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It may be hard for some people to believe, but it has been 23 years since Tom Brady was taken in the sixth round out of Michigan by the New England Patriots.
The 199th pick in the 2000 NFL Draft was selected with absolutely no fanfare after passing for 4,773 yards with 30 touchdowns and 17 interceptions (and -150 rushing yards) in four seasons with the Wolverines.
Brady was the seventh quarterback taken in the draft behind (in order) Chad Pennington, Giovanni Carmazzi, Chris Redman, Tee Martin, Marc Bulger, and Spergon Wynn.
Quite a list.
On Friday, for some reason, the New England Patriots decided to release the audio from the phone call the media had with Tom Brady after the Patriots picked him in the 2000 NFL Draft.
“Tommy, you’re coming into a system where they have a quarterback everybody knows,” the first reporter says to Brady. “What’s you’re feeling about backing up Drew Bledsoe?”
“Well, it’s certainly uh, all I was looking for was just a a place to get my foot in the door and and try to be great for the team that picked me and uh, you know, Drew Bledsoe certainly one of the best best quarterbacks in the NFL and uh, it’s going to be great to learn under him and compete for a job with the Patriots,” Brady replied.
“Are you aware that there’s another quarterback here too that they drafted last year? Michael Bishop from Kansas State?” Brady was then asked.
“Yes I am,” Brady replied. “I know Mike, uh, seen him play last year and I know he’s a heck of a player. You know, it’s just up to me. I think that the team picked me to come in there and go out there and be a team player and fight every day and uh, that’s really what I plan to do.
“I’ve always really concerned myself with the things I can do and and I don’t put a whole a lot of thinking into the other guys because I know I’m not really at my best when I’m not not controlling uh, and playing as as well as I possibly can.”
“Tom, you were projected to go a little bit higher than this, are you disappointed?” Brady was then asked.
“Uh, I don’t think disappointed is the word,” he replied. “I think, you know, I mean the team that drafted me I’m just very comfortable with and whether it be in the second round or the sixth round I think everyone starts on the same the same level and and it’s just a it’s a great opportunity to to head back to New England and play for the Patriots. It’s certainly been a uh a dream come true.”
“We talked to a couple guys today that were pushing about 350. There was a report at the end of the year you finished at 195. How are you doing physically now? What are you weighing at now?” the next reporter asked.
“I’m about 213, 214. I wasn’t, I tried to uh, I slimmed down a lot,” Tom answered. “I was I was pretty, I was a little bit lean, I was uh, really trying to improve my speed, my escapeability and at that point I was sick a couple days before. My natural weight’s about 210. That’s what I’m at, around about 212 right now.”
Working on my speed 😀 pic.twitter.com/cIMYbDIJNE
— noname humanoid (@nonamehumanoid) August 31, 2023
“They you kind of had like a platoon system at quarterback at Michigan. Could you talk about you know how are you how you were used there and you know why they did that?” the next reporter asked.
“Sure,” Brady responded. “At Michigan, I mean, as a lot of people know we have a lot of great players there. You guys got a great from Michigan, Chris Floyd, that plays for you now and we’re always competing against the best players and the kid I was competing with is going to be a heck of a talent the next [inaudible] and the coach just felt it was best for for him to get some experience and to get in there and play some games and do whatever was best for the team. And that’s the way I took the approach and everything really certainly worked out for me.”
“Tom, you were drafted for baseball out of high school, is baseball no longer even an issue?” Brady was next asked.
“Yeah, it’s really not,” Brady replied. “I played catcher in high school when I got drafted by the Montreal Expos and I just decided I wanted to go back to Michigan and be the starting quarterback and play in front of 112,000 people. Certainly this is a great step for me. It’s gonna be a great challenge, but I think I’m ready for it. Actually I know I’m ready for it.”
“And the fact that you were, at least according to the scouting report, so much like Drew, is it a plus for you to be working under him?” Brady was asked next.
“Oh definitely, definitely,” Tom responded. “I can remember seeing him in the Super Bowl and uh, I mean, the poise and composure and uh, the way he plays the game, it’s great to see and and I’m just extremely excited to to get an opportunity to go and and learn under him and be ready to play when the team calls on me.”
Ready he was, as Brady would go on to pass for 89,214 yards and 649 touchdowns, or 45,230 more yards and 403 more touchdowns than the six quarterbacks drafted ahead of him in the 2000 NFL Draft combined.