September 9, 2021 • 30 mins
In this episode we look at what Drew Bledsoe meant to the Patriots organization as a major injury befell him in Week 2 and how 9/11 became a defining moment in the season, as all eyes turned to an unproven backup, Tom Brady.
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
The two thousand and one New England Patriots, the team
that started an NFL dynasty. In a season full of
dramatic twists and turns on and off the field, the
upstart Pats shocked the world, redefining what it meant to
be a team and a Patriot. Twenty years and six
Super Bowl championships later, we're revisiting that historic season, hearing
(00:26):
from different perspectives that were there to witness it firsthand
and tell the tale, from players to coaches, local and
national media, and even some fans. Mixed with some of
the most iconic sounds that define the season. It will
be a unique six part journey back as we follow
the roots of the Patriots dynasty for the one championship
that started it all. We are all Patriots, and tonight
(00:47):
the Patriots are root champions. I Mike do so. And
this is two thousand and one, A Super Bowl Sound Odyssey,
Episode two from the Ashes. All right, are shut the
kick off the twenty one season, and here we go.
After a busy off season and a productive training camp,
the Patriots wrapped up their preseason and prepared to embark
(01:08):
on the two thousand and one regular season. While the
team had added a number of free agents in an
effort to rebound from a five and eleven season. Quarterback
Drew Bledsoe was unquestionably the face of the franchise, on
whose arm the Patriots playoff hopes firmly rested. Bledsoe's arrival
is the first overall pick in nineteen ninety three signal
to see change in New England. Patriots select Drew Bledsoe,
(01:29):
quarterback Washington State University after the team had registered just
fourteen wins in four seasons from nineteen eighty nine to
nineteen ninety two. Paul Perillo, Patriots Football Weekly. Yeah, I
mean being a Patriots fan was not easy in that era.
(01:49):
You know, when you were coming off the you know,
the mid eighties success. They went to the Super Bowl
and eighty five, those stages. Color Police sent one of
the NFL's top two companies, the Chicago Bairns and the
New England Patriots. But then, you know, that core of
talent got old and one by one, you know, the hands,
(02:10):
the Nelsons, Stanley Morgan's Ray Clayboys, they all they all
left and it was bad. I mean when I was
in college watching the Patriots, it was almost embarrassing to
say that you were a Patriots fan. That's how bad
they were. Starovski remember missed his first field goal trial
the year earlier in the fourth quarter from forty three
yards hour this one a twenty seventh yarder that would
(02:31):
tie the game three seconds left in the fourth quarter.
Snap haul it down, kick his up, No good, have
a ball game is over Drew Bledsoe immediately gave the
team legitimacy, and I ran out and got myself season
(02:53):
tickets as a result, and I'd basically been at every
game since. It was all really stemming from that decision
to go with Bledsoe over Meyer, and I think throughout
the nineties the success that they had was all predicated
on that pick. Bloodshall back to throne, looks books to
the end zone, touchdown, the Patriot Quinn to Kevin Turner,
(03:14):
True Blood shows third touchdown, pass up the game and
every time to Kevin Turner, and then the Patriots come back.
I'm a twenty upping episode to bake them in the
sun of vikings it. Every time the Baytriots players are
mobbing Kevin Turner, they're mobbing Blue Bloodshow. But a performance
(03:34):
by a second year quarterback the chopping Doon Mike Grease
Metro West Daily News. Once Parcels came in and they
had the number one pick and he makes this decision
of Drew Bledsoe over Rick Meyer because there was some debate,
it was like, Wow, we got the coach, we got
the number one pick, and he's big and he's strong
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and he can throw the ball, and it gave us hope.
Like and that that I would say for me individually,
like this is more as a fan because I'm a
kid at the time, just graduating high school. It was like,
I'm into the Patriots now. Bloods go through for a
career lowan yardage as a starter in his first season
under coach Belichick, which made it all the more curious
when the franchise QB signed a ten year, one hundred
(04:17):
and three million dollar contract on March seventh, two thousand
and one. Tommy current Metro West Daily News, I did
not think that Drew Bledsoe was the guy. Drew Bledsoe
was the food ornament on CMGI field. In September of
two thousand, I spoke to people who indicated to me
that Robert Craft was having some reservations as to whether
(04:38):
or not he wanted to go ahead with Drew Bledsow,
and he ultimately did. New England signed Drew Bledsoe to
a ten year, one hundred three million dollar deal. Paul Perillo.
When Drew signed that contract, it was almost like everybody
just sat back and said, Okay, well that's our guy forever,
because a ten year contract when he's done playing, that's
(05:02):
going to be it. And it's really funny to look
at it the way it turned out to be exactly
the opposite. I mean, he was the quarterback for another
game and a half. Jermaine Wiggins tight end Drew was.
You know, Drew was an amazing quarterback. I mean I
grew up a Pats fan, so you know, I kind
of remember Bledsoe when I was in college. So having
the opportunity to get a chance to play with Bledsow,
(05:26):
you know, he had just signed a contract, I want
to say, like for like one hundred millions something like
that back at the time, and you know, he used
the face of the franchise for the Patriots bloodshell back
to throw over the middle. It goes, it is caught
by Jermaine Wiggins fighting it into the end zone, goes Wiggins,
Nick Fitzie Stevens, Patriots fan and personality, the arrival of
Bill Belichick, tremendously excited to be here, to be a
(05:48):
part of the New England Patriots organization, and what seemed
like a mismatch, like a marriage that was never going
to work between him and Drew Bledsoe. I was surprised.
I think every Patriots fan was surprised that Bledsoe was
signed to an extension. Bledsoe and Belichick just didn't make
any sense. Obviously, Belichick had replaced Bernie Kozar in Cleveland
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like he had no fear, didn't give any fs about
coming in, making his mark on the organization and putting
in his guy or finding a way to stamp the
organization with what he thought was in the best interest
of the football team. It's an exciting day opening day
in the National Football League all around the country, and
particularly as we're looking at this situation here today for
(06:31):
the guys out on the field right now. As New
England traveled to Cincinnati for the two thousand and one opener,
Patriots hope that Bledsoe and a team that had largely
been remade around him would pay immediate dividends. But about
this preseason on the defensive side was to see that
attitude that's been sorely lacking here over the last couple
of seasons. Clearly with the presence of Brian Cox as
a creagent rable and that kind of veteran presence has
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really put that spark back in the defense. Now, it's
my hope, and I'm sure the Patriots hope is that
that attitude carries over on the offensive side of the ball.
After a scoreless first quarter, Letzo would find Troy Brown
for a fourteen yard touchdown for the team's first score
of the season. Play actually fake Clutshaw fires end zone
touchdown Blue Blotshall's first touchdowns last little season goes to
(07:15):
Troy Brown, but the offense would be stymied from that point.
