Remembering how bad Tom Brady's Madden rating was in 2001

This flashback Friday takes us back to 2001 when Tom Brady's Madden rating was nearly half of what it is now.

Tom Brady wasn't always on pace to be a Hall-of-Famer, you know. Coming into the NFL as a 6th round draft pick out Michigan, Brady's chances of being cut and washed out of the NFL were far greater than maintaining a roster spot, let alone becoming a starter and having an illustrious career. 

Back in 2001 when Brady was in his 2nd season in the NFL, EA Madden 2002's original roster had the six-time champion QB rated at a 51 overall. 

In the original roster of @EAMaddenNFL 2002, before @TomBrady became the Patriots starter in the 2001 season, winning a Superbowl in his 1st year. He was one of the lowest rated players in the game with 51 overall.

The GOAT later received 4 separate 99 ratings in Madden games. pic.twitter.com/Okv9WSKCge

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) July 12, 2019

It goes without saying that 2001 was the last time Brady was rated that low in Madden. 

As Dov Kleiman pointed out, Brady has had four 99 overall ratings in the Madden franchise since earning a whopping 51 overall from the gaming company back at the beginning of the century. 

The franchise wasn't unfair to Brady however. That rating was pretty standard for someone in his position. Take new Patriots QB Jarrett Stidham for example. He was drafted in the 4th round by New England in 2019 and was given a 57 overall rating my EA for Madden 20. The jury is still out on what Stidham will be able to do in the NFL, but he will have to prove a lot if he wants to have a massive rating boost in Madden like Brady.