Tom Brady's (not-so-secret) secret revealed

Tom Brady is on pace to throw for more than 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns this season — a feat worthy of "gaping incredulity."

• That's according to the great sportswriter Sally Jenkins, who tried to puzzle out what makes our 44-year-old seven-time world champion QB1 so freaking good.

The intrigue: Brady wasn't born with an unattainable genetic gift the rest of us don't have, Jenkins writes.

• Tom Brady is very good at working hard right now for a payoff that may not come for years. His secret is not a secret at all.

Driving the news: Brady completed 23 of 34 passes for 220 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in the Bucs' 19-29 loss to the Washington Football Team on Sunday.

• Even with the loss and turnovers, Brady is still a frontrunner to win league MVP for the fourth time.

🏃 Jenkins relays an anecdote: In spring 2020, Brady was set to play in a televised golf exhibition down here with Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. It was hot and rainy, but Charles Barkley caught Brady running sprints in the parking lot a few hours before tee-off.

• "What the hell are you doing?" Barkley asked.

• "I'm trying to win a Super Bowl," Brady told him.

The difference: Banal as it sounds, great players — in all walks of life — are simply better than the rest of us at disciplined, rigorous method.

• His current form is the product of thousands of little decisions to do a difficult thing that will pay off later, rather than doing the easier thing that will feel good immediately.

🏈 Ben's thought bubble: Give Jenkins' column to the kids and show them Tom Brady wasn't born a prodigy. He just made a bunch of small, smart decisions.