Right now, the Patriots look at the lid shaking, adding
just another field goal in the first half, while watching
future Patriot Corey Dillon rack up one hundred and four
yards in a touchdown gift Doun. The gift to Dillon
shoots it up the middle of the Wars into the
end zone touchdown. Ledsoe would take four sacks in the game,
and while a late touchdown to Jermaine Wiggins made things
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interesting well, and how critical that tide end position or
how lacking that pid end position has been in the
Patriot offense hero late over the last couple of years anyway,
and in this particular drive, Jermaine Wiggins has come up
pretty big. Patriots turned the ball over on downs on
their last two possessions, sealing the twenty three seventeen win
for the Bengals. That's gonna take care of it. The
Patriots opened the season with a laws for the Cincinnati
(07:59):
Bengals and a very tough way to describe. The Patriots
would fall to Owen one to open their season, but
just two days later, the record was the last thing
on anyone's mind. This justin You were looking at obviously
a very disturbing live shot there that is the World
Trade Center, and we have unconfirmed reports this morning that
a plane has crashed into one of the towers of
(08:20):
the World Trade Center. On the morning of Tuesday, September eleventh,
Patriots offensive guard Joe and drewsie found himself starting his
day off in the dentist chair, just a couple hundred
miles away from his three New York City firefighter brothers,
Joe andrewsie Offensive Lineman. Yeah, nobody knows their future. Things
changed did day all the time. And here I was
(08:41):
in a dentist chair on Tuesday, nine to eleven, and
my brothers one was at work and the other one was,
you know, he was various start work on the Thursday,
his first day and a job was nine to eleven.
He was supposed to start. He was a rookie. He
was supposed to start Thursday was the thirteenth. So you
(09:02):
just never know. And you know, for me, I was
sitting in a chair and not realizing, you know, what
was happening over the over the radio in an a
dentist chair, and got my car and I used to
listen to Howard Stern and it wasn't a normal Howard Stern,
and you know, he was very sincere. He was broadcasting
right from New York City and just count everything that's
(09:25):
going on, and oh, my god, a second plane might
have crashed and a second building is on fire. My
heart went to my throat because I just had a
very strong feeling that if not one, two, or even
three of my brothers were there, there was a convoy
of fire and police trucks racing down the West Side
highways is in the middle of rush hour. Obviously, every
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available fire unit here in Manhattan has been brought to
the trade center, so I got twelve hours later. I
think my father finally called and told me that my
brother give the phone number to a guy in the
street who had a phone. I asked him to call,
and the guy was nice enough to call my parents
and tell him that he was alive. And I got
(10:10):
a call that night, and the bridges and tunnels were
still close, so I couldn't get home. He went to
work the next day, and you know, it wasn't I
wasn't even I wasn't even there this time. And it's
for the first time in his history. The NFL has
canceled all of its games this weekend, and according to
a couple of the players, at least it was not
(10:30):
a difficult decision for them. Well, thank god they canceled
the weekend. I think I was one of the best
decisions that the commissioner had done. And you know, I
know I couldn't have done it. And I can't imagine
the New York players that were down there, you know,
all around that area. I remember flat out saying we're
not playing and if you try to make a play,
(10:51):
we just won't show up. And I know it's not
a video or dingle my brother holding his index and
his thumb together when I first ran into him at
my parents' house and you know, holding it close together
and saying that's how close he was to death. He
was running out of town one when it was falling
behind him, and you know, it was still giving chills
to even talk about it and mention it. But like
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I said, I can never fathom what he or any
of his colleagues, or even my brothers went through in
the day of and the days leading afterwards. Now, ladies
and gentlemen, gentlemen, please join together again in a moment
of silence for the victims of September eleventh. After the
week away, the NFL returned to action the following Sunday,
with the Jets next up on the Patriots schedule. The
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Andrewsie family also made the trek from New York to
Foxboro to take part in a pregame ceremony that would
become one of the unforgettable moments from the season, and
one that captured the attention of a nation in mourning
right now. By the way, I want to point out
that the former New York City police officer A Bill
and Rosie and his three sons who are in New
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York City firefighters are at field. Were their brother Joe
and Rosie the Patriots guard. I knew they were there
the yard line waiting, and I'm sure you know they
had a lot of butterflies, and myself and kind to
get back to work for myself and as well they
did too, turning around and thinking about what they went through,
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thinking about how the last week has been week and
a half and you know they don't want any of
the accolades or anything, but you know, mentioned him. I said, no,
you're standing, and they stood out there. You're not a
Patriot or a Jet fan right now. They are the
Patriots honorary Captains today, which I just thought was a
(12:42):
marvelous just hearby the Patriots, and that was to get
coming out there and hearing the roar of the crowd
and hopefully the first past come they re see the
Patriot and Jet fans holding cans. But overall it was
a chill over goes through my body and for me,
I knew they were out there I knew they were waiting.
(13:04):
The American flags still being held in the middle of
the field from thirty five yard line to thirty five
yard line by the Patriots cheerleaders, and I spurred a
moment thing. There was two flags. That picture you see
of me, there was two flags taped on the tunnel
of Foxboro Stadium coming out, and they called my name
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and I grabbed them off the wall and held them
high in the air and letting them know I'm there
for them, and you know, there for the whole country
as well as you know, the NFL and the teams
that are going to be there and helping any which
way we can. So they're standing out there and hold
those flags high and get those butterflies go on a
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little bit. But also seeing greatness of my teammates, Damian
Woody offensive linemen. Oh that's my brother, man is you
know I You know, just we spent so much time,
so much time around the Andrews, the family, and you
just you just got a really close bond with them,
you know, and just seeing the seeing a story and
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just hearing them talk about it. You were in like
you were in all because like, wow, these guys were
right on Crown, you know, right down Crown and zero.
These guys were right at the epistenter you know of
the of the of the worst terror attacking in our history.
One of his brothers barely got out of the World
Trade Cetter before the collapse. They've all been involved with
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three firefighting brothers in the rescue efforts at the Trade Cetter,
and uh, you know it was you know, sometimes it
was just crazy to think about that here it is
a guy that I played next to. His family was
you know, it was right there as far as that
it's been his concerned so um, you know, always had
a huge amount of respect for Joe and his family,
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and that that day, just watching Joe run out, you know,
out of the tunnel was just a man. You feel
like your heart was want to explode, man, because you
just had so much Adrenalist Nick Fitzie Stevens. I don't
think I've ever heard on a non scoring play a
greater scream in a stadium. Just they're just a crowd
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just went crazy. Everybody just had the same kind of
goosebumps I have on my arm now, just like oh
the USA chance that broke out over and over and
over again and as mister Kraft said time and again
that season, what team better exemplified the unity we needed
to display more than a team named the Patriots. I mean,
their colors are the flag the Patriots. People didn't hate
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the Patriots at that point. There was no long history
of success or domination. There were no scandals at that point.
