“He who sees things grow from the beginning will have the best view of them.”
Aristotle
Many people widely acknowledge Tom Brady as one of the greatest American football players of all time,and most certainly the greatest ever quarterback. Brady has won the Super Bowl an almost unbelievable seven times, six times with the New England Patriots and once with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Such is Brady’s success he has won the Super Bowl more times as an individual (seven) than any single team (six). His accolades list could fill this entire book, and there are undoubtedly many books that have paid hom- age to his unrivalled athletic achievements.
What isn’t so well known is Brady’s early career and his 2000 draft performance.
Brady was below average in every physical measurement. The National Football League (NFL) utilises a weeklong event called ‘the combine’, which is a set of standardised physical tests to ascertain the athletic capability of a player. The com- bine consists of the 40-yard dash, bench press (225 lb repe- titions), vertical jump, broad jump, 20-yard shuttle, 3-cone drill, 60-yard shuttle, and position-specific drills. The 40- yard dash is a particular benchmark of general athletic ability and Brady’s time of 5.28 seconds is still one of the slowest recorded by any quarterback in recent memory. In every one of the tests, Brady’s scores were at best forgettable. Added to this, his gawky and somewhat awkward NFL picture in only his shorts, embodied anything but a future Hall of Famer.
Consequentially, Brady had to wait until the 7th round of the draft, as the 199th pick and 7th choice quarterback. Twenty- one years after the now-infamous 2000 draft, and with seven Super Bowl victories to his name, Tom Brady must go down in history as the greatest failure in modern sport.
For us all there is a starting point in every situation, the first step towards a goal is always the farthest from the end. The stadium-filling band that rehearses terribly for the very first time, the Michelin starred chef who picks up a knife for the first time, and the greatest ever NFL quarterbacks’ first time holding a football; they all started with the first step.
The first person to believe in your success is you, and long before the accolades return from virtuous performances you have to back yourself, maybe even at times when no one else backs you. It is easier said than done, that is for certain. Be- lieving in yourself when you seem miles away from any fu- ture success is not simple or straightforward. Still, if you have enough passion, dedication and commitment, success will most certainly follow in time.
Could you imagine what Tom Brady thought after posting his combine score? Is it possible to consider what his thought process was as six quarterbacks were picked before him in the 2000 NFL draft? I can only wonder how it would have felt for 198 players to be selected ahead of him. What did that do to his confidence?
Talent is, without doubt, a factor in defining success in any area, but it is not the critical component. Dedication, appli- cation, and commitment are essential elements, and all of these are mental applications, not physical.
If you want others to back you in this world, you first have to back yourself.
