Tom Brady finally decided to call time on his unprecedented and unrivalled NFL career this off-season, after winning seven Super Bowl rings, five Super Bowl MVPs, three NFL MVPs and 15 Pro Bowl appearances.
However, before he'd taken a snap in the league, many “experts” believed that the greatest player to ever play the game would not have what it takes to be a starting quarterback in the NFL.
A month before he was selected 199th overall in the 2000 Draft, Brady participated in the NFL scouting combine giving prospective employers a chance to see his skills. To say it didn't go well would be an understatement.
According to NBC Sports, teams found the following weaknesses in the Michigan QB: Poor build, skinny, lacks physical stature and strength, lacks mobility and stability, lacks a strong arm, can't drive the ball downfield, can't throw a tight spiral, can't ad lib and gets knocked down easily.
That was the assessment that Brady recalled on instagram 17 years later, which saw his already shaky draft stock take a massive plunge. Infamously, he ran a lethargic 5.24-second 40 yard dash whilst also failing to impress in the throwing challenges.
Draft day rolled around and teams were hesitant to take the quarterback, Brady and his family expected to be taken in the second or third round and were left stunned when six quarterbacks were taken ahead of him. Brady had to wait till the sixth round to hear his name being called by the New England Patriots, whilst many had written him off at that point, Head Coach Bill Belichick was willing to give him a chance.
When asked about drafting a quarterback in the sixth round, Belichick said: “[He is] a good, tough, competitive, smart quarterback that is a good value, and how he does, and what he’ll be able to do. We’ll just put him out there with everybody else and let him compete and see what happens.”
Armed with Belichick's confidence in him the young quarterback was kept on the roster for the 2000 season serving as a backup to starter Drew Bledsoe who would sign the biggest contract in NFL history at the time, worth $103million for 10 years. After this decision was made, Brady took the time to introduce himself to owner Robert Kraft and in classic Brady-style said: “Hi, I’m Tom Brady and I am the best decision this organisation has ever made.”
Bledsoe would then get injured in the 2001 season giving Brady the chance to become starter, a chance that would result in the greatest legacy in American sports. Belichick went from a former Cleveland Browns Head Coach and not much more to the greatest coach in the history of the sport because of his belief in the gawky kid nobody else would take a chance on.
