Tom Brady’s name is already plastered across the NFL’s record book but on Sunday he has the chance to reach a new personal milestone when his New England Patriots host Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers in an anticipated Sunday night showdown.
Brady is just three rushing yards shy of hitting 1,000 for his career and he’s well aware of how close he is to the mark.
“I’ve kind of inched along there for a long time,” Brady said Friday via NBC Sports Boston. “It really hasn’t been a part of my game. But I’m getting close. I’ve been at it for a long time. Hopefully we can get it this week. Hopefully we can get more than that.”
The future Hall of Famer has displayed a quirky sense of humour throughout his illustrious playing career – especially in recent years – so with the 1,000-yard plateau right around the corner, Brady and whoever helps handle his social media accounts, posted a hilarious new hype video chronicling his 1,000-yard journey.
Using footage from his NFL career, his infamous draft combine performance and a voiceover from the popular 2012 Batman movie The Dark Knight Rises, this video hits all the right notes.
3 yards to go… 1000 career rushing yards… Sunday…. The time has come. I hope …. #TB1K
313k Likes, 8,280 Comments – Tom Brady (@tombrady) on Instagram: “3 yards to go… 1000 career rushing yards… Sunday…. The time has come. I hope …. #TB1K”
If you weren’t excited for the latest Brady-Rodgers showdown, you are now.
The 41-year-old has 29 yards on the ground so far this season but based on his 2018 output there would seem to be a less-than-50-per-cent chance he gains three rushing yards on Sunday. Through eight games, Brady has rushed for fewer than three yards five times. He did rush for six yards against the Bears two weeks ago and had eight yards against the Bills this past Monday, so three yards should be doable.
Brady ran the 40-yard dash in a blistering 5.28 seconds at the 2000 NFL Draft Combine. In fact, quarterback Chris Redmon was the only non-lineman to post a slower 40 time than Brady that year. And among those who ran a 5.28 or slower, Brady and Redmon were the only two that weighed less than 291 pounds.
All this is to say Tom Brady has never been fleet of foot relative to his NFL peers. Even when he sees open field in front of him it usually doesn’t take too long for opposing players to catch up. Brady’s career-long run was a 22-yard scamper against the Bengals in Week 4 of the 2006 season.
The hilarious Batman-inspired video above isn’t the first time Brady has poked fun at his own athleticism. Remember this one from 2016 that showcased Brady’s incredible run-blocking abilities?
Just brilliant stuff.
Brady currently ranks 85th in all-time rushing yards by a quarterback with 997. By comparison, Michael Vick is at the top of that list with 6,109 rushing yards. If Brady gets to 1,000 yards on Sunday it will have taken him 262 games to reach it. Vick, meanwhile, reached 1,000 career rushing yards in his 22nd career NFL game.
Brady has said he wants to play until age 45 or even 50. At his current rate he’d have to play at least another 84 years in order to catch Vick. Based on everything else Brady has accomplished with the Patriots, we won’t completely rule it out.
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