Now, granted, I never really saw some of the other Super Bowl era greats play, such as Montana, Miami Dolphins QB Dan Marino, or Denver Broncos QB John Elway (among others), so all I can really contribute to their arguments are what I learn from what I’ve read and the stats I see on Football Reference, but even having said that, I would take Brady over any other quarterback in the history of football. He’s a two time regular season MVP, two time Super Bowl MVP, two time First Team All-Pro, nine time Pro Bowler, and has led his Patriots to a playoff berth and division title every single year that he’s been the starter with the exception of 2002, his second season as the starter. He’s one of two players to throw at least 50 touchdowns in a season, along with Peyton Manning. Brady ranks fifth on the regular season all-time passing yardage list with 53,258, fifth in passing touchdowns with 392, and fifth in quarterback rating at 95.9. He’s first in playoff passing yards with 7,017, first in playoff passing touchdowns with 49, and first in both playoff games started (28) and wins (20). His 20 playoff wins are more than 21 other entire franchises (that’s 65% of the league). He’s the only quarterback to lead his team to an undefeated regular season since the league expanded the schedule to 16 games, and one of two quarterbacks to do it period. Of the twelve seasons he’s led his team to the playoffs, he’s won at least one playoff game in ten of them, including leading his team to now six Super Bowl appearances and nine appearances in the Conference Championship game. His on the field accomplishments are astounding, and he could continue to build to his already incredibly impressive résumé, contrary to what everyone seemed to believe in September.
Brady’s biggest rival is, of course, Manning. The media has played up that rivalry to unbelievable heights, so I guess it’s fitting that since the first post of this blog was about the greatness of Peyton Manning, the post to kick off year two is about the greatness of Tom Brady. Those two will forever be linked. Our generation’s version of Russell-Chamberlain. Two of the all-time greats going toe-to-toe over and over again for years and years. I think it’s probably because I’m on the outside looking in to the rivalry between the two, but they are two of my favorite quarterbacks that I have ever seen and are arguably the two greatest quarterbacks I will ever see. As I said last year, to watch players like Brady and Manning is why we watch sports. We watch to witness something truly great. We watch for the off chance of seeing something we have never seen before, and both Brady and Manning have exhibited true greatness over and over again these past 15+ years. Manning is probably the most talented quarterback I’ve ever seen (with Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers not as far behind as you may think), but Brady’s the best I’ve ever seen.
After everything Tom Brady has accomplished, there’s none greater in the history of the game. No matter the situation, no matter the moment, Brady always seemed to elevate to another level and find a way to get the job done. Some of Brady’s legacy is due to the brilliance of Head Coach Bill Belichick (for what it's worth, Belichick's career record as head coach with Tom Brady as his starting quarterback: 180-55. With a quarterback not named Tom Brady: 52-63), but Brady still deserves a ton of credit for what he’s been able to accomplish throughout his career. The coach calls the plays, sure. But it’s the players’ job to go out there and execute. Maybe it’s not fair that in such a team-oriented game, we give so much credit and blame to the quarterback. Even so, with a win Sunday, Brady will cement his place as the greatest of all-time in everyone else’s eyes, especially since this Super Bowl will be against a Super Bowl winning defense that made Manning and the greatest offense in NFL history look like a JV team last year. One more win to continue an already legendary legacy. A win Sunday, and a fourth Lombardi Trophy, would just make it that much harder for everyone else to catch him. The game on Sunday will pit a truly all-time great Seattle Seahawks defense against a truly all-time great quarterback and great offense in Brady and the Patriots. It’s the kind of game that’s exactly why we watch sports. To witness and appreciate something great. You can hate Tom Brady, but there’s no one better. Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback in the history of football (no matter how deflated the footballs may or may not be) and I can’t wait to see him play another Super Bowl. Sunday can’t come soon enough.