Relive the insane Tom Brady play that starred two Georgia Bulldogs
The wildest Tom Brady play of his NFL career featured one throw, two Georgia Bulldogs, hundreds of yards, and no touchdowns.
The 2005 NFL season matched Brady’s Patriots up against the Denver Broncos in the AFC Divisional Playoff. New England drove deep into Broncos’ territory on that January 2006 night trailing 10-6.
***To be clear: this piece isn’t meant to detract from TB12’s greatness. The NFL obviously saw tons of game-altering and championship-winning moments in his career. On this Denver night, however, Broncos Pro Football Hall-of-Famer Champ Bailey and Patriots tight end Benjamin Watson stole his thunder.
Tom Brady’s play set an epic Bulldog-on-Bulldog collision into motion
It looked like Tom Brady was leading the Pats on another hallmark drive to steal the souls of Broncos fans everywhere. On third-and-goal from the five, though, Denver’s pressure got home.
“There was a blitz and there was an opportunity to switch it,” Bailey said in a 15-year-anniversary feature about the play. “We switched it perfectly, and Brady rolled out to his left (actually Brady’s right, Bailey’s left), and just threw it right to me.”
In case you have never seen a football highlight, Champ Bailey was (is) faster than most humans
Champ appeared to have smooth sailing down the Denver sideline.
What he didn’t know: Tom Brady’s teammate, Benjamin Watson, had jet fuel in his cleats.
“The guy that flushed Brady out of the pocket is obviously my lead blocker,” Bailey said. “But instead of him blocking for me, he’s watching me run. And here comes Ben Watson out of nowhere.”
I’d like to point out at this time that “the guy” Bailey refers to was Georgia Tech alum Nick Ferguson.
Not saying it’s a conspiracy or anything, but… I’m not *not* saying he enjoyed what happened next.
Watson’s recollection of the pursuit is amazingly coherent
“‘I’m running for a long time,’ that’s what I’m thinking,” Watson said in a NFL feature on the play. “I remember looking up in the stands and seeing all the Denver fans going crazy. Then I ran into the ref.”
Ok, so things weren’t going so smoothly for Watson more than half of a football field in. But it gets better.
“There was a point where it kind of turned into a challenge for me,” Watson added. “Kind of like, ‘let’s see how fast I can run. Let’s see if I can get this guy.'”
Enter the GEORGIA TECH GUY. Ferguson. #25. You may notice him doing absolutely nothing as one Georgia Bulldog clobbers another.
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Watson’s hustle would have been heroic whether he got blocked or not. Ferguson (again, Georgia Tech dude) is the sneaky non-contributor that makes this whole thing even more memorable than it would have been otherwise.
“I was surprised by the time I got to him, because I thought his boys would’ve tried to pick me up,” Watson said. “I think they were tired, too. So they just let me run past.”
‘Tired.’ Right.
“Looking at pictures of it, I don’t even think he saw me.”
Narrator: He did not.
The officials ruled the hit and ensuing separation from the ball a fumble out of bounds, when it really could have been a touchback.
Maybe they didn’t like Watson running through one of their own. Watson still hasn’t forgotten.
So happy retirement, Tom Brady. You were a part of many amazing moments in professional football history.
Georgia fans will always have a special place in their hearts for the time you threw a pass to one Bulldog, who ended up getting obliterated by another a football field away.
It was the longest non-scoring interception return ever, until Jets safety Marcus Maye broke it in 2018.
The opponent he broke it against? Denver.
Maye’s alma mater? Florida. Go figure.
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