NFL

FORMER JETS DRAFTEE FINALLY FINDS SOME SUCCESS

FOXBOROUGH – Kyle Brady, the other Brady on the Patriots’ roster, is basking in a state of nirvana.

Jets fans remember Brady as their team’s No. 1 draft pick in 1995, the ninth overall player chosen that year. Brady remembers being booed on Draft Day by angry Jets fans, then he remembers his NFL experience getting even worse.

“(We were) 4-28 my first two years with the New York media all over us,” Brady said yesterday from his dressing stall inside the Patriots locker room.

Perhaps, after 13 seasons in the NFL that included those haunting times with the Jets those first four years, this is Brady’s reward at the end of his NFL rainbow. On Sunday against the Chargers at Gillette Stadium, the Patriots tight end will play in his second AFC Championship game trying to get to his first Super Bowl.

“I never thought I would get to this point – especially after those first couple of years in New York,” Brady said. “Back then, I was just hoping to make it through my first contract.

“Oh, you always have to have hope. Even at that early stage in my career . . . you hope for something better.

“It did seem chaotic at times,” Brady said, remembering the Rich Kotite days with the Jets. “I struggled to find the meaning of why it was happening. Looking back now, I see the reasons why it happened that way.”

Brady compiled 93 catches in his first four years, a meager total considering his draft position.

“Looking back, I didn’t have a tight ends coach my rookie year,” he said. “You spend a first round pick on a guy and you don’t even give him a coach?

“It was really kind of a mess. A lot of things were a mess (in 1995). I played on every special teams unit and I started (at tight end). I was exhausted in every game. I was getting an IV after most of the early-season games.”

Brady insisted he harbors “no anger or bitterness” toward the Jets, preferring to look at it as a learning experience.

“You know what they say, ‘Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger?’ ” he said. “I do feel like it made me stronger as a person in my resolve to succeed and to understand why I played the game.”

And, a part of a 17-0 team striving toward an historic season, he’s reaping the reward for his perseverance.

“I’m at that point in my career where you get all introspective and reflective,” Brady said. “This year has been a fun experience – to be a part of a group that so far is doing something pretty special.”