HOUSTON – Tom Brady is used to the drill, so he filled out the order form for his Super Bowl MVP car Monday morning as quickly and decisively as he runs a two-minute drill, adding the preferred color and model and requesting “20-inch rims.”

Brady doesn’t need another car. Maybe a bus would be more appropriate because Brady has become one of football’s elite chauffeurs after driving the New England Patriots to their second NFL title in three years.

The 26-year-old quarterback joined Joe Montana, Terry Bradshaw and Bart Starr as the only players to have been named the Super Bowl’s most valuable player at least twice, a distinction that immediately seemed to get his juices flowing.

Brady told the story of the equipment manager at alma mater Michigan who worked long enough to collect a roomful of trophies and championship rings.

“I asked him once, “What’s your favorite ring?’ ” Brady recalled. “He said, “The next one.’ “

At the risk of being labeled greedy on top of the accolades, Brady talked again of loving football so much he even likes training camp.

“I can’t wait to remind Tom sometime next August about how much he loves training camp,” coach Bill Belichick said.

Brady is an example of the kind of athletes the Patriots collect, a player more interested in the process than the spoils.

“A lot of guys like to be football players, but they don’t necessarily like doing all the things that go into playing football,” Belichick said.

The Patriots will be a different team next year, just as they were different this season from what they were in 2001. Belichick started 42 different players and overcame injuries to three starters on the offensive line, which nevertheless jelled so nicely it gave up zero sacks in the playoffs.

Brady praised his blockers, but his ability to read defenses quickly and get rid of the ball makes him a blocker’s best friend.

Next year’s Patriots will have to decide whether they can afford to keep cornerback Ty Law, receiver Troy Brown and linebacker Willie McGinest. All will be in their 30s, and each will count more than $5 million against the salary cap unless there are restructures. Law will count more than $9 million.

Brady will count $8.3 million, up by more than $5 million from this year. If a restructure is in order, it will be up, not down. While praising Brady, Belichick remained careful to stick to his policy of including others. Brady did too. But the NFL has to fear the Belichick-Brady alliance.

“I’m 26 years old and yesterday, for as great as it was, it really wasn’t perfect,” Brady said. “So there’s always things to improve on, still a lot of room to grow.”

Two titles in three years suggest a modern dynasty, but Belichick wouldn’t bite on that notion either, even though he has seven draft choices in the first four rounds plus healthy ex-Bear Rosevelt Colvin returning.

“I heard that term being thrown around last year, too, but it didn’t work out,” Belichick said. “There are so many great players and coaches and we’re all on a level field. It’s so hard to win. To think one team could consistently beat the other 31, it’s conceptually hard to understand why or how that could happen.”

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(c) 2004, Chicago Tribune.

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AP-NY-02-02-04 1925EST