Never underestimate the underdog……

Not all sporting greats are spotted early, not every sporting legend is earmarked at a young age, and that was certainly the case with a certain Tom Brady.

Brady retires aged 44, with seven Super Bowls across three decades and every quarterback record in the book. He's a living legend, the widely proclaimed GOAT (greatest of all time) of not just the NFL but even in the entire sporting world. But it has not come easy.

While a child prodigy like Tiger Woods hit the ground running and was winning the Masters at 21, Brady had to really fight just to get into the NFL - after having to scrap and claw just to get a game for the University of Michigan in his college days, but just like Tiger he would eventually go on to be the name synonymous with his sport.

At a now-legendary yet laughable physical display at the NFL Combine - when college players show off their skills in front of NFL scouts - Brady produced a 40-yard sprint barely worthy of the name, moving his awkward and lanky frame at the speed of a glacier.

In the 2000 NFL Draft that followed, when the 32 NFL teams pick the cream of the college crop to bolster their squad, Brady was a sixth-round selection and the 199th overall pick. An afterthought, a punt by the New England Patriots on a possible backup quarterback.

It was that snub, those comments on every aspect of him by talent scouts, that directly led to Brady becoming who he is today.

They fed the hunger, the desire to win and prove everyone wrong - they placed the biggest chip of all time onto the shoulder of the greatest of all time, a shoulder that would go on to lift the Super Bowl more times on his own than any single team has ever managed in their history.

Ask anyone who's played with or worked with Brady and the word "obsessed" is often mentioned. He's obsessed with preparation, obsessed with getting every tiny detail correct, and that's all because he's obsessed with winning.

Brady has been the best quarterback in history, but he's never been the best paid in the league. He's not a poor man, but the deals he's done with New England over the years have been below market rate but enabled his long-time coach Bill Belichick to spread the salary cap and keep the team competitive.

After Brady spent a year on the bench, an injury to Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe gave him his chance in 2001 and he never looked back. He's always placed winning and the team ahead of even higher financial gain and his own stat sheet, often playing within himself to get the job done.

In a sport built to promote parity, Brady has been a dominant factor, appearing in 10 of the last 20 Super Bowls, and winning the MVP of the big game five times out of his seven wins.

You simply should not be able to do what Brady has done, but by sacrificing some money, his ego, and a large part of his life he's managed to become THE name in the NFL. You may not know your Buffalo Bills from your Baltimore Ravens, you may not know your tight ends from your nose tackles, but everyone knows who Tom Brady is.

What an absolute legend…

Lessons learnt

Never underestimate the underdog……

Upskilling your staff is one thing but attracting raw talent and perfection desire is another – "Attitude is everything"

Andy Dalton?

Group Client Engagement Manager?- CPS Group UK?

E: [email protected]

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