regular season, with their concern largely tied to the health and safety of football players who would be asked to endure an even longer, more grueling season under such a change.

Until and unless more NFL players – and more athletes in general – begin emulating some of Brady’s practices and habits in the name of extending their careers and avoiding major injury, it seems the concept of a longer regular season will continue to serve as fuel for debate.