Why Tom Brady Felt 'Really Prepared' to Take Over For Drew Bledsoe in 2001

Almost everyone experiences some butterflies when they begin their first day of work, but not Tom Brady.

As Tuesday marked the 24th anniversary of Mo Lewis' infamous hit on Drew Bledsoe, Brady shared that he felt comfortable replacing the then-Patriots' franchise quarterback when he took the field as a second-year sixth-round draft pick. 

"Hard to forget that day for a lot of reasons," Brady said on the latest edition of "Storytime." "Everyone has their unique path in their own journey in their career, and mine started that day. I was obviously super concerned about Drew, but I also knew we had a job to do, too. I ran out on the field and there was a lot of intent to go out there and be the best I could be for my team.

"I was really prepared for that moment." 

While that moment served as the turning point for the Patriots, it wasn't necessarily the day that the legend of Brady was born. He replaced Beldsoe, who suffered a life-threatening hemothorax on the hit from Lewis, late in the fourth quarter and wasn't able to drive the Patriots down the field to tie the game in what would be a 10-3 loss. 

But Brady's legend started shortly after that day in September 2001. He helped the Patriots win three of their next four games and eventually led New England to six straight wins to close out the regular season. When Bledsoe filled in for an injured Brady and helped the Patriots win the AFC Championship Game that season, Brady still held on to the starting job for Super Bowl XXXVI.

Drew Bledsoe remained down for several moments after taking a hard hit from Jets linebacker Mo Lewis, which wound up changing the course of NFL history. (Photo by Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Bill Belichick's decision to go with Brady