Moving the Chains: Tom Brady and the Pursuit of Everything

by Charles P. Pierce

When Tom Brady entered the 2005 NFL season as lead quarterback for the New England Patriots, the defending Super Bowl champions, he was hailed as the best to ever play the position. And with good he was the youngest quarterback to ever win a Super Bowl; the only quarterback in NFL history to win three Super Bowls before turning twenty-eight; the fourth player in history to win multiple Super Bowl MVP awards. He started the season with a 57–14 record, the best of any NFL quarterback since 1966.
Award-winning sports journalist Charles P. Pierce’s Moving the Chains explains how Brady reached the top of his profession and how he stays there. It is a study in highly honed skills, discipline, and making the most of good fortune, and is shot through with ironies—a sixth-round draft pick turned superstar leading a football dynasty that was once so bedraggled it had to play a home game in Birmingham, Alabama, because no stadium around Boston would have it. It is also about an ordinary man and an ordinary team becoming extraordinary. Pierce interviewed Brady’s friends, family, coaches, and teammates. He interviewed Brady (notably for Sports Illustrated ’s 2005 Sportsman of the Year cover article). And then he got the one thing he needed to truly take Brady’s 2005 turned out to be the toughest Patriots season in five years.

Genres: Sports, Football, Nonfiction, Biography

288 pages, Hardcover

First published October 31, 2006

About the author

Charles P. ("Charlie") Pierce is a nationally known American sportswriter, author, and game show panelist. His best known work is Idiot America: How Stupidity Became a Virtue in the Land of the Free.

Reviews

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moving the Chains: Tom Brady and the Pursuit of Everything a story about Tom Brady’s life. The book covers everything from when he was a young, unathletic kid from San Mateo California, to current day when he has won three super bowls and two league MVP awards. The author covers all of the ups and downs of Tom Brady’s life. Tom Brady himself chimes in at times in the book to express his opinion on some of his greatest accomplishments or failures.
This is a really greatly written book. The author definitely knows a lot about football. His knowledge of the sport definitely made the reading experience much more enjoyable, because I hate reading a book written by someone who is not very educated on the topic. He used good imagery in his writing to make you feel as if you were there at the stadium, or wherever the story was taking place. I would suggest this book to anyone who has a pretty good prior knowledge about the game of football.
I rate this book a 5 out of 5. It was the best book that I have read all year. I liked it because Tom Brady is one of my favorite football players ever, and it was really cool to learn just a little more about him. Also like I said before, the author did a great job of making the book fun and interesting to read.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was fun to read, with lots of funny anecdotes. But it also details Tom Brady’s intentional work to be a good leader and teammate, something we can all probably apply to our lives. The pacing of the book was strange, skipping around way too much, but I just learned to accept it.

