Tom Brady: From de trop to G.O.A.T.

Move over, Joe, there is a new GOAT in town!

After winning an unprecedented 5th Super Bowl tow weeks ago, Tom Brady is now unquestionably footballs’ “GOAT”- Greatest of All Time. Joe Montana used to hold the title but after eclipsing’s Montana’s 4 rings and winning the his 5th in a manner no one has ever seen before, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat, 12 (Brady’s jersey number) is numero uno.

Brady is now 39 years old and has been the starting quarterback of the New England Patriots since 2001. But there was a time when nobody wanted the guy. Brady played for the University of Michigan Wolverines, but he was the backup QB for the first two years. He would start the next two but not after a battle with Drew Henson, somebody who was considered a better prospect back then.

While he ended his college career with a championship, nobody wanted to draft him to the NFL. Brady’s scouting report reads like this- lacks physical strength, lacks mobility, lacks a really strong arm, can get pushed down easily…Brady eventually ended being picked at the 6th round, #199, in the 2000 NFL draft. Six quarterbacks were picked before Tom and only two had relative success, Chad Pennington and Marc Bulger. Both retired back in 2011 while Tom is planning to play another 5 more years. And what followed was luck, hard work, and the need to be better than everyone else.

In 2001, Tom was backing up Drew Bledsoe, who just signed a $103 million contract and vitally no chance of taking over. But Bledsoe got hit and severed a chest blood vessel and Brady took over. There is an unwritten rule in the NFL that you don’t lose your starting job to injury but Bledsoe never got on the field with the Pats. Instead, Brady led the Pats to their first ever SB.

Who would be Tom Brady be if he played in the NBA? He would be none of them. He’s not MJ- Tom is 5-2 in SB while MJ was 6-0 in the finals. As for comparisons to LeBron James, well, James doesn’t belong in the same sentence as Brady, and I’m not changing my position one iota! On the other hand, nobody in the NBA got drafted #199 and get to be called GOAT. One NBA star, not a superstar, mind you, who was drafted late, was Manu Ginobili, at #57. And he can hardly be #12 in any way.

Super Bowl LI

If there was this greatest game ever played at the biggest stage, then it would be the Super Bowl, and SB LI was the greatest game ever, period! Down 28-3 with about 17 minutes to play, Brady led the greatest comeback ever. Believe me, 1-3 comeback in the NBA Finals in nothing compared to 28-3 and 17 minutes. Remember, the biggest deficit that was overcome in a SB was 10 points.

Tom Brady, the guy nobody wanted, was there to show us how, that even if the odds are stacked against us, we can always overcome. That’s why he’s the GOAT.