The moment Tom Brady became Tom Brady

[Fixit]

When he uttered, "Let there be light!" so he could break down game film.

 

[RobertWeathers]

In an interview, Bill said it was sometime in the 03 season was when he knew Tom was REALLY special.

 

[RobertWeathers]

It was real easy to get on the Brady bandwagon early. I feel like kind of an ass saying this now, but at the time I was so over Bledsoe. His Jay Cutler'esque style of quarterbacking was losing its charm. Dude would throw rockets into double and triple coverage, but not in a sweet-completion kind of way. More like a WTF-interception kinda' way.

Was all in on Tom after the Colts game.

Love Drew but I was done as well. They were 0-2. I was expecting 9-7 that year.

If you watch that Jets game, they said Drew was pulled for performance reasons and not the MoLew hit.

I suspect Bill was done too

 

[Soliel]

The come back victory in the orange bowl at Michigan. This is a recurring theme in his career.

 

[wizwor]

It was clear that year that Tom Brady was going to be a good QB. When he came in for Drew, while it was clear he didn't have all the physical attributes Drew had, it was also clear his quick decision making and poise was something as Patriots fans we had not seen before out of a Patriot QB. But even back then I never would have dreamed he would have turned into the QB he is now.

It feels like it was just a few seasons ago. Hard to believe it will be 16 years ago this Saturday. Funny it was also before HD.

For me, this was the moment Tom Brady became Tom F'n Brady!

Wrong! Tom Brady became TB12 in the final moments of the Snow Bowl. He was not having a great game and fumbled away the opportunity to get back in the game. The season was over. Then the refs decided the fumble was an incomplete pass and TB12 stepped on to the field. The score, the spike, the drive, and the win. That was the day we met TB12.

But thanks for making me think of that again.

 

[Pat the Pats Fan]

That drive, textbook Brady finding the open man. Marching down the field cool as a cucumber

 

[Kontradiction]

What stands out most is how much better off we are with even the worse commentating crews nowadays. The lack of any emotion and reduced fan noise in that broadcast is absurd. AV makes the last minute kick for a SB titles against a 10+ favorite and it seems to have zero impact on both Madden and Summerall.

I will take Michaels/Collinsworth, Buck/Aikman and especially Nantz/Romo over any of this dead ****. Hell give me any radio announcer... even Zolak..

Summerall was awful. Zero energy. I think by that point he had died and re-spawned two or three times already.

 

[stinkypete]

I got the first sense after the San Diego game. Maybe it was wishful thinking, but I got the sense that this guy was going to be great, like Montana great.

Guess I was wrong, he turned out far greater.

 

[sarge]

he was pretty average up until Belichick committed to him (5-3, just barely above average statically)

You have to remember the context though. Back then he wasn't the stat machine he is today. The difference between him and what Pats fans had become accustomed to is that with Brady, we had a buy that somehow figured out a way to move the chains on 3rd down and for the most part, avoided that critical interception and dumb decision at the most crucial point of the game. Something that seemed to always happen with our QB's in the past. So "average" at that point was considerably better then what Pats fans were used to!

The thing that also stood out for me when Brady came in was the offensive like. For a couple years that offensive like got trashed by the media and fans alike. Yet for some reason, the moment Brady came in, the sacks started to go down. Atleast the ones at critical times. And it seemed this much maligned offensive line wasn't as bad at protecting the QB as everyone thought.

 

[PatsWSB47]

In an interview, Bill said it was sometime in the 03 season was when he knew Tom was REALLY special.

Yeah but what does he know?

 

[PatsWSB47]

You have to remember the context though. Back then he wasn't the stat machine he is today. The difference between him and what Pats fans had become accustomed to is that with Brady, we had a buy that somehow figured out a way to move the chains on 3rd down and for the most part, avoided that critical interception and dumb decision at the most crucial point of the game. Something that seemed to always happen with our QB's in the past. So "average" at that point was considerably better then what Pats fans were used to!

The thing that also stood out for me when Brady came in was the offensive like. For a couple years that offensive like got trashed by the media and fans alike. Yet for some reason, the moment Brady came in, the sacks started to go down. Atleast the ones at critical times. And it seemed this much maligned offensive line wasn't as bad at protecting the QB as everyone thought.

