61
Cameron
Wake, 37
Then: Wake was a
solid linebacker at
Penn State. He had
191 tackles and
81/2 sacks. But after
going undrafted, he
was cut by the Giants
in 2005. He spent all of
’06 out of football, living
with his parents and
working part-time for a
mortgage company and
as a personal trainer.
Now: Wake
resurrected his career
with a dominant
two-year stint in the
Canadian Football
League. The Dolphins
came calling in 2009,
and after making five
Pro Bowls with Miami,
he signed with the
Titans this offseason.
Fast fact: Penn State
fans remember him
as Derek Wake (his
first name). His CFL
coaches mistakenly
started calling him by
his middle name, and
Drew
Brees, 40Then: A native of
Austin, Brees turned
his back on his
hometown team,
the Texas Longhorns.
(His stepfather had
been credited with
introducing the
school’s Hook ’em
Horns hand signal.)
He went to Purdue,
where as a senior he
led the Boilermakers
to the Rose Bowl
for the first time in
34 years.
Now: After five
seasons with the
Chargers—in which
he twice tore his
ACL—Brees has been
a mainstay with the
Saints for 13 years.
There have been a
total of 11 5,000-yard
passing seasons in
NFL history. Brees has
five of them.
Fast fact: Brees set
several school and
conference records at
Purdue, but most have
been broken. One,
however, will stand
forever: He threw a
99-yard TD pass
in 1999.37
Then: A defensive
lineman coming out
of high school, Peters
shifted to tight end
at Arkansas. He
was used primarily
as a blocker by the
Razorbacks, catching
27 passes in three
seasons. As a junior
he had four TD
receptions.
Now: After going
undrafted, Peters
caught on with the
Bills, who moved
him again—to
offensive tackle.
After five seasons
and two Pro Bowl
appearances with
Buffalo, he was
traded to the Eagles.
He’s anchored their
offensive line
ever since.
Fast fact: Even
though he is no
longer a tight end,
Peters has displayed
his pass-catching
skills in the pros. In
2005, he scored on a
one-yard pass against
the Texans, making
him the heaviest
player (328 pounds)
in Bills history toLarry
Fitzgerald,
36Then: In just two
years at Pitt, Fitzgerald
set a school record
with 34 touchdown
receptions. A whopping
22 of those came in
his sophomore season,
after which he narrowly
missed out on winning
the Heisman Trophy.
Fitzgerald petitioned
the NFL for permission
to enter the draft a
year early, and it was
granted.
Now: In 15 seasons
with the Cardinals,
Fitzgerald has never
had fewer than
58 receptions, and
he’s eclipsed 100
five times. In 2008
he led the NFL with
12 receiving TDs. He
scored seven more
in the playoffs as the
Cards advanced to
their first Super Bowl.
Fast fact: Fitzgerald
was drafted third
overall by Arizona in- The Cardinals’
coach at the time,
Dennis Green, had
known Fitzgerald from
his days as the Vikings’
coach when little
Larry, who grew up
in Minneapolis, was a
ballboy.
Tom
Brady, 42Then: Brady arrived
at Michigan amid
little fanfare. He had
played only two years
of varsity high school
football, and his record
was 11–9. He worked
his way up from
seventh on the depth
chart to start for two
seasons, leading the
Wolverines to 10 wins
in each campaign.
Now: Brady
also arrived in
New England amid
little fanfare. A sixth-
round pick in 2000, he
took over for an injured
Drew Bledsoe in ’01.
He has since won 207
regular-season games
and six Super Bowls,
both records for a QB.
Fast fact: Arguably
the greatest individual
rivalry in NFL history
was between Brady
and Peyton Manning.
The two met 17 times
(12 while Manning
was a Colt, five when
he was with Denver).
Brady’s Patriots went
11–6 in those games.