Now in Tampa Bay, Tom Brady said he ‘wouldn’t change a thing’ about his 20 years in New England
After spending his entire adult lifetime as the quarterback for the New England Patriots, Tom Brady – who recently made a move from New England to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after 20 seasons in New England – took to social media to say that he “wouldn’t change a thing.”
My journey over the past 20 years in New England has been amazing. It’s been a long road, and I wouldn’t change anything about it. The support and love of New England fans has always been unconditional. Thank you, Pats Nation #TheOnlyWayIsThrough ~ Tom Brady / Facebook
Tampa Bay signed the free agent quarterback to a multi-year contract back on March 20.
Brady arrives in Florida after securing 249 overall victories, 14 Pro Bowl selections, six Super Bowl titles, four Super Bowl Most Valuable Player honors, three league MVP awards, three first team All-Pro selections and two Associated Press Offensive Player of the Year accolades.
“Tom is a proven champion who has achieved greatness on the field because he demands the best out of himself and his teammates,” said Buccaneers General Manager Jason Licht. “I’ve known Tom since we drafted him in New England 20 years ago and through this process it became very clear that his desire to be a champion burns as strong today as it ever has. He possesses the type of rare natural leadership qualities that will immediately impact our entire organization.”
Brady’s 219 regular season victories and 30 playoff wins are each the most by a quarterback in league history and he remains the only player to have won six Super Bowl titles. Winning 219-of-283 career starts, Brady’s 77.4 career winning percentage ranks first in the Super Bowl era among quarterbacks with at least 50 starts. In addition, he has led his team to 12 or more wins in a season 12 times, which are the most such seasons by a quarterback in NFL history.
Brady has appeared in nine Super Bowls and 13 AFC Championship Games, tacking on 17 division titles in his 18 seasons as the primary starting quarterback, including 16 consecutive with him in that role. His four Super Bowl MVP honors (2001, 2003, 2014, 2016) are the most by any player in league history. He has also been selected as NFL MVP three times, in 2007, 2010 and 2017 and earned Comeback Player of the Year honors in 2009. Additionally, he holds the NFL record with 30 Player of the Week honors and 10 Player of the Month awards throughout his career.
“Tom is the most successful quarterback in the history of our league, but what makes him so special is his ability to make those around him better,” said Buccaneers Head Coach Bruce Arians. “I have had the privilege to work with some of the best passers in our game, and the characteristics they all possessed were the ability to lead and get the best out of their teammates. Tom is no different. He is a proven winner who will provide the leadership, accountability and work ethic necessary to lead us to our goal of winning another championship.”
Over his 285 regular season games, including 283 starts, Brady has amassed 74,571 yards passing and 541 passing touchdowns, which both rank second in NFL history. Brady has tallied 92 career games with 300 or more yards passing in his career, joining Drew Brees (120) and Peyton Manning (93) as the only players to have recorded 90 such games. Brady’s 45 game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime are the fourth-most since the merger, behind only Peyton Manning (54), Drew Brees (50) and Dan Marino (47).
Including postseason, Brady is the NFL’s all-time leader in total yards (87,197), passing yards (85,959), total touchdowns (642), passing touchdowns (614) and completions (7,402). Solidifying his place in NFL annals, Brady was selected to the 2000s All-Decade Team and was recently honored as part of the NFL 100 All-Time Team, recognizing the best 100 players of the league’s first century of play.
Brady has displayed a knack for taking care of the football, with his 1.79 interception percentage standing as the second-best ever behind only Aaron Rodgers, among players with at least 2,500 career pass attempts. He has an NFL-record 58 games with three touchdown passes and no interceptions.
In 2001, Brady led New England to a Super Bowl victory in his first season as the team’s starting quarterback, earning his first of four Super Bowl MVP awards and his first of 14 Pro Bowl selections. The Patriots went 11-3 in Brady’s 14 starts that year, as the former sixth-round draft selection completed 264-of-413 passes (63.9%) for 2,843 yards and 18 touchdowns.
Just two seasons later in 2003, Brady guided New England to another championship on the heels of a 14-2 regular season, culminating with his second-career Super Bowl MVP honor. It began a stretch of five-straight seasons in which Brady guided his team to a double-digit win total – a stretch that included back-to-back Super Bowl championships in 2003 and 2004, with another Super Bowl appearance in 2007.
During his 2007 NFL MVP season, in which the team went 16-0 during the regular season, Brady led the league with 4,806 yards passing, a 68.9 completion percentage, a 117.2 passer rating, 8.3 yards per attempt and a career-best 50 touchdown passes. Those 50 touchdown passes were an NFL record for a single season at the time and still rank tied for the second-most in league history, trailing only Peyton Manning’s 55 in 2013.
Brady bounced back from a knee injury that cost him the 2008 season to win NFL Comeback Player of the Year honors in 2009, posting his third of 11 career 4,000-yard passing seasons, adding 28 touchdowns and yet another Pro Bowl honor to his résumé.
Beginning with that 2009 season, the Patriots went on to win 11 consecutive division titles with Brady under center, racking up 10 or more wins in all 11 of those seasons. The 11 straight division titles are an NFL record for a starting quarterback. The 2010 campaign saw Brady earn his second league MVP award, as he led the NFL with 36 touchdowns compared to just four interceptions, securing a career best 0.8 interception percentage.
Brady appeared in an unprecedented eight consecutive AFC Conference Championship Games from 2011-18, advancing to the Super Bowl in 2011, 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018. He hoisted the Lombardi Trophy three more times during that stretch in 2014, 2016 and 2018. At age 40, Brady became the oldest player to win the league’s MVP award when he did so in 2017, leading the NFL with 4,577 yards passing in addition to his 32 touchdowns.
Brady has thrown for more than 4,000 yards in each of the last three seasons, totaling 85 touchdowns compared to just 27 interceptions in that span.
The San Mateo, California, native played collegiately at Michigan prior to being drafted by the New England Patriots in the sixth round (199th overall) of the 2000 NFL Draft.
For the latest news on Brady, see the video accompanying this article.
(Source: Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
Posted by: Richard Webster, Ace News Today / Follow Richard on Facebook and Twitter
