Is Tom Brady The Greatest Of All Time?

It's been more than 48 hours since Tom Brady announced his decision not to re-sign with the New England Patriots, but it still seems hard to believe. Brady, 42, has decided to end his career as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time - if not the best. ^{Sources: 2, 10}

Brady has played in 41 playoff games, an NFL record, has made nine Super Bowls, is Super Bowl MVP and has won two Super Bowls, two AFC championship games and three AFC championship games. All of which is undoubtedly impressive, but has Tom Brady established himself as the greatest of all time in football - or has he now won it all? Brady has behaved like a name - he's the best quarterback in NFL history and the most successful quarterback of his generation. ^{Sources: 9, 11, 16}

Tom Brady has played in nine Super Bowls, more than any quarterback in NFL history and the greatest of all players in NFL history. ^{Sources: 3}

Bill Belichick has also won three Super Bowls, two of them as head coach of the New England Patriots, and few claim he was baptized as the best in his job long ago. But despite Brady's greatness, there is no doubt that Belichick is the architect behind the NFL's greatest dynasty. ^{Sources: 5, 8}

Brady is the greatest player in NFL history, and his ability to shape a season like this at the age of 40 and win the regular-season MVP title is remarkable. But the fact that he did just that, winning a sixth Super Bowl with a team that is not necessarily the best in the NFL, makes him exaggerate. ^{Sources: 1, 6}

Brady's claim to the throne goes way beyond the Super Bowl awards, and I can't understand why people would try to claim that. It's a mind-boggling feat to inherit the most successful quarterback dynasty in sports history since the turn of the millennium, but people have to stop and admit Brady is not the greatest player of all time. I would say there's no way to say he's the G.O.A.T., and it's not close. Brady has all the tools to make him the greatest QB of all time, he's just not good enough to be G-O-A-T. ^{Sources: 4, 7, 16}

Every quarterback in the history of the game has been surrounded by a top-ranked defense, but for some reason Brady doesn't deserve to be called the GOAT. Also, Tom Brady will not have the luxury of using the best offensive line in football and the most talented defense in sports history to win games. If Peyton Manning is the greatest quarterback of all time, you can be reassured he's better than him, and for good reason. ^{Sources: 9, 12, 14}

Belichick has had a long and well-documented history of winning since he made the decision to pull Tom Brady in 2001. Brady has to prove his ability to lead a team under Belichick, and Belichick has to prove that he can coach a successful team with TomBrady. He's going to have everything he doesn't have in New England, and lose everything he has. ^{Sources: 7, 9}

However, we don't have the team's success, the playoff dominance or the durability that Tom Brady had in his career. Brady threw for just 262 yards and zero touchdowns, and he made three interceptions and threw just two touchdowns in a performance you'd expect from the greatest quarterback of all time. Brady may be one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history, but he's not the "best" quarterback in the league in a year. He's had his fair share of ups and downs throughout his NFL career, but he has a very good track record both in the regular season and in the playoffs. ^{Sources: 7, 9, 12, 13}

If you try to call Brady the QB GOAT by stats, you won't find a player from his own era who is so close. If you want to argue that Starr and Brady are the greatest quarterbacks of their era, you have to stand on the Mount Rushmore of coaches and quarterbacks, and if that is the case, Belichick or Brady will be the first to be immortalized. ^{Sources: 7, 8, 15}

The simple and honest truth is that Tom Brady is a Hall of Fame quarterback who is great, and a great player who belongs in the Hall of Fame. If he wins a sixth Super Bowl, which would make him unique and extend his lead as coach, it would add another great achievement to his resume - a stunning run. There are those who would argue that Belichick couldn't have won five Super Bowls and that Brady would have been in the position for a sixth time, but that's true. To say he's the best quarterback ever to play is also a statement based on his Super Bowls. ^{Sources: 0, 6}

For Tom, the next few seasons will be about sealing his status as the greatest of all time in the NFL. His record on the all-time list at quarterback is that he will reign as one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history and perhaps even in the history of football in general. 

Cited Sources

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