I believe Brady did this also.
He came into the league in the 00 draft and won the SB in '02 and in '03
Brady won 1 in his first 3 years--2000 did not start or play in the playoffs, won in 2001 when he replaced Bledsoe, and did not play in the 2002 playoffs. Of course NE won in 2003 and 2004 so he won 3 Super Bowls in 5 years. I like Brady's underdog status and wish New England had stayed the course with the strong defense and running games and let Brady efficiently take them to title wins. I think the "air onslaught" approach is boom or bust with an emphasis on bust. The most recent dynasties that come to mind--90's Dallas, 80/90 San Fran, and 70s Pitt--all had in common great defenses. San Fran, in particular, had much better defenses than most remember. People remember Montana-Rice. Then maybe Craige, Rathman, Jones, Taylor and Steve Young as a backup. The names often forgotten are Lott, Hailey, Norton, and so on.
Back to Brady...
Seahawk fans can only dream of Wilson even coming close to mimicking the Brady career arc. I am very high on Wilson but Brady is Top 5 all-time and has earned his place. Wilson is still finding his way and that career resume is a pipe dream right now. Brady progressed a lot as a passer--we don't know where Wilson's ceiling is or how age or injury will affect him. We know he ain't getting taller. My bet? Wilson ends up Top 5. I believe in the kid. But he hasn't earned that yet.
That said it is often forgotten that Brady did not start as a rookie and Aaron Rodgers didn't play his first 3 years so comparing "first 3 year stats" isn't apples to oranges. Arod first three years is essentially: 0, 0, and 0. Brady turned in essentially 0 for his first season, too. Wilson helped a team that finished 7-9 the previous years turn the corner and had some amazing games (including the 150pts in 3 games and the playoff game at Atlanta where he lead a comeback where he tossed over 385 yards passing, 60 rushing, 3 TDs and took the lead with less than 40 seconds left after being down 20 points).
Even ignoring those caveats when comparing Brady's first three seasons as a start to Wilson's it is pretty clear Wilson was better in key areas: Completion percentage, INT rate, TD rate, yards per attempt, passer rating. Yards and Attempt are volume stats but Wilson had more passing TDs and fewer turnovers. And that isn't including rushing stats were Wilson where the edge is decisive: Wilson's 1,877 yards, 11 TDs, and 6.1 avg is far and away better than Brady's 201 yards, 2 TDs, and 1.58 avg. Wilson's first 3 years as a starter were a lot better than Brady's. Bill B did a great job managing the young Brady and letting him do things he was GOOD at, avoiding weak areas (his rookie season was dink and dunk), and allowing Brady's natural competiveness to shine through. Wilson hasn't been too different except he has been even better. But that is just the first 3 seasons--Brady's excellence has been his growth, consistency, and longevity. Brady was part of the 2001-2003 teams, sometime in the 2005-2007 window Brady became the team and he has continued to be successful in the playoffs and set records. So no knock on Brady--I appreciate who he is--but Wilson was better in their early careers.
One tid bit about those lambasting Wilson's HORRIBLE first half:
Brady had 3 INT in his 2006 playoff game against San Diego. Even great QBs have bad playoff games. Wilson's bad game against Green Bay isn't proof he is a limited game manager. How quickly people forgot how well Wilson has played in the playoffs--on 3rd down alone last week he was 8/8 for 199 yards and 3 TDs against a good Carolina defense. Game managers don't do that.
More proof? In the 1981 Conference game between San Francisco and Dallas, aka "
The Catch" Joe Montana turned the ball over 4 times (threw
3 interceptions and
lost a fumble.) But the only thing people remember about that game was the amazing play where Montana extended the play and hit Dwight Clark in the back of the end zone.
Wilson sucked for a big part of Sunday's game. The weather sucked. His passes were a little off. Kearse was a big part of his problems and put 2 balls up in the air for easy picks and on another he ran a poor route and didn't OPI. Kearse, Lynch, Baldwin, Moeaki, and Willson all had major drops on perfect tosses. So it was a team effort. But all people will remember is how the TEAM fought back and NEVER quit. And Wilson, after a rough start got better and better. His QBR (don't have quarter by quarter passer rating which is less subjective)
shows how Wilson had a crappy game but had a spectacular finish. Not a spectacular play or two, but finished balls to the walls.
First quarter: 0
Second quarter: 0.2
Third quarter: 12
Fourth quarter: 70.3
Overtime: 99.9
Wilson was reading defenses perfectly, extending plays, and putting balls on dimes. He didn't get down when Lynch dropped a TD pass. He didn't lose faith when Baldwin dropped two passes or Kearse imploded. He told his guys he trusted them. And with the game on the line he came back to both and he made the gutsy call: Game winning attempt to your guy who dropped 1 and was involved on 4 INTs. But Wilson dissected the defense, changed the play, and the guy (Kearse) he had supported all game redeemed himself. That is some great leadership and intangibles. Many QBs scream and yell at their receivers when they do so poorly. Wilson kept Kearse in the game and the result was he was there when Wilson needed them. I would take this QB over any QB who publically beats down his teammates on the sideline.
And yes, that is a shot at Brady.