Tom Brady

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Tom Brady
Tom Brady in a victorious Super Bowl XXXVIII win.
Date of birth	August 3, 1977
Place of birth	San Mateo, California
Position(s)	Quarterback
College	Michigan
NFL Draft	2000 / Round 6
Pro Bowls	2001, 2004, 2005
Statistics	Pro Football Reference NFL.com ESPN
Team(s)
2000–present	New England Patriots

Thomas Edward Brady, Jr. (born August 3, 1977), best known as Tom Brady, is an American football quarterback for the National Football League's New England Patriots.

Brady graduated from Junípero Serra High School, the same school that produced baseball player Barry Bonds and NFL Hall of Famer Lynn Swann. Brady attended the University of Michigan and led Michigan to an Orange Bowl victory in the 1999 season. In the 2000 NFL Draft, Brady was selected by the New England Patriots in the 6th round (199th overall). With the Patriots, Brady has won three Super Bowls, two Super Bowl MVP awards, and been selected for three Pro Bowls. Additionally, Brady was Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year in 2005.

1 Early years
2 NFL career
3 Notable accomplishments
- 3.1 Statistics
- 3.2 Post-season records and statistics
4 References
5 External links

Early years

Born near San Francisco in San Mateo, California, Brady would be regularly taken to see the 49ers play in the 1980s, where he became a fan of quarterback Joe Montana. Since that time, Brady has mentioned Montana as one of his inspirations and an idol.<ref>Tom Brady Story Accessed January 11, 2006.</ref>

He played college football for and graduated from the University of Michigan, sitting on the bench his first two years; including a year as understudy to fellow UM teammate and future NFL quarterback Brian Griese who led the Wolverines to the 1997 National Championship. When he enrolled at Michigan, Brady was seventh on the depth chart and had an intense struggle to get some playing time. At one point, Brady hired a sports psychologist to help him cope with frustration and anxiety and even considered transferring, frustrated by what seemed like a lack of opportunity.<ref>Decorated Patriots QB feels he still has something to prove </ref> Brady battled for the first string quarterback position with Drew Henson and ultimately started every game in the 1998 and 1999 seasons under Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr. He was All-Big Ten both seasons and team captain his senior year. The Wolverines won 20 of 25 games when Brady started and shared the Big Ten Conference title in 1998. Brady capped that season off with a win over Arkansas in the Citrus Bowl. In the 1999 season, Brady led Michigan to an overtime win in the Orange Bowl over Alabama, throwing for 369 yards and four touchdowns.

NFL career

Image:Tom brady.jpeg

2001 season

After being selected in the 6th round of the 2000 Draft, Brady served as the backup quarterback to Drew Bledsoe, going 1-for-3 during the season for 6 passing yards. His role changed on September 23, 2001, when the Patriots were playing against their AFC East division rivals, the New York Jets at Foxboro Stadium. During that game, Drew Bledsoe suffered internal bleeding after colliding with Jets linebacker Mo Lewis. New England lost both the game and Bledsoe. Soon after Brady was named the starting quarterback. In his first two games, Brady's quarterback rating was low, at 79.6 and 58.7 respectively. <ref name="nfl">NFL.com - Tom Brady Detailed information on Tom Brady's statistics, including situational, career, and game-by-game statistics. Accessed January 11, 2006</ref>. However, during a mid-season matchup at Indianapolis, Brady passed for a career-high regular season rating of 148.3 in a 38-17 win.<ref name="nfl"/> Brady helped bring the Patriots to an 11-5 record and into the playoffs. He also passed for his third highest single season rating (86.5).<ref name="nfl"/>

