Five takeaways from Tom Brady’s essay, ‘The Only Way is Through’

5 years ago

When the news broke a few weeks ago that 20-year New England Patriot and six-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady was headed to Tampa Bay, the NFL world was shocked and forever changed.

Many questioned why Brady would leave, speculated why he chose Tampa, and endlessly discussed his future.

But on Tuesday, Brady took matters into his own hands – or words – to explain what drove his decision.

While there’s a ton to unpack, let’s take a brief look at what he said – and what he didn’t say – with our five major takeaways.

Brady still thinks about his draft day

Brady delivers these thoughts in the third paragraph of the 2,500-word essay:

Twenty years ago, I was a sixth-round draft choice from the University of Michigan who wasn’t sure he was going to get drafted at all. When the call finally came, I packed up all my things and moved to the other side of the country. I didn’t know how long I’d be playing for the New England Patriots, or whether I’d even get the opportunity to play for them. (I was the fourth quarterback on the depth chart my first year.) I had no idea I would spend the next 20 years in New England, or start a family there.

Tom Brady mentioned his draft day not once, but twice in the essay. Clearly, for him, that day still feels like it was yesterday, even though it was 20 years ago, when the New England Patriots selected Brady in the sixth round.

It’s shocking to hear the GOAT say that he was unsure if he’d be drafted, especially considering he attended Michigan and threw four touchdown passes in an overtime victory over Alabama in the Orange Bowl in his final college game.

But Brady didn’t have the “look” of your typical QB.

He didn’t appear big or strong or muscular. His arm was above average, but not awe-inspiring. He wasn’t the most athletic.

Still, what couldn’t be measured were his intangibles. Landing at the 199th pick in the 2000 NFL Draft left a chip on Brady’s shoulder.

That much is clear.

Where are the thoughts on Belichick?

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick – who coached Brady for two consecutive decades – was merely mentioned once in the essay, if we can really count it as a mention at all.

Describing the call he received from the Patriots on draft day, Brady wrote:

When the Patriots drafted me back in 2000, I was 22. I remember I was sitting in my parents’ house in San Mateo, California, growing less and less confident that the phone would ring. But late in the draft it did. By the way, in the sixth round it’s not like Coach Belichick himself was on the other end of the line — I think it was his assistant, Berj. “We just wanted to let you know you’ve been picked by the New England Patriots,” Berj said.

Belichick is considered to be one of the greatest NFL coaches of all time, and alongside Brady, he won six Super Bowls. One would think Brady would have a little bit more to say about the legendary NFL coach.

FS1 analyst Nick Wright weighed in on Brady’s essay in regards to Belichick.

“What we didn’t learn though, was what – if any – appreciation Tom Brady had for the other GOAT in the New England Patriot organization, Bill Belichick.”

Meanwhile, the Kraft family was highlighted, as Brady wrote:

But more than any one physical place, it’s the relationships I made in New England that I’ll miss the most. Of course, it starts with the entire New England Patriots organization, and Robert Kraft and the entire Kraft family. It extends to countless other individuals who played such a valuable role in my 20 years as a Patriot. Teammates and coaches, past and present.

We all know coach and player relationships are hard, but it seems the one between Brady and Belichick was more than fractured.

It was time to put family first

Brady has always been a family man, and as his kids get older, he wants to be around to watch them grow. ‘The Patriot Way,’ as we’ve all come to know, is football first.

For the current version of Tom Brady, there’s more than football. He explains his feelings as such:

For as long as I can remember, my career, and football in general, has been an extremely important and gratifying part of my life. But just as important, and oftentimes more gratifying, are the times I spend with my wife and children, and the joy I feel watching my kids get older. In my case this means always checking in with myself and with them to make sure my priorities are in the right place — and if they’re not, making adjustments.

Brady has struggled to balance family and football, which he explores in an episode of his documentary Tom vs. Time.

Brady had many suitors this offseason, including the Los Angeles Chargers and Oakland Raiders, but he ultimately chose the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. A primary reason was that he would be close to family on the east coast.

FS1 analyst Colin Cowherd predicted that family would play a role in Brady’s decision.

“But Tom does want to be as close to his family as he can be, so when you look at all these offers, the 2-hour fight to New York city, where his family is, is Tampa. If you say weapons? Chargers and Tampa. Proximity? Tampa.”

Tom is challenging himself

As he approaches the end of his career, Brady wants to see how far he can go and how much he has left. Writes Brady:

For me, playing football isn’t going to last another 10 years. In the time left, the question is, How can I keep maximizing what I do, put everything I can into it, make it the best I possibly can? At this point in my career, the only person I have to prove anything to is myself. Physically, I’m as capable of doing my job as I’ve ever been. Now I want to see what more I can do. I want to see how great I can be.

Brady, seemingly, has never been one to lack confidence in his skills, and neither does FS1 analyst Skip Bayless, who has little doubt that Tom still has gas left in the tank.

“Tom Brady is going to lead the league in passing yardage. Tom Brady is going to lead the league in touchdown passes … Let’s say Tampa goes 12-4 and wins or steals the NFC South from the New Orleans Saints. Would 12-4 with 40 touchdown passes win you the MVP? You better believe it would.”

Brady is not afraid to fail

Change – for most – comes with fear.

But with this move, Brady has no fear – or rather, fear of the “what if.”

If I don’t go for it, I’ll never know what I could have accomplished. Wanting to do something is different from actually doing it. If I stood at the bottom of a mountain, and told myself I could scale the highest peak, but then didn’t do anything about it, what’s the point of that?

In the famous words of Michael Jordan, “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.” If Brady didn’t leave New England and see who he could become without Belichick and the Patriots, he would have always wondered – that curiosity scares him more than actual failure does.

Cowherd weighed in on the psychology of a person who has achieved as much as Brady:

“They (successful people) never talk about failure … Losers worry about failure. Winners worry about something else – regret … Tom Brady is thinking like successful people do.”

Brady’s letter, in its entirety, was remarkable. Rarely do we get a glimpse into the psyche of the game’s greatest athletes at such a vulnerable moment in their careers.

In short, Tom is no longer challenging just Father Time – he’s challenging himself and his critics, by throwing caution to the wind, with his legacy uncontrollably lost in the gusts.

In due time, we’ll see which way the wind blows for Brady, as he embraces this newly-found breath of fresh air.

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