Tom Brady Would Refuse to Speak to Jimmy Garoppolo If He Lost 'The Bucket Game'
February 4, 2021
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady is as competitive as they come, and Dan Pompei of The Athletic shared some stories Thursday highlighting that fact.
Pompei specifically mentioned a game Brady used to play while he was a member of the New England Patriots called "the bucket game." In the bucket game, Brady and another quarterback would compete to throw a certain number of footballs into a bucket.
While it seems like a harmless game on the surface, Pompei noted that Brady took it seriously and wouldn't even speak to teammate Jimmy Garoppolo on the occasions that he lost.
Jimmy G was Brady's backup in New England from 2014-17 before getting traded to the San Francisco 49ers for a second-round draft pick.
Garoppolo has had an up-and-down tenure in San Francisco, although he did lead the Niners to the Super Bowl last season.
There was a time when it was thought that Garoppolo would eventually take the reins from Brady in New England, but Brady remained with the Pats until this season when he signed with the Bucs in free agency.
Brady could have rested on his laurels and retired as a six-time Super Bowl champion, but the 43-year-old veteran's relentless and insatiable will to win led him to Tampa.
The decision has paid dividends for both Brady and the Bucs, as he not only led them to the playoffs for the first time since 2007 but also led them to the Super Bowl for the first time since 2002.
In Super Bowl LV at the Bucs' home stadium in Tampa, Brady will look to lead the Buccaneers past Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
If Brady is able to do that, he will further cement his legacy by winning his seventh Super Bowl and becoming the first starting quarterback to win a Super Bowl in each conference.
Many factors have contributed to Brady becoming arguably the greatest quarterback of all time, but perhaps it is his obsession with winning—whether it's Super Bowls or the bucket game—that has played the biggest role in him rising above the rest.