Tedy Bruschi narrates how Tom Brady’s cult grew during Patriots’ Super Bowl vs Panthers - “We were gassed”
Tom Brady's leadership was always a source of motivation for his teammates, and it was clear that, more than anything, his fire and his desire to win propelled the New England Patriots to six Super Bowl wins.
While he still wasn't recognized as the greatest NFL player of all time, the signs of his greatness became clear with each passing year. One of these examples happened during Super Bowl XXXVIII when the Patriots defeated the Carolina Panthers with a last-second field goal.
Former linebacker and current ESPN analyst Tedy Bruschi told the story about how New England was going to lose that game until Brady took over and made his teammates believe:
"The first time I really noticed that there was a different Tom was probably in the Super Bowl versus the Carolina Panthers. We couldn't stop Carolina in the second half, because we were gassed, Delhomme had us figured out, and Tom Brady just ended up picking us up.
"So, that's when you start to see 'all right, he's ready to just take over the team and become the MVP-type of player, all the way to 07' when he's throwing 50 touchdowns passes, and it's just absurd."
How many Super Bowls did Brady win with the New England Patriots?
The legendary quarterback won six of his seven rings while playing for the team, all with Bill Belichick as his head coach on what's widely regarded as the greatest head coach-quarterback duo of all-time in the NFL.
He also won his seventh and final ring in the 2020 season, when he played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He had a three-year stint with the team after two decades with the Patriots and retired after the 2022 season.
What happened in Super Bowl XXXVIII?
The Patriots defeated the Panthers 32-29 in a thrilling contest that wasn't decided until the final play.
With the game tied at 29-29 and with just 1:08 remaining on the clock, Brady and the offense took the field for a final drive, and he made just enough to give Adam Vinatieri a chance for the game-winning kick.
The legendary kicker did not disappoint, and that was the Patriots' second of six Super Bowl titles.