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In the Starting Line-Up
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Top 25 quarterbacks of all time: Patriots' Tom Brady leads list
Top 3
#1 Brady
#2 Montana
#3 Manning
He's the all-time leader in the QB clubhouse, though not in any of the major statistical areas. Except, that is, for the category that has always resonated the most with this position: winning. Brady owns the most wins at the position by a wide margin. His 207 regular-season victories are 21 more than second-placed Manning. His 30 postseason wins blow everyone out of the water. Early in his career, Brady was known for being an accurate passer who was smart with the football and could dial up big plays when the defensive-minded Patriots needed it. He was cool in the pressure moments, too. Brady let the game come to him toward the end of Super Bowl XXXVI, taking the checkdowns and short stuff to maneuver kicker Adam Vinatieri into range to finish off the "Greatest Show on Turf." A less-heralded, but equally important, drive came at the end of Super Bowl XXXVIII, when Brady moved the Patriots' offense just enough to set up Vinatieri for another Super Bowl-winning kick. No such theatrics were needed the next year, as Brady was efficient in helping New England to its third Super Bowl in four seasons.
That seems like a lifetime ago. All he has accomplished since that time is win three more Super Bowls, start three others, win all 16 regular-season starts in a season for the first time in league history and throw up a top-five all-time offensive season from the quarterback position. And then there's Brady's 2010 season, sneakily the best year of his career. He led the NFL in touchdown passes (36), adjusted yards per attempt (9.0) and passer rating (111), while ranking first in both touchdown and interception percentage (7.3% and 0.8%, respectively). He even topped a little-known record set by Don Meredith way back in 1968, finishing the season with nine straight games of at least two touchdown passes and zero picks. Unfortunately, Brady and Co. were knocked out of the postseason by Rex Ryan's pesky Jets. Since that time, Brady has made it to the AFC championship every year. Every. Year. That's eight straight conference championship game appearances, a record that will never be matched. While his six Super Bowl rings are the most of anyone, Brady came oh so close to winning a couple more (in fairness, he was quite fortunate to prevail in two, too). A key drop late in Super BowlXLVI could have been the difference in a Patriots win. He famously threw for more than 500 yards in the Super Bowl XLII loss to the Eagles. Perhaps it's an indication of Brady's dominance of the sport that all the post-game memes focused on his dropped pass, while Philly quarterback Nick Foles famously caught his. Never mind that the pass to Brady was directly over his helmet and about 50 times harder to catch than the shotput right to Foles' mitts.
Paramount to Brady's success has been his focus on what's in front of him. He refuses to lose, and early in his career, refused to be distracted. He's taken less money every year to ensure New England has the resources to build a quality team around him. He supports his teammates, even guys who are forced to move on from the organization (like Malcolm Butler). Despite so many accomplishments in his incredible career, winning a Week 2 home game against the Dolphins still remains as important to him as ever. As part of that immense drive, Brady has readdressed his body and conditioning in a manner pertinent to his age and the position he plays. It's functionality over fashion, despite his ease with the latter. Although not known for stats, and Brady's seemingly indifference to them, he has managed to finish No. 1 in passing yards three times, touchdown passes four times and passer rating twice. Brady has also produced the lowest INT percentage in a season four different times in his career -- a truly rare feat. He minimizes mistakes without sacrificing production, then wins the important downs so his team wins in the standings, game after game, year after year. Brady is the NFL's top all-time quarterback, if not player. Yep. He is probably that, too.
Stat you need to know: Brady's career has been a study in steady greatness, but it's also bookended by both individual and team accomplishments. There simply hasn't been much decline, and if anything, Brady might have improved in his later years. His first and most recent MVP seasons came a decade apart. Brady's first and most recent passing yards titles were 12 years apart. His first and most recent passing touchdowns titles were 13 years apart. More than any other numbers, a single line exemplifies what Brady's legacy will be: In 17 healthy seasons as a starter, he's made more Super Bowls (9) than he's missed (8).
Top 3
#1 Brady
#2 Montana
#3 Manning
