May 31

May 31 Is Tom Brady the Greatest Quarterback of All Time? The Arguments FOR and AGAINST

Erich Heinlein

Stories

Is Tom Brady the Greatest Quarterback of All Time? We Answer the NFL’s Most Pressing Question!

Depending on where you live, you probably have a strong opinion on where Tom Brady should be in the history books compared to other quarterbacks…

background of American footballs with the words "NFL" — Tom Brady has been playing in the NFL for over 20 seasons - but is he really the greatest quarterback in the league?

There are a lot of great arguments for and against Tom Brady as the greatest quarterback of all-time.

We take a look at five reasons why he’s the best quarterback and five reasons why he’s not - starting with reasons Tom Brady can be considered the NFL GOAT.

Reasons Tom Brady is the GOAT

1. He’s Won Seven Super Bowls

While Tom Brady has experienced lucky breaks or controversial calls in roughly half of his Super Bowl games, he’s hit it lucky with the Super Bowl seven times!

He’s demonstrated his skills on the field - and Brady has had to make clutch plays in almost all of his wins.

Some of his Super Bowls were won by calling a running play, whereas others were by calling a run or merely setting up the kicker for a game-winning field goal.

2. He Has Over 50 Passing Records

Brady holds many quarterback records and achievements in the NFL. He garnered the highest number of touchdowns in a season when he reached 50 in 2007.

You can find a full list of Tom Brady’s career statistics here.

3. He Didn’t Have a Deep Threat For Most of His Career

This is one of the most striking things about Tom Brady and his career records.

American football with Patriots written on it — Tom Brady has won seven Super Bowl rings

In most years, Brady did it without a deep threat. The only two serious deep threats he had during his time with the Patriots were Randy Moss (2007-2010) and Brandin Crooks (2017).

During his other years, Brady had a lot of slot receivers he could zip the ball to, literally in seconds.

4. Brady Has 58 Game-Winning Drives

One thing you definitely can say about Brady is clutch. He’s had numerous memorable game-winning drives.

Some of the more famous ones include the Super Bowl-winning drives against the Rams and his drive in the infamous Super Bowl LI comeback in overtime against the Atlanta Falcons.

5. Quarterback Longevity and Legacy

Not counting kickers, Brady has played the most consecutive seasons as a quarterback - and for the most part, he has been able to keep himself extremely healthy, leading to a long and illustrious career.

He has always had a rigorous training and recovery schedule to keep himself in tip-top shape.

Reasons Tom Brady is NOT the GOAT

1. His Scandals/Breaks in Playoffs and the Super Bowl

Tom Brady has experienced quite a few scandals and breaks in games. Let’s take a closer look at some notable moments.

The Tuck Rule Game

Now that Charles Woodson (the man who hit Brady causing the fumble) is retired, Brady finally came out and admitted that even he thought that play was a fumble and not an incomplete pass.

For those not familiar, Woodson supposedly hit Brady as his arm was going forward during the 2001 AFC Divisional Playoff game.

The referee ruled it as an incomplete pass and the Patriots held on to the ball, ultimately kicking a game-winning field goal.

Spygates

This type of incident has happened in multiple Super Bowls. The Patriots were caught filming the Rams’ practice, potentially giving the Patriots an advantage over them.

Although one has to wonder how much of an advantage, as both of those Super Bowls were won in the last two minutes of the game.

Deflategate

In 2015, the Patriots were accused of deflating footballs at halftime during the AFC Championship against the Indianapolis Colts.

This would decrease the ball pressure going into the second half - and one of the ball boys infamously took the balls into the bathroom.

After this game, the NFL adjusted its procedures concerning how game balls are handled.

Brady eventually did get suspended for four games due to this incident.

2. Supporting Cast

While it’s true that Brady hasn’t had many down-the-field threats, he’s always had a strong supporting cast, including a large number of great running backs and slot receivers.

New England Patriots cap — Brady isn’t a lone wolf - he’s supported by a team of excellent players

He’s almost always had a superior defense and running game.

3. He Can’t Run

Brady was famously slow during his draft day, combined with 40 times at only 5.3 seconds, a full second below what is generally considered elite at the NFL level.

It took him over a decade to even get to 1,000 yards rushing, something he often likes to joke about now.

4. He Lost Three Super Bowls

This argument is often used by fans who compare him to Joe Montana, as Montana won all five of his Super Bowl trips - and many of his Super Bowl wins were close games.

Tom Brady has lost three Super Bowls: Super Bowl XLII (2007), Super Bowl XLVI (2011) and Super Bowl LII (2017).

The first was due to a miraculous catch that set up the game-winning play against the New York Giants, coupled with a drop on a perfectly thrown pass late in the fourth (known as the helmet catch game).

This Super Bowl is now considered one of the most surprising Super Bowl wins of the 21st century!

Brady’s 2011 loss came down to a Hail Mary pass that should have been caught.

His third loss was against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Patriots didn’t start one of their key cornerbacks, Malcolm Butler, and Brady’s fastest wide receiver, Brandin Crooks, got knocked out during the game.