Throughout Tom Brady's 20-year career in the NFL, few obstacles have stood in his way. This man as an individual has accomplished more than most franchises have. On Sunday night, he hoisted the Lombardi trophy for his 7th time, more than any franchise has ever done.
What Tom Brady accomplished in this particular season is unprecedented. At 43-years-old, he finished the year third in the league in passing yards, second in touchdown passes, and ninth in QBR, while helping a team that was 7-9 last year and has the worst winning percentage in professional sports history win it all in his first year on the team.
What's even more astonishing is that he has done so without compromising his arm strength at such an age. According to PFF, Tom Brady completed more big-time throws than any other quarterback in the regular season, and heading into the Super Bowl, completed 9 passes of 20-yards or more. No QB completed more than 5 in that span. PFF graded him as their number 2 passer only behind Aaron Rodgers, who eventually won the MVP award.
The question people might begin to pose is not whether or not Brady is the best to ever step on a football field but rather is he the best athlete to ever play professional sports. Michael Jordan and Wayne Gretzky might have something to say about that, but whatever your opinion might be on the matter, this is going to be a hot topic of debate in the coming months, years, and perhaps even decades.
I don't mean to diminish the help of Brady's supporting cast in Tampa. Holding one of the most prolific passing games in NFL history to single-digits and keeping them out of the end zone on the biggest stage is certainly not something to scoff at. This team posed arguably the best receiving core in football this year, and we can't assure the same level of success for Brady had he possessed a weaker supporting cast.
However, when you look at how Brady has performed throughout his career, how his arm strength has somehow gotten progressively better as he's aged, how he's been able to complete some of the greatest comebacks in sports history, how many two-minute drills he has ran to perfection; there is no denying the man's greatness.
The best part of this - we can all say that we witnessed it.
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