[Tommy Calautti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moving the Chains by Charles P. Pierce is an excellent biography about Tom Brady's rise to stardom. From playing golf with his father in San Mateo, California to playing November NFL games, Pierce chronicles Brady's life from middle school to the 2006 season in New England. Pierce goes in-depth with Brady and really opens your eyes to how tough his rise to immortality was. He made me respect Tom so much more than I already did. Pierce also gives you a great description of Brady's teammates' feelings about Brady as a player and friend. Pierce really puts the game of football in perspective and gives you a way to see the game through the eyes of Tom Brady. He gives spectacular details on Brady's on-field intensity and toughness; however, he also gives you a great view of Brady's humility and grace when it comes to off-field issues. I feel that this is a great book and that it will change your opinion of Brady, regardless of if you liked him or not, for the better.
When most people think of Brady, they think of a man that had everthing handed to him wrapped up in a nice red bow. False, Brady had to work his way up and face extreme hardships while moving up the ladder. Another thing most people don't know about Brady is how religously conscious the New England Quarterback is. His family would go to Church every week and celebrate as true Christians. A pastor from New England was actually a big help to him when he came to the New England. Pierce does a great job of making all of these things clear as Brady's arm competitiveness in a New England vs. Indianapolis game. Pierce also interviews, along with Nancy, Tom Sr. and Bradt's sisters, Tom Martinez, Brady's mechanics teacher and mentor when it comes to the basics of becoming a quarterback. These people, along with players like Deion Branch, Corey Dillon, Dan Koppen, David Givens, Mike Vrabel, and Ben Watson, are all included in Pierces work. They all contribute with their opinions on Tom and how great of a person and player he is.
Pierce really changed my view on Brady when he talked about his college career at Michigan. Pierce gives a great description of how Brady chose to go to Michigan despite the competition at the quarterback position on their varsity squad. Brady embraced the challenge and enrolled at the University of Michigan. Not impressed yet? Well, the expected starter suffered a season-ending injury and backup Brian Griese, son of NFL Hall of Famer Bob Griese, was arrested for throwing a stool in a bar. The job was in Brady's sites but Griese was released and announced starter for the season. Although it hasn't been proven, most people believe that Bob pulled a few strings for his son's well-being. After a National Championship on the bench as a sophmore and a decent year as a junior, Brady entered his senior season, the year for him to blossom. Unfortunatley, a young freshman recruited as the top quarterback coming out of high school and entering college. After a long training camp full of unanswered questions, Lloyd Carr decided that the job would be split between Brady and the new Drew Henson the two players. Brady eventually rose above Henson but never truly won the job until late in the season. Pierce gives you all of the information on this story and realyy changes your opinion on Brady.
Pierces' book is a true masterpiece. He takes so much information and binds it with only a bookcover, creating a 5 star biography. I would truly give it two thumbs up and reccomend it to Brady lovers and haters everywhere. I'd like to thank Pierce for not only writing this book but opening my eyes to what one of my role models went through to reach his present state. This is an excellent book and I encourage all to read it.

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

-"Unhappy is the land that breeds no hero."

-"No -- Unhappy is the land that needs a hero."

These lines, from the Bertolt Brecht play, "Galileo," form the epigraph to "Moving the Chains," journalist Charlie Pierce's ebullient biography of the New England Patriots' MVP quarterback, Tom Brady. "Brecht?" you ask. "In a biography of a professional football player?" You don't know Charlie Pierce.

Pierce is a fine writer and broad thinker who happens to hold a certain NFL field general in exceeding high regard. And so, in telling the life story of that man, Pierce happily embarks on a mythmaking journey. (The subtitle says it all: "Tom Brady and the Pursuit of Everything.")

Through Brady, Pierce reflects on faith and inspiration, ruminates on football and sport, considers character and the making of character, digresses to other subjects, connects, comes back, departs, and just generally loves on the guy.

Grown men need heroes, too.

At times, Pierce's admiration for Brady verges on reverence. Brady Love, in turn, causes him to get sloppy with facts and sacrifice organization for exuberance.

Nevertheless, there remain many fascinating tales about the business of football, Brady's parents, his childhood and family, and his fierce determination to control what he can control, and win.

"Moving the Chains" came out in hardcover before Brady and the Patriots' feet of clay were exposed: "Spygate" (the Patriots' illicit videoing and codebreaking of opposing teams' defensive signals) is nowhere to be found; nor is Tom's son by ex-girlfriend Bridget Moynahan; nor the Pats' upset Super Bowl XLII loss to the New York Giants. (One would hope a forward to a subsequent edition would acknowledge these.)

Thus, from sources more objective and reliable than Pierce, we can now confirm that Brady is human and -- who knows? -- a possible beneficiary of the Patriots' stealing of other teams' signals. But Pierce has tilted the argument in his favor: even in the defeat of his team and its ignominy, you've got to admire the way Tom Brady works and wills himself on.

After all, isn't that what a true hero does?

[Russ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a little disappointed with this because the pacing and writing style of Charles Pearce was bad. The only thing that kept me going back to this book--and the only reason it got that third star--was because there was lots of background on Tom. I wouldn't recommend reading this unless you really want to learn more about Brady and/or you've got nothing else on your plate to read.

[Jt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good look at TB's career to date and major influences which have shaped his skill and competitiveness. Well written despite being a bit too cute at times. Backdrop of 2005/6 season is, obviously, less interesting than say the 2007/8 season. What's a sports biographer to do?

