Fully documenting the magnitude of Tom Brady's 2020 season

[sean10mm]

There are so many things about Tom Brady's 2020 season that are simply insane that I decided to try to write them all down.

1. Tom Brady left the New England Patriots after a 12-4 season in 2019. The Patriots immediately crashed to 7-9 in 2020.
2. Tom Brady went to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who went 7-9 in 2019 and were historically the losing-est franchise in NFL history by win % (.393). In 2020 he led them to a 11-5 record and a Super Bowl victory where he was named Super Bowl MVP.
3. At age 43, Tom Brady scored 43 touchdowns (40 passing, 3 rushing). He was ranked #2 in completions, #2 in attempts, #3 in passing yards, #2 in passing touchdowns with a 102.2 passer rating. PFF rated him the #2 QB in the league in the regular season and FO had him rated #3 by DYAR if you prefer "advanced" stats.
4. Down the stretch he led Tampa Bay on an 8-0 run (including the playoffs) where they scored less than 30 points only once.
5. To get to the Super Bowl he had to beat teams led by Drew Brees (former SB MVP, all-time passing yards leader, HOF lock), Aaron Rodgers (current MVP, former SB MVP, HOF lock) and Patrick Mahomes (former MVP, former SB MVP, defending SB champ, alleged future GOAT)
6. In Super Bowl 55 he became the first quarterback to complete at least 80% of their passes and 3 TDs in a half.
7. Every touchdown in the Super Bowl was scored by players Tom Brady actively recruited to the team (2 to Gronk, 1 to AB, 1 to Fournette)
8. He did all that in spite of having to learn a new offensive system while training camp was severely curtailed due to COVID.
9. He had a torn MCL the entire time.
10. In 2020 Tom Brady passed Drew Brees as all-time leader in career passing touchdowns with 581. The next closest active player (Aaron Rodgers) has 412.
11. Thanks to his 4 playoff wins in the 2020 postseason, Tom Brady now has over DOUBLE the playoff wins (34) of the next closest quarterback (16, by Joe Montana)
12. After the 2020 playoffs, Brady has thrown more touchdowns to a single player (Rob Gronkowski) in both the playoffs (14) and the Super Bowl (5) than any quarterback. Montana is #2 with 12 and 4 respectively to Jerry Rice.
13. He's now the oldest player at any position to win a Super Bowl. #2 is kicker Matt Stover who was 42.
14. First quarterback to win a Super Bowl played in his home stadium. To reach the home Super Bowl... he had to go 3-0 on the road.
15. Tom Brady became the first quarterback to win Super Bowls played in 3 separate decades (2000s, 2010s, 2020s). Even if you are fussy about counting the decade as starting on the xxx1 year, it still counts because SB55 was actually played in 2021.
16. In week 17 of the 2020 season, Brady broke the record (held by Brett Favre) for most total regular season starts in NFL history with 299.

Did I forget any?

EDIT: Added several missing things! And then some more!

 

[Pats1971]

There are so many things about Tom Brady's 2020 season that are simply insane that I decided to try to write them all down.

1. Tom Brady left the New England Patriots after a 12-4 season in 2019. The Patriots immediately crashed to 7-9 in 2020.
2. Tom Brady went to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who went 7-9 in 2019 and were historically the losing-est franchise in NFL history by win % (.393). In 2020 he led them to a 11-5 record and a Super Bowl victory where he was named Super Bowl MVP.
3. At age 43, Tom Brady scored 43 touchdowns (40 passing, 3 rushing). He was ranked #2 in completions, #2 in attempts, #3 in passing yards, #2 in passing touchdowns with a 102.2 passer rating. PFF rated him the #2 QB in the league in the regular season and FO had him rated #3 by DYAR if you prefer "advanced" stats.
4. Down the stretch he led Tampa Bay on an 8-0 run (including the playoffs) where they scored less than 30 points only once.
5. To get to the Super Bowl he had to beat teams led by Drew Brees (former SB MVP, all-time passing yards leader, HOF lock), Aaron Rodgers (current MVP, former SB MVP, HOF lock) and Patrick Mahomes (former MVP, former SB MVP, defending SB champ, alleged future GOAT)
6. In Super Bowl 55 he became the first quarterback to complete at least 80% of their passes and 3 TDs in a half.
7. Every touchdown in the Super Bowl was scored by players Tom Brady actively recruited to the team (2 to Gronk, 1 to AB, 1 to Fournette)
8. He did all that in spite of having to learn a new offensive system while training camp was severely curtailed due to COVID.
9. He had a torn MCL the entire time.

Did I forget any?

Yeah you forgot something!!! He beat those playoff teams all on the road...

 

[sean10mm]

Added a bunch more I missed, including going 3-0 on the road and then wining the first real home game Super Bowl!

 

[VectorPrime]

If he was on the Pats we’d be getting the first volume of Four Games to Glory

 

[sean10mm]

I don't think these quite make the big HOLY CRAP list, but this was also Brady's first run from the Wild Card round to a Super Bowl win, it was his first blowout Super Bowl win, and he become just the second QB to win Super Bowls in both conferences.

 

[amfootball]

Loving this thread.

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

Most games started (regular season). Brady passed Favre in week 17. And that’s a record for all positions.

Brady eclipses Favre for most regular-season starts in NFL history

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady made his 299th regular-season start Sunday, surpassing Brett Favre for the most in NFL history.The 43-year-old Brady has started all 16 games for the fourth consecutive year. He last missed a start in 2016 while serving a suspension for Deflategate...

www.thescore.com

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

Officially, the only player to win Super Bowl MVP from each conference.

 

[sean10mm]

Officially, the only player to win Super Bowl MVP from each conference.

All the other multiple SBMVPs only got them while playing for the same team, period.

