Tom Brady does the impossible

As expected, it’s all been about Tom Brady’s legacy in the aftermath of the New England Patriots 28-24 victory over the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX, and many are wondering if his fourth Super Bowl ring and third Super Bowl MVP cement him as the greatest player to every play the game. While it’s almost impossible to compare players across eras, it’s hard to construct an airtight argument against Brady’s case, especially since what he did today against the Seahawks defense was one of the most impressive performances we’ve seen by a quarterback in NFL history.

I mean, you first have to talk about the context of Brady’s performance, and the context is the fact that he led his team to victory against arguably the greatest pass defense in the history of the game. You know, a pass defense that absolutely embarrassed Peyton Manning, four top pass-catchers, and the greatest scoring offense in the history of the game in last year’s Super Bowl. You know, a pass defense that wrecked MVP Aaron Rodgers, Jordy Nelson, and Randall Cobb two weeks ago.

They couldn’t wreck a 37-year-old Tom Brady who was “done” in a Week 4 blowout against the Kansas City Chiefs that wasn’t even as bad of a game as some made it out to be. Instead, it was Brady who methodically led the Patriots down the field on several impressive drives, including two fourth-quarter touchdown drives that featured flawless execution. I mean, you have to be perfect when going up against Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, Byron Maxwell, and Kam Chancellor.

The caveat is that the Seahawks secondary was banged up in this one, but that’s not much of a caveat when you look at how talented those guys are and how well both Thomas and Sherman played. Sherman was only thrown at once as he shut down his side of the field, while Thomas took out any hopes of the vertically-challenged Patriots offense ever truly testing the Seahawks deep (though Brady did throw a perfect TD to Rob Gronkowski for 22 because of a mis-match in man-to-man coverage on the outside against K.J. Wright).

As he has done throughout his career, Brady did a phenomenal job of taking what the Seahawks defense gave him by spreading the ball around to everyone. 11 catches on 12 attempts to versatile running back Shane Vereen? Check. Getting Danny Amendola involved on some key plays? Check. Finding ways to get the ball to Gronk? Check. Riding his most reliable receiver, Julian Edelman, to a 100-yard day? Check.

Throwing for 328 yards and four touchdowns against the Seahawks defense is almost unheard of, and it’s especially difficult to do it in big games, since that’s when the Seahawks are at their best. I mean, take a look at what they did to Rodgers and Cam Newton in their other two postseason games.

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Brady’s most impressive stat is his 74% completion percentage, and that more than makes up for his two interceptions, which don’t put a damper on a day that included a whopping 50 pass attempts. The Patriots couldn’t run the ball against an elite run defense that averaged 3.4 yards per carry allowed in the regular season and manhandled the Patriots offensive line, forcing LeGarrette Blount and Shane Vereen to average 2.9 and 3.3 yards per carry.

There were no surprises for the Seahawks, as they knew that this game would be all about stopping Tom Brady from slicing and dicing them in the short passing game. But Brady was up to the challenge, as he showed Sherman why he is one of the top five quarterbacks not just in the game today but in the history of the NFL. His timing and accuracy were both almost impeccable, and when he did miss throws, he shook those mishaps off.

Feb 1, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) celebrates with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after beating the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Brady has been criticized for seeing ghosts when under pressure, and while that did happen a few times, he did make up for a forced pick to Lane under pressure by escaping the heat later in the game. He showed off his sneaky mobility and pocket awareness to avoid sacks, and it’s a miracle that he was only sacked once with the way Michael Bennett played when lined up the middle (particularly when rookie center Bryan Stork tried to block him). Cliff Avril‘s injury helped, but Brady never let the pressure get to him, especially in a critical fourth quarter.

“Clutch” and “Tom Brady” are two synonymous words at this point, and he added to his reputation in the clutch with those two touchdowns. Since the Seahawks are just about impossible to beat on deep throws and the Patriots don’t have a big deep threat, a ten-point deficit seemed more like a 20-point deficit for the Patriots. Brady, however, kept his calm and never wavered, delivering strike after strike against a pass defense that was indeed at its best; it’s just that Brady was even better at finding openings and taking advantage of the separation his shifty receivers, specifically Edelman, created.

Brady’s legacy isn’t just about winning, but it’s about beating any type of opponent no matter the circumstance. His execution in big games is excellent as long as his receivers are getting open, and he managed to shake off the drought by taking matters into his own hands and astounding us by completing 74% of his passes with four TDs. Who said old QBs can beat the Seahawks pass defense? Who said traditional pocket passers like Brady can’t do it?

He achieved the impossible by outsmarting the smartest and best defense in recent memory, and he did it without a true No. 1 receiver; he just showed off amazing precision and decision-making to make the most out of the matchups in front of him and accentuate the skills of his star players.

And his confidence and poise? Those are the qualities that every legend has, but Brady, who has been to a record six Super Bowls and completed an SB-record 37 passes against an elite D, but Brady has more than anyone else.

Winning four Super Bowls in a career during an era in which making the playoffs after winning a Super Bowl is hard enough (just ask the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, and New York Giants), but winning that fourth in the fashion he did against the Seahawks all-time beastly defense is simply something else.

Next: Kicking praise to Vereen

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