Brady and his best accomplices throughout his career
This Tuesday marks the premiere of a new chapter of the series in which Brady recalls the moments that have defined his career, and this 2021 season will be emblematic, as it was the one in which he became the first quarterback to throw for 600 touchdown passes -he already has 618-.
We consider it unfair for Buccaneers players (except for Rob Gronkowski) to compete against others who accompanied Brady for a longer period of time in New England Patriots, so, although the top five is made up of former Pats, we made a special section for Brady’s teammates in Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a team with which he achieved yet another feat: winning a Super Bowl in the home of one of the participating teams.
Let’s take a look at the names…
Running back Kevin Faulk is to date the player who played the most games alongside Brady with 107 and also the one who had the most victories with the star quarterback (81).
Faulk played 13 seasons in the NFL, all with the Patriots, starting his career in 2001, won three championships and was part of five Patriots teams that reached the Super Bowl. As a running back he accumulated 864 carries for 3,607 yards and 16 touchdowns, not spectacular numbers, but his greatest contribution came when he became Brady’s safety valve, allowing him to keep the series alive.
With Faulk on the field, Brady had a winning percentage of .757 and caught 310 passes in 401 attempts for 2,646 yards with 10 touchdowns, that is, he caught 88.3 percent of the passes sent in his direction, the highest percentage among all the players who played at least 30 games with Brady.
Brown is listed fourth, ahead of Faulk and Branch, who failed to earn a spot on this list.
Brown was key for Brady in his first season as a starter in 2001 and was an important piece for the Patriots who won three titles in a four-year span.
With Brown on the field, Brady had a winning record of .737, also completed 68.3 percent of passes thrown in his direction (323 of 473) with 15 touchdowns and caused only one interception.
Wes Welker added a new dimension to New England’s offense by providing Brady with a slot receiver capable of destroying defenses by always finding favorable matchups downfield.
Welker became a reliable weapon on short routes down the middle of the field and was an important partner to Brady’s dominance in the second half of the 2000s.
In 78 games played alongside Welker, Brady had the best winning percentage of his career with players he played at least 30 games with at .821 and completed 73 percent of his passes (563 of 771) for 34 touchdowns.
Welker is also responsible for the longest touchdown pass in Brady’s career, a 99-yarder against the Miami Dolphins in 2011. The only reason Welker does not appear higher on this list is because he failed to win the Super Bowl in his two appearances alongside Brady.
Julian Edelman made the transition from collegiate quarterback to wide receiver in the NFL and ended up becoming one of the most important partners in the career of one of the greatest quarterbacks in league history. Edelman had 580 receptions for 6,311 yards and 41 touchdowns in 127 games.
Also, Edelman has been key in the last two Super Bowls won by the Patriots, in which he had 14 receptions for 196 yards and a touchdown.
Finally, the top spot goes to tight end Rob Gronkowski, who has been crucial to Brady’s success in recent years.
Gronkowski has caught the most touchdown passes from Brady with 102, including touchdown passes in the last Super Bowl against the Chiefs.
Despite nagging injuries recently, Gronkowski has been a key part of Brady’s career, winning Super Bowls with two different teams. Good thing Gronk accepted Brady’s offer to come back from retirement and play alongside him in Tampa.
