Jackson 5: Guess Who, “Tom Brady 6” Edition

By Aaron Jackson

 

These past couple of days have been big ones for New England sports fans. Bruins & Celtics are in the playoffs, the start to the Red Sox season, and the 65th birthday of Bill Belichick/ 17th anniversary of the Pats drafting of Tom Brady both aligning with Easter Sunday. Sticking with Brady talk, and the draft he was in, let’s see if you can guess 5 of the 6 quarterbacks taken ahead of Brady in the 2000 draft. Answers at the end.

 

  1. 1st round, 18th overall pick. This quarterback was taken by the New York Jets. His real name is James, but that’s not the name he goes by. Coming from Marshall, he was twice named the NFL’s Comeback player of the year, and in 2008 finished second in the MVP voting to Peyton Manning. At the time he retired, he led the league in career completion percentage at 66%, though that number has since been surpassed by Drew Brees. Who is it?
  2. Drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the 3rd round, this QB is one of the most obscure names of the six. Hailing from California, he went to Hofstra and never played a regular season snap in the league. That’s because Tim Rattay, taken in the 7th round, surpassed him for the starting job. This player is now a goat farmer that also teaches yoga. Who is it?
  3. This player was also taken in the 3rd round, about 10 picks later at 75. Most known for his play with the Atlanta Falcons, he was actually drafted by and played for the Baltimore Ravens. He was released by Atlanta in 2012 and has not played since. The former Louisville quarterback actually had a brief stint with the New England Patriots before joining the Austin Wranglers in the Arena Football League. He is currently 22nd all-time on the Division 1 FBS career passing yardage list. Who is it?
  4. This player is one of the most known of the 6. He was also taken in the 6th round, by the New Orleans Saints, before joining the Atlanta Falcons. He finally got his chance to shine in St. Louis, replacing Kurt Warner. He made two pro bowls with the Rams, throwing for 122 touchdowns and over 22,000 yards. He now serves on the quarterback advisory team for Major League Football, which is apparently a thing. Who is it?
  5. Picked 16 spots ahead of Brady, this quarterback has thrown for one career touchdown pass after being drafted out of the University of Minnesota. He returned to Viking territory after being traded by the Cleveland Browns, who drafted him. He now works for a company called Amerex and is an energy trader Who is this?

 

 

Answers (in order): Chad Pennington, Giovanni Carmazzi, Chris Redman, Marc Bulger and Spergon Wynn. Tee Martin is the other quarterback, he was taken in the 5th round.

 

 

Aaron Jackson (@AaronRJackson on Twitter) is a co-host on The Drive, weekdays 4pm to 6pm on 92.9fm The Ticket and streaming live at DriveShowMaine.com. Follow us on Twitter, @DriveShowMaine and “Like Us” on Facebook, Drive Show Maine.