Like the Patriots were kind of a lovable, hard luck
team at that point. Matt Chatham, linebacker and special teamer.
Then we line up for the anthem and you hear
the rumbull of planes overhead and from remember you know,
(16:01):
talking to the guys alongside of us, and while I
was looking at each other, going what's that we were
told about playing? Well, what's happened? You know that? And
it's just sort of a moment of weird. You know,
you're thinking in ways you would never have thought before,
had had that not happened the week before, and you
ultimately it was a mundane thing. They did do a flyover.
I don't know why there was the confusion about whether
or not that would happen, but it just it sort
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of shows the crazy thoughts that are going through your
head at that time. And you know, then it's like Okay,
well nothing happened. Okay, let's just get back and go
play football game. But it was a weird game, and
that you know, you're not you're typically walking in the
football field, youre not thinking about the name of football.
But that definitely was one of those days Chris Berman, ESPN,
where football started going again. As I look back at
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this twenty years later, I think that maybe I want
to say nine to eleven was helpful to the Patriots,
but I mean, look, people were thinking about a lot
of other things. Football was that was great to have,
and you're playing baseball again, and but nobody was normal
and nobody was thinking normal, And so as unnoticed as
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the Patriots when they started to win, you know, they
were one and three and they were five and five,
so you wouldn't necessarily notice them, and you would notice
them less so because of the fall of nine eleven.
So what I'm trying to say is they really were
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under the radar, and I think in retrospect that was
really helpful to them. Mike Greece, So let's start with
a story from week two. This is like before Bledsoe
gets injured, and this was Mike Westhoff, the Jets special
teams coach, and he's on the field before the game
with the Jets head coach Herman Edwards, and herm, you know,
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loves to tell stories. And what HERM remembers from before
that game was a conversation with Bill Belichick and herm,
you know, friendly guy. Hey, Bill, how you doing. And
this is what HERM tells. He says that Bill toll,
I'm not I'm not doing so well. Like we bleep
in stink. They might bleep in fire me before this
(18:17):
year is over. Like That's what HERM remembers here and
from Bill. Prior to that Week two game against the Jets,
the offense would look even more tame against the Jets
than they looked in their loss to the Bengals, producing
just a single field goal through three quarters, trailing the
Jets ten three, with former Patriot Curtis Martin scoring the
game's only touchdown. At the helm of the Jets offense,
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Belichick's quarterback that had replaced Bernie Kosar in Cleveland, Vinnie
Testa Verdie Jesta Verdie on the braw to Curtis Martin
to the left squeezes, threw all but just over five
minutes left in the fourth quarter Bledsoe, trying to lead
his team to a game time score, was flushed outside
the pocket and ran up the sidelines with Jets linebacker
Mo Lewis bearing down on him. Bloodshow deep Gop steps up, now,
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rolls to the right. Now he's gonna have to run
if it's twenty twenty five thirty. Oh, I'm out light
up the shop. I don't think it. Maybe he got black.
You'll get on the fireside as he tried to run
the ten yards for the first down, and I'm watch
sure down he's going to get up on this one.
He really got hit, Nick Fitzie Stevens. The hit mo
(19:26):
Lewis put on Drew Bledsoe, you like, you can hear
it when you watch the NFL Films clip and most
people have only experienced it through social media. Now, when
you were there, it sounded like somebody dropped like a
salad bowl full of bricks right in front of you
on the bench twenty five thirty. Oh. Like it was
so loud, it was like a small car accident. And
(19:47):
I was on the opposite side of the stadium and
I heard that. And you watched Bledsoe go down and
there was a from everybody like everybody knew like oh no,
and the medical staff immediately over to check on Bloodshaw.
Bledsoe would return to the field the following series enough
to hand it off a few times and see the
Patriots offense fumble it back to the Jets. When the
(20:07):
Patriots offense took the field again, a new quarterback was
under center, Tom Brady, Tom Brady's and again, yes you're right,
brew bloodsoll is not on the ball. Again. Brady showed
poise in his appearance, moving the Patriots offense fifty five
yards and within range for a last second shot at
the end zone for the tie. But Brady's bomb would
(20:27):
fall incomplete and the Patriots would fall to Owen two,
losing two quarterback who was in Bledsoe's shoes just a
few seasons prior. Brady rolls out to his left, looking
down the field, looked fires to the young zone and
it is incomplete, and that's the ball game. Scott Pioli,
Patriots director of player personnel. When we were at the
New York Jets, we were coming off at twelve and
(20:48):
fourth season, had lost the nineteen ninety eight, had lost
the AFC Championship game out in Denver who won the
Super Bowl that year, and Vidie Testa Bernie had had
a terrific year the next year. First game of the
year nineteen ninety nine, Binny ruptures is achilling, and we
have an injured Jet on the field, Tiver. It is
Testaverdi and he is pounding your ground, which is not
(21:13):
a good indication for the Jets. You know, for Testaverdi.
When I see a guy doing that, he knows he's injury.
And it's one of the awful hard truths of this
game is that you know there's traumatic injuries and bad
things that happened, and you know, as a leader you
just have to move forward. You show empathy that's genuine
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because you do care about the player. And we had
a plan in place. We're being told that Drew bledsoe,
and how imagine as we're being told that his replacement
is not because of injury. Paul Pilla when he left
the game, I don't think there was any reason to
think that this is going to be something that's going
to keep him at long term. But it was quick.
He's a tough guy. But I'll tell you what, well,
(21:57):
pretty good on that one. He's up in walking under
his own power. He found out how serious it was
pretty quickly. There were reports about him being rushed to
the hospital and the sheer blood vessel and yeah, at
that point you knew he wasn't going to be around
for a while. Um and that's when you just sort
of had to take a step back and reevalue what
(22:18):
you thought was what they were going to be capable of.
Charlie Weiss's offensive coordinator, lets This was a serious injury
that drew This was a lot worse than people knew.
You people, you know, he went to the hospital and
everything like that. It was that night in the hospital
was you know, it was it was touch and go.
It wasn't like everything's great. As the severity of Bledsoe's
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injuries came to light, it was soon apparent that suddenly
Tom Brady was going to get his chance as the
starting quarterback in his second season. Scott Poli, The reality
is that we really felt that Tom Brady was a
player that was going to develop into a good quarterback
in time, and it happened a little bit sooner than
I think everyone was wasting. And you know, it wasn't
(23:02):
perfect at the beginning with Tommy, but I'll say this.