Brady did his job. He did what they asked him to do. He followed the game plan. Stats were not the goal.

 

[sarge]

Wrong! Tom Brady became TB12 in the final moments of the Snow Bowl. He was not having a great game and fumbled away the opportunity to get back in the game. The season was over. Then the refs decided the fumble was an incomplete pass and TB12 stepped on to the field. The score, the spike, the drive, and the win. That was the day we met TB12.

But thanks for making me think of that again.

Im going to disagree only because that was a divisional round playoff game and was not nearly as improbable as the Superbowl win. For me that game was more of an exorcising the ghost of Ben Dreith and Sugar Bear Hamilton. The only thing that would have made the tuck rule more poetic is if they had called roughing the passer. That would have been the ultimate exorcising of those ghosts.

If memory serves there had not been a more lopsided point spread in a Superbowl since Superbowl 3. Pats had just blown a 14 point lead, had zero time outs, the ball at there own 17, just over a minute left before the game would go to overtime, and Brady as his first year as a starter in the NFL. The defense at that point of the game was done. If it went to overtime, we all knew we would likely lose. Definately if we lost the toss as back then only a field goal was required to win. And Brady had the weight of a fanbase who had never tasted the ultimate prize.

Much bigger moment then the snowbowl IMO.

 

[Off The Grid]

This is a fun thread, but'f course it's a ridiculous premise.

There was no "moment" that Tom Brady became Tom Brady.

Individual Greatness is never ushered in by an event.

It's the product of a relentless process.

Brady has always been Brady...But if you were watching the games, wasn't it clear that he was beautifully and unmercifully driven right from the onset?

I mean: We're talking about a first-time QuarterBack who took more'n a month ~ 4.5 Games and then some ~ before getting around to'is first interception.

Let me say that again: Tom Brady ~ Tom "WhoThePhuckIsThisGuy Brady" to'is friends ~ takes the helm of an allegedly rudderless 0-2 team just in time to face the allegedly unstoppable Indianapolis Peyton Mannings, who, for those who've forgotten, were averaging 44 points a game and'd already been anointed that year's AFC Champions...and, in coordination with Bill the Mad (Genius) and his band of extraordinary men, turn History on its Axis in a single afternoon.

...and goes 4.5 games, this kid on an allegedly bad team, without an Interception.

 

[1960Pats]

The Brady/Bledsoe wars got pretty heated in the beginning, even after TB12 led us to the promised land for the first time. I think all of the Bledsoe fans have come to their senses by now, but it wasn't so easy back then.

For some fans it was obvious that Brady did all of the little things better than Drew. TB didn't force passes into coverage, he hit RBs in stride on swing passes and seemed to see the field better.

I think Belichick made the right choice.

 

[mosslost]

You have to remember the context though. Back then he wasn't the stat machine he is today. The difference between him and what Pats fans had become accustomed to is that with Brady, we had a buy that somehow figured out a way to move the chains on 3rd down and for the most part, avoided that critical interception and dumb decision at the most crucial point of the game. Something that seemed to always happen with our QB's in the past. So "average" at that point was considerably better then what Pats fans were used to!

The thing that also stood out for me when Brady came in was the offensive like. For a couple years that offensive like got trashed by the media and fans alike. Yet for some reason, the moment Brady came in, the sacks started to go down. Atleast the ones at critical times. And it seemed this much maligned offensive line wasn't as bad at protecting the QB as everyone thought.

he threw a fair amount of pics that year. (18 TDs 12 INT, in 14 games, and not many attempts compared to many years.. he had an absolutely awful game with 4 picks too.. yeah I know first year starting. I am just stating that many people nowadays talk about it like it was not a big deal not giving Bledsoe his job back. I would say it was 50/50 in this market, which seemed surprisingly high to not give it back to Bledsoe).

And at 5-5 at the time, no one had any idea whether this was a one year thing, or that the team was going to the playoffs let alone win the Super Bowl.

 

[mosslost]

...and goes 4.5 games, this kid on an allegedly bad team, without an Interception.

he threw 4 INT the very next game in Denver to make up for it. He had about 5 or 6 TD over that 5 game stretch as well, only averaged 200 Yards passing per game and not many attempts (average skewed by the 364 yards in the SD game (his only 300 yard passing game that entire season including playoffs) Yes, the 4 INT game in Denver skews his 12 INT total for the year, but it did come immediately after the stretch of no pics to start a season you are referencing.

