Which Corridor of Famer Taught Tom Brady Some ‘Good Classes’ in Defeat?

Tom Brady was using excessive getting into Week 4 of the 2002 NFL season. The New England Patriots had received their first Tremendous Bowl the yr earlier than and acquired off to a 3-0 begin to the next season, giving them a 12-game win streak on the time.

However then, Brady and the Patriots had been dealt a dose of actuality after they confronted the Chargers and Junior Seau. In the newest version of “Storytime with Tom Brady,” the seven-time Tremendous Bowl champ shared how he felt the Patriots had been going to go undefeated in 2002 — till he noticed Seau forward of their 21-14 loss to the Chargers.

“Junior Seau had a excessive ankle sprain, so nobody thought he was enjoying,” Brady mentioned. “It was a lovely day. We acquired on the market, and Junior Seau comes operating out of the tunnel within the outdated San Diego stadium. He acquired the entire crowd so fired up, he ended up enjoying, and he had a monster day on the market. 

“At that time, I used to be like, ‘This man, Junior Seau, was completely unbelievable. What a soccer participant.’”

Whereas Seau apparently intimidated Brady that day, it took a bit for the Chargers’ protection to rattle him. Brady was in a position to lead the Patriots to a rating on their first drive and each groups traded scores earlier than the Chargers took a 21-14 lead early within the third quarter. 

That is the place the sport unraveled for Brady. He threw an interception on back-to-back drives within the third quarter because the Patriots’ offense could not get issues going within the second half. Seau wasn’t accountable for both decide, however he made a pair of key tackles for loss in that sport that both knocked the Patriots out of subject aim vary or pressured them to attempt to convert an extended fourth down as he completed with a team-high 9 complete tackles. 

Tom Brady threw for 353 yards towards the Chargers in 2002, however wanted 53 makes an attempt to take action as he additionally had two interceptions within the second half of the Patriots’ loss. (Photograph by Matt A. Brown/Icon Sportswire by way of Getty Photographs)

Because of Seau, Brady realized his lesson that life wasn’t all the time going to be simple within the NFL.

“It was sort of an unpleasant day for us,” Brady mentioned. “However it was a very good lesson in my prep to not go after good gamers and do not go after those that my coach particularly says do not attempt to throw over. So some good classes.”

That was the one time that Seau was in a position to beat Brady in his profession. Nonetheless, that did not cease Brady from calling him “an important competitor of mine” as the 2 ultimately turned teammates with the Patriots in 2006. 

There’s one large reminiscence Brady has of Seau throughout their time collectively as teammates.

“In 2006, he broke his forearm in a sport, and we’re enjoying the Bears, I feel he broke his forearm. He was browsing the following day, after which got here again in 2007 and we clearly had an unimaginable season,” Brady mentioned. “I used to be simply very lucky to play with him and his depth and love of the sport and the way he actually sorted me and mentored me as somebody I appeared as much as — an actual Corridor of Famer.”

Junior Seau and Tom Brady had been teammates collectively for 4 seasons. (Photograph by Matthew Healey/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald by way of Getty Photographs)

Seau did not put up the numbers he was accustomed to placing within the peak seasons of his Corridor of Fame profession in his four-year tenure with the Patriots. However as Brady identified, Seau was fairly the contributor when the Patriots turned the primary group to ever go 16-0 in an everyday season in 2007. He recorded 74 complete tackles, 3.5 sacks and a career-high three interceptions as a 38-year-old that yr. 

As Brady will get set to name Sunday’s Washington Commanders-Los Angeles Chargers sport (4:25 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports activities app), that allowed him to make a journey down reminiscence lane and keep in mind somebody who he known as a “nice pal” of his.

“I am going to always remember after we signed him in New England,” Brady mentioned. “He got here to our group with a brand new life and new power that he delivered to our group and was an unimaginable participant.

“Clearly, very unhappy together with his passing. However I feel who he was and what he was all about lived on with all of us that had been lucky to play towards him, after which actually those that performed with him.”

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