Chad Pennington, Giovanni Carmazzi, Chris Redman, Tee Martin, Marc Bulger and Spergon Wynn were the quarterbacks picked ahead of the New England Patriots Tom Brady in the 2000 NFL draft.
Aside from the almost certain Hall of Fame career and Super Bowl rings he has, Brady has something else on them now.
His own ESPN documentary.
Well, kind –of.
While “The Brady Six†focuses mainly on the career of Brady and his improbable rise in both college and professional football, it’s driven just as much by the failures of the quarterbacks picked ahead of him and those who challenged him on the way up.
Mainly Drew Henson.
Aside from Pennington and Bulger, who have achieved moderate success in the NFL, the failures of Carmazzi, who refused to be interviewed for the documentary and is apparently a goat farmer, Wynn, Martin and Redman were just victims of a scouting system that isn’t as coherent and transparent as the NFL thinks it is. All the quarterbacks picked ahead of Brady, were in better shape and had better numbers at the combine, but have not produced the way Brady has. How are “the intangibles†really measured by NFL scouts? Why did he last so long in the draft? These questions are answered in the documentary by a litany of high-quality NFL sources, including former players, scouts and general managers, who all tell their story as to why they picked someone else over Brady.
Even though it’s a relatively short documentary, “The Brady Six†is filled with all of the things you’d expect from a piece of film in this genre. It’s well-sourced, educational and most of all, it’s entertaining. Brady is a pretty down to earth guy throughout, but at one point, he ends up tearing up while the topic of 2000 draft day comes up. To see this gridiron general break down and get teary eyed makes for a great viewing experience.
Especially if you’re a fan of the New York Jets.
All jokes aside however, this documentary does a stellar job of dissecting the not so memorable careers of the quarterbacks NFL scouts and front office personnel believed had a better shot at greatness than Brady, while making him appear humble, accessible and modest.
With ESPN’s “30 for 30†film series over, many fans of the series wondered if the company would stop producing documentaries that shined.
They have the answer to that question with “The Brady Six.â€
Smart, savy and productive, the documentary ultimately has a lot in common with Brady’s style of play and as a result, is a winner, just like him.
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