Preview: Tom Brady Greatness Book by USA TODAY Sports

GREATNESS

TOM BRADY’S LEGENDARY CAREER

Michigan days

How Tom Brady’s legend started in the state of Michigan — and lasted 2 decades

BY RYAN FORD • PUBLISHED FEB. 1, 2022; UPDATED FEB. 1, 2023

Quarterback Tom Brady — a seven-time Super Bowl champion, 15-time Pro Bowler and three-time NFL MVP (in case you’re just hearing of him) — officially retired from pro football Tuesday morning, after a weekend of nationwide confusion over whether he was actually retiring.

After 22 NFL seasons (and a few extra days of offseason), his case as the NFL’s GOAT (Greatest Of All Time, that is) is solidified, and we can finally look back on his career in the pros in its entirety … and his time in college.

Before he was the GOAT with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he was a kid — literally and also as a baby GOAT — in Ann Arbor, with two seasons as the starting quarterback at Michigan.

As a Michigan Man, Brady worked his way into Michigan’s passing record books despite splitting time with Drew Henson during his final season. More than two decades after Brady left Ann Arbor as a sixth-round NFL draft pick (No. 199 overall), he’s still 10th at Michigan in career touchdown passes (35), ninth in career passing yards (5,351)

and tied for fourth in career 200-yard games (15). In the NFL, he dominated the Detroit Lions — then again, who doesn’t? — in seven appearances. He posted a 5-2 record (with one of the losses coming in his NFL debut, in which he attempted three passes as a backup in garbage time) with a 104 passer rating. His numbers are even better when taking on the Lions in Michigan: 67.3% completion percentage, 1,032 yards, nine TDs and two interceptions for a 115.6 passer rating. With that in mind, here’s a quick look at Brady’s best games in the state of Michigan (with our apologies to those with warm memories of beatdowns of Arkansas and Alabama in the Citrus Bowl and Orange Bowl, respectively).

Oct. 9, 1999: Michigan State 34, Michigan 31 Brady wasn’t the best player on the field in East Lansing as Nick Saban’s squad dominated the rivalry to improve to No. 5 in the nation the following Monday — that was MSU wide receiver Plaxico Burress, who hauled in 10 catches for 255 yards and a touchdown. (MSU QB Bill Burke was the beneficiary of Burress’ big day, as he became the first Spartans QB to top 400 yards passing.) But Brady, who started then sat for two quarters as sophomore Drew Henson struggled, made it close in the end. He led Michigan to two scores in the final 8:11, completing all 15 pass attempts during the two drives.

Brady finished 30-for-41 for 285 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Had Burress not recovered the onside kick after U-M got within three points, Brady might have picked up his second career 300-yard game. (His first? Against Ohio State in a 31-16 loss in Columbus, where he threw 56 times — still a U-M record — and completed 31 for 375 yards.)

Oct. 23, 1999: Illinois 35, Michigan 29

Instead, his second 300-yard game came two weeks later in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines lost after being 24½-point favorites — seems familiar — but it was hardly Brady’s fault, even with two interceptions. He led U-M to a 27-7 lead in the third before the Wolverines’ defense allowed 28 straight points. Both interceptions came in the fourth quarter as the Wolverines attempted to regain the lead. The first came on a fourth-and-30 pass, which followed a snap well over Brady’s head from Illinois’ 28-yard line on second-and-5.

After an Illinois TD made it an eight-point game, Brady drove the Wolverines 64 yards to Illinois’ 18. Three plays later, however, U-M’s hopes of overtime were dashed when Brady threw an interception in the end zone with nine seconds left. The Illinois defender who made the pick fumbled and Michigan recovered for a safety, but the two points still left the Wolverines

OPPOSITE: Michigan quarterback Tom Brady signs autographs and takes photos with fans Aug. 13, 1999, during media day at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor. GABRIEL B. TAIT / USA TODAY SPORTS

Patriots get physical, ride Colts into ground

BY GORDON FORBES • PUBLISHED JAN. 19, 2004

FOXBORO, Mass. — With snowflakes falling in his face at Gillette Stadium, Peyton Manning was in perfect form. This was before Sunday’s AFC showdown during warm-ups when Manning threw more than 50 spirals, none of which touched the ground.

