21st Century Greats: Tom Brady

On Super Bowl weekend, we take a look back at arguably the greatest NFL career of all time.

Over the course of the year, I will be posting biographies of 25 modern sporting greats to celebrate being a quarter way through the 21st Century. As usual, these posts will combine a summary of some of their sporting achievements mixed with my own memories of watching them. There is no order to the list, just a celebration of fantastic sportspeople.

21st Century Greats: Tom Brady

In New Orleans this Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs’ star quarterback Patrick Mahomes will be aiming to lead his team to an unprecedented third Super Bowl title in a row, and in turn to further his quest to become the Greatest Of All Time (GOAT). He’s not quite there yet though, and for now the title still belongs to one man who dominated the sport in this century so far, Tom Brady.

The similarities between the two don’t just encompass their sterling playoff efforts though as both spent their first season in the league as backups to others before bursting through in their sophomore years. How they got to that point was vastly different though as Mahomes was selected as 10th overall in the first round 2017 draft whereas Brady was forced to wait until the 6th round in 2000 before the New England Patriots eventually made him the 199th overall pick. This lowly start has since led this pick to be graded as the best draft decision of all time.

In his rookie season, Brady only threw a total of three pass attempts with one being completed for 6 yards, a far cry from the record 89,214 passing yards that he would go on to throw in his career. It was a start though and what he did successfully do that year was establish himself as the first alternate to starter Drew Bledsoe. Brady’s work ethic and drive to be a success was already starting to establish itself even at this early stage. All he needed was a break.

This would come sooner than perhaps even he could have hoped for as in just the second game of the next season in 2001, Bledsoe went down injured and was replaced by Brady. Although they lost this game to leave them at 0-2 for the season, Brady was more than ready to take his chance. He led the team to an 11-5 record, winning their division and attaining a bye in the first round of the playoffs, the first time that they had qualified in three years.

Brady continued to evolve as a leader throughout the playoff run, guiding his team back from a 10-point deficit against the Oakland Raiders and returning after an injury in the AFC Championship game to lead his team to a game winning drive in the Super Bowl against the St Louis Rams, capped off with an Adam Vinatieri field goal with 7 seconds remaining. Brady won the Super Bowl MVP award and became the youngest ever quarterback to lift the Vince Lombardi trophy.

He couldn’t back up his achievement the next year as, despite leading the league in touchdown passes, the Patriots failed to make the playoffs. However, this was a minor blip as over the next couple of seasons, Brady and his teammates would dominate and cement their standing as a dynasty team. This period would already have put Brady into the conversation of being an all-time great, even if nothing else of note had followed. Beating the Carolina Panthers and Philadelphia Eagles in successive Super Bowls to take his tally to three and picking up another Super Bowl MVP award along the way was an incredible feat.

Over his career, Brady built himself into a beast in the playoffs, never knowing when a game was done and always inspiring faith that if there was time for one more drive then a score could be made. He holds career playoff records for quarterback wins (35), passing yards (13,400) and passing touchdowns (88) which all goes to prove that when under pressure he obviously worked at his best. Even he couldn’t get it done every year though.

In the 10 years between 2004 and 2014, Brady led the Patriots to 9 AFC East titles, only missing out in 2008 to the Miami Dolphins (a year where Brady missed virtually the whole season after being injured in the opening game), and reached two more Super Bowls, but didn’t add to his three rings. Eli Manning and the New York Giants had his number on both of the big occasions. Personally though, Brady consistently added to his legacy, including winning the league MVP award in 2007 and 2010.

Even without the Super Bowl victory to cap it off, 2007 was probably Brady’s best season, throwing then league records for passing yards (4,806) and passing touchdowns in a season (50) while the Patriots went unbeaten in the regular season (the first time this had been done). Brady went on to secure more records in the playoffs with 16 consecutive completed passes in their opening match and then becoming the quickest quarterback ever to 100 career wins. Unfortunately, as mentioned above, the Giants, assisted by David Tyree’s miraculous ‘helmet catch’, caused a massive upset in the Super Bowl.

Following his injury year mentioned before, Brady returned to win another MVP award in 2010 before finally leading the Patriots back to another Super Bowl victory at the end of the 2014 season, coming back from ten points down in the fourth quarter to beat the Seattle Seahawks. This victory wasn’t without controversy though as the AFC Championship game, in which the Patriots had bested the Indianapolis Colts, became the centre of the ‘deflategate’ scandal that could have left a large blemish on Brady’s career.

