Tom Brady: Professional Sports Ultimate Success Story (Updated Edition)

Dominance is described by one name, and his name is Tom Brady! An unknown when he came into the NFL and now is the largest figure in any sport, here is his story:

2000 Season: Brady is the 7th QB taken in the 2000 NFL Draft with the 199th pick by the New England Patriots, a team that is on the decline thanks to an 8-8 record in 1999 that just hired former Browns coach Bill Belichick to be their head coach. Despite his claims that he would one day beat out starting QB Drew Bledsoe, Brady only played in 1 game that season which was on Thanksgiving in Detroit. That season the Patriots finished 5-11 but lost 6 games by 4 points or fewer. I think it’s just bad luck.

2001 Week 2: “Bledsoe, chased by Ellis! OH HE TOOK A MASSIVE SHOT!” Mo Lewis lays the knockout on Drew Bledsoe, now all eyes are on this 6th Round pick from Michigan, well it could be doomsday for all of New England.

2001 Weeks 3-17: Despite a 5-5 start Brady and a bunch of castoffs on offense plus a ferocious defense harkening back to the Bill Parcells era in New England leads the Patriots to 6 straight wins and a 1st Round Bye in the Playoffs. The bad news for them is that they have to play perhaps the Super Bowl favorite of the AFC in the Raiders in Round 2. As they say anything can happen.

2001 AFC Divisional Round: “After review of the play, the quarterback’s arm was going forward, it is an INCOMPLETE PASS! (ALRIGHT PATRIOTS RETAIN THE BALL!)” The Tuck Rule, one of most controversial calls of all time led the Patriots from perhaps the end of their season to lifting themselves to new heights in the snow thanks to 2 clutch field goals by Adam Vinatieri. This is a Cinderella Story in the making!

2001 AFC Championship: “And Brady is DOWN!” Well the Prince Charming of the NFL got twisted like a pretzel in the 1st half against Pittsburgh. But thanks to 2 touchdowns on special teams and the defense destroying Kordell Stewart’s confidence New England reaches the Super Bowl. The real question that Belichick is about to face is “Who is he gonna start in the Big Game!” Well all of Boston was calling for Bledsoe thanks to his experience and that he was a fan favorite. Lets just say that Belichick went with Brady because of the fact that he had the hot hand and he believes that you can’t lose your job because of injury.

Super Bowl XXXVI: New England despite being 14 point underdogs against the Greatest Show on Turf in the St Louis Rams jumped out to a 17-3 lead thanks to the defense roasting Kurt Warner and Marshall Faulk. That is until the 4th Quarter when the Rams scored 14 straight points to tie the game at 17. Then came the phrase that everyone watching that game remembers “Now with no timeouts and this field position, you have to run the clock out, you have to play for Overtime.” Sorry John Madden, Brady and Offensive Coordinator Charlie Weiss weren’t going to listen as the Patriots went 53 yards and Vinatieri silenced the Rams the same way he did to the Raiders. 42 years of failure in Foxborough has fallen to the way side, the Patriots have won the Super Bowl! The future is bright!

2002 Season: Despite moving into Gillette Stadium and being the defending champs the Patriots struggled right out of the gate and finished 9-7. The bad news for them is that they missed the playoffs via tiebreak getting eliminated on the final day of the year to the Jets. This is one of the few times that Gang Green one ups the Pats. The only issue for New England was that they cut Capitan Lawyer Milloy but replaced him with Rodney Harrison. As long as they aren’t a one hit wonder they have a shot.

2003 Regular Season: Despite losing 31-0 to the Bills and 2 franchise icons in Bledsoe and Milloy, New England rallied to win 14 of their next 15 led by Brady emerging into a cornerstone plus that outstanding defense that stopped several late game meltdowns in the 2nd Half of the season (examples were the games against the Broncos, Texans, and Colts.) At 14-2 they had the best record in football and despite winning a championship 2 years earlier no one outside of Boston took them seriously. They are about to be wrong big time!

2003 Playoffs: Despite Brady’s rise to stardom the real story was the Patriots defense during that postseason. In 2 cold playoff games at home they shut down the 2 Co-MVPs in Steve McNair and Peyton Manning, The stats, 2 TDs and 7 INTs. With this result New England gets a return engagement in the Super Bowl. This time they are facing a Panthers team that is similar to the Patriots team in 2001, this should be fun.