But later, in the gloom of a New England winter day, Manning could never recapture the rhythm he had when the Indianapolis Colts were flexing their muscles. That was because the ambitious New England Patriots got away with using a three- or four-man pass rush, rarely blitzing while dropping seven or eight cover guys into Manning’s passing lanes.

“They used a four-man rush the whole game,” said Manning, who came in as the league’s hottest quarterback. “They played a lot of bump-and-run. Sometimes a combination man-and-zone coverage. It was hard to find some guy open.”

Manning had thrown eight touchdown passes without an interception in two previous playoff games. But against the Patriots’ punishing defense, which kept knocking his receivers woozy,

Manning threw four interceptions and only one TD pass, a 7-yarder to a skidding Marcus Pollard with 2:27 left.

On two of his interceptions Manning was forced to throw off-balance. On another the pressure caused an underthrown ball that gave left corner Ty Law his third sideline interception. “We really got ticked off,” Law was saying after the Patriots won a bruising 24-14 game that wasn’t as close as the final score. “No one gave us credit. It was all about Peyton Manning.

three-receiver look; a one-back, two-tight end look; a shotgun look; and a no-back, five-receiver look. No matter the look, Brady stood tall and lonely in the pocket, waited for his receiver to make his break and fired away.

“He’s the greatest winner in pro football,” Law said. Then Law summed up the defensive effort that left Manning with a ragtag 35.5 quarterback rating. “It was a simple game plan,” he said. “Just stick ’em and beat ’em up.”

But I’ve said it before, no one man can win a championship.”

While Manning struggled, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady sat back in a comfort zone formed by his underrated offensive line and picked apart the soft Colts secondary. Brady’s longest completion was a 28-yarder that fullback Larry Centers created out of a little flat pass by slipping linebacker David Thornton’s weak attempt at a tackle.

Starting with the opening drive, a 13-play, 65-yard thrust into the end zone, Brady demoralized the Colts with a series of underneath completions. They came from a variety of sets. Coordinator Charlie Weis, the mix-’em-up strategist, gave the Colts a power-I look; a one-back,

The Patriots defense was so good, so physical that Marvin Harrison, Manning’s go-to star, didn’t catch a pass until the final minute of the first half. After a collision with Pro Bowl safety Rodney Harrison, the ball squirted into New England hands, one of five turnovers.

“They really didn’t play a variety of coverages,” Manning said. “Nothing super special. Ty Law played bump-and-run with a safety, Harrison or (Eugene) Wilson over the top, which helped them. The combination of Law with Harrison behind him made it tough to get Marvin the ball.”

Brady never was challenged. Not by the Colts’ rushline, which tangled itself in too many handfights with Matt Light and the other Patriots protectors. And not by the young Colts secondary, which allowed Brady’s receivers to continually make their breaks into open lanes. Brady came close to being sacked only once. Midway in the third quarter, Marcus Washington blitzed and was just wrapping up with his arms when Brady

OPPOSITE: Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning reacts to the referees not calling holding on one of his receivers during their final drive in the Colts 24-14 loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass., Jan. 18, 2004.

WINSLOW TOWNSON / ASSOCIATED PRESS

“It was hard to find some guy open.”

— PEYTON MANNING

Dec. 14, 2014

Tom Brady led the New England Patriots to a dominant 41-13 victory over the Miami Dolphins at home, securing their sixth straight AFC East title. Brady threw for 287 yards and two touchdowns, contributing to the Patriots’ blowout win and bringing their record to 11-3. The victory not only avenged their season-starting loss to the Dolphins but also marked the franchise’s 17th AFC East title and the 12th under the BradyBelichick era, including their sixth consecutive title.

