Bill Polian: Colts had high grade on Tom Brady

[RelocatedPatFan]

Link: http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap30...olian-colts-had-firstround-grade-on-tom-brady

Asked Farrar: "You had a first-round grade on Brady? What did you like so much about him?"

"Brady was less of a slam-dunk, of course," Polian said. "Less of a known commodity than Peyton was. But he had such a great last half of his last season (at Michigan), and fought Drew Henson for the starter's job, and he really came on. I don't remember where we ultimately put him, but it was certainly a very high grade. We weren't in the quarterback business, and it wasn't going to be an issue for us, but it was a very high grade."

Glad they don't use draft picks to develop backup QBs or Brady might never of a headcoach who'd have allowed him to compete for a job. I've never heard this before and it seems odd that he says this 15 years into Bray's career. Guess he was HoF caliber...

 

[VectorPrime]

hmm yes, of course

 

[Crazy Patriot Guy]

Because what team would use a 6th rounder on a QB they had graded as a 1st to use as a backup......right?

 

[RelocatedPatFan]

Because what team would use a 6th rounder on a QB they had graded as a 1st to use as a backup......right?

Probably the same team that decided to keep 4 QBs because their skinny 6th rounder looked too good and they didn't think it was worth risking him to the waiver wire (to sneak on PS). Same GM/Coach that (lately) only keeps 2 QBs no that the same skinny kid is the main starter.

 

[convertedpatsfan]

Brady's whole life might have been different if Drew slides. And every team passed on Brady multiple times. It really was amazing how the stars aligned for Tom. I don't think he would have done as well anywhere else. And I say that as a huge Tom Brady fan, my all-time fav college player. Even I didn't think he would do much in NE. Heck, he was the 4th-string QB and I was surprised they kept 4, as I'm sure many people were.

Maybe if Polian had spent a decent pick or made more of an effort to develop a decent back-up, he might still be in Indy with Peyton. But when Manning got injured, the years of skating by without a back-up blew up in his face.

And that's what makes BB special. Polian can talk all he wants, he didn't have the guts to bring in a quality player behind Manning, while BB kept 4 QBs on the roster despite having the most expensive QB in the league at the time. It's why I don't even blink when he spends a 2nd rounder on Jimmy G despite having a HOFer at the position. And it's why this season wouldn't have been derailed if Brady had lost his appeal. It's why we won 11 games with Matt Cassel.

 

[ausbacker]

It's all well and good to say you had a first round grade on Brady but show me the scouting reports that prove it.

 

[NashuaPats]

Lying POS. No team would let a guy who they had with a first round grade fall to another team in the sixth. It's revisionist history to make himself sound smart. The Patriots have never even pretended they rated hin so highly. That guy irritates me every time I see him.

 

[farn]

Not buying it. If the grade was so high, a 5th round flyer would have been an obvious call. Look, GB wasn't in the QB business either, but I bet they don't regret AR...

I used to think that despite the hate, that Polian had game. I'm starting to think he might be more like Homer Simpson as the Powerplant Union president.

 

[Tunescribe]

Brady's whole life might have been different if Drew slides.

No, Brady eventually would've won the job. It just might have taken longer. BB has said that Brady outplayed Bledsoe in the 2001 preseason.

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

He never did "fight Drew Henson for the starter's job"

Brady started every single game his junior and senior year. Yes, the hot-shot Henson was stupidly "rotated in" for a few series, usually in the second quarter, and played a lot in mop-up time. That happened less often later in the year, as Lloyd Carr came to his senses.

stats for 1998 and 1999:
Brady 618 pass attempts
Henson 134

so I guess you can say it was an 82%/18% "time share"

http://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/tom-brady-1.html
http://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/drew-henson-1.html

 

[PlainOldEd]

Brady's whole life might have been different if Drew slides. And every team passed on Brady multiple times. It really was amazing how the stars aligned for Tom. I don't think he would have done as well anywhere else. And I say that as a huge Tom Brady fan, my all-time fav college player. Even I didn't think he would do much in NE. Heck, he was the 4th-string QB and I was surprised they kept 4, as I'm sure many people were.

Maybe if Polian had spent a decent pick or made more of an effort to develop a decent back-up, he might still be in Indy with Peyton. But when Manning got injured, the years of skating by without a back-up blew up in his face.

