Soul_Survivor88
Experienced Starter w/First Big Contract
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Christopher Price says it best: “Trying to narrow downTom Brady’s best year is like trying to settle on your favorite season of ‘The Wire.’ There’s really no wrong answer, and you can come up with a great argument for just about any one of them.” I have a hard time myself narrowing down one single season in particular. But based on on overall statistical performance, late-game heroics, supporting cast and overall intangibles, I would argue that 2007 or 2010 should top the list of Brady’s most amazing seasons.
2007
2007 was one of the greatest seasons ever enjoyed by an NFL quarterback. This was Brady's "Michael Jordan moment" - the moment in which he elevated himself and took his game to new, unforeseen heights. His transcendent season came on the heels of a low-point in his early career. He had lost three consecutive games to Peyton Manning and the Colts, culminating in the epic 2006 AFC title game, where the Patriots blew a big first-half lead, before falling 38-34, in what was the greatest comeback in conference title history.That day, Manning out-gunned the Patriots and shred their defense using a talented array of receivers including as Dallas Clark, Reggie Wayne and Marvin Harrison. Brady, meanwhile, struggled to keep up, relying on aging journeyman Troy Brown and castoffs like Reche Caldwell as his primary offensive weapons. As the game morphed from rout to shootout, the Patriots struggled to find the end zone. Reche Caldwell had a brutal second half and dropped multiple passes. Despite everything, New England still had a chance to ice the game. With 2:30 to play, and the Colts down to a single timeout, a third and five was all that separated the Pats from the promised land. Tom Brady threw to the inside of aging vet Troy Brown who was leaning to the outside, when Bob Sanders suddenly knifed in to break up the pass.
The success of the Colts coincided with a changing rules environment that made it harder and harder for the Patriots to win with their defense. After years of watching their receivers be tormented by New England’s linebackers, coaches responded by demanding an increase in pass interference and illegal contact penalties. And, it seems, the league listened. With Manning’s receivers free to roam the field, Belichick had to watch as his team melted in the face of Indianapolis’ high-powered offense. After the epic defeat in the 2006 AFC title game, Belichick had had enough. He decided that a change was needed. And from that moment on, he vowed to never lose a shootout again, and to always have the firepower to outgun the opposition.
If they hoped to topple the Colts, the Patriots needed to win shootouts and pile up points faster than Manning could. So starting in early March, the Patriots worked out a trade with Miami to secure Wes Welker, who would grow to become the league’s most productive pass catcher over the next five seasons. After receivers Donte' Stallworth and Kelley Washington signed on, the Patriots finished with a bombshell: trading a fourth-round draft choice to Oakland for receiver Randy Moss. “I’ve always had a saying,” Moss said, “that Peyton Manning has his wide receivers, why can’t Tom have his?”
For Brady, the effects of these trades and acquisitions were utterly transformational. While he was already one of the most clutch quarterbacks in history with three Super Bowl rings to his credit, Brady never had been a prolific passer until now. In his first six seasons as a starter, Brady never threw for more than 28 touchdowns in a season and had eclipsed the 4,000-yard passing mark just once before. But through just the first thirteen games into the 2007 season, Brady led his team to an undefeated record and was leading the league in passing yards (4,235), passing yards per attempt (8.42), passing yards per game (302.5), quarterback rating (119.7) and passes for first downs (210). “To bring some clarity and perspective to Brady's season,” wrote Gene Wojciechowski of ESPN, “think of it this way: He has more touchdown passes than the rest of the AFC East (31), more than the combined totals of Brett Favre and Drew Brees (44), and the exact combined totals of Peyton and Eli Manning. He also has just five interceptions in 476 pass attempts. Dallas' Tony Romo threw that many picks in a single game this season.”
With a new series of options in the passing game, Brady led a nearly unstoppable passing game that put up some of the highest efficiency totals ever recorded for a quarterback. That season, he averaged 48 percent more passing yards than defenses had otherwise allowed and a mind-blowing 150 percent more touchdowns than his opponents yielded on average to their other opponents. With over 50% of his drives resulting in a touchdown, Brady’s team scored on 88 out of 167 offensive possessions, giving him an astonishing scoring percentage of 52.7%. By way of comparison, the team that ranked second in scoring percentage that season was the Indianapolis Colts (44.6%) So what does that mean? It means that if Tom Brady touched pigskin in 2007, the Patriots were more likely to score 7 points than 0 points! “Coach says he put us out there to score every time we touch it, so that’s what we’re trying to do,” Brady shrugged after a 56-0 win over Buffalo. “I think that’s the job description for any offense in the NFL – you score.” Indeed, Brady led an offense that scored between 34 and 52 points in each of their first eight games. On six occasions, Brady went toe-to-toe with top-10 defenses, including four showdowns against top-five units (and a Steelers team that had allowed the fewest points and yards in the NFL). The high point of the season was a 49-28 blowout in Miami against the Dolphins when Brady finished 21-for-25 for 354 yards and six touchdowns! The Patriots would go on to achieve a perfect regular season record, racking up an insane 75 touchdowns andoutscoring their opponents by 315 points (!) while Brady led the league in completion percentage (69 percent), passing yards (4,806) and touchdown passes (50). In recognition of these historic accomplishments, Brady was named the NFL’s MVP, taking 49 of 50 votes. Brady also was named NFL Offensive Player of the Year, and finished the season having been named AFC Offensive Player of the Month twice.
