Before Tom Brady took over the reigns from Drew Bledsoe, he was on bench-warming duty. During his rookie year, he would often fall victim to pranks at the hands of his starter.
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When people think of the early days of Tom Brady’s career, they usually envision a rapid rise to superstardom. A 199th overall pick taking over for a 1st overall selection, and leading the Patriots to their first championship ever.
However, we often forget that Brady only became the starter in Foxboro in his sophomore year. For the entirety of his rookie season, in contrast, Brady was deep on a 4-QB depth chart. In fact, he only attempted one pass that season, a 6 yard completion during garbage time in a loss to the Lions.
Instead of tormenting defenses every week, as we’ve grown accustomed to seeing him do, Brady spent his rookie season studying film and working on his craft. He sat behind Drew Bledsoe, who was himself a top QB in the league and retired with 4 Pro-Bowl selections and a place in the Patriots’ Hall-Of-Fame.
Drew Bledsoe Would Target Tom Brady’s Jeep In His Harmless Pranks
Although Brady was relatively unknown as a rookie, a local car dealership chose to recognize him for his achievements with a gift. They gave him a yellow Jeep Wrangler to congratulate him for making the Pats roster, which Brady would drive to work everyday.
Unfortunately for him, the beloved Jeep would become the target for Drew Bledsoe’s pranks. First reported by SI’s Alex Prewitt, a TE on the Patriots’ 2000 roster, Chris Eitzmann, recalled how Bledsoe would mess around with his understudy.
“At one point [Bledsoe] filled it with packing peanuts; at one point there was flour in the vents,” Eitzmann explained. While Brady probably took the pranks as a joke, he definitely got the last laugh over Bledsoe.
Once Bledsoe got injured in 2001, Brady took over and the rest is history. He won 6 Super Bowls on his way to cementing his legacy as the greatest football player ever, and Bledsoe was traded to Bills in 2002.