Honestly, the team was 5-5 and was probably considered a gritty team, stepping up with a back up quarterback, at that time. Then they ran off 6 wins in a row to finish the regular season where the TEAM was the reason..

For the last 5 Wins he has 2 TD and 5 INTs. There was not any major reason to see greatness in Brady yet in 2001 for the entire regular season.

For me Brady was starting to become legend in the playoffs that year (with an assist with an OK relief appearance from Drew who accounted for ONE of the teams THREE Offensive TD of the entire playoffs.

So Brady led just 2 TD drives in the playoffs and one was off a short field that the D provided. (started around the STL 37 or something)

Even after winning the SB there was still people questioning. I think Brady played pretty darn good in 2002 but the team was not good enough. And 2003 that was an overall team dominance including a becoming great QB.

It was only after the 2004 season playoff run and SB 39 win where it became even "OK" to start saying who would you want "Manning/Brady"... The third SB put that it play. There was no substantive "GOAT" talk yet. Every once in a while people would say he seemed like "Joe", but they would with the other side of their mouths still call it "blasphemy"

Now it is not only GOAT QB, but GOAT football player.. and people are now talking "Brady/Jordan"

 

[borg]

I am very comfortable stating that TB12 was a "system" QB in his initial years. Low risk dump offs/screens / minimal "air yards"/ get the ball in playmakers hands and let them create the YAC. Weiss was a maestro during this era keeping defenses off balance / moving the chains / not forcing the issue/ taking advantage when opportunities presented themselves. NE played great O/D complimentary ball....and owned the field position battles during this era when team's rarely could move the ball 80 yards in 60 seconds like now.

 

[stinkypete]

This is a fun thread, but'f course it's a ridiculous premise.

There was no "moment" that Tom Brady became Tom Brady.

Individual Greatness is never ushered in by an event.

It's the product of a relentless process.

Brady has always been Brady...But if you were watching the games, wasn't it clear that he was beautifully and unmercifully driven right from the onset?

I mean: We're talking about a first-time QuarterBack who took more'n a month ~ 4.5 Games and then some ~ before getting around to'is first interception.

Let me say that again: Tom Brady ~ Tom "WhoThePhuckIsThisGuy Brady" to'is friends ~ takes the helm of an allegedly rudderless 0-2 team just in time to face the allegedly unstoppable Indianapolis Peyton Mannings, who, for those who've forgotten, were averaging 44 points a game and'd already been anointed that year's AFC Champions...and, in coordination with Bill the Mad (Genius) and his band of extraordinary men, turn History on its Axis in single afternoon.

...and goes 4.5 games, this kid on an allegedly bad team, without an Interception.

Much truth here. Tom Brady has been undergoing an ongoing transformation. He has gone from backup, to cinderella story, to system QB, to star, to superstar, to elder statesman, to QB GOAT, to GOAT at any position, and is knocking on the door of GOAT of all American sports.

 

[Patstopia]

The difference between Brady and Bledsoe was startling. Bledsoe was a slow plodding deep passer. A stone statue in the middle of the pocket. Every year I wondered if he spent any time at all trying to improve his footwork. Maybe a dance class or something, anything to get moving better.
Then Brady came in and the offense started moving. Quick short throws that were complete before Bledsoe would have set his feet. The Oline could block all of sudden. They didn't need to block for 7 seconds, just 2-3 seconds. It was exciting too say the least.

 

[Bobsyouruncle]

I am very comfortable stating that TB12 was a "system" QB in his initial years. Low risk dump offs/screens / minimal "air yards"/ get the ball in playmakers hands and let them create the YAC. Weiss was a maestro during this era keeping defenses off balance / moving the chains / not forcing the issue/ taking advantage when opportunities presented themselves. NE played great O/D complimentary ball....and owned the field position battles during this era when team's rarely could move the ball 80 yards in 60 seconds like now.

I don't agree with that. Brady was a top 10 stat guy since 2002. Led the league in TDs in 2002. He was 6th in yards in 02 and 03. Ryan is 6th in yards this year and nobody calls him a game manager.