'I looked into Tom Brady's face at the Super Bowl – I will never forget what he did next'

Jason Bell has recalled the moment he watched Tom Brady make a historic 31-point comeback in the second half of Super Bowl LI to win the fifth Lombardi trophy of his career. The New England Patriots were 28-3 down in the third quarter to the Atlanta Falcons, with many fans believing this was Brady's time to finally accept defeat.

However, three touchdowns and a couple of two-point conversions later and it was 28-28 heading into overtime - leaving fans, critics and pundits alike stunned by the quarterback's determination to get back into a game that surely looked lost. On the first possession of overtime, Brady led his Patriots on a 75-yard drive that ended with a James White touchdown pass to secure his fifth ring and fourth Super Bowl MVP title.

Sky Sports NFL presenter and former New York Giants star Bell called this game from the sidelines in 2017, and he claims it was one of the best moments of his broadcasting career to date. The ex-defensive back won his own Lombardi in 2008 with the Giants - beating the famous Brady in true underdog fashion - before he transitioned to punditry following a career-ending injury at just 27 years old.

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Speaking exclusively to The Mirror, Bell recounted the moment he locked eyes with the legendary quarterback, and how the game shocked him beyond belief. Bell said: "Wow. We've had some moments. Yeah, a ton of them.

"I mean, you know, you think about the Super Bowl as the biggest event. And I just remember the Patriots coming back against Atlanta and just being there and watching Tom Brady make a historical comeback and the way he managed that.

"Like, people saw it on TV, I saw it live. I'm looking at it. I'm looking at his face on the sideline and what that team did to come back. I'll never forget that. It was such a privilege to call that game and be involved with that."

Discussing his broadcasting career, Bell admits he is stunned that reporting on the NFL gives him the same feeling he experienced while playing in the league, as he confessed he never thought that type of emotion could ever be replicated.

He added: "But in reality, man, every year is so different and unique, and that's what's fun about it. I think the bonds you have with the people you work with are substantial and lifelong, just like you were a player, the friendships that I have had and continue to be able to have because of this.

"I mean, I never thought I could replicate what happened in the NFL, but TV has done that for me. And it's just not the people on the cameras, everybody, the producers, you know, the people that handle the lighting, who I'm always complaining to - it's everybody, man.

"They work so hard and you just feel like this big team, especially over at Sky Sports, man, I'm truly loving it. And it was a void that I had from retirement that has been fulfilled."

Bell was a core part of the Houston Texans special teams group, which he claims is the most underrated part of American football as a whole. Speaking about the parallels between TV and his time in the NFL, the 47-year-old said: "Yeah, and for people that really don’t get it, special teams is literally the entire team.

"You’ve got your offence, your defence, you learn a lot about people that would be in different meeting rooms and obviously playing on different sides of the ball.

"So it is your core, it is your identity. And I think that's helped me in everything I do in life because I have that kind of perspective where it's not individualised. Everything I do encompasses, I would say, what is best for everyone, because that's what special teams is.

"That's what we've always been, we're kind of the glue. You know, we set everybody up for success. So that's been my mentality and everything I've done, like I said before, and I think it's really helped on television."

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