By Miles Baumal-Bardy VI
As we sit here stuck in our homes, upset that all major sports events are canceled, it is important to reflect on one of the most important people in New England sports history: Tom Brady. Some might hold a grudge against this man, but we can never repay the satisfaction he brought us. Winning six Super Bowls, he was the only man in history to accomplish such a marvelous feat. Brady started as a lowly sixth-round pick from Michigan in the 2000 NFL draft, but he would soon blossom into someone much greater.
Due to an injury of Drew Bledsoe, Brady became the starting quarterback and led the Patriots to three Super Bowls in his early career: 2001, 2003 and 2004. Brady won Super Bowl MVP in both 2001 and 2004. Brady and the Patriots would not return to the Super Bowl until the 2007 season, the same year as my birth. In 2007 Brady won his first NFL MVP Award and the Patriots sadly lost in the Super Bowl against the Giants. Unfortunately, Brady would miss out on the 2008 season. Brady would then win the Comeback Player of the Year Award in 2009 and the NFL MVP Award in 2010, adding two more trophies to his collection. Finally, in 2011, Brady would lead the Patriots to the Super Bowl, only to lose again to those wretched Giants.
After narrowly missing the Super Bowl in 2012 and 2013, losing in the AFC Championship in both seasons, Brady led the Patriots to the Super Bowl in 2014, where he won dramatically against the Seahawks. Brady won Super Bowl MVP. In 2015 the Patriots missed out on the Super Bowl. But, in 2016, TB12 and the Pats would reach the Super Bowl, winning against the Falcons. In my opinion, this was the single greatest Super Bowl in NFL history. It had to be said. Brady won Super Bowl MVP in 2016. Despite reaching the Super Bowl in 2017, the Patriots lost to the Eagles. But, Brady did win his third NFL MVP with the Patriots. Brady’s last Super Bowl with the Patriots was in 2018, where the Patriots defeated the Rams, showcasing the true greatness of the Patriots dynasty.
Finally, in his last season with the Pats, Tom lost in the Wild Card round to the Titans. Brady announced that he would not be spending the rest of his career with the Patriots, but instead with the Buccaneers. During his career, Brady won six Super Bowls, four Super Bowl MVP Awards, and three NFL MVP Awards. Brady was also a fourteen-time pro-bowler. But, he could not have done it without his defense, men like Stephon Gilmore, the McCourty Twins, and countless others, and his offense, men like Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman, and many others. Most of all, he could not have achieved his great career without Bill Belichick, who mentored him from rookie season to the end. These men formed a family around one of the great American sports.
Lastly, we loyal fans supported Brady when times were tough and when times were amazing. I would like to thank Brady for all he has done for New England, specifically Massachusetts, and I would like to wish him luck during the rest of his career. There is only one question that remains: What now for the Patriots? I am unable to believe that there will be a full 2020 season due to the coronavirus, and I do not want to be watching football on Zoom.
