Tom Brady is considered by many to be the greatest player in NFL history, winning seven Super Bowls (more than any other franchise) and setting multiple records – all feats that are unlikely to be replicated for a long time. But back in 2001, he was just a fresh-faced sophomore playing actual snaps for the first time.
Not much was expected of him, but then he started winning games – 11 to be exact against three losses. The New England Patriots went all the way to Super Bowl XXXVI, where they upset the then-St. Louis Rams 20-17 to begin their dynasty.
Reflecting on the moment on Friday's episode of "The Herd", Brady, who received the first of a record five Super Bowl MVPs after the game, said:
![march madness logo](http://staticg.sportskeeda.com/skm/assets/march-madness-logo.png)
"It was very special. We were coming off a kind of a remarkable season because when I first got to the Patriots we struggled... There was no break from the [AFC] Championship Game to the Super Bowl because of 9/11. So before you know it, it's Friday night, and I'm like, we're playing in the Super Bowl.
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"There was a uniqueness to that season that when it's your first. It's phenomenal, but the uniqueness of that year in the beginnings of something that we all transformed our entire life, and I think that's the cool part when I think about that season," he added.
(from 0:15 mark onwards)
Tom Brady compares second, third Super Bowl wins to first
In 2002, the Patriots finished 9-7, missing the playoffs via tiebreakers. But they returned to dominance in 2003, winning 12 straight games after a 2-2 start, and concluded the season by defeating the Carolina Panthers 32-29 in Super Bowl XXXVIII.
Once again, Super Bowl MVP honors went to Brady, who explained the difference between that game and XXXVI in the same interview:
"In my first Super Bowl, we were not the best team. We played the best on that day. In my second Super Bowl, we were better than Carolina. And we played better than them on that day."
(from 05:57 mark onwards)
The dominance continued into 2004 when the Patriots won their first six games to set the then-record for longest total win streak (regular season and playoffs combined) and eventually finished 14-2 again. They ultimately defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 24-21 in Super Bowl XXXIX for the last consecutive title in almost two decades.
Once again, according to Brady, the AFC champions were just better than their NFC counterparts. But this time, he would not receive the game's MVP award – which went to wide receiver Deion Branch instead.
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