 

[DropKickFlutie]

Last season was incredible. 5 exclamation points on how good he is.

Surreal.

Years from now it will look even crazier.

.

 

[Fixit]

I woke up and read he had two picks in the box score, so I figured he had an up and down game. Then I saw the highlights and the picks and concluded that, nope, he was awesome yet again.

 

[1960Pats]

Last season was incredible. 5 exclamation points on how good he is.

Surreal.

Years from now it will look even crazier.

.

Brady's 2020 season is also impacting Belichick more than I thought a Brady SB win would. That's probably why Bill's main squeeze piped in during last year's playoffs.

Hopefully, Brady's accomplishments won't get the Bill Russell treatment in the future. Bill is the best and barely gets mentioned.

 

[amfootball]

Brady's 2020 season is also impacting Belichick more than I thought a Brady SB win would. That's probably why Bill's main squeeze piped in during last year's playoffs.

Hopefully, Brady's accomplishments won't get the Bill Russell treatment in the future. Bill is the best and barely gets mentioned.

The killer for Bill is Brady did not just win the SB, he completely transformed the Bucs into the Patriot Way. Their season mirrored so many of our championship seasons over the last 20 years. That is what was so eye opening. It was like Brady infused the winning and the belief. It kind of pulled the wool off of everyone's eyes to say, maybe it wasn't Bill after all with his culture and system, it was Brady elevating with his play and leadership.

 

[1960Pats]

I woke up and read he had two picks in the box score, so I figured he had an up and down game. Then I saw the highlights and the picks and concluded that, nope, he was awesome yet again.

You should have heard Collinsworthless. He was all over Brady for a pass that he completed as he was falling down. CC thought it should have been a pick. He reminded me why I usually leave the volume down.

 

[sean10mm]

Brady's 2020 season is also impacting Belichick more than I thought a Brady SB win would. That's probably why Bill's main squeeze piped in during last year's playoffs.

Hopefully, Brady's accomplishments won't get the Bill Russell treatment in the future. Bill is the best and barely gets mentioned.

I think the difference is that Brady will retire with all of the positive quarterback records for both regular season AND playoffs. Wilt had Russell beat on raw volume stats (especially scoring, but also rebounds). That's the thing (along with being in the distant past) that gets held against Russell.

For me what puts Russell in a whole other stratosphere is something people keep overlooking - he was a multiple championship coach WHILE PLAYING. That flat out will never happen again in any major sport.

 

[sean10mm]

Brady has added a few milestones in 2021 as well.

1. Brady now holds the record for most career passing yards. He broke Brees's record in Week 4.
2. With his victory over the Patriots in week 4, Brady has defeated all 32 teams in the NFL. Brett Favre, Drew Brees and Peyton Manning are the only other QBs to have done this.

I also found some Brady records that are just odd/funny:

1. As of today Brady is still 143 career interceptions behind the leader, Brett Favre. He is also 15 pick-sixes behind the leader (also Favre.)
2. As of today Brady is the most sacked player in NFL history (528 and counting.) Roethlisberger is only 2 behind him though!
3. Brady is one of 14 players to have thrown a 99 yard pass.

 

[sean10mm]

Brady broke the record for total offense sometime this season too. Brees had it last year.

It seems like people are just making up obscure records to see if Brady can beat them. A couple somewhat legit ones still exist though.

4th quarter comebacks - Brady needs 3 to take the record from Peyton Manning. He has 2 so far this year so he's on pace, but his biggest "risk" is that he just bulldozes the rest of the Bucs schedule.

Pro Bowls - Brady is tied for 1st with a bunch of other players with 14. If he makes the Pro Bowl this year he has the most all-time.

Completions - He has the yardage and touchdown records, but not the completions record. He needs 182 to take the record from Brees, and has 183 so far in 6 games. This is a huge who cares other than that it's the only volume record Brees still holds lol

Fumbles - Just kidding, he's 39 fumbles behind the all-time leader (Favre) as of today.

 

[Zarozzor]

Brady broke the record for total offense sometime this season too. Brees had it last year.

It seems like people are just making up obscure records to see if Brady can beat them. A couple somewhat legit ones still exist though.

4th quarter comebacks - Brady needs 3 to take the record from Peyton Manning. He has 2 so far this year so he's on pace, but his biggest "risk" is that he just bulldozes the rest of the Bucs schedule.

Pro Bowls - Brady is tied for 1st with a bunch of other players with 14. If he makes the Pro Bowl this year he has the most all-time.

Completions - He has the yardage and touchdown records, but not the completions record. He needs 182 to take the record from Brees, and has 183 so far in 6 games. This is a huge who cares other than that it's the only volume record Brees still holds lol

Fumbles - Just kidding, he's 39 fumbles behind the all-time leader (Favre) as of today.

1. I can only imagine what this number would be if him and the Patriots didn't have so many 2+ score leads in the 4th quarter.

2. Hopefully he gets #15 this year. He was screwed over last season.

 

[sean10mm]

Tom Brady records set in 2021:

1. Career passing yards (was Brees)
2. Career completions (was Brees)
3. Completions in a season (was Brees)
4. Total offense (was Brees)
5. Was selected to his 15th Pro Bowl in 2021, the most all-time
6. Defeated all 32 teams with his win over the Patriots (tied with Favre, Brees and Peyton manning)

Records within reach in 2022

1. Is currently 1 comeback and 1 game winning drive behind the all-time leader (Peyton Manning)
2. I can't find anything left?

Tom Brady records... LOST?!?

1. As of the end of the 2021 season, Roethlisberger overtook him for the all time lead in... career sacks!

 

[venecol]

2022:
He can get over 100,000 total passing yards.
Tom-Gronk are 9 TDs short of Manning-Harrison 114 TDs.