Tom Brady finally reaches 1,000 career rushing yards
Tom Brady, the eternal quarterback for the New England Patriots, has finally reached a career milestone that’s been very important to him. He’s the first player in NFL history to hit 1,000 rushing yards in his 18th season or later.
Brady reached the milestone Sunday with a five-yard scramble for a first down in the first quarter against the Minnesota Vikings.
Brady’s long quest for 1000
Brady, 41, has been in the NFL since 2000. He’s made 265 starts, including his start against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. And it’s pretty apparent at this point that Brady, while good at many things, isn’t a runner. He’s accomplished everything imaginable for an elite quarterback, but he’s been plodding his way to 1,000 yards for years. In 18 full seasons in the NFL, Brady has rushed for 100 yards in a season just three times, and he hasn’t done it since 2011.
Brady knows it’s taken him a long time
Brady would be the first person to tell you that it’s taken him quite a while to get to 1,000 rushing yards. He spent time in the offseason training to improve his rushing skills, which he posted about on Instagram. He wouldn’t be doing that if the milestone wasn’t important to him, but he’s also poking fun at himself just a bit.
A post shared by Tom Brady (@tombrady) on May 11, 2018 at 2:59pm PDT
Brady posted that video of him doing wind sprints in May, four months before the football season would start. Once the Patriots’ season got going, Brady stayed aware of how far he was from his milestone.
One yard closer…19 to go! The quest continues #TB1K 🐯
A post shared by Tom Brady (@tombrady) on Oct 5, 2018 at 12:27pm PDT
With just a few yards to go at the beginning of November, Brady posted a Batman Begins-inspired video about his quest to 1,000 yards, or #TB1K. It’s very, very Brady.
3 yards to go… 1000 career rushing yards… Sunday…. The time has come. I hope 😉 …. #TB1K
A post shared by Tom Brady (@tombrady) on Nov 2, 2018 at 10:44am PDT
Even the NFL has gotten in on the action, releasing a video in tribute to Brady’s quest for 1,000. It’s quite the production, complete with interviews and stats. It’s earnest and slightly weird, which pretty much sums up #TB1K.
It wouldn’t have taken Brady so long to get to 1,000 if he and the Patriots hadn’t been so good. According to The Athletic, Brady has lost 211 yards to kneel-downs in his career. There’s no question that Brady would rather have the wins instead of the yards, especially since he’s finally hit the rushing landmark he’s been working toward for so long.
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Liz Roscher is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at lizroscher@yahoo.com or follow her on Twitter at @lizroscher.
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