Tom Brady entered the NFL as a sixth-round draft pick with almost no chance of becoming a starter anytime soon. His path to QB1 with the Patriots was steep; during his first training camp, he was buried at fourth on the depth chart. What he did have, however, was grit, determination, and an unshakable desire to learn and put in the work.
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Still, Brady might never have achieved greatness if the franchise, and Bill Belichick in particular, had thrown him into the deep end before he was ready. Instead, he sat for a year, absorbed everything he could, and only got his shot when Drew Bledsoe went down with an injury.
His time at Michigan also proved invaluable. Spending five years in college before entering the NFL gave him the maturity and preparation he needed to climb the depth chart.
That experience shaped Brady’s strong belief in developing young and rookie quarterbacks. He has often lamented that in today’s NFL, and even in college football, teams and programs aren’t willing to invest the time and resources needed to properly groom their QBs.
Speaking with Joel Klatt on his podcast, Brady argued that while young quarterbacks are developing physically because they start earlier, their mental growth lags behind. Coaches aren’t teaching them the basics, the fundamentals, or how to handle emotions and failure.
This, he explained, creates lopsided growth. QBs become physically capable but lack the accountability and team-first mentality that are essential for long-term success. Football, after all, is a team sport, and Brady believes young signal-callers should learn that from the beginning. He’s especially critical of the entitled mindset he sees today, quarterbacks being handed starting jobs at a young age without earning them through hard work.
” I don’t think there is much development at this point. In some ways, there is overdevelopment because they are starting at a young age. Maybe there’s physical development that I see. So, physically they are developed, but the mental, learning how to study the game, learning the tactics, learning how to watch film, learning how to deal with the emotions of a competitive program, failing in front of 70k people. Physically, they may look developed, but mentally, emotionally, they’re very underdeveloped.”
With college football now deep into the NIL era and players expecting opportunities without paying their dues, Tom Brady sees a challenge ahead for Belichick as he begins his new chapter as a college head coach. For the first time in decades, Belichick will be dealing with raw, underdeveloped talent, a reality that will test even one of the greatest coaching minds in football.
Given Bill Belichick’s insatiable appetite for knowledge and his knack for breaking down opponents through hours of game tape, he thrives in an environment where players can absorb vast amounts of information quickly. However, many of today’s underdeveloped young players may struggle to keep pace with him and retain the volume of detail he demands.
How the eight-time Super Bowl–winning coach adapts to the college game will be fascinating to watch. One thing, however, is certain: Belichick will challenge these young athletes, sharpen their mental and physical tools, and mold them into players capable of handling the rigors of the NFL, should they make it that far.
