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Jesse Kaye, a scout for the New York Jets, wanted the Jets to use a late-round pick in the 2000 draft to select the skinny Michigan QB whose 40-yard dash time was so slow he may still be running it. Kaye was convinced it was the right move even though the Jets had already used one of their record four first-round picks to select QB Chad Pennington with the 18th overall pick.
Unfortunately for the Jets, Bill Parcells did not share Kaye’s sentiments regarding drafting Tom Brady. The Jets instead used their sixth-round pick to draft defensive back Tony Scott and the New England Patriots used a supplemental sixth-round draft pick to nab the future Hall of Fame QB. Brady is one of the best quarterbacks of all time while Scott played in exactly 23 games (started zero) in two seasons with the Jets and was then waived and never played in a regular-season NFL game again.
The Patriots, with Brady under center, have won three Super Bowl titles in five trips, and if they can deal with the losses of Jerod Mayo and Stevan Ridley and Brady and the offense continue to play as they have the last two weeks, they could be poised for yet another deep playoff run. The Jets, on the other hand, have recently had Mr. Butt Fumble, Mark Sanchez under center and they now have Geno Smith as their starter with an aging Michael Vick as their backup.
It’s almost not fair to point all of this out to Jets fans. Almost.
Plus, let’s remember that Brady was still backing up starter Drew Bledsoe in New England until Mo Lewis, who played linebacker for — you guessed it — the Jets, knocked Bledsoe out with a crushing hit late in the second game of the 2001 season. Brady, who Bill Belichick probably wanted to start all along (he couldn’t pull the trigger because he had previously run Bernie Kosar out of Cleveland), replaced Bledsoe and the rest, as they say, is history.
If Brady had been drafted by the Jets, would the results have been the same as in New England? Possibly given Brady’s work ethic, talent and football IQ, but it’s not a sure thing. Vinny Testaverde was returning from a torn Achilles, the Jets had just used a first-round draft pick on Pennington and Ray Lucas was still in town. It is very possible Brady’s competitiveness and talent may not have been enough to get him the practice reps or opportunities to allow him to be as successful as he’s been in New England. But he is Brady, so it is possible.
In addition, the Brady and Belichick combination has been phenomenal. While both probably would have been successful in other situations, it’s undeniable that Brady and Belichick were and continue to be a great match. While Charlie Weis’ lack of success as a head coach has been well documented, there is no doubt that Brady benefited greatly from having him as his offensive coordinator early in his career.
Would Brady have accomplished in New York what he has in New England? There is no way to know. Somehow everything aligned for Brady to be successful in New England. Patriots fans are just happy and relieved that he’s been quarterbacking their team all these years and that he’ll do so again Thursday night while Jets fans will have to watch an overmatched Geno Smith take the field.
Justin Patrick is a New England Patriots writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @calling_allfans, like him on Facebook and add him to your network on Google. You can also email him at [email protected]