You know, he had the full support of his teammates,
not only on offense, but on defense and special teams,
and the coaching staff, Charlie Weiss. They look at we
had Tommy and Damon Yeward, so I still had two
really good guys in a room, and we just you know,
we just started and we took baby steps, you know,
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and then we grew from there. And the more the
more he showed he can handle, the more we did.
And it's amazing that you could think about it. We
started off Dacon and Duncan right up the bat, and
at the end of the year he's running in a
two minute drive to win the Super Bowl. So I mean,
obviously the offense evolved very quickly with him at the
(23:47):
al first down of his own twenty five blood show
back and at all looks fires over the middle, part
by David patting at the forty yard line for the
first time David Patton wide receiver. I had played that
entire preseason with Tom Brady on the third team offense.
So who are we who are we going up against
in training camp? The number one defense? And I can
(24:10):
tell you we gave number one the number one defense
problems Tom and I. And I'm telling you, Tom, if
if you didn't know Drew Breed, I mean Drew Bless
told us the one hundred million dollars quarterback at that time,
you would have thought Tom was the starter. Just just
his leadership style, I mean, his composure to plays, the
(24:31):
throws that he made in practices. Hey, right here, free, Hey,
this group here is gonna be why we went right here.
So when when Drew gets knocked out of the game
against the Jets and I see Tom running into the game,
It's like, in my mind it was in slow motion.
I was like, oh, we're getting ready to go because
we had already had so much chemistry. And when he
(24:53):
comes in, you know, everyone knows the story Troy Brown
wide receiver. So at that particular point, I think that
it was just a lot of behind the scenes and
meeting with you know, guys having you know, one on
one meetings with each other, and guys stepping up and
saying their peace with each other, and we gotta do
this and we gotta do that, so, you know, kind
of soul searching as a football team. And then we
(25:14):
just said, you know, we gotta we gotta come out.
We just gotta play better football and not turning the
football over, you know. And Tom came in and he
showed a poise that you know, I don't think anybody
really expected him to show when he came in. And
then his leadership skills on display. Not that he was
lighting the place up, but there's some of his decision making,
(25:35):
his confidence that he played with, you know, it just
kind of permitted through everybody else. Naturally, an easy place
for the young quarterback to lean was on a veteran
defense and running back Pepper Johnson linebackers coach. We have
to put the team on our back and curry us
because we have this young guy sitting up there. We
(25:57):
on exactly no you know what we're getting ready to
get from it. So we have to we have to
perform and carry the team. And it was, like I said,
it was a blessing in Scott because look at twelve
now and what we end up doing at that uh
with that scene. Mike Rabel linebacker, man, you always want
(26:21):
to play good, You always want to play well, and
you know, regardless of what the scheme is or what
the what the what the game plan is. Offensively, we
all well and had a relationship with Tom and knew
the type of leader that he was and the type
of competitor that he was, And you know, I think
we all had the same mindset, like we're gonna roll on. Tom.
(26:42):
Brady showed some some great poise and moving the team
in preseason. Let's see if it carries over to the season.
Rob Ryan, linebackers coach. Well, I'll tell you what if
you recall remember Brady was playing lights out in the preseason.
I think the third preseason game, he had the best
quarterback rating in the in the entire league. So he
(27:04):
was playing really well. But you know, obviously when you
see Bledsoe get hurt, who's you know, it was a
great quarterback. You know you're thinking, oh, man, I'm lots
already down. He's going to get up on this one.
He he really got hit. Antoine Smith running back once
U went down, you know, the majority of them, you know,
(27:24):
kind of fell on myselfs a little bit too, you know,
to try to get the running game going so it
wouldn't be so much pressing on a young Tom Braid.
First in golfake for yus at the Indianapolis four. They
give us the Smith little left try to find running
room and he years, then what's that hard smith from
four yards down Matt Chatham. So you know, Tom's the
guy was a rookie two thousand and I know how
(27:45):
hurt he's worked. And Tom hadn't been you know, for
most of two thousand season time didn't even travel, so
you know he would he would be home as not
the third quarterback and we're coming home from East Road
trips and you know, coming back into the condo and
he's Pepper and ask questions was how the how the
weekend went, how the game went, how the trip was,
and things like that. Now it's you know, fast forward
(28:07):
a year later and we know how much it meant
to him. Jermaine Wiggins. Tom Um was a guy that
was super competitive. You know, he was super competitive. He
was a great leader. Even though he was a young
young player at the time. He understood like, okay, the
quarterback is the leader of the huddle and he had
a great uh he had a great feel for that.
(28:30):
And so when he came in, I think, you know,
we as a team we felt like, you know, you know,
Drew went down and you know, we're gonna wait till
Drew gets back. But we felt like Tom could you know,
hold things down until Drew got back. Damian Woody, when
you watched Tom in practice, the dude to have so
much command in the huddle, very very smart, very bright,
and obviously I mean Thomas worked after his legendary and
(28:54):
the fact that they came in and the fourth string
and then worked his way up methodically to be back up.
And it didn't seem like the moment was too big
for Tom. It really didn't. You know, he came in
and you know, obviously the stadium was kind of you know,
in shock with the with you know, Drew going down.
But you know when Tom was in there, man, he
(29:15):
just took full advantage of the opportunity out of a
shotgun Brady first down looks fires, it is caught over
the middle and out to the thirty yard one goes
Patrick Patch and in a game of four yards in
the play, he wasn't nervous. You know a lot of
times the quarterback, they you can feel the energy in
the huddle, and you didn't feel a nervous energy with
(29:36):
Tom in the huddle, And for everyone that's in the huddle,
that's a common that's a common feeling knowing that you
know what, this moment's not too big. We're gonna be
just fine, and we're gonna and we're gonna, we're gonna
continue this thing moving forward. And that's how I've got
with Tom in there next time. On two thousand and one,
a Super Bowl sound otasea a young quarterback goes through
some ups and downs as the team discovers their winning
(29:57):
formula to carry them to the playoffs. Two thousand and one.
A Super Bowl Sound Odyssey was produced by Mike Dusot
with audio engineer Matt Morrell for Patriots dot Com. Can't
Get Enough Patriots two thousand and one content relive the
historic year by following the Patriots time Machine, a social
media account twenty years after its time, following the Patriots
two thousand and one season as if it were happening live.
(30:18):
See daily transactions, watch game highlights, and go back in
time to the start of the Patriots Super Bowl dynasty.
