NFL: Tom Brady Before the NFL
In Star Wars, before Episode III people often wondered who was Darth Vader before he was Darth Vader. Darth Vader ruled the galaxy in the fictional story and Tom Brady rules the very real football galaxy. Even people who don't know football and think football means soccer most likely have heard of Brady. He is the greatest quarterback in NFL history, boasting five Super Bowl rings. However, many do not appreciate how great Brady was before donning the No. 12. Here is just how terrific Tom was in his early years.
When Brady stepped on Michigan's campus in 1996, he was listed as the 7th best quarterback on the roster. 7th best. To somebody so competitive in nature and with such a strong desire for greatness, he hired a sports psychologist to help cope with the frustration and anxiety of not being able to play the game he loved. Brady was a pretty highly recruited prospect coming out of high school after he and his dad sent tapes to numerous schools across the country, so this was definitely a shock for him.
Ultimately Tom's first season was one to forget, completing 3-of-5 passes for 26 yards, one interception, and a rating of 63.7. Many forget that Brady had won a national championship in 1997, because that was masked more by the story of Brian Griese leading the charge to being the best team in the country and Charles Woodson winning the Heisman as a defensive player. That year Brady increased his numbers from the previous year completing 12-of-15 passes for 103 yards and a 137.7 rating, but just being a small grain of sand on the winning beach of the Wolverines season.
Breaking through what's stopping your success can be life changing. Brady broke through in 1998, setting a Michigan record for pass attempts and completions due in part to him starting every game. Brady was All-Big Ten honorable mention and led Michigan to a shared conference championship and a Citrus Bowl win.
His stat line for the 1998 season was 200-for-323, 2,427 yards, 14 touchdowns to 10 interceptions, and a rating of 133.1. Tom Terrfic's best season came in 1999 under some immense pressure.
While many Michigan fans were ready to move on from Brady already due to this up-and-coming top high school recruit in Drew Henson, current Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr tabbed Brady to be the starter. And while Brady and Henson split time early in the season, eventually Brady took sole control of the job as the year wore on. He completed 180 passes on 295 attempts in 1999, had 16 touchdowns to six interceptions, threw for 2,217 yards, and boasted a 138.0 rating.
He led the Wolverines to a 5-0 start with close wins against powerhouse schools Notre Dame and Wisconsin. After a failed comeback loss against Michigan State (which would be one of only two losses on the year) there was a never give up mentality around the team which came to be true against Penn State and Ohio State in the final two games of the regular season.
Brady's Michigan career can be summed up in one game on January 1st, 2000. Just as everyone was preparing for the world to end with Y2K, they should have been preparing for Tom Brady to take the world by storm and this game started it all. After a defensive, scoreless first quarter Brady threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to cut Alabama’s 14-0 lead in half.
In the third quarter Brady had a 57-yard and 20-yard TD pass, both to David Terrell. Tied at 28 going into the 4th, the score stayed that way until Brady threw a 25-yard td to Shawn Thompson in overtime. Alabama struck back, but ultimately missed the extra point, giving Michigan the win. Brady finished the game with 369 yards passing, four touchdowns, two 14-point comebacks, and most importantly one win.
Photo Credit: Ann Arbor, Bleacher Report, & Sports Illustrated.
