Rams' Phillips jokes that he gets older 'but Tom Brady doesn't'

Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Wade Phillips will try to win his second career Super Bowl next week when he leads a defense charged with slowing down the New England Patriots and 41-year-old quarterback Tom Brady.

Phillips, 71, schemed the Denver Broncos' defense to a Super Bowl 50 victory, and he'll now make his third appearance in the big game. He was asked about defending Brady, who will be making his ninth Super Bowl appearance and third straight since losing the AFC Championship Game to the Broncos to end the Patriots' 2015 season.

"Well, unfortunately for me, I get older, but Tom Brady doesn't," Phillips said, according to Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk.

Despite Brady's ongoing success, he faced some criticism late this season due to a perception that his play is deteriorating as the 14-time Pro Bowler ages.

"Besides the guy being a great player, I just have so much respect for him," Phillips added. "He seems like such - now, I don't know him well - but, he has so much class. He says all the right things all the time - the right kind of guy. He's leading the league in passing in the playoffs, and he's already won four (Super Bowl) MVPs (and three league MVPs), so I don't know if there's any critics of him. If there are, I'd like to critique them."

Brady has said he plans to keep playing until he's 45, and promised Super Bowl LIII won't be his final NFL game regardless of the outcome.

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