Tom Brady’s Rookie Diary from 2000 Training Camp

Patriots training camp began in mid-July 2000 and remained at Bryant Academy for the final two summers before moving permanently to the camp behind Gillette Stadium in 2002. Brady expressed his excitement when training camp began on July 16.

“I just think I’m excited, you know, to finally get the chance to get out of here and start playing professional football,” Brady wrote in PFW. “It’s something you dream about doing your whole life and now it’s become Reality, coming in here and two or three months of preparation, and now finally, the day has arrived.”

Two days later, Brady noted that “the intensity is definitely up from what it was in May” and that the initial shock to the system that training camp brought is wearing off as he and his teammates adjust to the grind.

Brady wrote on July 19: “I’m adjusting to daily life in the sense that it’s getting easier on me physically, but it’s just as hard mentally pushing myself and driving, Because we’re hot outside.” You’ve been working out, running, and not getting enough sleep. “

A week into training camp, Brady thinks the offense is starting to get back to normal as they prepare for their first preseason game against the 49ers in Canton, Ohio, for the Hall of Fame Game.

“Our offensive coordinator Charlie Weis said, ‘Guys, we’ve got to stop running routes and start running them from last night.’ What he meant was we can’t have a route here and a route there, But now the plays have to start coming together and the plays have to get some sort of ebb and flow.”

A few days later, Brady wrote that the offense was making progress and that he was becoming more familiar with the operation of NFL systems.

“I’m getting more comfortable on the field, definitely to the point where I’m familiar with the plays, but I’ve got to get more comfortable running them,” Brady wrote on July 25. “I’m seeing more spots. It’s easy to screw up and I have to get used to the different nuances of each game.

On July 28, Brady added that progress continued, “I feel really good today. I feel like I’m starting to see the reeds pretty well and I’m getting a good feel for them as far as knowing where they are. I could feel a good comfort level and so would the other players.”