Favorite Highlight of Season – Tie between Week 9 vs. Indianapolis and Week 13 vs. Baltimore
Week 9 - With an offense churning at never-seen-before levels, the Patriots entered a Week 9 game that had been circled on the calendar of many NFL fans. It was a return trip to Indianapolis to face off against the defending Super Bowl Champions: Peyton Manning and the Colts. Dubbed Super Bowl XLI ½”, the game between the Patriots (0-8) and the Colts (0-7) marked the first time in NFL history that two undefeated teams with seven or more wins had faced each other. If the Patriots were to indeed run the table, this figured to be their toughest test. The Colts were the only other undefeated team left in the season, and had already beaten the Pats the last three times they played. And during most of the game, it looked as though the Pats would walk away from the field with another bitter defeat. Yet in spite of yielding 112 rushing yards to RB Joseph Addai, trailing from the end of the 1st quarter all the way to the end of the fourth, and committing a franchise-record 10 penalties for 146 yards, the Patriots came from behind to seize the win. Under Brady's calm leadership, the Pats scored two touchdowns in less than five minutes (!) and rallied from a 20-10 fourth-quarter deficit to clinch the game, 24-20.
Week 13 - For sheer dramatics, nothing topped Brady's performance in the regular season game against the Baltimore Ravens. Despite coming in as losers of five straight games, the Ravens played with a passion unlike anything the Patriots had encountered all season. They were simply tired of watching other teams give in to the Patriots, and were determined to play in Week 13 as if it were their own ‘Super Bowl.’ In what would become their toughest challenge of the regular season, the Patriots dropped or mishandled nine passes in frigid, windy weather, and for the first time all season, a team successfully managed to shut =down Randy Moss and Wes Welker (it’s worth noting that both Moss and Welker played their entire careers in warm or domed climates). On a night when they were hit from all sides, blitzed constantly, saw their receivers drop numerous balls, battled heavy winds and trailed 24– 20 late in the fourth quarter, New England urgently needed Brady to lead his team to victory… and Brady did not let his teammates down. When it mattered the most, Brady drove the Pats 73 yards on 13 plays— including a scramble to convert on fourth-and-six —and capping the effort with an eight-yard strike in the game’s final minute. Wild finish!
2007
2007 was one of the greatest seasons ever enjoyed by an NFL quarterback. This was Brady's "Michael Jordan moment" - the moment in which he elevated himself and took his game to new, unforeseen heights. His transcendent season came on the heels of a low-point in his early career. He had lost three consecutive games to Peyton Manning and the Colts, culminating in the epic 2006 AFC title game, where the Patriots blew a big first-half lead, before falling 38-34, in what was the greatest comeback in conference title history.That day, Manning out-gunned the Patriots and shred their defense using a talented array of receivers including as Dallas Clark, Reggie Wayne and Marvin Harrison. Brady, meanwhile, struggled to keep up, relying on aging journeyman Troy Brown and castoffs like Reche Caldwell as his primary offensive weapons. As the game morphed from rout to shootout, the Patriots struggled to find the end zone. Reche Caldwell had a brutal second half and dropped multiple passes. Despite everything, New England still had a chance to ice the game. With 2:30 to play, and the Colts down to a single timeout, a third and five was all that separated the Pats from the promised land. Tom Brady threw to the inside of aging vet Troy Brown who was leaning to the outside, when Bob Sanders suddenly knifed in to break up the pass.
The success of the Colts coincided with a changing rules environment that made it harder and harder for the Patriots to win with their defense. After years of watching their receivers be tormented by New England’s linebackers, coaches responded by demanding an increase in pass interference and illegal contact penalties. And, it seems, the league listened. With Manning’s receivers free to roam the field, Belichick had to watch as his team melted in the face of Indianapolis’ high-powered offense. After the epic defeat in the 2006 AFC title game, Belichick had had enough. He decided that a change was needed. And from that moment on, he vowed to never lose a shootout again, and to always have the firepower to outgun the opposition.
If they hoped to topple the Colts, the Patriots needed to win shootouts and pile up points faster than Manning could. So starting in early March, the Patriots worked out a trade with Miami to secure Wes Welker, who would grow to become the league’s most productive pass catcher over the next five seasons. After receivers Donte' Stallworth and Kelley Washington signed on, the Patriots finished with a bombshell: trading a fourth-round draft choice to Oakland for receiver Randy Moss. “I’ve always had a saying,” Moss said, “that Peyton Manning has his wide receivers, why can’t Tom have his?”
