Tom Brady has had many legendary moments across his 10 Super Bowls, and Teddy Bruschi reveals it was his second Super Bowl that really showed the ex-LB that there was something different about Brady. Super Bowl 38 showcased the Patriots and Panthers fighting it out for the NFL’s grandest prize, and the game produced all kinds of drama. Brady and the Pats would take a thrilling 32-29 victory, and to Bruschi, this game was really an eye-opening moment for him.
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Brady’s 10 Super Bowls have provided us with many interesting games and moments, but often, he’s been locked in defensive battles where we don’t see him in full attack mode. Super Bowl 38 wasn’t like that. The game featured many weird records, including the teams being scoreless for the longest time in a Super Bowl at 26:55 minutes. Right after that, the teams erupted for 24 points right before the first half ended. The third quarter was again scoreless before the teams combined for a record 37 points in the fourth quarter. There were 868 yards gained and 61 points scored in this shootout.
Teddy Bruschi explains why Super Bowl 38 was the moment he saw Tom Brady differently
Based on the scorelines and stats, you can guess this wasn’t a defensive game. Bruschi admitted as much. He was Brady’s teammate during their initial dominance, a key linebacker and leader for the Pats’ defense that helped win three Super Bowls.
However, he knew that Super Bowl 38 was simply a game that the Pats’ defense couldn’t win. He explained that the team was gassed and that the Carolina quarterback, Jake Delhomme had the team figured out.
Tedy Bruschi on the first time he knew Tom Brady was really built different 👀 pic.twitter.com/Nqy8DmcXHA
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At that point, it was on Brady and the offense to produce, and they did. Brady finished the game with 32/48 passing for 354 yards and three touchdowns. He did make one potentially costly mistake, throwing an interception to Reggie Howard when the Pats were up 21-16 and in the red-zone. That flipped the game from potentially being 28-16 New England, to 22-21 Carolina.
However, Brady once more led the Patriots on a game-winning drive with the score tied at 29 with 1:08 remaining. The Pats were given a gift when the Panthers kicked the ball out-of-bounds and started their drive off from the 40.
However, Brady was still instrumental in getting the ball to his receivers at the right moments, setting up for another Adam Vinatieri game-winning field goal. It makes sense why Bruschi considers this the moment when he woke up to who Tom Brady could be.
Super Bowl 38 was the precursor to Tom Brady’s greatness
While it’s often hardest to win your first title, sustaining greatness is often harder. Of course, winning that first title feels special, because it’s the one that got you over the most difficult hump. However, winning multiple is what makes you a legend of the game.
Brady was able to do this quite quickly into his career, winning three of his first four Super Bowls, following up the win against the Panthers with another win against the Eagles in next year’s Super Bowl.
However, that followed the next 10 toughest years of his career where he wouldn’t win a ring. All the talk of him being greater than Joe Montana seemed to die down. It seemed like Brady was carried by a great defense early in his career and simply didn’t have what it took to continue his greatness.
Of course, Brady would destroy all these narratives, winning four more Super Bowls to close out his career, in what many called the “dying stages” of his career.