Follow along on Twitter and Instagram at Pat's time Machine
The two thousand and one New England Patriots, the team
that started an NFL dynasty. In a season full of
dramatic twists and turns on and off the field, the
upstart Pats shocked the world, redefining what it meant to
be a team and a Patriot. Twenty years and six
Super Bowl championships later, we're revisiting that historic season, hearing
(00:26):
from different perspectives that were there to witness it firsthand
and tell the tale, from players to coaches, local and
national media, and even some fans. Mixed with some of
the most iconic sounds that define the season. It will
be a unique six part journey back as we follow
the roots of the Patriots dynasty for the one championship
that started it all. We are all Patriots, and tonight
(00:47):
the Patriots are root champions. I Mike do so. And
this is two thousand and one, A Super Bowl Sound Odyssey,
Episode two from the Ashes. All right, are shut the
kick off the twenty one season, and here we go.
After a busy off season and a productive training camp,
the Patriots wrapped up their preseason and prepared to embark
(01:08):
on the two thousand and one regular season. While the
team had added a number of free agents in an
effort to rebound from a five and eleven season. Quarterback
Drew Bledsoe was unquestionably the face of the franchise, on
whose arm the Patriots playoff hopes firmly rested. Bledsoe's arrival
is the first overall pick in nineteen ninety three signal
to see change in New England. Patriots select Drew Bledsoe,
(01:29):
quarterback Washington State University after the team had registered just
fourteen wins in four seasons from nineteen eighty nine to
nineteen ninety two. Paul Perillo, Patriots Football Weekly. Yeah, I
mean being a Patriots fan was not easy in that era.
(01:49):
You know, when you were coming off the you know,
the mid eighties success. They went to the Super Bowl
and eighty five, those stages. Color Police sent one of
the NFL's top two companies, the Chicago Bairns and the
New England Patriots. But then, you know, that core of
talent got old and one by one, you know, the hands,
(02:10):
the Nelsons, Stanley Morgan's Ray Clayboys, they all they all
left and it was bad. I mean when I was
in college watching the Patriots, it was almost embarrassing to
say that you were a Patriots fan. That's how bad
they were. Starovski remember missed his first field goal trial
the year earlier in the fourth quarter from forty three
yards hour this one a twenty seventh yarder that would
(02:31):
tie the game three seconds left in the fourth quarter.
Snap haul it down, kick his up, No good, have
a ball game is over Drew Bledsoe immediately gave the
team legitimacy, and I ran out and got myself season
(02:53):
tickets as a result, and I'd basically been at every
game since. It was all really stemming from that decision
to go with Bledsoe over Meyer, and I think throughout
the nineties the success that they had was all predicated
on that pick. Bloodshall back to throne, looks books to
the end zone, touchdown, the Patriot Quinn to Kevin Turner,
(03:14):
True Blood shows third touchdown, pass up the game and
every time to Kevin Turner, and then the Patriots come back.
I'm a twenty upping episode to bake them in the
sun of vikings it. Every time the Baytriots players are
mobbing Kevin Turner, they're mobbing Blue Bloodshow. But a performance
(03:34):
by a second year quarterback the chopping Doon Mike Grease
Metro West Daily News. Once Parcels came in and they
had the number one pick and he makes this decision
of Drew Bledsoe over Rick Meyer because there was some debate,
it was like, Wow, we got the coach, we got
the number one pick, and he's big and he's strong
(03:55):
and he can throw the ball, and it gave us hope.
Like and that that I would say for me individually,
like this is more as a fan because I'm a
kid at the time, just graduating high school. It was like,
I'm into the Patriots now. Bloods go through for a
career lowan yardage as a starter in his first season
under coach Belichick, which made it all the more curious
when the franchise QB signed a ten year, one hundred
(04:17):
and three million dollar contract on March seventh, two thousand
and one. Tommy current Metro West Daily News, I did
not think that Drew Bledsoe was the guy. Drew Bledsoe
was the food ornament on CMGI field. In September of
two thousand, I spoke to people who indicated to me
that Robert Craft was having some reservations as to whether
(04:38):
or not he wanted to go ahead with Drew Bledsow,
and he ultimately did. New England signed Drew Bledsoe to
a ten year, one hundred three million dollar deal. Paul Perillo.
When Drew signed that contract, it was almost like everybody
just sat back and said, Okay, well that's our guy forever,
because a ten year contract when he's done playing, that's
(05:02):
going to be it. And it's really funny to look
at it the way it turned out to be exactly
the opposite. I mean, he was the quarterback for another
game and a half. Jermaine Wiggins tight end Drew was.
You know, Drew was an amazing quarterback. I mean I
grew up a Pats fan, so you know, I kind
of remember Bledsoe when I was in college. So having
the opportunity to get a chance to play with Bledsow,
(05:26):
you know, he had just signed a contract, I want
to say, like for like one hundred millions something like
that back at the time, and you know, he used
the face of the franchise for the Patriots bloodshell back
to throw over the middle. It goes, it is caught
by Jermaine Wiggins fighting it into the end zone, goes Wiggins,
Nick Fitzie Stevens, Patriots fan and personality, the arrival of
Bill Belichick, tremendously excited to be here, to be a
(05:48):
part of the New England Patriots organization, and what seemed
like a mismatch, like a marriage that was never going
to work between him and Drew Bledsoe. I was surprised.
I think every Patriots fan was surprised that Bledsoe was
signed to an extension. Bledsoe and Belichick just didn't make
any sense. Obviously, Belichick had replaced Bernie Kozar in Cleveland
(06:08):
like he had no fear, didn't give any fs about
coming in, making his mark on the organization and putting
in his guy or finding a way to stamp the
organization with what he thought was in the best interest
of the football team. It's an exciting day opening day
in the National Football League all around the country, and
particularly as we're looking at this situation here today for
(06:31):
the guys out on the field right now. As New
England traveled to Cincinnati for the two thousand and one opener,
Patriots hope that Bledsoe and a team that had largely
been remade around him would pay immediate dividends. But about
this preseason on the defensive side was to see that
attitude that's been sorely lacking here over the last couple
of seasons. Clearly with the presence of Brian Cox as
a creagent rable and that kind of veteran presence has
(06:53):
really put that spark back in the defense. Now, it's
my hope, and I'm sure the Patriots hope is that
that attitude carries over on the offensive side of the ball.
After a scoreless first quarter, Letzo would find Troy Brown
for a fourteen yard touchdown for the team's first score
of the season. Play actually fake Clutshaw fires end zone
touchdown Blue Blotshall's first touchdowns last little season goes to
(07:15):
Troy Brown, but the offense would be stymied from that point.