For Brady, the effects of these trades and acquisitions were utterly transformational. While he was already one of the most clutch quarterbacks in history with three Super Bowl rings to his credit, Brady never had been a prolific passer until now. In his first six seasons as a starter, Brady never threw for more than 28 touchdowns in a season and had eclipsed the 4,000-yard passing mark just once before. But through just the first thirteen games into the 2007 season, Brady led his team to an undefeated record and was leading the league in passing yards (4,235), passing yards per attempt (8.42), passing yards per game (302.5), quarterback rating (119.7) and passes for first downs (210). “To bring some clarity and perspective to Brady's season,” wrote Gene Wojciechowski of ESPN, “think of it this way: He has more touchdown passes than the rest of the AFC East (31), more than the combined totals of Brett Favre and Drew Brees (44), and the exact combined totals of Peyton and Eli Manning. He also has just five interceptions in 476 pass attempts. Dallas' Tony Romo threw that many picks in a single game this season.”
With a new series of options in the passing game, Brady led a nearly unstoppable passing game that put up some of the highest efficiency totals ever recorded for a quarterback. That season, he averaged 48 percent more passing yards than defenses had otherwise allowed and a mind-blowing 150 percent more touchdowns than his opponents yielded on average to their other opponents. With over 50% of his drives resulting in a touchdown, Brady’s team scored on 88 out of 167 offensive possessions, giving him an astonishing scoring percentage of 52.7%. By way of comparison, the team that ranked second in scoring percentage that season was the Indianapolis Colts (44.6%) So what does that mean? It means that if Tom Brady touched pigskin in 2007, the Patriots were more likely to score 7 points than 0 points! “Coach says he put us out there to score every time we touch it, so that’s what we’re trying to do,” Brady shrugged after a 56-0 win over Buffalo. “I think that’s the job description for any offense in the NFL – you score.” Indeed, Brady led an offense that scored between 34 and 52 points in each of their first eight games. On six occasions, Brady went toe-to-toe with top-10 defenses, including four showdowns against top-five units (and a Steelers team that had allowed the fewest points and yards in the NFL). The high point of the season was a 49-28 blowout in Miami against the Dolphins when Brady finished 21-for-25 for 354 yards and six touchdowns! The Patriots would go on to achieve a perfect regular season record, racking up an insane 75 touchdowns andoutscoring their opponents by 315 points (!) while Brady led the league in completion percentage (69 percent), passing yards (4,806) and touchdown passes (50). In recognition of these historic accomplishments, Brady was named the NFL’s MVP, taking 49 of 50 votes. Brady also was named NFL Offensive Player of the Year, and finished the season having been named AFC Offensive Player of the Month twice.
Favorite Highlight of Season – Tie between Week 9 vs. Indianapolis and Week 13 vs. Baltimore
Week 9 - With an offense churning at never-seen-before levels, the Patriots entered a Week 9 game that had been circled on the calendar of many NFL fans. It was a return trip to Indianapolis to face off against the defending Super Bowl Champions: Peyton Manning and the Colts. Dubbed Super Bowl XLI ½”, the game between the Patriots (0-8) and the Colts (0-7) marked the first time in NFL history that two undefeated teams with seven or more wins had faced each other. If the Patriots were to indeed run the table, this figured to be their toughest test. The Colts were the only other undefeated team left in the season, and had already beaten the Pats the last three times they played. And during most of the game, it looked as though the Pats would walk away from the field with another bitter defeat. Yet in spite of yielding 112 rushing yards to RB Joseph Addai, trailing from the end of the 1st quarter all the way to the end of the fourth, and committing a franchise-record 10 penalties for 146 yards, the Patriots came from behind to seize the win. Under Brady's calm leadership, the Pats scored two touchdowns in less than five minutes (!) and rallied from a 20-10 fourth-quarter deficit to clinch the game, 24-20.
Week 13 - For sheer dramatics, nothing topped Brady's performance in the regular season game against the Baltimore Ravens. Despite coming in as losers of five straight games, the Ravens played with a passion unlike anything the Patriots had encountered all season. They were simply tired of watching other teams give in to the Patriots, and were determined to play in Week 13 as if it were their own ‘Super Bowl.’ In what would become their toughest challenge of the regular season, the Patriots dropped or mishandled nine passes in frigid, windy weather, and for the first time all season, a team successfully managed to shut =down Randy Moss and Wes Welker (it’s worth noting that both Moss and Welker played their entire careers in warm or domed climates). On a night when they were hit from all sides, blitzed constantly, saw their receivers drop numerous balls, battled heavy winds and trailed 24– 20 late in the fourth quarter, New England urgently needed Brady to lead his team to victory… and Brady did not let his teammates down. When it mattered the most, Brady drove the Pats 73 yards on 13 plays— including a scramble to convert on fourth-and-six —and capping the effort with an eight-yard strike in the game’s final minute. Wild finish!
