Tom Brady

Thomas Edward Brady, Jr. (born August 3, 1977 in San Mateo, California) is an American football quarterback for the National Football League's New England Patriots.

NFL career

2001 season

Initially, Brady served as the backup to the starting quaterback, Drew Bledsoe. This changed on September 23, 2001, when the Patriots were playing against their AFC East division rivals, New York Jets at Foxboro Stadium. During that game, Drew Bledsoe suffered internal bleeding after colliding with Jets linebacker Mo Lewis. New England not only lost the game but Bledsoe, too. Soon after Brady was named the starting quarterback, he led the Patriots to an 11-5 record and into the playoffs.

Related Topics:
Drew Bledsoe - September 23 - 2001 - New York Jets - Foxboro Stadium - Internal bleeding - Linebacker - Mo Lewis - Playoffs

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During a 2001 divisional playoff game against the Oakland Raiders (played in January 2002), Tom Brady had been ruled as having fumbled on a pass attempt, with Oakland protecting a three-point lead. Invoking the "tuck rule," where a ball is ruled an incomplete pass after the quarterback starts any forward throwing motion, the referee overturned the decision after reviewing the instant replay, calling the drop an incomplete pass rather than a fumble. The Patriots would eventually tie the game and win it in overtime. After defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship Game, the Patriots were considered 14-point underdogs against the NFC champion St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI.

Related Topics:
Oakland Raiders - Instant replay - Pittsburgh Steelers - AFC - NFC - St. Louis Rams - Super Bowl XXXVI

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With less than two minutes left in the Super Bowl, and the score tied, sports caster John Madden famously said that he thought that the Patriots should let the time run out on the clock, and look to win the game in overtime. Instead Brady led the Patriots offense on an offensive passing barrage, driving down the field and winning the game by a field goal by Adam Vinatieri as time expired. The Patriots won the championship and Brady was named MVP of Super Bowl XXXVI.

Related Topics:
John Madden - Adam Vinatieri - MVP - Super Bowl XXXVI

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Interestingly enough, this was the first year in which fans had a say in the vote for the Super Bowl MVP. By garnering 29.02% of the online vote, which was 0.28% ahead of the second-best total, Brady was awarded all 4 'fan votes.' These 4 votes were enough to push Brady's MVP vote total ahead of the official panel's choice, Patriot cornerback Ty Law, who had scored on a 48-yard interception touchdown return, and make Brady the second-youngest MVP ever, after Lynn Swann.

Related Topics:
Ty Law - Lynn Swann

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2003 season

In the 2003 NFL season, after a 2-2 start, Brady led the Patriots to 12 consecutive victories to finish the historic season and win the AFC East.

Related Topics:
2003 - AFC

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In the first two rounds of the playoffs, the Patriots shut down the NFL regular season co-MVPs, Tennessee's Steve McNair and Indianapolis's Peyton Manning.

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On February 1, 2004, Brady led the Patriots to a 32-29 victory over the surprising NFC champion Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII and was named Super Bowl MVP for the second time, setting the record for most completions by a QB in the Superbowl.

Related Topics:
February 1 - 2004 - Carolina Panthers - Super Bowl XXXVIII - Super Bowl MVP

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With 1:08 left in the fourth quarter and the score tied at 29, Brady engineered a clutch drive to put the Patriots in position for the game-winning field goal.

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2004 season

During the 2004-2005 season, Brady helped the Patriots set an NFL record with 21 straight wins dating from the previous year. New England's 14-2 record matched that of the 2003-04 season and equalled the best record ever for a defending champion. The Patriots also won the AFC East divisional title for the third time in four years. In the AFC playoffs, Brady led the Patriots to victories over the Indianapolis Colts and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Against Pittsburgh, Brady played admirably despite suffering from a high pre-game fever.

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On February 6, 2005, the Brady-led Patriots won Super Bowl XXXIX for their third NFL championship in four years.

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