Tom Brady has had the most legendary career an athlete could wish for. He joins the likes of Usain Bolt, Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan and Roger Federer as the best to ever do it in their respective. Like one of the aforementioned athletes, Brady has a docuseries produced about his career. In the first episode, we witness the first time the GOAT was scared in the NFL.
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Tom Brady talks about 2001 AFC Championship game
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In the 2001 season, New England Patriots emerged as the favorites to clinch the Super Bowl. Led by Brady, the team looked extremely confident, but Brady himself felt nervous before one particular fixture. In the AFC Championship game, the Patriots took on Pittsburgh Steelers. That season, the Steelers had one of the most feared defenses in the league.
One might not assume Tom Brady to the kind of QB who would fear any defense, let alone the Steelers. But Pro Bowlers like Kendrell Bell and Jason Gildon struck fear into Brady’s heart. Given how the game went, Brady had good reason to fear the Steelers defense. In the first episode of the Man in the Arena docuseries on ESPN, Brady highlighted his emotions during the game.
“That was the first game that I was scared. The moment was definitely bigger than I was ready for. From the start of the game, I was confused. I didn’t know what was coming. For as much as my ankle was hurting, I was scared, too.”
“Coach [Belichick] recognized that in me too. I think he probably looked at me and said, ‘Okay, Tom, we’re going to let someone else play the game’. Thank God Drew was there to come in and ended up playing basically the last two-and-a-half quarters of the game.”
Brady got taken out during 2001 AFC Championship game
Brady replaced Drew Bledsoe as the Patriots’ QB. Bledsoe suffered a brutal injury earlier in the season, which caused a ruptured blood vessel. But in the AFC Championship game, the tables turned as Brady took a big hit and had to come off. He even addressed it during the Man in the Arena docuseries.
Despite the injury, Brady recovered in time to play in the finals. There, the Patriots took on the St. Louis Rams (now Los Angeles Rams). In what was a pretty intense fixture, Tom Brady and team put away the rams courtesy of a second quarter domination. The Rams almost completed the turnaround, but the Patriots held them off.
What do you think of the first episode of Man in the Arena? Does it do justice to Tom Brady’s incredible NFL career? Stay tuned to know more.
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