Tom Brady: a Super Bowl trophy and MVP honors. Not a bad way to end a season he entered having completed only one career pass. Last season, Brady showed the world that there's a reward for hard work, persistence and, most of all, being prepared. (Advertisement).

What a difference a year makes. Last year, he could walk the streets of Boston virtually unnoticed. Now he's a household name. He's the guy coaches talk about when they motivate not only their second- and third-string players, but their entire rosters. For it was Brady who stepped up and led his team through the post-season and to Super Bowl victory.

His magic continues in NFL GameDay[TM] 2003, where he'll take the helm for the Patriots again. This time as the starter, not the young kid waiting for a break. One thing's for sure: He's the guy that every other team is gunning for, and that's a tough place to be.

With this in mind, count on Brady to call a number of plays using GameDay's new "Hot Routes." This new feature allows the quarterback to change a receiver's pass route at the line of scrimmage based on what he sees in the setup of the opponent's chosen defense. Defenses are once again very tough in NFL GameDay 2003, where new multi-player tackling provides the most realistic football action ever. But if defenses fail to wrap up the ballcarrier, fans will see one of 70 new "break tackle" animations. This means every play will be different and guys like Tom Brady can enjoy the highest replay value ever (and add to their constantly growing highlight reels).

Another part of the game that Brady looks forward to is the 2,200 fluid animations, including 300 amazing new tackles and catches. All of these under the most responsive control ever offered. When defenses take hold of a man and tackle him into the ground, it's not only something witnessed, but also felt. Perhaps this is one feature that Brady could have done without.

While some players would have enjoyed the time to rest during the off-season, Brady embraced the chance to improve. In fact, even with the departure of his quarterback mentor, the Patriots are still looking great. As is every team in NFL GameDay 2003, with over 3,000 polygons going into the creation of each player, in addition to that, all new textures and lighting make sure every player jumps off the screen with incredible realism. Also, 180 new player faces give true-to-life emotion to the players, whether they're celebrating a touchdown or gathering their pride after an embarrassing sack. Sources also say Brady was "blown away by GameDay's new ...