Justin Kline disagrees with sports patrons who called Tom Brady the “greatest of all time.”
The Observer’s editorial staff gathered together at Duke’s Brewhouse for Super Bowl Sunday and, even though only two of us like football, all three writers had a good time (until the end).
But one thing I overheard was talk that, with this Super Bowl win, Tom Brady becomes the greatest quarterback ever to play the game. I even heard this from Falcons fans.
And while I’m all for giving great athletes credit where credit is due, I can’t bring myself to agree.
In the interest of full disclosure, I’m a long-suffering Buffalo Bills fan, as most of my regular column readers know.
But even though I disagree, I do get why people would think Brady’s the “greatest of all time,” or the “G.O.A.T.”
Five close Super Bowl wins over non-New York Giants teams, annual mastery of football’s worst or second-worst division, a quick release with (admittedly) good decision-making and the uncanny ability to play at a high level roughly a decade out of his physical prime all make a good case for Brady.
That being said, I also see a guy who thrived in a system that made Matt Cassel look like a Pro Bowl-caliber player, thanks in part to the coach’s knack for finding some of the most talented tight ends the league has ever seen.
I see the guy who was twice out-dueled on the big stage by Eli Manning, who is just as likely to throw three touchdown passes in a game as he is to throw three picks and lose it.
I see a guy who would only have four rings right now if, in the New England Patriots’ prior Super Bowl appearance, Seattle coach Pete Carroll hadn’t called for a goal line pass like an insane person.
I saw Brady have an awful first half in that recent Sunday game, followed by the Atlanta Falcons shooting themselves in the foot.
Call me blinded by my dislike of Brady, but I disagree with everyone that put him on a pedestal after the overtime touchdown.
In my opinion, the “G.O.A.T.” is a guy named Joe Montana who came into the league a little bit before my time.
I’m not putting Brady over a guy who, among other things, won every Super Bowl he ever played (four), never threw an interception in a Super Bowl game and won three Super Bowl MVPs.
Give me the guy who was not only able to win the big one in the NFL, but also in college at Notre Dame.
Give me the guy who ended his career with a reputation as the best performer under pressure the league had ever seen.
“Joe Cool” was better, and there’s no doubt in my mind. In fact, I’d even take Aaron Rodgers over Brady, but that’s a debate for another Super Bowl.
