WHEN TOM BRADY MET BILL BELICHICK FOR TRAINING CAMP TO START THE NEW CENTURY, BOTH OF THEIR LIVES WOULD EVENTUALLY CHANGE FOR THE BETTER... "BBs" ONLY EXPERIENCE AS A HEAD COACH WAS A FIVE-YEAR STINT WITH THE "OLD CLEVELAND BROWNS". HE WOULD ULTIMATELY CLAIM THE DISTINCTION OF BEING THE LAST COACH TO TAKE THE BROWNS TO A PLAYOFF VICTORY IN (24) SEASONS). MEANWHILE,."TB" HAD BEEN A "PLATOONED" STARTING QUARTERBACK AT MICHIGAN, FINISHING (20-5) AS A SENIOR...
...BB HAD BEEN A FORMER PATRIOT ASSISTANT, BUT IN 2000, BOTH WERE IN FOXBORO, "FRESH" ...BELICHICK HAD TAKEN OVER AS HEAD COACH OF THE (8-8) NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS, AND BRADY, WITH LOW "COMBINE" PRODUCTION, HAD BEEN A "LIGHTLY REGARDED PROSPECT", A, 6TH ROUND PICK, AND DESTINED FOR A LIFE OF "CLIPBOARD DUTY."...TOM HAD BEEN PAINFULLY DISAPPOINTED AND "EMBARRASSED" IN HIS LOW DRAFT SELECTION, THOUGH GRATEFUL TO BE PICKED...WHEN MEETING THE OWNER FOR THE FIRST TIME HE STATED:
"I'm the best decision this organization has ever made."
...AN OMINOUS STATEMENT, BUT THE KIND OF CONFIDENCE THAT'S NEEDED TO LEAD A TEAM TO SEVEN SUPER BOWLS...
IT WOULD TAKE THE CONFIDENCE TO CLIMB MT EVEREST AND MUCH, MUCH MORE. AS THE 4TH QUARTERBACK IN THE PECKING ORDER TO START THE SEASON, HE WOULD REALLY NEED TO EXCELL TO PROVE THAT BOLD CLAIM AND TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE OF ANY OPPORTUNITY GIVEN...IN THE NEW MILLENNIUM SCHEDULE, BRADY APPEARED IN ONLY (1) GAME, WITH (1) COMPLETION FOR (6) YARDS...HOWEVER, THROUGHOUT THAT FIRST SEASON, TB VOWED TO TURN OVER HIS CLIPBOARD TO SOMEBODY ELSE... HE REALIZED HE NEEDED TO BE A BOY SCOUT AND BE PREPARED, IF AND WHEN HIS REAL CHANCE CAME. HE TRAINED PAST PRACTICE, STUDIED IN THE WEE HOURS, WHILE TATTERING THE PAGES OF HIS PLAYBOOK. HE EVEN WATCHED FILM IN THE SHOWER (TIC), JUST WAITING FOR THE TAP ON HIS SHOULDER PADS. BY THE END OF THE SEASON, HE HAD ELEVATED HIS STATUS TO 2ND ON THE QB DEPTH CHART IN THE BELICHICK REGIME...
...THE "PATS" WOULD FINISH (5-11) IN BB'S FIRST SEASON, BUT TEAM HOPES WERE HIGH...THE VETERAN QB WAS ENTRENCHED WITH A NEW LONG-TERM CONTRACT, SO IT WOULD TAKE HELP FOR TB TO EVEN GET A SHOT....SOME CALL IT FATE, SOME CALL IT DESTINY, WHILE OTHERS CALL IT THE FOOTBALL FAIRY, BUT TB WOULD CALL IT HIS OPPORTUNITY, TO GET THAT SHOT HE WAS LOOKING FOR.... IN GAME (2) OF SEASON TWO, THE VETERAN STARTER "SAW STARS" AGAINTS THE NY JETS DEFENSE, WAS ROCKED AND KNOCKED OUT OF THE GAME...SUBSEQUENTLY, THE TOM BRADY ERA IN NEW ENGLAND WOULD BEGIN, SEPTEMBER 23, 2001, IRONICALLY ON A LOSING NOTE....BUT HISTORY WOULD RECORD A MUCH DIFFERENT CAREER FOR BOTH HE AND BB, A RENOWNED AND CELEBRATED "DYNASTY" IN PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL...
