Former Patriots QB Damon Huard Opens Up About Being Tom Brady’s Backup

Tom Brady has been part of the Patriots family since forever, and Damon Huard has something to say about their game.

Brady’s reign in the New England Patriots has been so long and strong that his initial backup is approaching a decade since he was in the league. Damon Huard played in New England in the period between 2001 and 2003, and retired after 2008.

Huard played with the Pats during a specific part of their history. He was there to witness the rise of Tom Brady, and had a unique point as a fellow quarterback.

During one of his interviews, Huard talked about his time with the Patriots and the life after football.

“There were only a couple of teams that were interested in me at the time. It was the Colts and the Patriots. I knew Drew Bledsoe, he was a good friend of mine, being a fellow Washingtonian. So they brought me in to back up Drew, and it seemed like the right fit,” Huard said when asked about the ways that brought him in New England.

He had a very specific response to the question about his early impression of Brady. “I just remember him being super, super competitive. He loved to practice, loved to compete, and was a great dude. He had no ego, was a great listener, just a good friend. We just connected right away, made it real easy. But he was really competitive. He would get excited over completing a first down pass in 7-on-7. He just had that same enthusiasm you see from him today. He brought that in practice every day way back when. Really sharp guy,” he said.

“I remember Bill bringing me in at the end of the preseason telling, ‘You had a good camp, but we’re going to make you the No. 3. We just feel like Brady has a better feel for the offense right now.’ And he was right. Tom had been in it for a year, and he was really sharp. I just look back on the moment and think if Bill hadn’t gotten it right and made him the No. 2, just think where he might be today?” Huard added laughing.

Huard also talked about his day-to-day game with Brady at the beginning of his era. “It was great, and I was the first one, how about that? Obviously Tom pretty much became a superstar overnight winning that Super Bowl. And certainly there was a lot of attention around him and the program with his success, and rightfully so. But I never felt like he changed or became something different as a teammate or a friend as far as his work ethic or all of those things. Did I know that he was going to go on to become arguably the greatest quarterback to ever play the game? I did not! But I certainly knew that this guy was a grinder and that he loved the game. I think that chip that’s lived with – falling so far down the draft board and always competing at Michigan but them never really buying into him – all that stuff is what makes him,” Damon Huard explained.

There you go.