Super Bowl XXXVIII: Despite being scoreless for nearly 2 quarters and all of the 3rd, Brady and Jake Delhomme went toe to toe for 17 minutes as both the Patriots and Panthers traded knockout blows with each other. But if there is one thing we know you can’t do, it’s that you can’t do is kick the ball out of bounds on a kickoff this late into the game. That’s what Carolina’s John Kasey did, the result is #Tommy and Deion Branch picking the D apart leading to Vinatieri kicking another field goal to win the Super Bowl. Well this could be the beginning of a dynasty?

2004 Regular Season: Before losing to the Steelers in Week 8 the Patriots captured the NFL record for the longest win streak of all time which was 21 games. This was the balanced Patriots team, Tom Brady, Corey Dillon and the offense reaching new heights, and the Belichick famous defense with Tedy Bruschi, Richard Seymour, and Willie McGinest in their primes. Not to mention they snuck Troy Brown in the slot to cover up the faster receivers on their schedule. With another 14-2 season they once again were considered the underdogs thanks to those good old Colts and a 15-1 team from YinzerLand. What will be the excuse that everyone outside of New England has?

2004 Postseason: Just like in 2003 Peyton Manning and the Colts were no match for the Patriots defense, this is what happens when you call the Steelers and ask for 1500 tickets for the AFC Championship. Speaking of Pittsburgh they drowned them in the bitter cold just like they did in 2001 by roasting Big Ben all night long. If there is one thing you can’t do, it is give Tom Brady and Bill Belichick poster material.

Super Bowl XXXIX: Did these teams learn nothing, the Eagles days before the game were planning their Victory Parade across South Philadelphia, just like the Colts reservations in Pittsburgh they were cancelled thanks to Rodney Harrison and Bruschi, not to mention Brady and game MVP Deion Branch. 3 Super Bowl wins in 4 years, officially establishing Brady as the next great QB and Bill Belichick is now in the discussion for Best Coach ever despite losing both of his coordinators after the game. I wonder what they will do with Eric Mangini and Josh McDaniels?

2005 Season: Even if they lost several players to IR throughout the season, and Tedy Bruschi spent much of the season in the hospital New England did just enough to win the AFC East thanks to Brady producing his best season to this point. They crushed the spirits of an upstart team in the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 1st Round thanks to 2 pick 6’s by the Patriots defense. Unfortunately, this is the point where Brady finally loses in the playoffs. Despite starting his playoff career 10-0 they got smacked by the Broncos aggressive defense and Jake Plummer. Let’s be real, they will still be around even if Mangini left for the Jets.

2006 Regular Season and Rounds 1,2: Despite a 10-6 season in which the offense and defense showed serious flaws, New England did just enough to clinch the AFC East. Remember that Mangini guy, he was absolutely stomped all over Foxborough thanks to Brady, Kevin Faulk, and Daniel Graham. Even as the underdog this time on the road they are up for the challenge. In the 2nd Round they went to San Diego and overcame LaDainian Tomlinson, Antonio Gates, Philip Rivers, and an outstanding defense despite Brady throwing 3 picks to mount a furious comeback to lead New England to victory. Next up is a rematch against the Golden Boy of the NFL in Peyton Manning and the Colts but this time they have to go to the daunting RCA Dome. That’s better than facing Ray Lewis and the Ravens in open air Baltimore!

2006 AFC Championship: Gil Santos: “Manning back to throw, fires near side, INTERCEPTED! Left side, Asonte Samuel 20 15 10 5, TOUCHDOWN ASONTE SAMUEL!” Look at this for a first half performance. A 21-3 lead and Manning is physically banged up, it looks like Brady and the Pats are going to another Super Bowl! BOOM! But unlike in 2003, and 2004 the Sheriff did not fold under pressure, Indianapolis outscored New England 32-13 in the 2nd Half as they took the lead with 1:05 to go. But this will be different Brady is going to hold off the largest comeback ever in a Conference Championship Game I can feel it! “INTERCEPTED! COLTS ARE GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL!” Agony, thy name is Marlin Jackson!

