Tom Brady's 2000 Patriots debut 'a baptism of fire' for NFL legend

After months of speculations, Tom Brady's time at New England Patriots is finally over. Widely regarded as one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history, the 42-year-old officially announced his Patriots departure on Tuesday. The 42-year-old took to Twitter to post two heartfelt posts addressing all his former and present Patriots colleagues in one while addressing the 'Pats Nation' in the other. 

With a retirement off the table, we might soon see Tom Brady don the uniform of another NFL franchise. But for now, let's just roll back the years and have a look when Brady took the field in a Patriots uniform for the first time. 

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Tom Brady debut: Drafted by Patriots in the 2000 NFL Draft

Tom Brady did not enter the 2000 NFL Draft as a high-profile name. The Michigan football star enjoyed a decent college career completing 4,773 passing yards and registering a total of 30 touchdowns. While Brady expected to be at least a second or a third-round pick, he was actually drafted in Round 6 as the 199th pick by the New England Patriots. '199' has since gone to play an important role in Brady's career in and around the NFL. 

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Tom Brady debut: Initial struggles

Brady had to earn his starting berth in the Patriots lineup as he started his rookie season as the fourth choice quarterback. Behind the likes of starter Drew Bledsoe and backups John Friesz and Michael Bishop, Brady had to bide his time to get a chance to start. 

He did, soon, get his chance on November 23, 2000, against the Detriot Lions. And the then-23-year-old failed to impress. Patriots were hammered 34-9 by the Lions and Brady, who played just the final series of the game, managed to complete a mere six passing yards; just one of his three attempted passes found the man.

Brady did not make another appearance in the 2000 NFL season after his lacklustre debut. The Patriots finished the year 9-7 and missed out on a playoff berth.

The following season, Brady got his chance after an injury to starter Drew Bledsoe. He made his first start in a 44-13 win against the Indianapolis Colts on September 30, 2001, and rest as they say, is history. 

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Tom Brady debut: Tom Brady Patriots career

Tom Brady helped the Patriots win the Super Bowl in the 2001/02 season before notching five more rings and establishing himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the game. 74,571 passing yards and over 500 touchdowns with the Patriots defined his 20-year-stint in Boston.

Tom Brady to join Tampa Bay Buccaneers?

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