Is Brady The Best Ever?
It's the beginning of another playoff season in the NFL and the cleanest jersey coming into the tournament is as it has been in previous years, that of Tommy Terrific's. There will not be much debate on my end as to who deserves the MVP this season as Tom Brady clearly earned the right to be called the 2010 NFL MVP. It's evident when watching the Patriots play on any given Sunday that the 199th pick in the 6th round of the 2000 NFL Draft is fortunate enough to end games without a single grass stain on his jersey. Brady is able to sit in the pocket direct traffic and complete short pass after short pass literally breaking records with every completion. This year Tom Brady broke the long standing record of Bernie Kosar as he threw 309 passes without throwing a single pick. The fact that he placed numerous passes in the hands of the Packers and Bears late in the season mean nothing as those balls were dropped, among them a likely pick 6 thrown to last years Defensive Player Of The The Year, Charles Woodson. Ultimately the dropped balls prove the statistic true and though Brady is far from a statistic guy it does add a little juice to the already extensive resume of one of the game's best. My only problem with the public perception of Brady is that his stats alone on a sheet of paper without the knowledge of championships show a very good quarterback but surely one who still calls earth home. When championships are added to that same sheet of paper a very good "top 20 QB" turns into an out of this world all time great. I understand how championships could change opinion but I do feel no other player's position among the all time greats, with the exception of Terry Bradshaw, is affected as much as Tom Brady's is. Many writers across the country write off stats as a lesser important part of a players resume but aren't stats essentially how you play the game? If we're all measured in our jobs by performance aren't a players stats his measurables? What Tom Brady has done is completely remove his in season performance from the minds of NFL writers and Hall Of Fame voters leaving them with the visions of the Lombardi Trophy. I do agree a player's playoff performance is hugely important but what I do not agree with is just how much of a jump that player can make with the winning of titles. When looking at Brady's statistics you'll find a very good player as his career accolades would indicate, 6 Pro Bowls and 1 All Pro. That's a very good quality Quarterback but a far cry from the greatest to ever play. Can winning the ultimate team game in the ultimate team sport really catapult you so? Tom Brady has also proven to be a very good playoff player boasting a 14-4 playoff record. What many won't reveal, because quite frankly it doesn't matter, is that Brady has only won 2 road playoff games. One of which came when his team was favored in Jacksonville and the other saw Tom Brady throw a game sealing interception against the Chargers only to have Troy Brown cause a fumble on the same play. Fortunately for Tom his teams have always entered the playoffs with home field advantage. On the contrary Joe Flacco in his young career has won 4 road playoff games. Its one thing to win in the playoffs but it's another to win on the road. Playing at home surely helps your chances.