2007 Offseason: Remember Eric Mangini, who was a former Defensive Coordinator for the Patriots? He informed the NFL that New England was using Spy Cameras to get footage on what their opponent each game was going to do. But Belichick insisted that you can say whatever you want about us, but we will find new ways to win. Their solution was to throw money at Randy Moss, Junior Seau, and Wes Welker. Lets see how they can respond to the SpyGate scandal?

2007 1st 18 Games: This turned out to be the biggest statement the NFL has ever seen. Tom Brady sets the record for touchdown passes in a season with 50 including 5 in a game 3 times. Randy Moss has his best season of what is a sure fire Hall of Fame career, an NFL record 23 touchdown catches. Not only did they have those 2 records they set the record for most points scored and became the first team since the schedule change in 1978 to go 16-0. In the Divisional Round against Jacksonville they pulled out all of the old tricks and gadget plays. Despite throwing 3 interceptions in the AFC Championship against those pesky Chargers, Brady, Moss, and the Patriots did just enough to win and go 18-0 and advance to the Super Bowl. They are facing a Cinderella Story in the Giants. They may have Peyton’s younger brother Eli but they clearly look overwhelmed despite taking New England to the limit in Week 17.

Super Bowl XLII: Through 3½ quarters the Giants were basically playing a perfect game against the Patriots. Brady has been sacked 5 times, has been constantly pressured, and they only trail 10-7 thanks to barely being on the field because of New York playing ball control football. But Tom Terrific flashed his regular season dominance by leading the Patriots down the field to regain the lead at 14-10. All they need to do is stop the Giants on their final drive.

Super Bowl XLII Giants Final Drive: Ok they gave up a first down on 4th and inches, Asonte Samuel nearly sealed the game by dropping an INT but there’s no way they can get past the secondary. “Direct snap to Manning, here comes the rush, he’s gonna be hit, gonna be SACKED! NO HE GOT OUT OF IT!!! Now he fires downfield, and it is CAUGHT at the 24 yard line HOW IN THE WORLD DID HE DO THAT!!! Agony, thy name is David Tyree! That and they gave up the game winning touchdown with 35 seconds left, perfection no more! At least most of the core is coming back for 1 more chance at a perfect season.

2008 Week 1: “Brady’s down! And he is in pain!” Not even 1 quarter into the next season, Brady tears his ACL via Bernard Pollard. Remember that name Patriots fans! So who do they have to replace him with? (Matt Cassell) Ok lets see if this works?

2008 Weeks 2-17: Cassell in Brady’s absence steps up and goes 11-5 despite this being the final year for Patriot greats Tedy Bruschi and Rodney Harrison not to mention Junior Seau. The bad news is that they missed the playoffs via tiebreaker, eliminated on the final day of the year to the Ravens and a Rookie QB in Joe Flacco. Remember that team!

2009 Season: Well good news, TB12 is back and he looks refreshed! The defense may be rusty thanks to their cornerstones retiring but they once again returned to being the AFC East Champions with Moss and Welker flashing their 2007 form. BOOM! That is until Welker’s knee got popped by that Pollard guy except he is in Houston now. What is the reward, losing their 1st Home Playoff Game in the Bill Belichick era to the Ravens. In that game they got completely exposed beginning with Ray Rice taking the opening play from scrimmage 83 yards, and Brady throwing 4 picks including 3 in the 1st Quarter. I think Baltimore will be a thorn in their side for the next few years.

2010 Offseason: How’s Randy Moss doing? CRACK! Well Belichick had enough with him and he is gone, at least they drafted Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez.

2010 Season: Guess what Football Gods? Brady once again looks like he’s unstoppable! Led by the 2 headed monster at TE, the re-emergence of the defense, and crushing everyone in sight New England goes into the playoffs buzzing with excitement again. But like the previous year they got embarrassed on their home soil in the 1st Round of the Playoffs, this time it’s to the Jets. And not just any Jets team, this is to Rex Ryan and Mark Sanchez! You know, the team that brought in all of those 2006 Chargers and 2008 Ravens and Steelers players that were ring chasing. This is karma for SpyGate.

