Tom Brady is the Greatest Professional Athlete Ever. An ode to the GOAT God.
Tom Brady just won his 7th Super Bowl in 10 appearances. It’s a number that is so ludicrous some how it seems low. Like, my Madden Franchise has 11 Super Bowl Championships. Big Whoop. But, in reality it’s a feat that has cemented Tom Brady in the echelon as greatest Pro athlete to ever compete.
This conversation involves guys like, Wayne Gretzky, Michael Jordan, Muhammed Ali, Lionel Messi, Lebron James, Serena Williams, Pele, Roger Federer, Tiger, Babe Ruth. Comparing different sports is tough some would say impossible. This conversation calls for it though. So, when we try to cross these lines you have to look at things like statistics, championships, impact, intangibles, longevity. The people on this list frankly just do not have the resume to match Brady in those categories as a cumulative career.
Did Jordan win a championship with the Wizards, did Gretzky win with the Kings or Rangers? Conversation ends there, because Brady has matched or already passed these guys in most career achievements. Now with this Bucs win, it’s a no brainer. Has Messi ever sniffed a world cup win? Ali’s impact is undeniable but his resume in the ring does not match Brady’s on the field. It’s not even at the top of his sport. Tennis is for olds and nerds and Serena is a girl. Sorry. Soccer has the global impact for guys like Pele and Messi, but individually they lack the statistics to match Brady both in Championships and individually. Tiger is a creep, but more importantly his career has taken a sharp decline when the steroids wore off. TB12, ever heard of it Tiger? Babe Ruth is a fictional character at this point, in a sport that once existed in a fairy land where Americans respected each other. And do not make me laugh by mentioning Lebron’s losing record in the finals. These are incredible once in a generation athletes and Brady stands above them all.
We all know the story. The 199th pick. The impossible 2001 play off run for their 1st championship. The 1st Dynasty. Undefeated team upset by the Giants, record breaking offenses, MVP’s, the Jimmy G inspired resurgence, the 2nd Dynasty, his Mona Lisa Seattle 4th Quarter, 28 -3, and of course the divorce from Belichick and the Patriots. Now, in his 1st year with the Bucs. The Bucs. Statistically the most losing franchise in NFL history. In his 1st year, Brady leads this team to the Super Bowl and beats the face of the League in a 24 year old Mahomes. Oh and BTW he’s 43, was a top 5 QB in the league, went through 2 more Hall of Fame QB’s to get to the Super Bowl, in Rodgers and Brees, all with out an off season during a world wide pandemic. (Thank you TB12 Covid Juice. Available now for $69.99)
He’s lapped his contemporaries in an age that was designed and built for QB’s to succeed. Most of the greatest QBs who ever played, competed against Brady and they can’t sniff his jock. Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Ben Rothlisburger. Hold my beer. If they all shared a table the 4 of them would have to sit a the other side just to balance out the rings and they would still be one short.
He has unparalleled success in 3 different decades and two very different NFLs. Some would say 3 NFLs with the emergence of the running QB. He is the greatest winner to ever grace a field. Period.
Brady’s greatest attribute has always been his intangibles and leadership. From a frumpy kid fighting for a job to the walking GOAT GOD. he has never lost the competitive edge, drive, or flat out mentally psychotic behavior when it comes to winning. That is something that is hard to measure, but it is what puts him at the top of this list.
So look, Football is the ultimate team sport. This is true. Individual sports like Tennis and Boxing obviously shine the spot light on one athlete. Basketball is a sport that can easily be dominated by 1 player playing both offense and defense for an entire game. It could be argued that hockey is similar with just less time on the ice. Call it 1/3 of the game. Even Baseball, ah never mind. I shall not speak ill of the dead.
