Tom Brady

Chosen in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft, Tom Brady has since developed into one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history and probably the best "value pick" ever. Brady paled next to the platoons of workout warriors in his senior draft class, as evidenced by his since-released combine tapes. Yet before any team had made its selection, he modestly but accurately estimated his worth to a suitor, stating, "I think my best asset as a player is that in the fourth quarter, with the game on the line, I have the desire to win and the feeling that our team is not going to lose." Raised in Northern California, he idolized Joe Montana during his boyhood, and by the time that Brady had played his last down for the Michigan Wolverines, he had prepared himself as the stylistic heir to the even-tempered but intensely competitive former Fighting Irish and 49ers legend.

Spawned from a Michigan program still beholden to retired coach Bo Schembechler's rush-oriented "three yards and a cloud of dust" offensive mantra and that had been more sold on Drew Henson as a starter, Brady seemingly had fallen into another hapless situation in New England, backing up another Drew, this one longtime starter Bledsoe. In fact, Brady only threw three passes during his rookie season, and while many fans had begun to sour on Bledsoe, most of them did not look toward the rookie from Michigan as the solution, but rather mobile second-year quarterback Michael Bishop, a star from Kansas State. Even before Rush Limbaugh had garbled his analysis of Donovan McNabb, knowledgeable fans and NFL executives and coaches had shed any reluctance to starting an African American quarterback, and after Bishop completed a 44-yard bomb for a touchdown against the Indianapolis Colts, for many his time had come.

It never did, as the Pats signed another quarterback, Damon Huard, and cut Bishop during the 2001 preseason. While Brady survived the axe himself, he appeared no closer than before to guiding the New England offense. Indeed, at the inception of the 2001 season, he held the clipboard and patiently watched Bledsoe bark out the signals. That is, until the Jets' Mo Lewis planted Bledsoe on the sideline in the second game of that season, effectively ending Bledsoe's status as team starter and as an elite NFL quarterback. False perspective has the young second-string quarterback running into the fray and immediately driving the club into the ranks of the league's preeminent franchises. It did not happen that way, at least not right away, as the Pats lost that second game of the year against the New York Jets and then, in the fourth week, Brady and his charges mustered only 10 points as the Dolphins blew them out.

As Brady became more comfortable, the team became his team to run, and while a couple more hiccups remained (a loss to the Denver Broncos and a 24–17 loss to the St. Louis Rams), he kept his job even after Bledsoe had returned to health. Coach Bill Belichick made a very bold decision at this juncture, not permitting Bledsoe to return to his starting role, trembling little as the fate of Belichick as a coach and the Patriots as a club now rested in the hands of Brady. And with a brief return by Bledsoe in the playoffs, it has stayed that way ever since.

It all seems so obvious now, yet at the conclusion of the 2001 season, the young quarterback had to outduel the Rams' "Greatest Show on Turf" in the Super Bowl as an underdog. Kurt Warner had come to stardom via an even more improbable route than Brady had trod: excellence in the Arena Football League. Once in the NFL, though, Warner had won a Super Bowl with superstars such as Marshall Faulk and Torry Holt surrounding him. By this point Brady no longer had any talent of his own to hide, as television analyst Joe Theismann noted, "You know everybody talks about Brett [Favre] this, Brett that ... Let me tell you, when Tom Brady wants to step back and cut it loose, I'll match his arm with anyone in the league — but the thing is, he's accurate. When he sets to fire, he can fire."

In that 2001 title game, the Rams' Warner produced far better numbers than Brady, completing more passes than his Pats opponent attempted and gaining 220 more yards for his team in the air. Of course, Warner also completed passes to Patriots defensive backs Ty Law (run back the other way for a 47-yard...