2011 Regular Season and Playoffs: Let’s forget last year never happened shall we. Tom Brady, Gronk, and Wes Welker, not to mention Chad Johnson, were able to overcome a shaky 5-3 start to the season by winning their last 8 games by an average of 18 points. Look at this statement they made against the Broncos! Brady throws 6 TDs in a game that was the peak of “Tim Tebow Mania.” Not only that they got revenge on the Ravens for 2008 and 2009 by beating them in epic fashion thanks to Lee Evans and Billy Cundiff shooting themselves in the foot. (That still hurts) With that being the case the Patriots have returned to the Super Bowl after a 4 year wait which is an eternity in Foxborough. Lets see what happens.

Super Bowl XLVI: Just what the doctor ordered, the Patriots took an early lead in the 2nd Half and looked primed for a 4th Championship. Then there is the whole Giants deal, yeah they’re still around and somehow still kicking your butts. Remember the Helmet Catch from Super Bowl XLII? Well Eli Manning and Mario Manningham decided to do their best reincarnation of that play. Giants win the Super Bowl, Patriots fans become salty, Wash Rinse, Repeat!

2012 Regular Season: Even if Rob Gronkowski has been out for much of the season, the Patriots once again are hungry and looking for that elusive 4th championship. A 12-4 season and another First Round Bye is perfect for them because the AFC is likely going through Gillette Stadium. Which so far is the case as New England crushed the Texans all of over the field in the Divisional Round led by Brady and Shane Vereen. Well Peyton Manning is now in Denver and you guys might have to face his new team on the road next week!

2012 AFC Championship: Instead of going to the Mile High City and facing Captain Omaha the Patriots get embarrassed at home by their arch nemesis from Baltimore. And guess what I’m not done yet. Remember when Bernard Pollard tore Tom Brady and Wes Welkers ACL? He knocked Gronk, and Steven Ridley out of the game. And Joe Flacco and Anquan Boldin torched the defense by outscoring New England 21-0 in the 2nd Half. Well too bad you ran into one of the NFLs greatest Cinderella Stories! You’ll be back!

2013 Offseason: Now that Aaron Hernandez got arrested in the offseason and eventually died in jail, (that’s brutal) at least Julian Edelman is starting to be the next great receiver even if Wes Welker joined the Broncos. This is where TB12’s determination is put to the test!

2013 Season: New England overcame the loss of 2 of their star receivers and another long term injury to Gronk to finish with the #2 seed in the AFC. In their 1st Playoff Game against the Colts, Brady didn’t do much thanks to LeGarrett Blount rushing for over 200 yards and 4 TDs. But like in 2006 the luck ran out against Peyton Manning. This time he beat Brady outright thanks to having 60 degree weather in the Rocky Mountains that afternoon, and that the Patriots offense couldn’t get going against a rock solid Broncos defense. At least everyone will be healthy next year.

2014 First 18 Games: What did I say! The Patriots are once again looking like a juggernaut with the 2nd best record in the NFL. Brady is playing the best ball of his career, the defense even though they have weaknesses are still potent thanks to adding Revis Island and converting Devin McCourty to Free Safety. In the playoffs they blew past the Colts, and Brady finally dominated against his arch enemy from Baltimore plus told John Harbaugh to read the rulebook after he argued the eligible receiver policy and a trick play from Edelman to Danny Amendola to cause Dean Peas to rage. Well the 3rd times the Charm for him?

Super Bowl XLIX: Despite trailing 24-14 going into the 4th quarter and being unable to solve the Seahawks “Legion of Boom” defense for much of the game #Tommy went into conductor mode by going the length of the field twice to give New England the lead. Now the defense has to do what they couldn’t do in Super Bowl XLII! BOOM! Oh dear God another Circus Catch, and it’s in Arizona too. Ugh, it’s happening again! “Wilson quick throw and its (LET’S GO) INTERCEPTED! ITS INTERCEPTED BY MALCOLM BUTLER!” Finally Brady and the Patriots can celebrate a 4th Championship. It may have taken 10 years but it felt like 50 after all of those playoff heartbreaks.