And no, American Football does not have the global impact in sports like a basketball or soccer. But, to say that Tom Brady is not a global Icon is foolish. He has world wide celebrity status. Have we mentioned his super model wife yet? She’s the rebound after his multiple Holly Wood actress relationships flamed out. Brady’s effort at growing the game in China recently aside, have you seen his Met Gala photo shoots? If not, you’re literally the only one in the world that missed it. He’s America’s Quarter Back. The Golden Boy. The man’s name is recognized from Milwaukee to Katmandu and it’s associated with winning. And Sex. He’s dripping sex.
With all of that being true, it is why Brady is so ridiculously special. He supersedes the notion that football is a team sport. Just ask Danny Amendola. But in a lot of ways it’s true. His impact is fucking enormous. Let me reiterate that with reminding you he just won his 7th Super Bowl with the god damn Bucs. Oh, and did we mention he is 43? He has proven this was not just a system in New England. He has proven he does not need Belichick’s genius to win. He has proven that he is actually above the game itself. You could physically see the elevation, difference, the impact he had on that retched organization in less than a year. This is another level of athlete, competitor, leader; human? Yea, Maybe. Just maybe he is a meta human. The TB12 method has mutated the man we new into a demi god with a rocket arm and abnormally chiseled jaw line. Plus, now he gets to rock the sexy ass salt and pepper look woman swoon over? The Man has planted the flag at the top of the mountain and there is shall remain.
Feel free to read on if you would like to indulge in some of the particulars.
In terms of elevating your team from a football stand point, Brady makes your offensive line better through his pre snap awareness. He improves your WR’s with his accuracy and precision. Your run game is benefited with the defense respecting the pass. He improves your defense through game management on offense and forcing pressure on the opponents offense by scoring. The 28 - 3 Super Bowl win over the Falcons showed what a meticulous and disciplined offense can do to a defense when the 4th quarter rolls around. 93 plays ran to the Falcons 43. Falcons defense was GASSED!
Most importantly he brings your teams confidence to the highest level just because you have Brady on the your sideline and he is never out of a game. It also weakens the confidence on the other side of the field because they also know Brady is as cold as they come. It’s what the kids call “shakin’ in their boots syndrome".
I understand a lot of good quarter backs have similar affects. Simply put, in these examples Brady separates himself with how much better he is at it. You may have a Rodgers as a better passer or a Manning better at the line, but no one does it all as good as Tom or for longer and no one has struck fear into the opponent more so than Tom Brady.
The records that he holds are endless. The big ones; He has most wins, yards, and TD’s as a QB in the regular season. When it comes to playoff records for a QB, he dwarfs everyone in everything, it’s a joke.
Brady has reached his ninth conference championship game in his last 10 years and his 14th overall, which is the most in NFL history. Brady has more conference championship wins (nine) than any other quarterback has conference title game starts (Joe Montana is second with seven). He’s started a conference championship game in three different decades (2000s, 2010s, 2020s), the first quarterback since the NFL merger to do so.
Brady is the fourth quarterback since the NFL merger to go to the conference championship game in each conference. Brady has more conference championship game appearances than 28 other NFL franchises. He has more playoff wins (32) than all but five franchises. Only the Pittsburgh Steelers, Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys, and New England Patriots have more -- and Brady has 30 of the Patriots' playoff wins.
Just his Playoff statistics and achievements alone is a Hall of Fame career.
Here are some more notable records. It’s time to retire #12 NFL.
Brady Records
Regular games started (299)
Regular season wins by a starting quarterback (230)
Most passing yards, regular season and playoffs (91,653)
Most passing touchdowns, regular season (581)
Most passing touchdowns, postseason included (664)
Most touchdowns thrown to different receivers (77)
Game-winning drives, postseason included (62)
Division titles (17)
Playoff games started (45)
Playoff wins (34)
Playoff touchdown passes (83)
Playoff passing yards (12,449)
Super Bowl appearances (10)
Super Bowl wins (7)
Super Bowl MVPs (5)
Super Bowl touchdown passes (21)
Super Bowl passing yards (3,039)