Right now, the Patriots look at the lid shaking, adding
just another field goal in the first half, while watching
future Patriot Corey Dillon rack up one hundred and four
yards in a touchdown gift Doun. The gift to Dillon
shoots it up the middle of the Wars into the
end zone touchdown. Ledsoe would take four sacks in the game,
and while a late touchdown to Jermaine Wiggins made things
(07:36):
interesting well, and how critical that tide end position or
how lacking that pid end position has been in the
Patriot offense hero late over the last couple of years anyway,
and in this particular drive, Jermaine Wiggins has come up
pretty big. Patriots turned the ball over on downs on
their last two possessions, sealing the twenty three seventeen win
for the Bengals. That's gonna take care of it. The
Patriots opened the season with a laws for the Cincinnati
(07:59):
Bengals and a very tough way to describe. The Patriots
would fall to Owen one to open their season, but
just two days later, the record was the last thing
on anyone's mind. This justin You were looking at obviously
a very disturbing live shot there that is the World
Trade Center, and we have unconfirmed reports this morning that
a plane has crashed into one of the towers of
(08:20):
the World Trade Center. On the morning of Tuesday, September eleventh,
Patriots offensive guard Joe and drewsie found himself starting his
day off in the dentist chair, just a couple hundred
miles away from his three New York City firefighter brothers,
Joe andrewsie Offensive Lineman. Yeah, nobody knows their future. Things
changed did day all the time. And here I was
(08:41):
in a dentist chair on Tuesday, nine to eleven, and
my brothers one was at work and the other one was,
you know, he was various start work on the Thursday,
his first day and a job was nine to eleven.
He was supposed to start. He was a rookie. He
was supposed to start Thursday was the thirteenth. So you
(09:02):
just never know. And you know, for me, I was
sitting in a chair and not realizing, you know, what
was happening over the over the radio in an a
dentist chair, and got my car and I used to
listen to Howard Stern and it wasn't a normal Howard Stern,
and you know, he was very sincere. He was broadcasting
right from New York City and just count everything that's
(09:25):
going on, and oh, my god, a second plane might
have crashed and a second building is on fire. My
heart went to my throat because I just had a
very strong feeling that if not one, two, or even
three of my brothers were there, there was a convoy
of fire and police trucks racing down the West Side
highways is in the middle of rush hour. Obviously, every
(09:47):
available fire unit here in Manhattan has been brought to
the trade center, so I got twelve hours later. I
think my father finally called and told me that my
brother give the phone number to a guy in the
street who had a phone. I asked him to call,
and the guy was nice enough to call my parents
and tell him that he was alive. And I got
(10:10):
a call that night, and the bridges and tunnels were
still close, so I couldn't get home. He went to
work the next day, and you know, it wasn't I
wasn't even I wasn't even there this time. And it's
for the first time in his history. The NFL has
canceled all of its games this weekend, and according to
a couple of the players, at least it was not
(10:30):
a difficult decision for them. Well, thank god they canceled
the weekend. I think I was one of the best
decisions that the commissioner had done. And you know, I
know I couldn't have done it. And I can't imagine
the New York players that were down there, you know,
all around that area. I remember flat out saying we're
not playing and if you try to make a play,
(10:51):
we just won't show up. And I know it's not
a video or dingle my brother holding his index and
his thumb together when I first ran into him at
my parents' house and you know, holding it close together
and saying that's how close he was to death. He
was running out of town one when it was falling
behind him, and you know, it was still giving chills
to even talk about it and mention it. But like
(11:15):
I said, I can never fathom what he or any
of his colleagues, or even my brothers went through in
the day of and the days leading afterwards. Now, ladies
and gentlemen, gentlemen, please join together again in a moment
of silence for the victims of September eleventh. After the
week away, the NFL returned to action the following Sunday,
with the Jets next up on the Patriots schedule. The
(11:37):
Andrewsie family also made the trek from New York to
Foxboro to take part in a pregame ceremony that would
become one of the unforgettable moments from the season, and
one that captured the attention of a nation in mourning
right now. By the way, I want to point out
that the former New York City police officer A Bill
and Rosie and his three sons who are in New
(11:57):
York City firefighters are at field. Were their brother Joe
and Rosie the Patriots guard. I knew they were there
the yard line waiting, and I'm sure you know they
had a lot of butterflies, and myself and kind to
get back to work for myself and as well they
did too, turning around and thinking about what they went through,
(12:21):
thinking about how the last week has been week and
a half and you know they don't want any of
the accolades or anything, but you know, mentioned him. I said, no,
you're standing, and they stood out there. You're not a
Patriot or a Jet fan right now. They are the
Patriots honorary Captains today, which I just thought was a
(12:42):
marvelous just hearby the Patriots, and that was to get
coming out there and hearing the roar of the crowd
and hopefully the first past come they re see the
Patriot and Jet fans holding cans. But overall it was
a chill over goes through my body and for me,
I knew they were out there I knew they were waiting.
(13:04):
The American flags still being held in the middle of
the field from thirty five yard line to thirty five
yard line by the Patriots cheerleaders, and I spurred a
moment thing. There was two flags. That picture you see
of me, there was two flags taped on the tunnel
of Foxboro Stadium coming out, and they called my name
(13:25):
and I grabbed them off the wall and held them
high in the air and letting them know I'm there
for them, and you know, there for the whole country
as well as you know, the NFL and the teams
that are going to be there and helping any which
way we can. So they're standing out there and hold
those flags high and get those butterflies go on a
(13:46):
little bit. But also seeing greatness of my teammates, Damian
Woody offensive linemen. Oh that's my brother, man is you
know I You know, just we spent so much time,
so much time around the Andrews, the family, and you
just you just got a really close bond with them,
you know, and just seeing the seeing a story and
(14:10):
just hearing them talk about it. You were in like
you were in all because like, wow, these guys were
right on Crown, you know, right down Crown and zero.
These guys were right at the epistenter you know of
the of the of the worst terror attacking in our history.
One of his brothers barely got out of the World
Trade Cetter before the collapse. They've all been involved with
(14:32):
three firefighting brothers in the rescue efforts at the Trade Cetter,
and uh, you know it was you know, sometimes it
was just crazy to think about that here it is
a guy that I played next to. His family was
you know, it was right there as far as that
it's been his concerned so um, you know, always had
a huge amount of respect for Joe and his family,
(14:54):
and that that day, just watching Joe run out, you know,
out of the tunnel was just a man. You feel
like your heart was want to explode, man, because you
just had so much Adrenalist Nick Fitzie Stevens. I don't
think I've ever heard on a non scoring play a
greater scream in a stadium. Just they're just a crowd
(15:16):
just went crazy. Everybody just had the same kind of
goosebumps I have on my arm now, just like oh
the USA chance that broke out over and over and
over again and as mister Kraft said time and again
that season, what team better exemplified the unity we needed
to display more than a team named the Patriots. I mean,
their colors are the flag the Patriots. People didn't hate
(15:39):
the Patriots at that point. There was no long history
of success or domination. There were no scandals at that point.