2015 Season: Despite some struggles in the middle of the season the Patriots are once again favorites to represent the AFC in Super Bowl 50. At 11-5 with the #2 seed that’s really an advantage they can build on. Luckily for them they stormed past a Chiefs team that isn’t ready for the big time at home before advancing to yet another AFC Championship. Just like 2013 it’s against the Broncos and Peyton Manning who isn’t what he once was but Denver stormed out to an early lead. Even if Brady and Gronk were getting shut down by Denver’s “No Fly Zone” the Patriots stormed back to cut the lead to 2 in the final minutes. All New England needs is a 2 pointer and we are going to overtime! “Brady to throw, his pass is tipped and INTERCEPTED!” Well it wasn’t meant to be this time. You want to know how to not have to go for 2 at the end of the game? If Stephen Gostkowski doesn’t miss the extra point after their first touchdown!

2016 Offseason: Well the NFL front office has claimed that the Patriots once again have done something that has been the result of cheating! This time they claimed that Tom Brady has been deflating his footballs below the league average ever since he came into the NFL. Let’s be real, they were only deflated in that playoff game against the Colts in 2014 because it was pouring in that game. Once again I think the NFL is jealous of New England because Roger Goodell and most of his employees are Jets fans who can’t stand the Patriots. What is the result? (YoYo sound) A 4 game suspension to start the year. Now Belichick and Brady are once again on a mission like they were in 2007! Can finish the job this time?

2016 Week 5-AFC Championship: After a 2-2 start in Brady’s absence, New England won 12 straight to end the year despite another season ending injury to Gronky. If there is 1 thing that the Patriots know how to do, it is use castoffs and scrubs from other teams to their advantage. Examples: James White, Rex Burkhead, Chris Hogan, and Kyle Van Noy. If Brady wasn’t suspended they would have been 16-0 going into the playoffs. There they crushed a pretend team in the Texans, and allowed the Football Gods to laugh at the Yinzers and their victim complex AGAIN! Now they must head back to Houston for Super Bowl LI against perhaps the best offense of the 2010s in the Atlanta Falcons. This should be a great game!

Super Bowl LI First Half: Oh boy I have never seen the Patriots get beat this bad in a playoff game in the Belichick Era. Down 28-3 with 5 minutes left in the 3rd Quarter there appears to be no hope left. BUT THIS IS TB12 AND YOU KNOW HE HAS SOME TRICKS UP HIS SLEEVES!

Super Bowl LI 4th Quarter: Ok, now they cut the lead to 28-12 but it will take a miracle for Atlanta to choke and (DRAMATIC MUSIC) “Ryan loses the football and it’s recovered by the Patriots at the Falcon 25!” Now it’s time to take advantage! “Brady to throw, Endzone Touchdown Amendola!” So it’s 28-20 now, all they need is one stop and they have a chance to tie the game BOOM! Are you kidding me, ANOTHER MIRACLE CATCH! Can someone stop this nonsense from happening to Brady? (HOLD IT!) Oh that’s right the Falcons offense can’t manage a game clock if their lives depended on it, what’s the result? Loss of 3 on a running play, Sack, Holding Call, Incomplete Pass. Now the Patriots must go 90 yards to tie the game.

Super Bowl LI Final Moments: Now the Patriots get their own version of the Helmet Catch, Julien Edelman catches the ball off of 2 deflections at the Atlanta 45 yard line to give New England a golden chance at the 1st OT in Super Bowl History! (IT’S HAPPENING!) “Handoff, TOUCHDOWN JAMES WHITE!” (My Lord, a Glorious Victory will soon be yours!) Well as soon as New England won the coin toss in overtime Falcons fans were like “LET’S GET THE HECK OUT OF HERE!” Let this be the Rallying Cry for all of Boston “He’s IN!!! PATRIOTS WIN THE SUPER BOWL! BRADY HAS HIS 5TH! WHAT A COMEBACK!” It is done! Atlanta riots as New England deservedly claims what is theirs! Despite Deflategate and 28-3 the Patriots are World Champs AGAIN! Move over Joe Montana because #Tommy is the new GOAT of Quarterbacks!

2017 Offseason: Even at 40 years old Brady has a new challenge in front of him, he wants to play until he is 45 or older. Well not to mention he has to deal with the Dreaded Madden Curse! Gronk was hit by the EA Gods last year so why not shove it in their face this time!

