Thomas Edward Brady, Jr. (born August 3, 1977 in
San Mateo, California) is an American football
quarterback for the New England Patriots NFL
franchise.

Brady graduated from Junipero Serra High School,
the same school that produced baseball slugger
Barry Bonds and NFL Hall of Famer Lynn Swann. He
played college football for the University of
Michigan, starting every game in the 1998 and 1999
seasons. The Wolverines won 20 of 25 games when
Brady started and shared the Big Ten Conference
title in 1998. In the 2000 NFL Draft, Brady was
selected by the New England Patriots in the 6th
round (199th overall).

NFL career

Initially, Brady served as the backup to the
starting quaterback, Drew Bledsoe.


2001 Season:

This changed on September 23, 2001, when the
Patriots were playing against their AFC East
division rivals, New York Jets at Foxboro Stadium.
During that game, Drew Bledsoe suffered internal
bleeding after colliding with Jets linebacker Mo
Lewis. New England not only lost the game but
Bledsoe, too. Soon after Brady was named the
starting quarterback, he led the Patriots to an
11-5 record and into the playoffs.

During a 2001 divisional playoff game against the
Oakland Raiders (played in January 2002), Tom
Brady had been ruled as having fumbled on a pass
attempt, with Oakland protecting a three-point
lead. Invoking the "tuck rule," where a ball is
ruled an incomplete pass after the quarterback
starts any forward throwing motion, the referee
overturned the decision after reviewing the
instant replay, calling the drop an incomplete
pass rather than a fumble. The Patriots would
eventually tie the game and win it in overtime.
After defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC
Championship Game, the Patriots were considered
14-point underdogs against the NFC champion St.
Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI.

With less than two minutes left in the Superbowl,
and the score tied, sports caster John Madden
famously said that he thought that the Patriots
should let the time run out on the clock, and look
to win the game in overtime. Instead Brady led the
Patriots offense on an offensive passing barrage,
driving down the field and winning the game by a
field goal with mere seconds left in the game. The
Patriots won the championship and Brady was named
MVP of Super Bowl XXXVI.

Interestingly enough, this was the first year in
which fans had a say in the vote for the Super
Bowl MVP. By garnering 29.02% of the online vote,
which was 0.28% ahead of the second-best total,
Brady was awarded all 4 'fan votes.' These 4
votes were enough to push Brady's MVP vote total
ahead of the official panel's choice, Patriot
cornerback Ty Law, who had scored on a 48-yard
interception touchdown return, and make Brady the
second-youngest MVP ever, after Lynn Swann.


2003 Season:

In the 2003 NFL season, after a 2-2 start, Brady
led the Patriots to 12 consecutive victories to
finish the historical season and win the AFC East
division championship.

In the first two rounds of the playoffs, the
Patriots shut down the MVPs, Tennessee's Steve
McNair and Indianapolis's Peyton Manning. On
February 1, 2004, Brady led the Patriots to a
32-29 victory over the NFC Wild Card Carolina
Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII, being named Super
Bowl MVP for the second time.

With 1:08 left in the fourth quarter and the score
tied at 29, Brady engineered a clutch drive, which
is becoming one of his trademarks, to put the
Patriots in position for a Vinatieri field goal,
which won the game for the Pats.


2004 Season:

During the 2004-2005 season, Brady helped lead the
Patriots to a record-setting 21-game consecutive
winning streak, including 12 regular season games
and three post-season games from the previous
year. The Patriots 14-2 record matched that of of
the season before and matched the best regular
season record for defending Champions, winning the
AFC East divisional title for the third time in
four years as well. The Patriots made it to the
playoffs and defeated powerhouse AFC rival
Indianapolis and revenged themselves upon
Pittsburgh, the elite team who had ended the
record winning streak earlier in the season. Tom
Brady suffered from a high fever requiring medical
attention shortly prior to the game, but
nevertheless turned out an admirable performance.

On February 3, 2005, Tom Brady's grandmother died
at the age of 94. Three days later, the Patriots,
under Tom Brady, won Super Bowl XXXIX, Brady's
third Super Bowl victory in four years, cementing
the New England Patriots as a NFL dynasty.


Professional skills

Brady's style of play is most noted for his
ability to make quick, effective decisions,
especially in clutch situations, and throwing
short, accurate passes throughout the game to
minimize interceptions and fumbling. He is not
considered to have great running speed or arm
strength, but he compensates with his poise,
leadership, and aplomb in the clutch.

In Week 15 of the 2004 season, Brady demonstrated
however that he wasn't perfect. With the Pats
leading 28-23, Brady was pressured by Dolphins
defensive end Jason Taylor which caused him to
throw an uncharacteristic pass which was
intercepted by Brendon Ayanbadejo. Miami would
four plays later win the game 29-28 with under 2
minutes left.


Other information

People magazine listed Tom Brady as one of their
Most Beautiful People of 2002. He is currently
romantically involved with actress Bridget
Moynahan.

On January 26, 2004, Tom Brady attended the annual
State of the Union Address as a guest of President
Bush. Brady declined to discuss his political
views with the media. According to The Smoking Gun
as of 2004, Tom Brady is a registered voter, but
has not voted in any political election so far. It
is widely rumored that Tom has a bright potential
as a future political candidate, should he decide
to pursue such option in the future.

On April 16, 2005, Tom Brady hosted an episode of
Saturday Night Live with musical guest Beck.