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{{DISPLAYTITLE:Tom Brady}}

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Tom Brady}}

In the span of one season--2001--the preternaturally poised National Football League (NFL) quarterback Tom Brady went from relative obscurity to league stardom, leading the New England Patriots to their improbable victory over the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI; in the process he became the youngest quarterback ever to win an NFL championship. In 2004, after leading the Patriots to their second Super Bowl triumph in three years, Brady won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award of the championship game, as he had two years earlier, and became the youngest quarterback ever to win two Super Bowls. With those accomplishments Brady has invited comparisons to some of the great quarterbacks of the past, in particular the legendary Joe Montana. Like Montana, who won four Super Bowls and whose career Brady followed while growing up, Brady possesses neither the strongest throwing arm nor the greatest speed in the league. He is, however, acknowledged as a born leader on the field.

In the span of one season--2001--the exceptionally poised National Football League (NFL) quarterback Tom Brady went from relative obscurity to league stardom, leading the New England Patriots to their improbable victory over the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI; in the process he became the youngest quarterback ever to win an NFL championship. In 2004, after leading the Patriots to their second Super Bowl triumph in three years, Brady won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award of the championship game, as he had two years earlier, and became the youngest quarterback ever to win two Super Bowls. With those accomplishments Brady has invited comparisons to some of the great quarterbacks of the past, in particular the legendary Joe Montana. Like Montana, who won four Super Bowls and whose career Brady followed while growing up, Brady possesses neither the strongest throwing arm nor the greatest speed in the league. He is, however, acknowledged as a born leader on the field.

The former coaching great Bill Walsh, for whom Montana played, told Nick Cafardo for the Boston Globe (January 21, 2004), "What strikes you about Brady is the serenity in which he plays the game. That might sound silly, but when you see a great quarterback, there's a calmness and a coolness he has on the field, a fluidity to his game--smoothness, if you will--that sticks out. . . . Watch how effortless his delivery is. He's one of the most natural passers I've ever seen. . . . The other thing is, he makes great decisions on the field." The Patriots coach Bill Belicheck told Jeff Goodman for the Washington Post (January 16, 2004, on-line), "One thing about Tom is he's smart, he prepares very hard and is resilient. Pressure doesn't really bother him. He is pretty much unaffected by the score or the situation, the field position, the crowd noise, what happened the play before, all of those things." With such qualities, in addition to his good looks, strong work ethic, and humble attitude, Brady has emerged as one of the brightest stars of the NFL.

The former coaching great Bill Walsh, for whom Montana played, told Nick Cafardo for the Boston Globe (January 21, 2004), "What strikes you about Brady is the serenity in which he plays the game. That might sound silly, but when you see a great quarterback, there's a calmness and a coolness he has on the field, a fluidity to his game--smoothness, if you will--that sticks out. . . . Watch how effortless his delivery is. He's one of the most natural passers I've ever seen. . . . The other thing is, he makes great decisions on the field." The Patriots coach Bill Belicheck told Jeff Goodman for the Washington Post (January 16, 2004, on-line), "One thing about Tom is he's smart, he prepares very hard and is resilient. Pressure doesn't really bother him. He is pretty much unaffected by the score or the situation, the field position, the crowd noise, what happened the play before, all of those things." With such qualities, in addition to his good looks, strong work ethic, and humble attitude, Brady has emerged as one of the brightest stars of the NFL.