[Brian Calandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charlie Pierce is a masshole, but he's a got a great quippy writing style. I picked up the book to learn more about the greatest quarterback of all time, but came out with a list of bon mots and the idea that Brady "loves his teammates."

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seems more like an expanded magazine profile than a book, but some interesting stuff. If you hate the Patriots, it'll make you nauseous, however.

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. Author jumps around a bit too much for my liking though.

[Stevejs298 · Rating 3 out of 5]

A surprisingly good book. It was published in 2006 and would've been even more interesting if it had covered the later years of Brady's career. Brady is a more interesting and nuanced person than I had previously thought.

[Matthew Trabona · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book if you want to know more about Tom Brady. Horrible writing. Choppy. Unnecessary use of SAT words that detracted from reading. Despite having a good vocabulary, know your audience. Most people reading this book aren't word smiths, nor do they care to be.

[Bj Shea · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a good book and quick read. Kind of dated reading in 2025 because Tom Brady has accomplished so much more since 2005. Felt like it was missing a lot of TB12 because he didn’t grant a lot of access to Pierce.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting take on Brady, his background and motivations, and a season of the Patriots. The only drawback is, 10+ years after the book was written, an update is very much in order.

[Robyn Obermeyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finally know why they call Tom the goat!

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love anything Incan read about TB12 - the GOAT!

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better than most football reads, I would recommend this for others who love the Patriots and Tom Brady.

[Hugh HACKETT · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good detail on what set Brady up to win.

[Griffin Honthy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read into what makes Brady so good. Obviously outdated as this was before his infamous 16-0 season but still cool to see how Brady became the GOAT

[C Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is undoubtedly one of the oddest biographies I have ever read. And one of the most intriguing.

Author Charles Pierce tries to uncover what makes Tom Brady tic. What makes him such a consummate team player and leader on the field? What made a player drafted in the sixth round, whom nobody but maybe Bill Belichick and Scott Piloli, thought would ever amount to much in the pros, become a Hall of Fame bound quarterback, one of the best to have ever played?

There are a lot of things.

First, Brady was never the most gifted athlete and he had to work for everything through high school and college. In fact, he was barely recruited and his father put together a video package and he ultimately ended up at the University of Michigan. He persevered despite not even being a full time starter, even as a senior, despite that he was a winner.

Second, in the pros his work ethic is infectious to his teammates. He is the first to arrive and the last to leave. His hard work put him in a position to take over for Drew Bledsoe when he was hurt during the 2001 regular season and progress. He became the team leader that despite his talents Beldsoe never really was.

Third, he is a team first player. He truly buys in to the Patriots' modern day credo, there is no "I" in team. He doesn't care about stats, he cares about wins. But that has propelled him to put up unbelievable stats.

And he his simply a nice person. He gives credit where credit is due. He doesn't do a lot of endorsements. And when he had the opportunity to do one for a credit card company he refused to do it unless his offensive linemen, his protectors, were involved. He wanted them to shine to.

Don't believe Tom Brady is a really good guy in a sport fraught with me first, selfish, athletes with an undertone of criminality? Read Charlie Weiss's book about his near death experience and how Brady helped him and his wife out in their time of greatest need. Read Tedy Bruschi's book that has a few anecdotes about what Brady's friendship means. Or simply read this book about to hear what his family, friends, and teammates have all said about his leadership skills. There is a reason his teammates and coaches have the utmost confidence in him.

The oddest aspect of this book is Brady himself did not participate in it and it really takes somewhat of a psychologist's approach at times in examining its subject. From the influence of his Catholic upbringing, the impact of his athletic older sisters who sometimes outshined him in his youth, to his perseverance in the face of sports adversity, you learn the inner workings of one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.

This is a recommended read.

[Michael Kilroy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of sports books and biographies on professional athletes only really mention the person that they are writing the book on. Most times, the book starts off at the beginning of someone’s life, and then ends by describing how their career ended.