The accusation was the Brady was involved in a scandal where footballs being used in the game were deflated more than the standard regulation. It was purported that Brady was aware of this situation and that the deflated footballs would be easier to grip and throw. He was initially handed a 4 game ban although this was subsequently overturned on appeal which was then overturned again, but further evidence has actually suggested that Brady may not have been directly involved. Either way, it was an incident that led some to question his previously impeccable record.

Following the scandal, Brady needed to continue to show that he was the best, and he did just that. After serving his suspension at the start of the 2016 season, he led the Patriots to their 8th AFC East title in a row. In the playoffs they beat the Texans and the Steelers and made in to the Super Bowl for Brady’s seventh appearance. This set a new record alongside coach Bill Belichick for a quarterback-coach partnership. Initially things did not go well against the Atlanta Falcons and the Patriots found themselves 28-3 down with just over a quarter to go. Brady was not done though and once again showed his almost superhuman drive and ambition to push his team forward and tie the game. This led to the first ever overtime period in Super Bowl history and of course, the Patriots won it with a first drive touchdown. Fittingly, Brady was also named Super Bowl MVP for a record fourth time.

Many players may have been happy to begin winding down at this point but Brady was forever a competitor. The next year he won a third league MVP award and once again led his team to the Super Bowl where he threw a record 505 yards, despite a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles who won a historic first title. This was made up for the next year though as the irrepressible Patriots reached the game of all games again and won against the Los Angeles Rams, 13-3 in the only Super Bowl win that Brady did not throw a passing touchdown. His tally of six wins now made him the winningest player ever and he echoed the triumphs of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in basketball.

A loss to the Tennesse Titans in the playoffs the following year led to the end of Brady’s Patriots career, not due to the defeat itself but more just as it was time for change. At 42, he easily could have retired, but the great man fancied one last challenge and before the 2020 season he signed a 2-year contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Bearing in mind that since winning the Super Bowl in 2002, this was a team that had only qualified for the playoffs twice, had lost in the first round both times, and haven’t even made it that far in the previous 12 years, it is easy to say that expectations could have been somewhat tempered.

However, Brady had other ideas, and one of his first impactful moments was in lobbying for former teammate Rob Gronkowski to be brought out of retirement and hired by the Bucs. Having a familiar face around must have helped Brady settle, as did the fact that COVID-19 restrictions meant that no crowds allowed him to develop and learn a new style of play with less pressure. Brady led the team to an 11-5 record and a spot in the playoffs, albeit in the Wild Card round which was a first for him.

This didn’t phase Brady or his team and they eventually earned a Super Bowl spot, creating memorable moments defeating teams led by other Hall of Fame level quarterbacks Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers along the way. In a battle for the ages, Brady faced off against new sensation Mahomes and the Buccanners won comprehensively, 30 points to 9, with Brady throwing two touchdowns to his old pal Gronkowski along the way. Due to his age, he broke many other records, including being the oldest player to start and win a Super Bowl and the oldest to win the MVP award. He also became the second player, after Peyton Manning, to lead two different teams to the title and the first to do so from both conferences.

Although he had already won 6 Super Bowls in New England, it could be argued that it was this victory with the Buccaneers that cemented Brady’s status as the GOAT. Brady had taken a team that had been struggling for years and led them not only back into the postseason but actually won the biggest prize of them all. It was an incredible feat. Rather than retiring immediately, Brady spent two more seasons in Florida, enjoying two more short playoff runs before finally hanging up his helmet.

Since retiring, Brady has carved out a successful career as a broadcaster for Fox Sports, using his vast knowledge of the game to bring valuable insight to his commentary. This role may not last forever due to conflicting interests as he has also purchased a share in the Las Vegas Raiders team but what is certainly safe to say is that Brady will continue to remain in the public spotlight.

If Patrick Mahomes does indeed lead the Chiefs to a third successive Super Bowl victory this weekend he will achieve something that not even Brady managed. However, if he truly wants to achieve GOAT status, he still has a fair way to go yet. Fortunately for him he has the time to do it. It will be fascinating to watch it play out, and I for one will be along for the ride.

Notable Achievements:

7x Super Bowl winner (record for individual player)

5x Super Bowl MVP (record)

Oldest Super Bowl MVP (40 years old)

15x Pro Bowl player (record)

89,214 passing yards (record)

649 passing touchdowns (record)

10 consecutive playoff wins (record)

251 wins as starting quarterback (record)

Only player to beat all 32 NFL teams