You gotta want it.

ESPN has been running its (fantastic!) “Year of the Quarterback” series, and the other day I watched an episode on Patriots phenom Tom Brady.

Tom Brady was pick #199 of the 2000 NFL Draft. Pick #199. That means 198 players were picked before him, people. I know that’s obvious … But think about it.

A man who went on to play in four Super Bowls (winning three of them) and who is arguably one of the most talented quarterbacks to ever grace a football field, was passed over again, and again, and again, before a team used a compensatory pick on him in the sixth round.

Six quarterbacks were taken before Brady’s name was called. No one believed in the guy from Michigan, who was classified as “skinny” and possessing a “mediocre arm.” Brady’s spirals weren’t tight enough. His feet weren’t fast enough.

But his heart was big enough.

At the end of the documentary, that’s what all the analysts and reporters and coaches and managers say, that they UNDERESTIMATED Tom Brady’s heart and motivation. They didn’t see how badly the kid wanted it. They never expected that Brady would achieve the success he has thus far in his career. They underestimated him — (while also exposing one of the flaws of the Draft, that all the speed and agility tests can’t measure someone’s drive and determination) — but Brady didn’t let that spin into failure. He used it to fuel his motivation even more. He knew he could do it. He just needed an opportunity … even if it came at #199.

And there it is, my friends. You can have all the talent in the world, but if you don’t WANT it, you’ll never achieve the greatness that someone with buckets of HEART will.

When Brady introduced himself to team owner Robert Kraft during his first training camp, he looked Kraft in the eyes and told him he was “the best decision this team has ever made.”

You have to be strong enough, when others dismiss you, to persevere and to believe in yourself.

But above all, you gotta want it. You gotta want it something fierce.