I had a feeling that this book would end up doing the same thing, but it didn’t. This book opened up the same way as most biographies do, but it wasn’t only about one person’s life. It was about the whole world around Tom Brady and everyone that contributed to his success in life. Charles P. Pierce perfectly described all of the factors that everyone around Tom Brady added to his legacy. My family and I have grown up watching Tom Brady and the New England Patriots for as long as I can remember. This book, Moving the Chains, is completely accurate towards how Tom Brady plays the game of football.

As the book went on, the author incorporated more and more flashbacks to Brady’s past in college. These flashbacks told mini stories about the life of a Division 1 college quarterback. Believe it or not, Tom Brady’s life in college was a lot harder than in the pros because he never could completely earn the starting job. There always were battles between someone else for the spot. But anyways, this book is meant for any football fan, but in particular, a Patriots fan.

I would recommend this book to anyone that is into sports, especially football. The author, in my opinion, should get some kind of award for writing this masterpiece of a book. Not only was this book full of descriptive details, it drew me in and I couldn’t put the book down. So, if you’re a type of person that enjoys football, Tom Brady, and books, then you should definitely try to get your hands on this book and read it. It took me about a week to read this book and I truly believe that this was the best book that I’ve ever read. Therefore, everyone deserves to read the book of a lifetime.

[Jamescullen · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a die-hard fan of football and of Boston sports, this biography Moving the Chains: Tom Brady and the Pursuit of Everything written by Charles P. Pierce, easily kept me entertained throughout the entire read. It begins when Tom Brady is just a young boy and is trying his best to emulate his idol, the former quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers, Joe Montana. Unfortunately, his struggles in life, such as his size in high school and college, become apparrent. I really enjoyed how Charles Pierce documented how Brady developed and matured through his college years and then into the pros. One of my only complaints, however, is at some random sections, there would be paragraphs that essentially could be cut out easily. If I was not such a lover of football, I would have probably skipped right through those parts. Despite that, Charles Pierce thoroughly explains how Brady's intangibles and throwing accuracy in college football at the University of Michigan, gets him drafted as the 199th pick in the 2000 NFL draft. Here, the life of Tom is fantastically disected as he is on his way to becoming an elite and future hall of fame quarterback for the New England Patriots. Although Pierce might disect Brady's life very well, some elements might seem confusing to a reader if they have never really watched football. There are times where the reader might have no clue what something means mostly because Pierce does not explain certain things. In many ways can I relate to this biography because throughout Tom Brady's childhood, he dreamt of becoming a star in the National Football League even when that dream felt like an absurd exaggeration. It's an interesting and compelling biography about the totally unexpected rise of my favorite athlete which I guarntee helps sends posstive messages to kids all across the nation about determination and hard work.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, here's the thing. I've always appreciated what Brady has done for my team, but I've never been a huge fan of *him*. So, I thought I would learn a little about him and see if that would change my mind some. And it did. Taken with a grain of salt, he seems like a decent guy, for the most part. He certainly works hard, and I appreciate his attitude. That being said, this author did very little to engage a reader who is NOT a Patriots fan. In fact, if I were the fan of another team, I would have been turned off by the author more than anything else. There was a lot of slurping all over Brady and the Patriots, almost a tone of disdain, that even as a Patriots fan, I found a bit distasteful. (We won't even discuss how scornful he speaks of baseball, which didn't sit well with me.) The writing, itself, was ok-ish. Sometimes he over-explained references he made, other times he just assumed the reader knew who some obscure person was without a single descriptor or deeper identification. The other thing that I found a little disconcerting was the way the author told the "story" of the 2005 Patriots season, while linking each game or two to something in Brady's personal history. Some of these links were a stretch, at best, and some were just downright jolting in the jumps back and forth through time. Overall, I'd give Tom's story a solid four stars, but this author's failure to be objective through most of the book, combined with the way he chose to tell Tom's story, are what I rated a generous three.

