Ten years after his third and final Super Bowl championship to this day, it’s time for Tom Terrific to close the discussion regarding the greatest quarterback in National Football League history.
If he’s able to win the big game this year with this Patriots team, one with a significant dearth of offensive talent and lacking an elite defense, he will ascend to the pinnacle of signal callers.
Brady is coming off of a very sub-par 2013 performance, one that saw his statistics drop in completion percentage, number of passing yards, and number of passing touchdowns from the 2012 season. In fact, Brady’s 25 touchdowns in 2013 are his lowest number since 2006, when he was throwing to the likes of Reche Caldwell and Jabar Gaffney.
Despite his below average statistics, the Patriots finished with 12 wins and advanced to the AFC Championship Game. Ho, hum.
For many teams, 12 wins, an AFC East division title, and playing until the final four are major accomplishments. Not these Patriots.
Winning the AFC East has been a piece of cake for New England since Brady became the team’s quarterback. Since 2001, when Brady took over the position, the Patriots have only lost the division title twice. And of those 2 years, one (2008) occurred when Brady tore his ACL in Week One and missed the entire season.
This year, however, it’s time for the Patriots to go beyond that. The Patriots dynasty of the 2000’s? That football super power won its last championship in February 2005, or ten seasons ago. To put into true context how long it has been, when the Patriots opened up camp for that season, the Red Sox were still mired in their 86 year championship-less drought.
Those three championship teams featured a killer defense, solid special teams, and a quarterback who was never asked to do too much. Quite often, Tom Brady came through when it mattered most.
Sure, there are still some questions about Brady. One popular one refers to the elite Patriot defense of the early century, and that Brady has yet to win a championship without Tedy Bruschi, Mike Vrabel, Rodney Harrison, and others that formed the dominant Patriots defense of their championship seasons. Is that a valid argument? I think it’s a fair point, but if Brady truly wants to be known as the greatest of all time, he will have to make do with less.
Ten years later, the elite defense is gone. Sure, the addition of cornerback Darrelle Revis helps, but the unit cannot be counted upon to deliver wins like the Patriots defenses of the early 2000’s. This teams lacks offensive weapons, but Brady is getting back one of his favorite targets in Rob Gronkowski, who was limited by injuries to only seven games last year. Additionally, the Patriots were able to re-sign wide receiver Julian Edelman.
Are there excuses for Brady not being able to win the Super Bowl this year? Absolutely. But if he wants to become the greatest quarterback of all time, he’ll have to overcome those obstacles.
He’ll have to overcome his arch-nemesis, Peyton Manning, and his superstar offense that encompasses many more offensive weapons than that of the Patriots.
He’ll have to overcome the super powers in the NFC. He’ll have to overcome a shaky defense and a receiving core that leaves much to be desired. And if he does, and he’s standing on the podium in Glendale, Arizona on February 1st, 2015, holding his fourth career Lombardi Trophy, he will have left no doubt about his career.
Three rings are legendary, but adding a fourth, with this questionable supporting cast nonetheless, would define his accomplishment of reaching the pinnacle of professional football’s most important position.
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