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Patriots special teams captain Matthew Slater also is deeply religious.
"I think he's doing the right thing," Slater said. "I think that he's challenging other believers across the league to maybe be more open about their beliefs as well."
Brady rarely discusses his personal feelings. He prefers to focus only on football. But there are similarities in how he and Tebow began their careers, both facing doubts about their NFL prospects.
The Patriots didn't draft Brady until the sixth round in 2000 and he became a starter in the third game of 2001 after Drew Bledsoe was injured. Tebow won two national championships and the Heisman Trophy at Florida but wasn't drafted until the 25th pick in 2010 and started just three games as a rookie amid doubts about his passing skills.
"I think everybody has a story to tell. Every player who has made it this far has had to overcome some adversity," Brady said. "It could be injuries or a lack of opportunities or you're stuck behind someone else. There are very few people that get brought to the NFL ushered in on a red carpet.
"I think everybody has to fight through some things, which really, you can see kind of someone's strength of character and what they're made of when they're faced with adversity."
Then there's the parallel between each quarterback's first playoff game.
Ten years ago, on Jan. 19, the Patriots beat the Oakland Raiders 16-13 in the "Tuck Rule Game." Brady appeared to lose a fumble with 1:43 left, but officials ruled the replay showed his arm going forward. That made it an incompletion even though Brady appeared to be trying to tuck the ball into his body.
Adam Vinatieri then tied the game with a 45-yard field goal in the snow with 27 seconds to go in regulation and won it with a 23-yarder midway through overtime.
Unlikely? Definitely.
"That was a long time ago," Light said. "I think that where we are now is drastically different than where we were then."
But more unlikely than Tebow's 80-yarder to Thomas?
Another similarity: both quarterbacks strive to be just one of the guys, unselfish players who blend in.
In 2005, Brady posed for GQ Magazine holding a baby goat. His teammates razzed him.
And now, Tebow says his teammates tease him about his fame.
"Hopefully, they see you as a friend and as a teammate," he said. "The rest of it is something that we laugh at and, sometimes, they make fun of you for."
[Associated Press;
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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