2017 Regular Season and Playoffs: After a slow start just like in their previous championship teams, the Patriots once again are the biggest force in the NFL. After another 2-2 start and Julien Edelman being out for the season, the Patriots went on to win 11 of their next 12 games in epic fashion. The funniest game during that stretch was when the Steelers were robbed of a game winning touchdown and the #1 seed thanks to the officials not knowing what a catch is. (“But AB didn’t play because of injury” -Stillers Fans) Once again with homefield they crushed another pretend team from the AFC South in the Titans then proceeded to crush the hopes and dreams of #Sacksonville in the AFC Championship by rallying from 10 points down with 5 minutes left. The result for this was the 8th Super Bowl berth for Brady and Belichick. They were considered heavy favorites against the Philadelphia Eagles, a team starting a backup QB in Nick Foles. But if there is anything that we have learned it’s that each of the Patriots Super Bowl games come down to the final play.

Super Bowl LII: In one of the truly great games in NFL History, both TB12 and St Nicholas the Great Foles traded blows despite the Eagles running the Philly Special shortly after the Patriots failed their own version of it. But deep into the 4th Quarter neither Matt Patricia or Jim Schwartz could stop those 2 QBs. Trailing by 5 late in the game the Patriots will likely get the last laugh! “Brady to throw and he is HIT FROM BEHIND AND THE BALL IS LOOSE! AND ITS RECOVERED BY PHILADELPHIA!” (Death music in Super Mario 3D Land) Agony, THY NAME IS DEREK BARNETT! (EA SPORTS, it’s in the game.)

2018 Regular Season: Despite their 1-2 start in which they were exposed by their old Defensive Boss the Patriots, despite losing several players on defense to free agency were right at the head of the pack in the AFC with an 8-1 swing highlighted by an epic victory against KC at Gillette. But they hit a wall in Weeks 14 and 15. Losing to the Dolphins via the Miami Miracle (NOOOOOOOOO! -All Patriots fans) and losing a hard fought game against Pittsburgh at Heinz Field. But thanks to beating up on the Bills and Jets plus the help from that brick wall known as the Eagles (because they beat the Texans in Week 16 knocking them from the #2 seed) New England gets yet another 1st Round Bye. But many Bostonians were concerned because Brady was looking off and their receiver core was also past their primes. Not to mention their first opponent was a Super Bowl contender in the Chargers.

2018 AFC Divisional Round: Once again Brady plus a punishing run game led by Sony Michel and James White crunched the Bolts all over Foxborough and into the incinerator. Philip Rivers must be sent back to StubHub Center without victory as the Patriots defense eats him for lunch. So who’s their next opponent? The Kansas City Chiefs, yes they have Patrick Mahomes and his Bazooka of an arm plus all that world class speed at receiver but that Cinderella Story is about to strike MIDNIGHT!

2018 AFC Championship: Early on it appeared that way, but in the 2nd Half the Chiefs scorched New England’s defense for 31 points. But here’s the thing boys and girls, you can score as many points as you want but the reality is you can’t count out the GOAT when your QB is playing like a God. Ask all of Chiefs Kingdom that question since their defense had no answers for Gronk, Edelman and the Running Game. Even REFBALL will help this cause as this game goes into OT. The rules are simple, whoever wins the coin toss is going to win! (DING) “New England has won the toss.” Too bad Chiefs, the Patriots just picked your subpar defense apart as Brady adds another chapter to his “Legacy of Success” by knocking off Mahomes and the Big Bad Wolf that is their mascot. Onto Super Bowl LIII against the HotShot LA Rams!

Super Bowl LIII: Unlike previous Super Bowls, the story of this game was not how the game was won by TB12. But just like in Super Bowl XXXVI the Rams wanted to beat Bill Belichick throwing the football, yes they have Todd Gurley but who cares this is NFL Blackjack, Sean McVay wants to beat that dealer known as the Hoodie he wants a 21. What he gets is a 3 and the Patriots win it all again! Look at this statline,  6 Super Bowl Championships and soon almost every single record there is. The only problem is that Rob Gronkowski is retiring, he may consider a comeback but time will tell with that story.

2019 Weeks 1-8: Despite the Patriots failing the Antonio Brown experiment early in the season they have perhaps their best start since 2007. Tom Brady is starting to decline a little bit, but he is still putting up gaudy numbers. The real reason why New England started 8-0 was that their defense was literally a brick wall. You could also say it’s because they played QBs that were past their primes or that they were just trash. Halfway through the season they were on pace to set the record for most turnovers, fewest total yards, rushing yards, passing yards, as well as fewest points in a 16 game season. That would be incredible if the 18 wheeler keeps up against solid teams.

