Tom Brady wowed a 4th-round rookie receiver by watching his highlights and then taking him under his wing
- Tom Brady is mentoring Bucs rookie receiver Jaelon Darden.
- Darden said he was flattered when Brady introduced himself and said he had studied Darden's film.
- Brady makes it a point to coach up pass-catchers and create chemistry with all of his teammates.
In his 22nd NFL season, Tom Brady knows it's important to coach up all members of the roster.
According to NBC's Peter King, Brady has taken on a mentor role with Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie wide receiver Jaelon Darden.
But Brady knows life is difficult for rookie receivers in the NFL, and he wants to help develop chemistry.
"It's really hard for a rookie receiver in the NFL," Brady said. "Everything is new. You have a play, then I change the play, then I look at you and I change the route, then I see a defense that we didn't necessarily talk about. Every play I'm like, hey this is what I'm thinking. And you gotta have someone who can take the critique.
Darden told King that Brady introduced himself right away and took Darden under his wing. Darden said it meant a lot.
"The first time I met him after the draft, I was star-struck," Darden told King. "He said, 'Hey Jaelon. Happy to have you on the team. I studied your film.' What an honor. Then he took time to teach me how to win against coverages. Like, 'When the corner plays you here, I'm gonna have the ball at this exact spot.' Every day, I put my hard hat on and work and learn."
Brady explained to King why it's so important for a quarterback to tell a pass-catcher exactly what he's looking for.
"I'm throwing the ball. You're catching it," Brady said. "We gotta literally have a bond, a connection between us. You gotta think what I'm thinking all the time. The more you talk and the more you do it, the better it is. The longer I play with guys, the better it is. The shorter you play together, you can't cover everything in five weeks of training camp. Or in two years together. Five years together? Maybe. Seven years together, okay, that's pretty good. You play seven years together with a receiver, you can make a lot of magic happen. But after a year or two, there's still things. There's so many variables that you gotta get right. We're playing a chess game."
Brady's mentorship and knowledge of his teammates also have an intangible effect. Brady makes it a point to introduce himself to all of his new teammates.
"From the practice squad guy that comes in the first day, he's like, 'Hey, how you doing? I'm Tom Brady,' like they don't know who the hell he is," former NFL linebacker James Harrison recently said. "That's just him. That's his personality. He's just a good dude."
Former New England Patriots defensive tackle Adam Butler was an undrafted rookie when Brady introduced himself. He said it meant a lot to him.
"He stuck out his hand to shake," Butler said in 2019. "And I shook. And he was like, 'Hi, I'm Tom.' And I'm like, 'Of course I know you're Tom!' You know what I mean? But that's just the kind of attitude he has as a person.It says a lot, especially to me. I wasn't even drafted. First week of me being here, he made me feel like I was somebody."