In the category of nice guys finish first — as Tom Brady has done in three of the last four Super Bowls — it’s only fitting that Brady has been named Sports Illustrated‘s Sportsman of the Year. He’s the prince of quarterbacks, or better maybe to call him a virtuoso. If you read SI‘s write-up, one things jumps out as the secret to Brady’s success, notwithstanding his toughness and fine character: practice. As in practice, practice, practice, rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. Writes Charles P. Pierce in the Dec. 12 issue:

Even the best quarterback…gets to actually play only once a week. The rest of the time is repetition, a Baltimore Catechism with sweat and collisions. The rest is off-season workouts, and voluntary minicamps that aren’t voluntary at all, and hours and hours of meetings….

Thus is the life of any great quarterback. What makes Brady different is how vividly you can see not only the results of that work every Sunday, but also his innate ability to carry the logic of practice to the conclusion of the game. “I love seeing us get better,” Brady says, “and I don’t think you get better in games. The improvements come in practice.”