The GOAT
Tom Brady is without a doubt the best quarterback we have seen. Sure, there have been countless legends in this position throughout history, but none have taken home 7 Super Bowl rings and been titled ‘The GOAT’ before.
His story is something we hardly expected when we first saw him. He was drafted as the 199th pick in April 22 years ago and now look at him. A man who was once the 199th pick of the draft made it to number one of all time!
The NFL draft betting odds are coming up, and we consider if there will be a new Brady among the picks, unlikely. Although…
Brady is the embodiment of not judging a book by its cover. He went from 199 to 1 in 22 years.
There were 6 quarterbacks chosen before he was, and we do bet that the teams who chose those six might be regretting their life choices now.
Before him, the Jets picked Chad Pennington who played 11 seasons with the Jets and Dolphins. The 49ers picked Carmazzi who never played in an NFL game, instead of playing in the practice squad and the World League of American Football, and later the Canadian Football League.
The Ravens selected Chris Redman, who started only 12 games. Tennessee picked Tee Martin who played only 3 NFL games in 4 Seasons. The Saints took Marc Bulger who didn’t make their roster and eventually caught on with the Rams as their starting Quarterback.
The Browns took Spergon Wynn, who spent three seasons with the NFL, only starting 3 games in total.
Brady was then picked by the Patriots in the 6th round and the 199th overall pick. All 6 quarterbacks who were drafted prior to Brady only combined for 191 starts and 246 touchdowns. Brady won 7 Super Bowls, 7,263 passing completions, and 624 passing touchdowns.
The Unexpected Champion
Back all those years ago, Brady probably wasn’t considered to be much. However, over the years he won Super Bowl after Super Bowl. He won the Super Bowls XXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX, XLIX, LI, LIII, and LV. He is also a 5 time Super Bowl MVP, 3 time NFL MVP, 2 time NFL Offensive Player of the year, 3-time First-team All-Pro, 2-time Second-team All-Pro, and appeared in 15 Pro Bowls.
He is also the leader in NFL passing touchdowns five times over, and the NFL passing yard leader four times over.
When we think about it, it could have been totally possible for any of the teams that made their picks before New England did to have chosen Brady, but they didn’t, and while they might be kicking themselves for it, it was for the best.
Brady worked well with the New England team, he and Vinetieri made some amazing moves together, and as a team, they scored some of the tightest touchdowns that won them the game in many cases.
Brady was made for New England, and while he was able to do the same for the Buccaneers in his first year with them, we reckon it was just that Brady magic working.
Retirement Bound
Brady announced his retirement as the 2021-2022 season came to an end, just before the Super Bowl game between the Rams and Bengals. He played an incredible game, with the Patriots from 2000 until 2019, and with the Buccaneers from 2020-2021.
No one would believe he was drafted in the 6th round when we see what he has achieved. He has achieved nearly every single major quarterback record. He never lost a season and is the leader in quarterback wins.
It is almost sad to see him leave. We never thought we would see something so epic in our lifetime, and now his reign is coming to an end.
Brady left the NFL after a great season with the Buccaneers, only just scraping another appearance at the Super Bowl. However, it was not a bad note to end on, he didn’t need to end on a high note.
He is the only quarterback to ever win a Super Bowl in 3 different decades, and he is also the oldest player, at 43, to be named a Super Bowl MVP, which he did in his first season with the Buccaneers.
A Career No One Will Soon Forget
No one will soon be forgetting the 199th pick who became the greatest player ever to be in the game. We often assume that the 1st picks will be the legends, however, Brady proves there are diamonds in the rough, and hidden gems sparkling that we don’t always notice.
Many are wondering if we will ever see another Brady, and we probably won’t. Sure the 2021-2022 season showed some true potential from some new blood in the league, but it is hardly going to show anyone or anything quite like Brady’s level.
However, we do not doubt that there will be plenty of young quarterbacks out there eager to try and break some of his records. Yet, we do not think we will be seeing any soon, who manage to scratch the surface of the long list of achievements Brady has left behind in his legacy with the NFL.
