In the most anticipated regular season showdown of the year (if not all of modern football history), Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Tom Brady will take the field at Gillette Stadium against his former team. The matchup will pit highly-touted rookie QB Mac Jones against his predecessor, a prolific Alabama alum taken in the first round of this year’s draft. To set the stage for Sunday night’s tilt, I thought it fitting to take a look at Tom Brady’s early years on the Patriots and remind ourselves how old “The GOAT,” and ourselves, truly are.
Brady was drafted in the 6th round by the Patriots in 2000, a shot-in-the-dark pick who most likely would be cut before training camp. However, Brady impressed coaches and earned himself the fourth-string job, and by the following season, he was the go-to backup who jumped into action following a scary hit on Patriots QB Drew Bledsoe, who suffered a sheared blood vessel in his chest, a life-threatening injury that saw Brady take the helm and never look back. In Brady’s first near-complete season, he finished with 2,843 yards, 18 TD, and an 11-3 record topped with a Super Bowl Championship and Super Bowl MVP award, becoming the youngest QB to do so. So how does Mac Jones compare so far? The sample size is extremely small, but through Jones’ first two games, he is on pace for a 16-game season throwing 3,736 yards, 8 TD, and an 8-8 record. Only time will tell if Jones can live up to such lofty expectations this season, but with a fully supportive staff who has seemingly thrown all their dice on the rookie (the Patriots cut starting QB Cam Newton before Week 1), he has all the resources to deliver.
It is still hard to believe Tom Brady is still playing, let alone playing against New England. This will be his 22nd NFL season, making some of his teammates younger than his NFL debut.
For reference, when Brady was drafted:
I was one week old.
Motorola released the first touch-screen phone (using a stylus).
Angelina Jolie and Billy Bob Thornton married three weeks later.
Bill Clinton served as President of the United States. We have seen four different Presidents since then.
“Say My Name” by Destiny’s Child was dominating the Billboard charts.
The world didn’t end with Y2K.
It was the last year all living humans were on earth at the same time. Since then, the ISS has been occupied continuously.
Enjoy the game! Kickoff starts at 8:20 pm Sunday 10/3 on NBC.
Comments