ABOVE AND RIGHT: WINSLOW TOWNSON / USA TODAY SPORTS

MEMORABLE MOMENT

Jan. 10, 2015

Tom Brady led the New England Patriots to a historic comeback in their 35-31 win over the Baltimore Ravens, becoming the first team to dig out of two 14-point holes in NFL playoff history. Despite facing 14-point deficits twice, Brady remained composed and helped the resilient Patriots secure their fourth straight AFC championship game appearance with three touchdown passes. He completed 33 of 50 passes for 367 yards, surpassing Joe Montana’s record for most career playoff touchdown passes in NFL history with 46. The win also earned the top-seeded Patriots the opportunity to host the AFC title game, where they crushed the Colts. WINSLOW TOWNSON / USA TODAY SPORTS

Super thriller

BY NANCY ARMOUR • PUBLISHED FEB. 6, 2017

Only Tom Brady can outdo Tom Brady. Brady cemented his legacy as the greatest to ever play the game Sunday in spectacular fashion, staging the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history to win his record fifth ring. Batted around like a tackling dummy for most of the first three quarters, Brady led the New England Patriots on four consecutive scoring drives to erase a 25-point deficit.

Getting the ball first in the extra period, Brady executed with surgical precision as he led the Patriots on a 75-yard scoring drive that was capped by James White’s 2-yard touchdown. As the running back powered over the goal line, the rest of the Patriots ran onto the field in celebration.

“This is just crazy,” Brady said. “It was like an avalanche toward the end. There are always plays to turn it around, but this time there were so many of them. I am with these guys every day, so that’s how I knew we could do it.”

The Super Bowl record for comebacks was 10 points, done by three teams. Brady’s personal comeback record had been 24 points, in

466 2 1 95.2

YDS TD INT RATING Super Bowl LI

Feb. 5, 2017 • W 34-28 (OT), MVP

a regular-season game vs. the Denver Broncos in 2013.

By winning his fifth Super Bowl title since the 2001 season, Brady also completes his Deflategate Revenge Tour. And what sweet revenge it is.

Not only did the Patriots win the NFL’s biggest prize, Commissioner Roger Goodell also will have to make good on his promise to visit Foxborough, Mass., next season. Goodell hasn’t been back to

a beaming Brady.

“It’s been a long season for everyone with a lot of emotion for everyone,” said Brady, suspended for the first four games.

Brady has had plenty of accomplishments in his 17-year career — two NFL MVPs, countless records, a spot near the top of every all-time list that matters. But nothing compares to this game.

Atlanta had heard all week how great the Patriots defense was and how it was the weak link for Matt Ryan and his high-flying offense. That kind of snub tends to stick with you, and the Falcons came out flying, the chips on their shoulders more like gouges.

MATTHEW EMMONS / USA TODAY SPORTS

New England since the AFC title game in 2015, an absence not lost on the Patriots or their fans.

As time wound down in the AFC Championship Game two weeks ago, fans chanted, “Where is Roger? Where is Roger?” Sunday night, he was on the podium, handing the Lombardi Trophy to owner Robert Kraft and shaking hands with

Brady flat-out missed receivers, repeatedly, and never seemed in sync with his go-to guy, Julian Edelman. But the biggest shock came in the second quarter, when Robert Alford picked off Brady and ran 82 yards for a score.

But Brady has a way of making magic when the Patriots need it most, and this game was no different.

OPPOSITE: New England quarterback Tom Brady celebrates with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after beating Atlanta during Super Bowl LI at NRG Stadium, Feb. 5, 2017.

“I am with these guys every day, so that’s how I knew we could do it.”

— TOM BRADY

Believing Bucs nab Super booty

BY MIKE JONES • PUBLISHED FEB. 9, 2021

TAMPA, Fla. — The cellphones usually started chiming or buzzing late at night. Tom Brady wanted to further solidify the mental fortitude of his teammates during their march to the Super Bowl, so the quarterback — the six-time champion in search of No. 7 — would send an inspirational text blast to the rest of the Buccaneers.

“All week, he was making us believe we could win,” running back Leonard Fournette explained. “He was texting us at 11 o’clock at night, ‘We will win this game.’”

And if Brady said it, the Bucs players would take it to heart. The 43-year-old had that kind of credibility, both because of his accomplishments during 20 years in New England but also because of the way they saw him go about his business during their last six months together.

“Knowing his resume, understanding why he wins ... he made us believe,” Fournette said.

The belief was evident throughout the Buccaneers’ 31-9 victory over the Chiefs on Sunday night in Super Bowl 55.

The Bucs took the field at Raymond James Stadium brimming with confidence. As the first team to host a Super Bowl, they had extra motivation to dethrone the Chiefs, who won last year’s Super Bowl and whom many analysts had crowned as the NFL’s next dynasty.

