"Myth around Tom Brady that he's a guy who didn't have any of the physical advantages and is an underdog is a fallacy" - Chad Millman debunks narrative around Buccaneers QB
For decades, Tom Brady's origin story has painted the quarterback as someone who didn't have many believers and pulled himself up by his bootstraps. Most know the quarterback was drafted with a sixth-round pick, meaning that all 32 NFL teams passed on him at least five times.
At the core of the story is how he has never been a strong athlete, with most people citing his infamous NFL Combine picture. Despite the initial low opinions of everyone, he has risen to become the most accomplished quarterback in league history.
Tom Brady throwing for 5,316 yards and 43 touchdowns, and leading the league in both categories at age 44, is one of the craziest things that has ever happened in sports history. We just have gotten so used to Brady doing this that it kind of went under the radar.
However, one NFL analyst pushed back on this version of his origin story. Speaking on The Favorites Podcast, NFL analyst Chad Millman argued that the quarterback was, indeed, a strong athlete and not an underdog. Here's how he put it:
"I think the whole fallacy, the whole myth around Brady that he's a guy who didn't have any of the physical advantages and is an underdog story is a fallacy. The guy is 6'4". He was a good enough baseball player in high school to get drafted."
He went on to remind the public that he was valued by quality colleges:
"He was a good enough football player in high school to be recruited by USC and Michigan. It's not like these are these are backwater schools. These are schools that recruit the best quarterbacks in the country. He just happens to be an incredible athlete."
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He continued, claiming that Brady's athleticism combined with his indominable spirit have been the true engines of his success:
"We've seen him play golf [and he] also happens to have more will and competitive spirit than anybody, maybe since or other than Michael Jordan. It's a lethal combination."
Tom Brady's championship career
Brady was initially drafted with the sixth pick in the 2000 NFL Draft. After sitting for the entirety of 2000, the quarterback took over in 2001, winning his first Super Bowl at the end of the season. By the end of the 2004 season, he had won three Super Bowls.
Despite making the big game twice over the next ten years, he would not win another Lombardi until 2014, defeating the Seattle Seahawks. In 2016, he managed another Super Bowl victory, this time with a historic comeback against the Atlanta Falcons.
Before ending his time with New England in 2019, Brady would go to two more Super Bowls, going 1-1 against the Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams.
With the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he managed to win the Super Bowl once again. He became the second quarterback in league history to win the big game with two different teams. In total, he's won seven rings and reached the Super Bowl ten times.