2019 Weeks 9,13,14,17: The 18 Wheeler of a defense lost its confidence. Remember 2007 when the Ravens nearly knocked you from the undefeated in Week 13 that year. Guess what they got a 2nd chance and this time they beat you thanks to Lamar Jackson and that run game exposing your defense. Not to mention the DeAndre Hopkins and Deshawn Watson Texans that too. The biggest pills that Brady and Belichick had to swallow that year were losing to Kansas City at home thanks to some awful late game calls, and blowing a 10 point lead at home in Week 17 against the tank of the Miami Dolphins. The worst part is that those games cost the Pats a First Round Bye which that year was the final year where the 2 team Bye rule was in place. There at least is a brightspot, they will play Tennessee at home in Round 1 and the Titans are 1 dimensional, you can manage right.

2019 AFC Wild Card: The Titans had other plans led by your old linebacker in Mike Vrabel with his chopping off his head to beat you nonsense before the game. The Patriots defense couldn’t help them for much of the game as Derrick Henry roasted their soft front 7. It’s ok though, Brady is going to bail out the Patriots and they will go on a deep playoff run again just watch! “It is INTERCEPTED and run back in for a touchdown by the ex Patriot Logan Ryan.” Well I don’t know what to say, it was just that they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. At least the Titans had one great moment… I take that back (Marylander Salt) AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

2020 Offseason: So Tom Brady looks like he is probably going to finish his career in New England, even if his contract is up there’s always the possibility to renew it right. Wrong, the only reason Brady has decided to leave the Patriots is not because of his interests or anything that Robert Kraft or even Belichick has said. The issue is that the Patriots for the 1st time are in Cap Hell. They don’t have enough money to bring him back and they owe him 17 million in dead cap during 2020 if he leaves. What is the result? He signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a team that hasn’t made the playoffs in 13 years and has never had a Pro Bowl Caliber QB since Brad Johnson. Well guess what TB12, now that you are in Tampa, Gronk’s coming with you! The Gang’s back together and despite the brutal competition in their conference this should be an awesome experiment. Lets see how they do!

2020 Weeks 1-12: This was where I thought they would be in, a 7-5 record despite one of the hardest schedules of the modern era. They also brought in Leonard Fournette, AB, plus they have a solid receiver core led by Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and a solid running back in Ronald Jones. Well they had the latest Bye Week of any of the teams this year, and with COVID also popping up it made it harder for Brady and company to work with each other this past summer.

2020 Weeks 14-NFC Championship: The Bye Week was worth it wasn’t it. #TompaBay put up 2 statements against the Lions and Falcons after 2 after epic comebacks against those same Falcons (Arthur Blank = Property of Tom Brady) and the Vikings. At 11-5 they had clinched the NFC’s Top Wild Card Spot. Led by the Diva, Chris Godwin, plus a defense that overcame a rough middle of the season, they crunched the Hogs of Washington. Next they went to the wonders of Bourbon Street and crushed the hopes and dreams of a Saints team that had beaten them twice in the regular season and had all of the pieces lining up to win a 2nd Super Bowl. Now the Packers they are the great ones, they are a team of destiny, Aaron Rodgers has been playing the best ball of his career, and they have a solid run game and defense. Oh yes, Brady defeated him and all of the narratives about how The Rodgers Rate is better (Stop it Max Kellerman!) and Brady is too old. The result, the first team in NFL History to play a Super Bowl in their OWN STADIUM! Their opponents in this game were the Chiefs team that Brady and Gronk beat in 2018 at Arrowhead. He shut up the narratives of one media favorite, now can he beat Patrick Mahomes? (who has been crowned as the GOAT by all of those ESPN talking heads as well as Travis Kelce being better than Gronky!)