[Jhett Vaughn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this book because they are in the super bowl and I love football and this book seemed like one of the better nonfiction football books. The tile of the book moving the chains by Tom Brady really matches the book like how every super bowl he one is cause of him moving the chains to keep getting first downs and to win the big game. I think the author wrote this book to show how good he was moving the chains to get a first down and to be the youngest quarterback ever to win 3 super bowls, that is in incredible. I think the audience for this book would be a person who is in love with football like I am or someone that wants to learn more about Tom Brady. Three facts I learned about this book is that Tom Brady was the youngest quarterback to win three Super Bowls. He was the 4 player ever to win multiple Super Bowl most valuable player award in the history of the NFL. Tom Brady started the 2005 season with a 57 wins and 14 losses. I think the theme of the book is how he pushed through the struggles to win three rings and how he keep moving the chains. I love football so i have to love the book it was so good i could barely keep my eyes out of the book.

[Jakari · Rating 3 out of 5]

While reading the book Moving The Chains by Charlie Pierce I thought that it would be a really good book and attention grabber but it was really boring and stayed in the same place. What I especially liked about the book was that it gave every little detail about Tom Brady himself and all of the wonderful things that he did in high school and college and the NFL . One thing that I especially didn't like about the book is that the plot stayed the same most of the story. What I mostly like about the writing style that it is very easy to. Something that I really disliked was that the author went back and forth with some situations or it was repeated with a lot of situations and I just wish it had a lot of current situations. If you're really into sports and especially a huge football fan than this is the book for you and If you're a die heart patriot fan then you should really read this book and I would rate this a six out of ten. Details from the Text You learn a lot of new big words and learn a lot more about Tom Brady himself as a kid growing up and being catholic and the Text all around is very detailed.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ordered this off of Amazon on a whim because I have a strange Tom Brady obsession that refuses to die even in the midst of "Deflategate". It gave me a pretty decent background on him and some snippets of insights on him from family, teammates, coaches, etc (I was really interested in what Bill Belichick had to say, in particular), and it was well-written in parts, but a lot of times the author veered off talking about Brady to describe some person/event/game who is barely able to be connected back to him. For much of the book, the author seemed more concerned with using fancy language and dramatization to make every detail bigger than it really was, which really serves more to cheapen Brady's story than enhance it. At one point, he even brings in philosophy about loyalty, which while it seemed to fit, also sounded way too pompous for a sports biography. Overall, though, I did enjoy it; the documentation of his time at Michigan was particularly interesting, even having seen the Brady 6 a few times.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, entertaining read, but not quite great. As a huge Pats fan, I was able to sink easily into Pierce's clear obsession with our QB, but I'm not sure all readers would be as enthralled, nor am I sure that all readers would understand the droves of football vernacular necessarily used in the text. More importantly, I found the focus a bit narrow, even though Pierce is fond of the tangent, which lent a pervasive feeling of "it's too soon for this book" that I couldn't shake. Adding to that feeling is the fact that the book was written before the Pats' 18-1 season, which would have fit all too well into the themes Pierce is exploring here, and it's a shame he didn't wait. A more than decent bit of sportswriting, though it never feels complete.

[James Loftus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pierce's wonderful and eclectic writing style cover over what is admittedly a shy and frankly very young subject for an autobiography. This book should be considered by both fans of Brady and those who aren't because it is really a series of essays by Pierce that riff off Brady as the central theme, from religion, to the history of New England football, to Michigan college football, to the plight of the veterans of the NFL, this book is a treat and I was disappointed when I got to the end that there wasn't more!

[Derek Bycraft · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book tries to make Brady seem like a demi-god. While he definitely is an elite quarterback, this book is a bit much. There are some flubs and things stretched to make him sound better. Being a huge Michigan Wolverines fan, I was able to find some disputable things regarding Brady's college days thrown into the book. While Brady and Pats fans will love it (which is what I am), Brady detractors will love it as well - love it because it is more of a trashy worship book than great read.

[Alan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointingly, Pierce is disguistingly reverential of Brady, taking a cart-before-the-horse approach to depicting Brady's greatness. Pierce's usual technique of calling upon disparate realms means the reader will have to work, but having done so, will find some interesting connections--many of which hold water.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining, though I'm a bit biased. Did teach me a few interesting things about the business of football. More importantly, it makes you realize that hard work, passion and dedication (football buzz words that they are) can help you to overcome being overlooked ... like Brady was time and time again.