Like the Patriots were kind of a lovable, hard luck
team at that point. Matt Chatham, linebacker and special teamer.
Then we line up for the anthem and you hear
the rumbull of planes overhead and from remember you know,
(16:01):
talking to the guys alongside of us, and while I
was looking at each other, going what's that we were
told about playing? Well, what's happened? You know that? And
it's just sort of a moment of weird. You know,
you're thinking in ways you would never have thought before,
had had that not happened the week before, and you
ultimately it was a mundane thing. They did do a flyover.
I don't know why there was the confusion about whether
or not that would happen, but it just it sort
(16:21):
of shows the crazy thoughts that are going through your
head at that time. And you know, then it's like Okay,
well nothing happened. Okay, let's just get back and go
play football game. But it was a weird game, and
that you know, you're not you're typically walking in the
football field, youre not thinking about the name of football.
But that definitely was one of those days Chris Berman, ESPN,
where football started going again. As I look back at
(16:47):
this twenty years later, I think that maybe I want
to say nine to eleven was helpful to the Patriots,
but I mean, look, people were thinking about a lot
of other things. Football was that was great to have,
and you're playing baseball again, and but nobody was normal
and nobody was thinking normal, And so as unnoticed as
(17:11):
the Patriots when they started to win, you know, they
were one and three and they were five and five,
so you wouldn't necessarily notice them, and you would notice
them less so because of the fall of nine eleven.
So what I'm trying to say is they really were
(17:33):
under the radar, and I think in retrospect that was
really helpful to them. Mike Greece, So let's start with
a story from week two. This is like before Bledsoe
gets injured, and this was Mike Westhoff, the Jets special
teams coach, and he's on the field before the game
with the Jets head coach Herman Edwards, and herm, you know,
(17:55):
loves to tell stories. And what HERM remembers from before
that game was a conversation with Bill Belichick and herm,
you know, friendly guy. Hey, Bill, how you doing. And
this is what HERM tells. He says that Bill toll,
I'm not I'm not doing so well. Like we bleep
in stink. They might bleep in fire me before this
(18:17):
year is over. Like That's what HERM remembers here and
from Bill. Prior to that Week two game against the Jets,
the offense would look even more tame against the Jets
than they looked in their loss to the Bengals, producing
just a single field goal through three quarters, trailing the
Jets ten three, with former Patriot Curtis Martin scoring the
game's only touchdown. At the helm of the Jets offense,
(18:42):
Belichick's quarterback that had replaced Bernie Kosar in Cleveland, Vinnie
Testa Verdie Jesta Verdie on the braw to Curtis Martin
to the left squeezes, threw all but just over five
minutes left in the fourth quarter Bledsoe, trying to lead
his team to a game time score, was flushed outside
the pocket and ran up the sidelines with Jets linebacker
Mo Lewis bearing down on him. Bloodshow deep Gop steps up, now,
(19:03):
rolls to the right. Now he's gonna have to run
if it's twenty twenty five thirty. Oh, I'm out light
up the shop. I don't think it. Maybe he got black.
You'll get on the fireside as he tried to run
the ten yards for the first down, and I'm watch
sure down he's going to get up on this one.
He really got hit, Nick Fitzie Stevens. The hit mo
(19:26):
Lewis put on Drew Bledsoe, you like, you can hear
it when you watch the NFL Films clip and most
people have only experienced it through social media. Now, when
you were there, it sounded like somebody dropped like a
salad bowl full of bricks right in front of you
on the bench twenty five thirty. Oh. Like it was
so loud, it was like a small car accident. And
(19:47):
I was on the opposite side of the stadium and
I heard that. And you watched Bledsoe go down and
there was a from everybody like everybody knew like oh no,
and the medical staff immediately over to check on Bloodshaw.
Bledsoe would return to the field the following series enough
to hand it off a few times and see the
Patriots offense fumble it back to the Jets. When the
(20:07):
Patriots offense took the field again, a new quarterback was
under center, Tom Brady, Tom Brady's and again, yes you're right,
brew bloodsoll is not on the ball. Again. Brady showed
poise in his appearance, moving the Patriots offense fifty five
yards and within range for a last second shot at
the end zone for the tie. But Brady's bomb would
(20:27):
fall incomplete and the Patriots would fall to Owen two,
losing two quarterback who was in Bledsoe's shoes just a
few seasons prior. Brady rolls out to his left, looking
down the field, looked fires to the young zone and
it is incomplete, and that's the ball game. Scott Pioli,
Patriots director of player personnel. When we were at the
New York Jets, we were coming off at twelve and
(20:48):
fourth season, had lost the nineteen ninety eight, had lost
the AFC Championship game out in Denver who won the
Super Bowl that year, and Vidie Testa Bernie had had
a terrific year the next year. First game of the
year nineteen ninety nine, Binny ruptures is achilling, and we
have an injured Jet on the field, Tiver. It is
Testaverdi and he is pounding your ground, which is not
(21:13):
a good indication for the Jets. You know, for Testaverdi.
When I see a guy doing that, he knows he's injury.
And it's one of the awful hard truths of this
game is that you know there's traumatic injuries and bad
things that happened, and you know, as a leader you
just have to move forward. You show empathy that's genuine
(21:37):
because you do care about the player. And we had
a plan in place. We're being told that Drew bledsoe,
and how imagine as we're being told that his replacement
is not because of injury. Paul Pilla when he left
the game, I don't think there was any reason to
think that this is going to be something that's going
to keep him at long term. But it was quick.
He's a tough guy. But I'll tell you what, well,
(21:57):
pretty good on that one. He's up in walking under
his own power. He found out how serious it was
pretty quickly. There were reports about him being rushed to
the hospital and the sheer blood vessel and yeah, at
that point you knew he wasn't going to be around
for a while. Um and that's when you just sort
of had to take a step back and reevalue what
(22:18):
you thought was what they were going to be capable of.
Charlie Weiss's offensive coordinator, lets This was a serious injury
that drew This was a lot worse than people knew.
You people, you know, he went to the hospital and
everything like that. It was that night in the hospital
was you know, it was it was touch and go.
It wasn't like everything's great. As the severity of Bledsoe's
(22:41):
injuries came to light, it was soon apparent that suddenly
Tom Brady was going to get his chance as the
starting quarterback in his second season. Scott Poli, The reality
is that we really felt that Tom Brady was a
player that was going to develop into a good quarterback
in time, and it happened a little bit sooner than
I think everyone was wasting. And you know, it wasn't
(23:02):
perfect at the beginning with Tommy, but I'll say this.
