He had been overlooked, degraded in the pro football draft of college players, reduced to an afterthought, taken in the sixth round after 197 other players considered more worthy, thought to be a career backup. Only a near-fatal injury to the vaunted starting quarterback for the long-suffering New England Patriots provided him a chance to play.
Seven championships, and two decades later, he stands as a legend in his own time.
Indeed, Tom Brady did what few, if any, thought possible in Sunday’s Super Bowl. The man actually embellished his already-secure reputation as the greatest quarterback in NFL History, rising to the rank of a fabled figure whose tales will be passed onto future generations of sports fans.
How Brady got to where he is holds many valuable lessons not just for football fans but also for Americans writ large.
When opportunity knocked, he was ready. In coming off the bench with no experience to replace a stud quarterback who had just signed a ten-year contract, he required no learning curve. He immediately led his team into the postseason. As it became clear that he was a far better signal-caller than the Patriots had imagined, he never let go of the starting job. And he led a famously bedraggled franchise to success beyond their wildest dreams. As a player labeled as a career backup, if he had not been ready when the bell rang, he may never have received another opportunity to prove himself.
Never possessed of superior physical skills, Brady employed his off-the-charts football intelligence to consistently outsmart and confound his more physically impressive opponents. He can thus serve as a role model, inspiration even, for everyone from the kid who’s the last one taken in a pick-up game of hoops to the overachieving young executive waiting for a cherished opportunity which will likely only knock once.
While his career is the stuff of legends, so is his discipline and physical condition. Many a story has been penned in recent years about his hours-long workout routines and nutritional regimen, which have kept his aging body in a state so remarkable that he has rarely been injured - despite having an oversized bullseye on his back from the moment he won his first Super Bowl.
He became a Hall of Fame quarterback by the time he was 25, but then hit a valley devoid of titles for many years, only to rise again at age 37, for heaven’s sake, adding four, count ‘em, four more Super Bowl titles to his trophy case in his late 30’s and early 40’s. That never happens. Much like another great champion of our time, Tiger Woods, he was able to revive his greatness in a rare second act, demonstrating a persistence and ambition, which should be an inspiration for anyone paying attention.
Beyond all else, Tom Brady is a textbook example of believing in yourself. After leading the Patriots to a ridiculous six championships, his contract expired after the 2019 season. At 41 years old, in a brutal sport designed for those far younger, almost anyone else would have called it a career. Or perhaps he could have comfortably signed one more deal to stay in New England for his twilight years. Instead, he took on what seemed like an impossible new challenge, leaving for the great unknown of a franchise that had not even won a playoff game in 19 years.
And the rest is history. Indeed, through preparation, discipline, persistence, and most of all, an unwavering belief in himself, Thomas Edward Patrick Brady, Jr. hero of the hour, champion of the century, has taught us many lessons with value far beyond the football field.
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Read more from Tim Donner.
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