This year marks 21 seasons of Tom Brady as an NFL star. After riding the pine in 2000 as a rookie, the unheralded second-year pro took over for the injured Drew Bledsoe as New England Patriots starting quarterback the following year, leading the franchise to a shocking Super Bowl win.
Outside of one season in which he was out with a knee injury, Brady’s status as one of the league’s best starting quarterbacks has never really faltered. There’ve been a few moments in his career where it looked like he might be taking a step back, but as he showed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season, he always seems to bounce back up to play at an elite level.
Brady’s longevity is truly awe-inspiring. Tonight, he begins his second season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after winning yet another Super Bowl last year. The scary thing, considering how impressive the team was down the stretch last season: most believe the team will be better this year, after a full season to gel.
Tonight brings another milestone for Brady as well: his 300th career regular season start. He becomes the first player in NFL history to hit that mark, and by the look of things, he has plenty more in the tank before he’s done.
Tonight, @TomBrady will become the first player in NFL history to make 300 career starts. We crunched the numbers to help explain the magnitude of this accomplishment. From SportsCenter: pic.twitter.com/5kIdSXERXE
— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) September 9, 2021
Jeff Darlington broke down how remarkable Brady’s longevity is in a hit for SportsCenter. Some of the incredible facts:
-Brady has played with or against 46 members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame (and counting). Two of them played their entire NFL careers, retired, and were inducted between Brady’s first start until now.
-Brady has lost more than two games in a row just once in his career as starter, and that came during his relatively mediocre second year under center in 2002.
We all know how remarkable Tom Brady’s career has been, but some of these stats and other notes can still blow you away.
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