During a 2001-2002 divisional playoff game against the Oakland Raiders (played in January 2002), Tom Brady had been ruled as having fumbled on a pass attempt, with Oakland protecting a three-point lead. Citing the controversial "tuck rule," where a ball is ruled an incomplete pass after the quarterback starts any forward throwing motion, referee Walt Coleman overturned the decision after reviewing the instant replay, calling the drop an incomplete pass rather than a fumble (some analysts have claimed that Oakland should have been called for "roughing the passer" on that play, as fellow Michigan Wolverine Charles Woodson, the player who made contact with Brady, hit his head; such a call would have rendered the "tuck rule" controversy moot). Brady, who threw for 312 yards in his first NFL playoff game, led the Patriots back from a 10-point fourth quarter deficit and engineered the winning drive in overtime to beat the Raiders. Brady was injured in the AFC Championship Game against the Pittsburgh Steelers and was relieved by Bledsoe. The Patriots won the game and were immediately instituted by Las Vegas oddsmakers as 14-point underdogs against the NFC champion St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI. There was considerable national debate as to who should start in the Super Bowl for the Patriots: on the one hand, Brady had started every game in which the Patriots won during the year; on the other hand, Bledsoe was the year's starting quarterback and only lost his job via injury; moreover, Bledsoe was effective in relieving Brady in the AFC Championship game. Coach Bill Belichick was coy in his decision-making but eventually chose Brady to start the Super Bowl.

With less than two minutes left in the Super Bowl, and the score tied, sportscaster John Madden said that he thought the Patriots should let the time run out on the clock and look to win the game in overtime. Instead, Brady drove the Patriots offense down the field. The Patriots won the game on an Adam Vinatieri field goal as time expired. Brady was named MVP of Super Bowl XXXVI while throwing for 145 yards and 1 touchdown.

2002 season

Tom Brady and the Patriots finished the year at 9-7, tied with the New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins for the best record in the division. However, the Jets won the division on the third tiebreaker, and the Patriots missed the playoffs.

Although posting a career-low single-season rating of 85.7, Brady threw for a league-leading 28 touchdown passes, though his 14 interceptions ties his worst total.<ref name="nfl"/> Moreover, at Buffalo, Brady threw for a quarterback rating of 147.6, the second highest of his career.<ref name="nfl"/> Furthermore, Brady played much of the second half of the season with a shoulder injury, and New England head coach Bill Belichick has since indicated that if the Patriots had made the playoffs, Brady would not have been able to play in the first game due to that injury. Brady continues to suffer from shoulder complications, but it has not led to a missed start.

2003 season

In the 2003-2004 NFL season, after a 2-2 start, Brady led the Patriots to 12 consecutive victories to finish the season and win the AFC East. Statistically, Brady's strongest game of the season was against Buffalo, when he achieved a season-high quarterback rating of 122.9.<ref name="nfl"/>

In the first two rounds of the playoffs, the Patriots defeated the Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts. On February 1, 2004, Brady led the Patriots to a 32-29 victory over the NFC champion Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII and was named Super Bowl MVP for the second time. During the game, Brady set the record for most completions by a QB in the Super Bowl (32). With 1:08 left in the fourth quarter and the score tied at 29, Brady engineered a drive to put the Patriots in position for the game-winning field goal.

2004 season

During the 2004-2005 season, Brady helped the Patriots set an NFL record with 21 straight wins dating from the previous year. New England's 14-2 record matched that of the 2003-04 season and equalled the best record ever for a defending champion. The Patriots also won the AFC East divisional title for the third time in four years. In the AFC playoffs, Brady led the Patriots to victories over the Indianapolis Colts and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Brady played his best game of the year in Pittsburgh despite requiring IV treatment the previous night when he had a temperature of 103 degrees. Against the NFL's best defensive team, Brady recorded a quarterback passer rating of 130.5, his highest of the season.<ref name="nfl"/> 2004 also served as Brady's best year statistically; his rating, at 92.6, was a career high.<ref name="nfl"/>

On February 6, 2005, the Brady-led Patriots defeated the Philadelphia Eagles to win Super Bowl XXXIX for their third NFL championship in four years.

