Happy Monday, everyone.
I originally planned to release my Super Bowl Primer today, but I decided to push it to Friday, February 11th. Instead, I wrote about the career of Tom Brady, who formally announced his retirement last week. While lamenting his career, I fully grasped Brady's impact on so many football fans, including myself.
Additionally, I am working on the Champions League Primer that will drop next Monday.
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Tom Brady: A Winner Like No Other
Introduction
I wanted to dedicate this week’s edition to a person who single-handily prevented my happiness as a Jets fan. On February 1st, Tom Brady announced the end to his illustrious, 22-year NFL career. As Brady’s retirement became official, I realized my NFL fandom was entirely intertwined with his career: I was born in 1999 and started watching football in 2005. Fans of other teams could dream during the offseason of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy; I could only pray to avoid embarrassment from the Patriots on primetime TV — prayers which went unanswered during the infamous Butt Fumble Game. In all, Brady amassed a 30-7 record against the Jets.
Beginnings
Tom Brady’s pursuit of greatness could only be matched by a few athletes — those who are mentioned by last name: Jordan, Gretzky, and Woods. Brady’s drive allowed him to surmount the odds to take over the starting quarterback job from incumbent, and former first overall pick, Drew Bledsoe. Here’s an excerpt from an Athletic story detailing the story behind Brady’s ascent after Bledsoe’s serious lung injury:
Brady was an unknown commodity on the grand scale, but he had a terrific training camp in 2001. It was so impressive, in fact, the Patriots’ decision-makers unanimously agreed Brady was their best quarterback before the season, but Bledsoe’s recently signed ($100m) contract was too much of a factor. Nevertheless, Brady had begun to prove himself before relieving Bledsoe against the Jets, and he kept building from there.
Offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia: I think (we were) as confident as you can be with a second-year quarterback. (Former quarterbacks coach) Dick Rehbein (who had died a month earlier) was the guy who scouted him. Dick Rehbein was the primary reason that he was there. Dick had a really strong belief in the kid. As he came in and you start to know the guy, it transcended to the staff, so we knew we had a really good backup quarterback.
Right guard Joe Andruzzi: You had to rally behind Tom. He didn’t get in the huddle with his fingers in his mouth, biting his nails. He wasn’t nervous. He was calm, cool, collected, and he had a drive. He had a competitiveness. We saw it all offseason, how he watched film. He watched old film of guys like (Terry) Bradshaw, (Phil) Simms and (Joe) Montana.
Linebacker Ted Johnson: He had this youthful energy and intense emotional response to practicing. At first, you were almost uncomfortable for him. He was so giddy and so excited, would be screaming and yelling at the offense and getting excited about making plays in practice. It was almost like, is this guy for real? We’re all looking at each other. But I’m telling you, it became infectious.
Center Damien Woody: Tom was kind of a dick in practice, to be honest with you. There were certain things that our defensive coaches wanted the scout team to do. Tom was like, “No, I’m not doing that. I’m not creating bad habits for myself trying to service you guys.” It was frustrating to a lot of defensive guys because Tom was out there diagnosing, processing, making things happen against our defense. But at the same time, a lot of guys respected him.
Defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel: On the scout team, he would take what the defense gave him, or he would throw it to an open guy, but we wanted him to throw it where we thought we needed the most work on the coverage. He didn’t always give us the work, and he would talk about, “Well, this guy was open, so that’s why I threw it to him.” He understood what we were trying to do defensively and where he needed to try to go with the ball.
Interviews with his former teammates encapsulate Brady’s moxie. When Brady went out to dinner with several of his teammates, he told them, “I ain’t giving it up,” in reference to the starting job.1 Ultimately, Bledsoe returned from injury, but coach Bill Belichick opted to stay with Brady. Belichick’s decision was rewarded with a Super Bowl win over The Greatest Show on Turf St. Louis Rams. Of course, a few Lombardis was never enough:
Brady, the owner of a modest three Lombardi Trophies, was a title shy of matching Montana. For the Bay Area kids, that was supposed to be as deep as anyone could dream. At least, that’s what Edelman had thought.
“Bro, how crazy is it that you’re going after Montana?” Edelman asked Brady.
“I ain’t going for Montana,” Brady responded. “I’m going for Jordan.” (The Athletic)
After 22-years in the NFL, Brady has amassed seven rings — besting Jordan by one.
Statistical Analysis
The stats affirm Brady’s utter dominance over the rest of the NFL. Between 1998-2021, only Aaron Rodgers and Peyton Manning outperformed Brady’s EPA and CPOE marks. What separates Brady from the pair is the volume discrepancy. The size of the circles denotes total plays, with Brady’s overwhelmingly larger.
The combination of extreme efficiency and longevity further solidifies his case as the GOAT.
I charted Brady’s yearly EPA from 2001 to 2021. While there is variability year-to-year, Brady remained remarkably consistent compared to other quarterbacks during the same period.
Above, I included the same chart but for his postseason records. Brady outperformed his career EPA of 0.210 in nine out of his eighteen postseason campaigns — winning five Super Bowls in those years. The only year Brady missed the postseason was in 2002 and 2008 — the latter due to his knee injury sustained in the season opener. Outside of his 2001 Super Bowl win, Brady elevated his teams to the Lombardi Trophy, not the other way around. As he shifts his efforts towards his business ventures, no one would bet against his success. It has been a privilege to watch you, Tom.
What I’m Reading
*** Must Read
** Very Good
* Recommended
Sports
‘I just never met anybody as interesting as Pat’: Tales from Pat McAfee’s Colts days ***
Tom Brady leaves with a burgeoning off-field portfolio after a late-career endorsement surge **
ENIC and the long-term future of Tottenham Hotspur **
Analysis: Brian Flores faces hurdles in NFL case but may create transparency in NFL hiring *
Why the Public Trust Matters (Stephen Ross Bribe) *
Top 100 MLB prospects 2022: Keith Law’s rankings, with Orioles’ Adley Rutschman at No. 1 *
Kirk Cousins will never be an elite QB, which creates a Vikings conundrum *
The race to make the top four *
At Senior Bowl, NFL Draft’s QB class prompts as many questions as answers *
Europe’s elite are circling Raphinha. So, where would suit him if he does leave? *
Business
Spotify’s Quest to Own Your Ear ***
An Army of Faceless Suits Is Taking Over the $4 Trillion Hedge Fund World ***
The Economics of Data Businesses **
Does Private Equity Ownership Make Firms Cleaner? The Role Of Environmental Liability Risks *
https://theathletic.com/2839630/2021/09/22/the-night-the-patriots-changed-forever-20-years-ago-when-tom-brady-took-over-drew-bledsoes-job-for-good/