MORE: ACL recovery timeline impacts when Patrick Mahomes, Micah Parsons will return Brady is 48 now and can look back knowing that he won four Super Bowl rings after his knee injury. Mahomes, like Brady, has three rings at the time of the injury.

Suddenly, the NFL's schedule for Christmas Day looks a bit unappealing for a national audience.

"He's so regimented in what he does. He's in here at 6 a.m. He's the last guy out at night. He'll take the rehab like that. "When you add up all the little things, that allows the player to get back f...