...THE MENTOR AND TUTOR PARTNERSHIP WOULD SPAN (19) SEASONS. IT WAS A MACHINE BUILT BY BELICHICK, WHO GAVE BRADY SOME GOOD DRIVER TRAINING LESSONS. BEHIND THE WHEEL, BB AND HIS OC TAUGHT TB HIS DRIVING SECRETS, THEN HANDED HIM THE KEYS FOR THE NFL SUPER-HIGHWAY. TB WOULD GET A HEFTY SPRINKLING OF FAIRY DUST. HE CONTINUED TO TRAIN HARD, STUDIED HARD, AND LEARNED HIS LESSONS WELL, CHAUFFERING BB TO (9) SUPER BOWL RACES, TAKING THE CHECKERED FLAG IN (6). IT WAS A WELL ENGINEERED, AND WELL-OILED MACHINE THAT BB BUILT AND MAINTAINED FOR SOME TWO DECADES, CONSTANTLY ADDING, INTEGRAL, HIGH- PERFORMANCE PARTS, WHILE KEEPING HIS FAVORITE DRIVER AT THE WHEEL...
...IT WAS TO TB'S CREDIT AND HIS STRINGENT REGIMEN THAT HE COULD PHYSICALLY ENDURE, STAY HEALTHY AND MAINTAIN HIS SKILL FOR SO LONG. WITH THE WINNING TRADITION DEVELOPED, BB COULD YEARLY ATTRACT WORTHWHILE FREE AGENT MECHANICS TO HIS RACING TEAM, RECRUITS WHO WERE JOINING A WINNER IN HOPES OF A TROPHY. AND THEY CAME IN DROVES FROM ALL PARTS OF THE NFL UNIVERSE, MIXED WITH PRIZE BB SELECTIONS OF EAGER GRADS FROM THE CAMPUS COMMUNITY. THE MACHINE ROLLED FOR (19) SEASONS, BUT AS FATE, DESTINY, FOOTBALL FAIRY OR OPPORTUNITY AND THE BUSINESS OF FOOTBALL WOULD HAVE IT, TOM WOULD TAKE HIS TALENTS TO TAMPA ...
IT WAS THAT DASTARDLY COVID-19 SEASON, AND IN FOXBORO, BB HAD LOST A SLEW OF MANPOWER TO OPT OUTS AND DEFECTIONS...BUT WHEN TB SET SAIL IN TB, THE DECK WAS ALREADY LOADED WITH SWABBYS, WITH LITTLE RECRUITMENT NECESSARY. THERE WERE THOSE ITCHIN' TO SIGN ON FOR A JOURNEY AROUND THE NFL AND BACK TO THE BAY FOR SB55. BB WOULD STRUGGLE TO PUT SOME PIECES TOGETHER IN MASSACHUSSETTS BAY, EVEN WITH A QB NOBODY ELSE WOULD TOUCH...TO HIS CREDIT, HE MANAGED HIS CHARGERS TO WIN (7) GAMES, ENOUGH TO HAVE TAKEN ANOTHER DIVISION, BUT NOTHING BB WAS PROUD ABOUT...
...TB HOWEVER, WAS BASKING IN THAT FLORIDA SUNSHINE AND HAD CONVINCED AN "AB" AN "LF" AND A "GRONK" TO JOIN HIM ON DECK FOR SOME MINT JULIPS WITH "BA" AND THE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE CREW...THOSE THREE, FORMER ALL PROs WERE SOME DYNOMITE ADDITIONS TO AN ALREADY GUNPOWDER PACKED BAND OF MARAUDERS ...THE PLAN ON THEIR TREASURE MAP WAS CUNNINGLY CONCEIVED AS THOUGH STOLEN FROM THE TREASURE CHEST OF THE SS FOXBORO. TALENT GALORE WAS SPREAD ALL AROUND ON THE BOW, THE STERN, PORT AND STARBOARD, AN UNSTOPPABLE WARSHIP.... AS THE SEASON PROGRESSED, THE MATES POSSESSED A POWERFUL FORCE AND SOUGHT TO OVER-THROW ANY FOES. TO NO SURPRISE, THEY RAIDED, PILLAGED AND PLUNDERED, TAKING THE BOWL BOUNTY AND TOSSED IT TO AND FRO ON A CELEBRATORY, SEA FARING JOURNEY.
IT WOULD BE THE CHERRY ON TOP OF AN ICE CREAM DREAM OF A CAREER. WITH A FEW MORE YEARS OF FUN, HE WOULD EVENTUALLY RESIGN HIS COMMISSION FROM THE BUC BAY BANDITS AND SAIL AWAY INTO THE SUNSET ON HIS OWN PRIVATE YACHT, VIA FOXBORO BAY, ON A FIVE-YEAR CRUISE TO CANTON.