“Tom, you had a lot of great plays, but I’ll put that one up there, maybe after your scramble against (Brian) Urlacher.”
Tom Brady helped lead New England past the Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX. Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images
Tom Brady appeared in 285 career games with the Patriots, winning six Super Bowls and throwing for 614 total touchdowns (postseason included) over those 20 seasons in Foxborough.
Bill Belichick had a front-row seat to every single one of those plays as Brady’s lone head coach in New England.
But for the ex-Patriots head coach (and now current UNC football coach), one play stands above the rest as Brady’s finest play in his legendary career.
Speaking on SiriusXM’s “Let’s Go!” Podcast with Jim Gray and Brady, Belichick tabbed Brady’s first touchdown of Super Bowl XXXIX to David Givens as his most impressive feat. The four-yard pass tied up New England’s matchup against the Eagles at 7-7 with 1:13 left in the first half.
“Tom, one of your greatest plays ever was in the Super Bowl against the Eagles,” Belichick said. “This comes down to fundamental execution that’s just so critical. … We gotta go to the third guy and make it a back-shoulder throw. That’s what great execution is under pressure in the most critical moments of the game. That’s how you win.”
Some might point to one of Brady’s clutch throws during New England’s Super Bowl triumphs over Seattle’s “Legion of Boom” in Super Bowl XLIX, his final drive against the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI, or the 28-3 comeback over the Falcons in Super Bowl LI as some of his top plays.
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But for Belichick, Brady’s throw to Givens was his best because of his ability to improvise after the initial play broke down. Belichick said that tight end Christian Fauria fell on his route while Deion Branch was well covered, prompting Brady to hit Givens off a fade route.
“Tom, you had a lot of great plays, but I’ll put that one up there, maybe after your scramble against (Brian) Urlacher,” Belichick said.