Super Bowl LV: “Brady to throw, he has time, stops throws it CAUGHT TOUCHDOWN GRONKOWSKI!” Guess what NFL, the ultimate warrior has returned! Narratives of Mahomes being better than Brady are put to bed. (“The Patrick Price is wrong BEEP!” -Happy Gilmore) And the real storyline was the Bucs defense. They held Kansas City out of the endzone for an entire game for the first time in the Andy Reid era. Legacy STAMPED! 7 rings, 2 different teams, different supporting casts, one thing in common. The ability to win at all costs. And that is who sports greats are all now measured up against. Sorry MJ, Gretzky, and the Babe. This debate belongs to #Tommy!

2021 Regular Season: The title defense for the Buccaneers and TB12 despite Antonio Brown being a diva has been smooth for the most part. Tampa Bay has taken advantage of a Saints team dealing with Cap Hell and the retirement of Drew Brees, the Falcons with Matt Ryan on his last legs, and Carolina being desperate to recreate their glory years. (Past prime Cam Newton. Good for marketing, bad for on-field production) Winning their first division title since 2007, and claiming the 2nd Seed in the NFC is their reward. Now how will they fare in the playoffs.

2021 NFC Wild Card: The Buccaneers despite being sloppy early on open the postseason by crushing an Eagles team that coasted to the playoffs on an easy schedule in the 1st Round. Brady had no issues hitting Mike Evans for long pass plays in this one. Next up comes a showdown with a Rams team thats going all in for a title in front of the home crowd at Raymond James. Pokemon McVay must be exposed once again.

2021 NFC Divisional Round: LA jumps out to a 27-3 deep in the 2nd Half. TB12 and the offense can do nothing against Aaron Donald and the Rams defense. But then just like Super Bowl LI chaos ensued. Brady finally started to figure things out. And before you know it the game was close again. Won’t you look at that, Tampa Bays defense robbed the Rams of running out the clock. And on a 4th and 1, Leonard Fournette bulldozes his way towards the tying score! Dreams of recreating 28-3 are on the minds of every Tampa fan. Only this time the Rams got into field goal range on their next possession and end the game on a walk-off field goal. Agony thy name is Cooper Kupp!

2022 Offseason: So Tom Brady is debating retirement to be with family. Sounds logical. But then once Adam Schefter claimed that he indeed was retiring, Brady then came out a month later and claimed that he would be coming back for one more season, and accomplish his goal of playing until Age 45. It does come at a cost. No Gronk, or Bruce Airens. Tampa’s next head coach would be a retread in Todd Bowles. It may sound like a bad hire but he at least still has an excellent O-Line. (BUZZER) And they’re all injured. At least they signed Julio Jones on a 1 year deal I guess.

2022 Season: The Buccaneers would take a step back thanks to injuries, and bad play calling. But that won’t stop the GOAT from dragging this squad kicking and screaming towards the playoffs. All this mediocre team did was rattle off comebacks in games where they had no business in winning. Especially against the Rams, Saints, and Panthers in crucial games at home. Things look great but then in Brady’s final game, all of the magic would run out. The Dallas Cowboys came into Tampa and suffocate the entirety of Raymond James. It got so bad that the stadium felt like a Cowboys home game for crying out loud. This contest was over in the 1st Half. It’s too bad that Brady got exposed the same way long time rival Ben Roethlisberger did the year before by Kansas City. It happens to all the greats. Father Time is undefeated. PAUSE

Aftermath: So Tom Brady’s career is officially over. Say what you want about him but this man is easily the Greatest Player in NFL History. No one has done it longer than TB12 and probably no one will ever top what he’s accomplished. Sure all of his individual records will fall to the likes of Mahomes, but no one will ever, ever, ever win 7 Super Bowls, 5 Super Bowl MVP’s, and hold every Super Bowl record over the course of a career. What also makes his legacy even more phenomenal is who he won titles with. The Patriots for most their history were America’s Favorite Punchline as one NFL Films writer described them. The years of god awful ownership under Victor Kiam, a team that could never win the big one. 6 Super Bowl Titles over an 18 year period. Tampa Bay meanwhile hadn’t won a playoff game since their championship in 2002, and they went hard gone through a long 12 year drought without even making the playoffs. Became a champion in 1 year, and reached popularity heights that the late Hugh Culverhouse never came close to reaching during his time as owner in the 1980s. It all comes to show you the kind of work ethic and determination that Brady had in his career. Something that I think will never be duplicated over the course of NFL History. Honestly its going to be weird not seeing him in uniform for an NFL Game in 2023.