But they could have played Super Bowl 55 in Kansas City, in some scorching desert or even Mars, and Tampa Bay’s players would have believed.

Each day, they studied the quarterback who last spring shocked the sports world, choosing their organization over the comforts of Foxborough. And each day, they learned another lesson about the commitment and discipline that separates champions from other “good” teams.

Sunday represented the culmination of those lessons, the work put in and the resilience required to navigate an obstacle-filled season. Because Tampa Bay didn’t just beat the defending champion Chiefs. The Bucs flat out dominated them with an all-around display of excellence in every phase of the game.

Brady threw three touchdown passes and completed 21 of 29 passes for 201 yards and no turnovers to lock up the fifth Super Bowl MVP Award of his career.

He didn’t run the ball or block. He didn’t tackle or break up passes. His greatest and most defining contribution to the Buccaneers’

Feb. 7, 2021 • W 31-9

championship run wasn’t even physical. It was all mental. And that’s exactly what Tampa Bay needed this season.

Bruce Arians said it repeatedly this season and in the days leading up to the Super Bowl. The Buccaneers might have gone 7-9 in 2019, and they may have missed the playoffs for a 12th consecutive year. But the coach fully believed he and his staff had the makings of a championship-caliber roster.

The Buccaneers had young, rising defensive playmakers who complemented veterans.

They had stars at the skill positions on offense and a quality line.

They had the explosive playbook and talented offensive coordinator.

They just needed a quarterback who could elevate them; a leader who could show them the way.

Brady brought instant credibility, and from the time he started organizing player workouts at Tampa area parks when COVID-19 kept Buccaneers headquarters closed, to the way he worked tirelessly in training camp and during the season, his new teammates watched and felt inspired to match Brady’s effort and commitment. It became infectious. The Bucs didn’t want to let their leader down.

Brady’s leadership proved extremely important during a midseason funk after a 6-2 start.

OPPOSITE: Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady (12) and tight end Rob Gronkowski (87) celebrate after beating the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium, Feb. 7, 2021.

MARK J. REBILAS / USA TODAY SPORTS

can declare themselves similarly equipped to contend as they did in 2021. They have 24 players set to hit free agency. They’re more than $3 million over the salary cap. Their offensive line figures to be worse than it was last year, and although the NFC South seems just as weak as it was last season, the Rams, Packers and 49ers all stand in the Bucs’ way.

Brady, like most other comeback icons before him, may certainly fall short in this quest for the ultimate prize. The Bucs may again fail him — as they did last year when they couldn’t capitalize on his career-high 5,316 passing yards, 43 touchdown passes and continued postseason heroics as they fell short against the eventual champion Rams.

But win or lose, Brady is making the right call, because the itch remains, his abilities remain and so too does the opportunity to attempt a feat none before him have even had the chance to attempt. He’ll not have to ask himself “what if” for the rest of his days.

Playing football — engaging in that physical and mental battle against opponents and one’s self — is what makes Tom Brady happy, and he has done it better than any to ever play the game. Opposing defensive coordinators and players, along with Father Time, may be gritting their teeth and rolling their eyes. But Brady is smiling. That’s all that matters.

RIGHT: Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady greets fans after beating the Philadelphia Eagles 31-15 in the NFC wild card game at Raymond James Stadium, Jan. 16, 2022.

NATHAN RAY SEEBECK / USA TODAY SPORTS

2022 Regular Season

8-9 RECORD

733 ATTEMPTS

490 COMPLETIONS

4,694 YARDS

25 TOUCHDOWNS

9 INTERCEPTIONS

RECORD BREAKER

85,000 Career passing yards

MEMORABLE MOMENT

Sept. 11, 2022

In the season opener against the Dallas Cowboys in Dallas, Tom Brady became the oldest starting quarterback in NFL history. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers emerged victorious, winning 19-3.

MEMORABLE MOMENT

Sept. 25, 2022

Brady accomplished a significant milestone in Week 3 by becoming the first quarterback in NFL history to reach 85,000 career passing yards. However, the Green Bay Packers won, 14-12, over Tampa Bay.