Don’t Kid Yourself: Tom Brady is Still Special

The New England Patriots may be able to win without Tom Brady, but that doesn’t diminish Brady’s overall greatness.

The hot takes regarding New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady have gotten ridiculous to the point they are humorous.

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You probably have heard the meaningful stats and numbers by now. The Patriots have gone 14-5 without having Brady in the lineup since 2008. Jimmy Garoppolo looked like the real deal filling in for Brady earlier this season as Brady served his Deflategate suspension. Rookie Jacoby Brissett impressed in New England’s blowout victory over the Houston Texans on Sept. 22.

Thus, some in the sports world have begun to question Brady’s importance to the Patriots and his legacy. Steven Ruiz of USA Today wrote about this topic following New England’s lopsided win over Houston. The Patriots played like the best team in the NFL without Brady over their first three games. Now some wonder what might have been had head coach Bill Belichick been forced to start somebody other than Brady over the past decade and a half.

Such “Brady vs Belichick” debates are nothing new. We’ve often speculated who, among the two, has meant more to the Patriots. Without Brady, Belichick won little of note as a head coach. Brady, meanwhile, has only ever played for Belichick and the Patriots. Brady likely wakes up every morning thankful he avoided being drafted by a franchise such as the Cleveland Browns.

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Sports networks and, to a point, websites encourage fans and even journalists to embrace such discussions. These debates generate clicks and draw attention. We’ll never be able to say, for sure, which of the two personalities meant more to the Patriots during their careers. I can, however, confidently state the following:

Brady would, right now today, start for over half of the teams in the NFL.

Brady is a three-time Super Bowl MVP. Whether or not Brady deserved to win the award each of those occasions is a matter of opinion. The list of individuals who have won multiple Super Bowl MVP trophies is, in the grand scheme of things, short. All-time greats of the sport such as Joe Montana, Bart Starr, Terry Bradshaw and, of course, Brady achieved this accomplishment.

As Alex Reimer of SB Nation wrote this past January, Brady holds the NFL record for appearances in playoff games. No quarterback has played in more conference championship games. Not even the biggest fan of Joe Montana out there can, when comparing the stats posted by the two players, say Montana was a better playoff QB. Brady has surpassed Montana in multiple categories.

Those in the NFL community who are not fans of the Patriots do not, however, revere Brady as they do Montana, Peyton Manning or even Aaron Rodgers. Manning, the greatest regular season quarterback in NFL history, is possibly the most beloved football player who ever lived. Fans continue to compare Brady with Montana even though the numbers tell us there is no comparison. Rodgers is routinely praised for being one of the best overall athletes to ever play the position.

What more does Brady have to do to be known as the greatest of all time?

For whatever reasons, pockets of critics out there have looked for reasons to diminish Brady’s legacy and greatness. They mention the “Spygate” and “Deflategate” stories, while at the same time ignoring the fact players known as some of the best wide receivers to ever play that position allegedly used grip enhancers to catch passes. Brady became the face of cheating in football for those who wish to demean his resume.

This past June, I referred to Eli Manning as the most unappreciated player in NFL history. In short, I explained some fans of the New York Giants won’t fully understand how good they’ve had it since 2004 until Manning either rides off into the sunset or he and the Giants part ways. In that same light, those who would say Belichick could’ve won multiple titles as a head coach without Brady fail to appreciate Brady’s place in history.

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Some kid who has not yet celebrated his 10th birthday will take the NFL by storm decades from now. That young man will break records, hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy multiple times and become a superstar. Fans who weren’t around to see Brady or who won’t remember him will compare that future champion to Brady. Those of us lucky enough to watch Brady play each year of his career will sit back in our chairs and chuckle.

Maybe then, we’ll all admit how special Brady was to the sport.