In NFL, anything related to Tom Brady qualifies as the stuff of legends. TB 12 getting picked 199th overall in the 2000 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots is known to be the biggest heist in NFL history. Now, months after his retirement from the NFL, the Patriots have released a never-heard-before audio clip of Tom Brady’s call with the franchise soon after he was drafted in 2000.
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With just one week remaining before the Patriots honor the legacy of Tom Brady during their season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles, the audio revelation couldn’t have come at a better time. The call, recorded on April 16, 2000, is out and the Patriots have certainly hyped it up.
Glimpse Into History: A 2000’s Phone Call of Tom Brady
During the conversation, Brady was asked about his role as a backup to Drew Bledsoe to which he had replied, “All’s I was looking for was a place to get my foot in the door and try to be great for the team that picked me. And, you know, Drew Bledsoe is certainly one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.”
Brady was then asked to comment on his draft pick when he was asked, “Tom, you were projected to go a little bit higher than this. Are you disappointed?”. Tom replied, “ I don’t think disappointed is the word. It’s just a great opportunity to head back to New England and play for the Patriots. It’s certainly been a dream come true.”
The Patriots’ brass sounded a bit concerned about Brady’s physicality which pushed them to ask, “There was a report at the end of the year that you finished at 195. How are you doing physically now? What do you weigh in at now?” Brady answered quite confidently stating, “I’m about 213, 214. I slimmed down a lot. I was really trying to improve my speed and my escapability. And at that point I was sick a couple days before, and my natural weight is about 210.”
Even for a young QB drafted as a 199th pick, Tom Brady was very clear from the start what he wanted in life. This speaks a lot about the confidence and mentality that Brady showed in his gameplay for over two decades at the highest level.
Humble Beginnings: Brady’s Acceptance of Backup Role Behind Drew Bledsoe
The quiet journey of an overall 199th draft pick began with Brady humbly accepting a backup role behind Drew Bledsoe in 2000. When Brady was asked about being a backup to Bledsoes, he responded, “it’s gonna be great to learn under him and compete for a job with the Patriots.” The significance of this comment became evident in 2001 when Bledsoe was hit during a game and Tom filled his shoes with utter perfection.
Brady was only an unknown QB at the time with little to no experience. However, he didn’t shy away from stepping onto the field and took the reigns. He played for eight games straight in Bledsoe’s absence, and guess what? This was the first of the two big decisions that the New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick took. The second was to stick with Brady for the Super Bowl. Brady had just gone through an ankle injury at the AFC Championship Game in Pittsburg, where Drew Bledsoe stepped in and led the Patriots to victory.
Bledsoe was one of the NFL’s highest earners and face of the NFL around that time, but Belichick chose to stick with Tom Brady for the Super Bowl. This set in motion a series of events that went on to define the next two decades and shape the course of NFL history.
