Time sure flies when you’re having fun, or, in the case of the New England Patriots, time flies when you’re winning Super Bowls.

Since 2000, Bill Belichick’s first year with the squad, the Patriots have been to an unprecedented seven Super Bowls, winning five. The one constant for the Patriots during this remarkable run, besides Belichick, is quarterback Tom Brady, who is already destined to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer when the time comes.

But Brady’s ascension to NFL stardom didn’t happen overnight. He needed to wait for his opportunity to prove to the Patriots and the league what he was capable of.

And, that opportunity for Brady came 16 years ago today in Week 2 of the 2001 season after quarterback Drew Bledsoe took a vicious hit from Jets linebacker Mo Lewis as he was running out of bounds.

Take a look below at the video reliving the moment that changed the course of Patriots history and paved the way for Tom Brady to become the greatest quarterback of all time.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGnD-2zUidM&w=480&h=360%5D