The seven-time Super Bowl champ you know today started his journey in New England as a fourth-string quarterback. After enduring numerous trials and tribulations, Tom Brady would go on to impress the higher-ups, and one of those people, Ernie Adams, recently told his side of the story on the ‘Games With Names‘ podcast.
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First and foremost, the former football research director for the Patriots clarified the criteria for adding a college prospect to the watchlist. And he did so by reminiscing about what the late QB coach Dick Rehbein used to say, “Don’t make it too complicated. If a guy goes in the game against good competition and plays well — that is (who) we are trying to (draft).” Ernie then stressed that the Scouting Combine results barely have an impact if the prospect does not have an influence on the field.
That’s exactly why Tom Brady was the right pick from the first glance, even though his scouting report would say otherwise. He led the Michigan Wolverines to a win in overtime over Alabama in the Orange Bowl, which was enough to warrant his selection into the big league. Noted, he was picked dead last as a fourth-string QB, but the potential was always there. Brady would then go on to make the biggest comeback known to football fans, but host Julian Edelman was more interested when Ernie Adams saw that the rookie “was a killer.”
Ernie, without holding back, first mentioned that Brady was nowhere near securing the starting role since it’s impossible for two quarterbacks to get injured in a game. But Brady knew this too, and often after the practice, he would grab rookie TE Chris Eitzmann to make run patterns for him. It wasn’t, however, just about running patterns, as Brady would also call the plays with different situations in mind, just like in real games.
Ernie wanted to show his appreciation for the rookie, who was staying late not just for the mere fun of it, but for practice and then some. And let’s just say the former exec was quite moved.
“After practice, he would go grab rookie tight end Chris Eitzmann and take him over the side and make Chris run patterns for him,” Ernie said. “But it wasn’t just running patterns. Tom wanted to call the play — it’s third and six, all right, this is the play we’re going to run — Because Tom wanted to put himself through the situation. Here’s the way I’m gonna call the play in this situation. It’s not just go ahead, run around, play catch.“
At that very moment, Ernie somewhat knew that Brady was ready to take the field. And take the field he did — through his unbeatable dedication.
Ernie Adams on Tom Brady’s Compulsive Obsession
The former NFL exec stressed in the interview that Tom Brady is one of those individuals who believes that to improve, he must practice in front of a mirror. He also labeled this behavior as “obsessive-compulsive.” While it can easily get an individual into trouble, it can also lead to great things, which is what happened with the former Round 6 pick.
Ernie then remarked that Brady didn’t just become a Hall of Famer-level quarterback overnight — he did so with intense practice and dedication. Even Julian Edelman recalled that Brady would bring his coach to the team facility in the middle of the season to work on his quirks and whatnot, even though he had already won three Super Bowls when the wideout joined the team. Both Edelman and Ernie also agreed that this aspect of Brady’s character is often overlooked, with many people blatantly claiming to have worked as hard as Brady did.
