Tom Brady understands that reaching 400 touchdowns for his career is a rare milestone, but it's not the number that means the most to him. That's wins.
But after wins, there's another statistic that Brady considers valuable, especially for players that play his position.
"I think the thing that I take probably the most . . . probably means the most is probably consecutive starts," Brady told WEEI's Dennis and Callahan Show. "That's something that's a reflection of the commitment that you make. I think that's a pretty amazing thing, what Brett Favre was able to do, what Peyton did over the course of his career, just being available to your team. You're no help to your team if you're on the sidelines."
Favre holds the record at 321 consecutive games started, including playoffs. Manning is second at 227. Brady holds the sixth and eighth best streaks. He started 128 straight from 2001 until he tore his ACL in 2008. His current streak is at 110 games.
"To be available to play, to be durable, consistent -- that's what I'm focused on," Brady said. "More than touchdowns or yards per attempt, all those things are great, but you can probably pull any stat and make it into whatever you want. But being available to the team when they're counting on you and you're playing at your highest, that's when the team needs you the most, and I think that's what the quarterback's job is all about."
Brady didn't want to downplay reaching 400 touchdown passes for his career, a feat he hit on Sunday in a 51-17 win over the Jaguars when he hit Danny Amendola in the end zone just before halftime. But instead of treating it as an individual achievement, he instead looked at it as a team mark.
"It's a great accomplishment," Brady said. "Don't get me wrong. To be able to play with the same team and the same organization, the level of success that we've had is incredible. Never in my wildest dreams would I ever thought [we] could've accomplished this. I just know the amount of work it takes from everybody. The great thing about football is that it's a team sport. You can enjoy it with everybody.
"In order to have an individual accomplishment, you need your entire team to do everything that they're asked to do to. We as quarterbacks get so much attention and so much focus, you try to make sure that everyone knows that it's everyone playing their part. I can't tackle anybody. I can't block anybody. I can't catch a pass. Only thing I can do is what my job is, and that's what they ask me to do.
"When they say 'Throw it, get it to the open guy, and make good decisions,' that's what my focus has always been on. I love playing for this team, I got so many great teammates that have contributed to every bit of individual success and accomplishment that I've had. I think that's why I enjoy the game so much. That's why I chose football over baseball, over other sports. I really love the team aspect of the game."