And that's what makes BB special. Polian can talk all he wants, he didn't have the guts to bring in a quality player behind Manning, while BB kept 4 QBs on the roster despite having the most expensive QB in the league at the time. It's why I don't even blink when he spends a 2nd rounder on Jimmy G despite having a HOFer at the position. And it's why this season wouldn't have been derailed if Brady had lost his appeal. It's why we won 11 games with Matt Cassel.

I think he would have started eventually anyway. Bill is too smart to keep him on the bench, and I remember hearing that Brady looked good that camp but Drew got the job because of his experience.

 

[borg]

Typical Colts self-congratulations......patting themselves on the back today for .......????.......pretending to love Brady 15 years ago? It's like me saying "I would have picked the winning lottery ticket numbers if I was into spending a $1 to win $125 million"
From the same team that gives you the Participation Banner

 

[JMC00]

1st round grade on a guy that was still there in the 5th when you took a Center which you already had 2 on your roster (and he didn't make the 53) and you had one back-up QB in Kelly Holcomb at the time of the draft. The other back-up QB (Billy Joe Hobert) for them that year wasn't signed until training camp.

Ya sure you had a 1st round grade on him.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

FWIW, Brady and Pioli have said that at the point they took him, Brady was far and away the highest remaining player on their board.

But it wasn't until the 199th pick that they could bring themselves to draft Brady.

 

[Deus Irae]

It's all well and good to say you had a first round grade on Brady but show me the scouting reports that prove it.

This.

So very much this.



I don't believe Polian for a second.

 

[Bledsoehasaring]

This guys ego is unf@cking believable. The only qbs he ever gave high grades to were peyton, brady, big ben, and rodgers. So this f@cking idiot believes (as he stated on espn) that deflated footballs are as bad a peds...but he also has the ability to identify every super star qb in the league in the last 20 years before they played a single down in the nfl. Hey Bill Polian you drafted one qb 18 years ago with the number one pick in the draft that any 10 year old would have picked. You won exactly one super bowl with that pick you moron. And you want me to believe you passed on every superstar qb since then cause peyton won you one f@cking ring. Seriously why is this guy in the hall of fame?

 

[robbomango]

Is this one a joke?

Mike Loyko ‏@NEPD_Loyko 2h2 hours ago
Polian also had a first round grade on Julian Edelman for the record.

 

[Tony2046]

I told my Grandfather he should have bought some coke stock back in the 30's. FYI

 

[convertedpatsfan]

No, Brady eventually would've won the job. It just might have taken longer. BB has said that Brady outplayed Bledsoe in the 2001 preseason.

I think he would have started eventually anyway. Bill is too smart to keep him on the bench, and I remember hearing that Brady looked good that camp but Drew got the job because of his experience.

Guys, I watched The Brady Six too, I know what BB said But nothing is guaranteed in the NFL. And even if BB was thinking about starting Brady, it's a pretty big call to bench the most expensive QB in the league. And even if he had, there's no guarantee Brady would have developed the same way.

What if Brady got the start later on in the season? Does he get the same chance to learn on the job on easy mode? Brady played 6 games against teams that would finish the season with a losing record out of his first 9 starts, winning the 6 games against losing teams and losing all 3 against teams .500 or better. If he started later in the season, would it have been the same?

What if he hadn't started by the time the Rams game came around, would he be as ready for the Super Bowl to pull off one of the great upsets of all-time?

Maybe. Maybe not. But I don't think it's guaranteed that Brady would have been a future first-ballot HOFer in any circumstances, even with BB. If he'd gone 2-2 instead of 11-4 to start his career, does it all work out the same way? I don't know, but I don't think we'll ever see another career like Brady's.

 

[Patriot Missile]

Egotistical or a a misleading slight against the greatest late round steal in history?

Besides being one of, if not thee greatest QB's of all time, the aura of Brady remains not only in part that he is great, but also he was the guy nobody wanted. A 6th round pick,199. Many say a driving force behind Brady's desire and competitiveness.

Again, either Polian is just that stupid to want to make us believe they had a first round grade and passed on him 6 times or he is trying to knock the Aura of Brady down a notch. Probably both.