Brady

Tom Brady wasn’t the best player on the field this past Sunday when his Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the New Orleans Saints 30–20. In fact, despite his 40 touchdown passes during the regular season, one could see that the 43 year old struggled at times, showed glimpses of his brilliance, and mostly played a the role of solid NFL quarterback. The Bucs defense was the reason they won this past Sunday, just like it has been one of the best units in the league this year.

The Greatest

We’ve longed lived in the sports age of hyperbole. Every game we see is the best. Every young player is the next coming of Michael Jordan, Bo Jackson, Joe Montana, and Ricky Henderson. As social media demands quicker, hotter takes, there are many who want to be first when it comes to identifying the next greatest. Maybe that isn’t just limited to this time period. Sports fans have long debated the notion of which sports era was greatest. It’s what we, as fans, do. It’s the opportunity to get lost in a debate that is essentially meaningless, even if we are emotionally invested in winning that argument.

The problem with this argument has always been our unwillingness to acknowledge present greatness. We are either looking to the past or the future; few of us live in the present. But, Sunday’s game was more or less an intersection of the two. The present met past and present and finally, at least in this one very small context, answered the question of who is the greatest quarterback in NFL history. The answer has been largely written in the past, as Patriots quarterback Tom Brady had entered the game with four titles, a bunch of MVP Awards, and his name towards the top of almost every single statistical category. After the game, his future looks set. With his fifth ring and  no sign of retirement coming, the immediate future of Tom Brady seems just as promising. In other words, there is going to be even more statistics, more accomplishments, and possibly more championships. And, obviously, the present was pretty damn good.

It didn’t look to good at the start of Sunday’s game. Brady looked uneasy. He was battered as the Falcons continue to hit him on seemingly every play. Even when they couldn’t quite get a sack, Brady was hit. The usually precise Brady was a step off. Passes weren’t put where they needed to be. Receivers dropped passes that were on target. And, of course, Brady threw the pick-six, which seemed to put the Patriots in a hole that looked insurmountable. Even as Lady Gaga performed at Half Time there was a feeling that the Patriots weren’t done. Brady’s first possession of the second half didn’t go anywhere though. Then, it started to shift.

Even as most were wondering why the Patriots weren’t rushing, Brady looked calm as he methodically took the Patriots down the field for a long scoring drive. But, he and his team knew exactly what they were doing. The Falcons’ defense was slowing. Brady knew it. With better protection, Brady became that precision passer. Pass after pass, drive after drive, the score continued to shrink until Brady hit the two point conversion to tie the game with less than one minute left. Then, he drove them down the field to win the first overtime game in Superbowl history. A fifth ring, a fourth MVP, and one had-to-be-gratifying handshake with Roger Goodell–the culmination of a long debate ended as well as one could possibly want.

We shouldn’t have needed a reminder, but Sunday served as one nonetheless. We’ve never seen a quarterback who has been more dominant than Tom Brady. Sure, he isn’t the strongest passer of all-time. He isn’t the all-time fastest quarterback. He doesn’t have plus athleticism. There have been other great quarterbacks before him. Joe Montana, long regarded as the best of all-time, is still one of the all-time greats. Peyton Manning, Dan Marino, Brett Favre, Warren Moon, Dan Fouts, and so many others are still elite quarterbacks. And, truthfully, when many of their skills are lined up next to Tom Brady’s skill set, Brady comes in second place. But, when one takes into account everything, from regular season success, post season success, titles, awards, and even controversy, Tom Brady’s resume is better.

We may not like the controversies. He was, after all, suspended for four games to start the season. He has been on a team that was fined by the NFL for illegally taping opponents practices. He has been on a team that has been accused of “pushing the limits” of good sportsmanship. But, all of that doesn’t negate his success. And, that success is quite unprecedented.

All sports debates really don’t have definitive answers. That’s fine. It’s one of the reasons why we love sports so much. So, if someone says Peyton Manning is better than Brady, it’s a great discussion. Manning has unbelievable regular season numbers and a couple of titles. It’s a legitimate discussion. But, there are people who will deny Brady into the conversation or be afraid to say that he is the best of all-time for another reason. It’s this attitude that today’s players can’t possibly be better than those who came before them. While we are always quick to find the “next great”, sports culture never really allows for a present day great to be placed into proper perspective. Talk radio and social media has already been littered with comments like that.

Those are missing out. We rarely get to see unequivocal greatness in real time. In my lifetime, I’ve seen so many great baseball players—Hall of Famers—but I didn’t see the generally acknowledged greatest of all-time (Babe Ruth).  Basketball is a different story. I saw Michael Jordan, the all-time greatest basketball player ever. And, it may have taken a bit longer to realize it, but I am seeing the greatest quarterback of all-time. Tom Brady has checked off every box. We don’t have to wait until he retires to acknowledge his tremendous career. We still have time to see the best on the field. We are lucky. And, it’s ok to admit that, even if it is against every sports debate rule.