As Patriots Nation is still glorying in Tom Brady’s latest comeback, we’ll take a look back at his first.

It was October 14th, 2001.

The Patriots were 1-3, with their $100 million quarterback injured, and a backup quarterback in the game, who had never thrown an NFL touchdown pass. After Drew Bledsoe went down in week 2, New England had rebounded in week 3 to blow out the Colts. But they’d lost the next week in Miami 30-10.

So the Patriots were underdogs coming in to week 5 against the 3-1 Chargers.

The 2001 Chargers

If the Foxboro faithful weren’t that familiar with Tom Brady, they recognized the opposing quarterback as one of their own – Doug Flutie.

Flutie had been let go by the Buffalo Bills despite compiling a 21-9 record with him from 1998-2000, and an 8-10 record with Rob Johnson. (If you want to know why the Bills haven’t made the playoffs since 1999, this is a good place to start).

So a newly released Flutie went from frosty Buffalo to sunny San Diego. The Ryan Leaf Chargers went 1-15 in 2000, and were looking for a fresh start.

They had the first overall pick in the draft. Unable to agree on a contract with Michael Vick before the draft, they traded the pick to Atlanta for the Falcons #5 overall pick, third round pick in 2001, a second round pick in 2002, and the versatile wide receiver Tim Dwight.

With the #5th pick from Atlanta, they drafted LaDanian Tomlinson. Still needing a quarterback, they selected Purdue’s Drew Brees in the second round.

The Chargers defense featured two future Patriots, Rodney Harrison and Junior Seau.

Tom’s First Touchdown

If it ever comes up at a Trivia Night, Tom Brady’s first touchdown pass went to … Terry Glenn.

Early in the 2nd quarter, Brady and the Patriots took over at their own 27 after Wade Richey of the Chargers missed a field goal.

Brady first found David Patten for an 11 yard gain on 2nd and 11. He then completed a 19 yard pass to Glenn to cross midfield. Then A 9-yard-pass to Glenn and a seven-yard-pass to … linebacker Bryan Cox of all people got the Patriots to the Chargers 23.

After Antowain Smith pushed to the 21, Brady brought the Patriots out in a five wide receiver set.

With good time from the offensive line, Brady surveyed the field, and found Terry Glenn streaking in the left side of the end zone for his first career touchdown pass. The Patriots led 9-3 after Adam Vinatieri missed the extra point.

A Wade Richey field goal brought the Chargers to within 9-6 at the half.

The Chargers Take Control

The teams traded 1-yard rushing touchdowns in the third quarter, which ended with the Patriots up 16-13.

Flutie’s 3-yard pass to Steve Heiden gave the Chargers a 19-13 lead. Darren Bennett couldn’t handle the snap on the extra point.

San Diego would increase their lead to 26-13 when the Chargers’ Derrick Harris’s punt rush forced Patriot punter Lee Johnson to abort his punt attempt, and Harris then knocked the ball free. He then recovered the fumble, and walked into the end zone.

Brady’s First Comeback Begins

Tom Brady got the football back. Trailing by 10, and with under 9 minutes to play. He’d thrown a total of one career touchdown pass, and nobody knew what he would become. In the next 9+ minutes of football, he’d let people know exactly who he was. There was no panic, no rush. Just a deliberate and effective drive to get his team back into the game.

What was to follow was foreshadowing of what Brady would do to the Raiders in the Snow Bowl, three months later… but without the snow… or the whiny Raiders fans.

Five Smith runs and a short pass got the Patriots from their own 26 into Chargers territory.

Brady then began carving up the Chargers defense. First, a 13-yard strike to Glenn on the sideline. Then a 9-yard completion to Troy Brown. Next, a 12-yarder to Kevin Faulk got the Patriots inside the 20; and a 10-yard pass to Brown set the Patriots up for a 23-yard touchdown to get the Patriots within 7 points.

After kicking off to the Chargers, the Patriots gave up an 8-yard run to Tomlinson on first down. Then a one-yard run on second down. Needing a stop on 3rd-and-1 to get the ball back, Cox and Willie McGinest stoned Tomlinson for no gain on third down. Again, this was the exact same sequence that played out against the Raiders late in the fourth quarter of the Snow Bowl.

Driving to Tie

Troy Brown ripped off a 40-yard return of the ensuing punt. A holding penalty negated some of the return, so the Patriots started their drive at their own 40-yard line with 2:10 left in the game.

Again, Brady went to work taking apart the Chargers defense. Two quick completions to Troy Brown netted 15 yards, and took them to the Chargers 45 at the two-minute warning.

Two incompletions put the Pats in 3rd and 10.

In what we’ve come to expect from Brady in big third down plays, he eluded pressure, and found Brown in a tight window for a first down.

He then found Patten for 26-yards to the Chargers 3-yard line with 40 seconds to play.

On the next play, he faked a handoff to Smith, and lobbed a touchdown pass to a wide open Jermaine Wiggins to tie the game at 26.

Flutie did manage to get the Chargers a long field goal attempt off as time expired, but Richey’s kick from 59 yards away came up short.

Overtime and the Win

The Chargers won the toss, but two incompletions and a five-yard pass forced a punt.

The Patriots got the ball back at their own 23, and Brady went to work. On first down, Brady fired a long pass for Patten. San Diego cornerback Alex Molden took out Patten’s legs before the ball arrived, and was called for a 37-yard pass interference penalty.

Brady then found Patten again for 8 yards. After Smith was caught for a loss, Brady hit Faulk for 9 yards and a first down. Another Smith loss and another Brady completion gave the Patriots a 3rd and 10 at the Chargers 26.

Bill Belichick sent out Vinatieri, who had missed an extra point earlier in the game, to go kick the game winner.

He did just that.

The Aftermath

Glenn, the 7th overall pick in the 1996 draft, was suspended in camp in 2001 by the Patriots, and would play only one game – the Chargers game – before being deactivated by Belichick for the rest of the season.

After the season, he was traded to the Packers for two fourth round draft picks. The 2002 pick became Jarvis Green. The 2003 pick became Asante Samuel.

Glenn would spend one year in Green Bay, before eventually re-uniting with Bledsoe in Dallas. He did have two 1,000 yard seasons with the Cowboys.

Doug Flutie’s Chargers would win their next two games, to get to 5-2, before losing their last nine games of the season to finish 5-11. Flutie would then serve for the next three seasons as Brees’s backup. He’d finish his career with the 2005 Patriots.

The Patriots, as you probably know. would win 12 of their next 14 games, and become Super Bowl Champions.

But it started with Brady’s first comeback on an October afternoon against the Chargers.

Photo by Keith Allison