2005 season

During the 2005-2006 season, the Patriots were forced to rely more on Tom Brady's passing due to injuries suffered by running backs Corey Dillon, Patrick Pass, and Kevin Faulk. Brady also had to adjust to a new center and a new running back: Heath Evans. The results were positive; Brady finished first in the league with 4,110 passing yards and third in the league with 26 touchdowns. At 92.3, his 2005-2006 passer rating was the second highest of his career, although he tied his worst interception total (14).<ref name="nfl"/> He also rushed for 89 yards and fumbled a career-low 4 times.<ref name="nfl"/> Brady and the injured Patriots finished with a 10-6 record and obtained their third straight AFC East title. Some of the highlights of the season included another game with the Steelers, in which Brady helped lead the team on the game winning drive. When the Patriots visited the Atlanta Falcons, Brady achieved a regular season-high rating of 140.3.<ref name="nfl"/> It was the fourth highest regular season single-game quarterback rating of Brady's career.

In the playoffs, Brady led the Patriots to a 28-3 victory over Jacksonville in the Wild Card Round. However, on January 14, 2006, the Patriots lost 27-13 against the Denver Broncos at INVESCO Field. Brady threw for 346 yards in the game and a touchdown with two interceptions. It was the first playoff loss of Brady's career. After the season's end, it was revealed that Brady had been playing with a sports hernia since December. Linebacker Willie McGinest commented on it and said he knew, but Brady continued on playing. This is the main reason Brady did not go to the Pro Bowl when he was invited. ^{[citation needed]}

Despite not playing in the game, Brady was present at Super Bowl XL, as the official coin tosser and as part of a celebration of Super Bowl MVP Award winners.

Notable accomplishments

All statistics and accomplishments courtesy of NFL.com.<ref name="nfl"/>

Statistics

Personal records

Highest single-game quarterback rating: 148.3 (at Indianapolis, October 21, 2001)
Highest single-season quarterback rating: 92.6 (2004-2005 season)
Highest career quarterback rating against a team: Atlanta Falcons (140.4)
Lowest interception total, season (minimum 2 starts): 12 (2001 and 2003)
Highest interception total, season (minumum 2 starts): 14 (2002, 2004, 2005)

21-game win streak statistics (including postseason)

690 passes attempted
412 passes completed
4,953 passing yards
34 passing touchdowns
13 passes intercepted
53.07 passing attempts per interception
59.71 completion rate
90.3 passer rating

2005 regular season

92.3 quarterback rating (2nd highest of career)
4110 passing yards, (1st in the NFL)
26 passing touchdowns (3rd in the NFL)
14 interceptions
530 passes attempted
344 passes completed
63.0% completion rate

Career (as of 31 October 2006)

2,780 passes attempted
1,712 passes completed
19,633 passing yards
137 passing touchdowns
70 passes intercepted
64-21 record as a starter (.753 winning percentage)
85 games started
87 games played
39.7 passing attempts per interception
7-0 in overtime games
10-0 in dome stadiums
17-4 vs NFC teams

Post-season records and statistics

NFL record for most consecutive wins in post season: 10 (broke record of Green Bay's Bart Starr).
Most consecutive post season wins (college and professional combined): 12
NFL record 10-1 in the post-season
367 passes attempted
225 passes completed
2493 passing yards (226.6 ypg)
15 passing touchdowns
5 passes intercepted
73.7 passing attempts per interception in the post-season (lowest rate in NFL history, minimum 250 pass attempts): Bart Starr is second with 71 attempts per post-season interception)
3 Pro Bowls
2 Super Bowl MVP awards
3 Super Bowl victories
Most completions in a Super Bowl (32 in Super Bowl XXXVIII)

References

External links

Preceded by: Drew Bledsoe	New England Patriots Starting Quarterbacks 2001-present	Succeeded by: Current
Preceded by: Ray Lewis	NFL Super Bowl MVPs Super Bowl XXXVI, 2002	Succeeded by: Dexter Jackson
Preceded by: Dexter Jackson	NFL Super Bowl MVPs Super Bowl XXXVIII, 2004	Succeeded by: Deion Branch

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