You know, he had the full support of his teammates,
not only on offense, but on defense and special teams,
and the coaching staff, Charlie Weiss. They look at we
had Tommy and Damon Yeward, so I still had two
really good guys in a room, and we just you know,
we just started and we took baby steps, you know,
(23:25):
and then we grew from there. And the more the
more he showed he can handle, the more we did.
And it's amazing that you could think about it. We
started off Dacon and Duncan right up the bat, and
at the end of the year he's running in a
two minute drive to win the Super Bowl. So I mean,
obviously the offense evolved very quickly with him at the
(23:47):
al first down of his own twenty five blood show
back and at all looks fires over the middle, part
by David patting at the forty yard line for the
first time David Patton wide receiver. I had played that
entire preseason with Tom Brady on the third team offense.
So who are we who are we going up against
in training camp? The number one defense? And I can
(24:10):
tell you we gave number one the number one defense
problems Tom and I. And I'm telling you, Tom, if
if you didn't know Drew Breed, I mean Drew Bless
told us the one hundred million dollars quarterback at that time,
you would have thought Tom was the starter. Just just
his leadership style, I mean, his composure to plays, the
(24:31):
throws that he made in practices. Hey, right here, free, Hey,
this group here is gonna be why we went right here.
So when when Drew gets knocked out of the game
against the Jets and I see Tom running into the game,
It's like, in my mind it was in slow motion.
I was like, oh, we're getting ready to go because
we had already had so much chemistry. And when he
(24:53):
comes in, you know, everyone knows the story Troy Brown
wide receiver. So at that particular point, I think that
it was just a lot of behind the scenes and
meeting with you know, guys having you know, one on
one meetings with each other, and guys stepping up and
saying their peace with each other, and we gotta do
this and we gotta do that, so, you know, kind
of soul searching as a football team. And then we
(25:14):
just said, you know, we gotta we gotta come out.
We just gotta play better football and not turning the
football over, you know. And Tom came in and he
showed a poise that you know, I don't think anybody
really expected him to show when he came in. And
then his leadership skills on display. Not that he was
lighting the place up, but there's some of his decision making,
(25:35):
his confidence that he played with, you know, it just
kind of permitted through everybody else. Naturally, an easy place
for the young quarterback to lean was on a veteran
defense and running back Pepper Johnson linebackers coach. We have
to put the team on our back and curry us
because we have this young guy sitting up there. We
(25:57):
on exactly no you know what we're getting ready to
get from it. So we have to we have to
perform and carry the team. And it was, like I said,
it was a blessing in Scott because look at twelve
now and what we end up doing at that uh
with that scene. Mike Rabel linebacker, man, you always want
(26:21):
to play good, You always want to play well, and
you know, regardless of what the scheme is or what
the what the what the game plan is. Offensively, we
all well and had a relationship with Tom and knew
the type of leader that he was and the type
of competitor that he was, And you know, I think
we all had the same mindset, like we're gonna roll on. Tom.
(26:42):
Brady showed some some great poise and moving the team
in preseason. Let's see if it carries over to the season.
Rob Ryan, linebackers coach. Well, I'll tell you what if
you recall remember Brady was playing lights out in the preseason.
I think the third preseason game, he had the best
quarterback rating in the in the entire league. So he
(27:04):
was playing really well. But you know, obviously when you
see Bledsoe get hurt, who's you know, it was a
great quarterback. You know you're thinking, oh, man, I'm lots
already down. He's going to get up on this one.
He he really got hit. Antoine Smith running back once
U went down, you know, the majority of them, you know,
(27:24):
kind of fell on myselfs a little bit too, you know,
to try to get the running game going so it
wouldn't be so much pressing on a young Tom Braid.
First in golfake for yus at the Indianapolis four. They
give us the Smith little left try to find running
room and he years, then what's that hard smith from
four yards down Matt Chatham. So you know, Tom's the
guy was a rookie two thousand and I know how
(27:45):
hurt he's worked. And Tom hadn't been you know, for
most of two thousand season time didn't even travel, so
you know he would he would be home as not
the third quarterback and we're coming home from East Road
trips and you know, coming back into the condo and
he's Pepper and ask questions was how the how the
weekend went, how the game went, how the trip was,
and things like that. Now it's you know, fast forward
(28:07):
a year later and we know how much it meant
to him. Jermaine Wiggins. Tom Um was a guy that
was super competitive. You know, he was super competitive. He
was a great leader. Even though he was a young
young player at the time. He understood like, okay, the
quarterback is the leader of the huddle and he had
a great uh he had a great feel for that.
(28:30):
And so when he came in, I think, you know,
we as a team we felt like, you know, you know,
Drew went down and you know, we're gonna wait till
Drew gets back. But we felt like Tom could you know,
hold things down until Drew got back. Damian Woody, when
you watched Tom in practice, the dude to have so
much command in the huddle, very very smart, very bright,
and obviously I mean Thomas worked after his legendary and
(28:54):
the fact that they came in and the fourth string
and then worked his way up methodically to be back up.
And it didn't seem like the moment was too big
for Tom. It really didn't. You know, he came in
and you know, obviously the stadium was kind of you know,
in shock with the with you know, Drew going down.
But you know when Tom was in there, man, he
(29:15):
just took full advantage of the opportunity out of a
shotgun Brady first down looks fires, it is caught over
the middle and out to the thirty yard one goes
Patrick Patch and in a game of four yards in
the play, he wasn't nervous. You know a lot of
times the quarterback, they you can feel the energy in
the huddle, and you didn't feel a nervous energy with
(29:36):
Tom in the huddle, And for everyone that's in the huddle,
that's a common that's a common feeling knowing that you
know what, this moment's not too big. We're gonna be
just fine, and we're gonna and we're gonna, we're gonna
continue this thing moving forward. And that's how I've got
with Tom in there next time. On two thousand and one,
a Super Bowl sound otasea a young quarterback goes through
some ups and downs as the team discovers their winning
(29:57):
formula to carry them to the playoffs. Two thousand and one.
A Super Bowl Sound Odyssey was produced by Mike Dusot
with audio engineer Matt Morrell for Patriots dot Com. Can't
Get Enough Patriots two thousand and one content relive the
historic year by following the Patriots time Machine, a social
media account twenty years after its time, following the Patriots
two thousand and one season as if it were happening live.
(30:18):
See daily transactions, watch game highlights, and go back in
time to the start of the Patriots Super Bowl dynasty.
Follow along on Twitter and Instagram at Pat's time Machine
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