That's because you didnt read the article which says exactly what I said it says. ""Getting into the modern era, Peyton Manning has had his wonderful performances. Don’t tell me anybody is better than Aaron Rodgers, either. Better than, better than, better than. The best, the best, the best. To each his own." Namath copped out and essentially said there's a top tier of historical all-time NFL QBs ... and that you can't put any one of them above any of the others.
I read the article. I disagree with your interpretation. Here's the quote: "One of my first heroes was Otto Graham. Come on, 10 straight title games in Cleveland. He was just spectacular. Bobby Layne was a unique quarterback, really terrific. "Getting into the modern era, Peyton Manning has had his wonderful performances. Don’t tell me anybody is better than Aaron Rodgers, either. Better than, better than, better than. The best, the best, the best. To each his own. "But I will say, no one has ever played the game better than Tom Brady. You start looking at numbers, and sometimes statistics tell a story, and sometimes they don’t tell the whole story. It’s such a team game. But Tom has answered the bell. He has answered every challenge. He’s great. He’s great. No one has ever done it better."" Let me paraphrase what he said: Otto Graham was great. Bobby Lane was great. Peyton Manning was great. Arron Rodgers is great. BUT nobody is better than Tom Brady. Still seems pretty clear to me. This isn't a "Well I can think of 5 equally great QBs in history and Tom Brady is one of them" like you are putting it.
100% But no one is discussing our QB as the GOAT or our team as a dynasty. If you're going to be thought of as the GOAT, you have to be pristine, unsullied. And not have a fluke accomplishment as the achievement that puts you over the top. _
But he explicitly says, "Don’t tell me anybody is better than Aaron Rodgers, either." He's using the "nobody is better" nonsense for everyone he's mentioning. It's his way of saying there's no way to determine who the "best" is.
Because it's all subjective. Anyone telling you to a certitude that so-and-so is the GOAT is just being a dick. Anyone's opinion is just as valid as anyone's elses. There does not HAVE to be only one. This isn't Highlander after all. _
So unfair to call it a fluke accomplishment because of 1 play though. He did bring his team back from a deficit no team has ever, in the history of the Super Bowl, come back from when down by at least that much in the 4th quarter. Oh, against a historically good Defense. Even with a few guys banged up, they're the best defense in the league. He has no control over the Pats defense and shouldn't get anything taken away from him just because Patriots didn't have the ball last. Also, why is the final play called a fluke, even though being honest, the Kearse catch was also a lucky occurence to even get them down there. He has lost other Super Bowls (helmet catch) where he put his team in the lead in the final minutes just for the defense to blow it as well, so it's not like all the breaks always go his way. And that Super Bowl was the ultimate legacy game as it would have made him 4-0 in Super Bowls and finished off a perfect season in which he set records. Also, if Bill B calls a timeout and Seattle scores Brady would have potentially had about a minute with a timeout to get a Field Goal. So barring that one decision by the coach that ended up working out, he would have had a chance to come back to at least tie. And if the Pats had lost in that fashion, would you have said well Brady really won because Seattle was gifted the win? Can't have it both ways, Russell Wilson would have gotten full credit. Football has so many factors and is definitely a team game which complicates the GOAT discussion. However, Brady is the ONLY player on the 2001 and 2014 Championship teams. 6 Super Bowls, 4 titles, no other common players. And some say well the coach made him, but let's not forget the coach was a career loser as a HC before Brady. Not only did he get fired in Cleveland, he was 5-13 in NE and telling people he was probably going to get fired before Brady stepped in. Brady taking over is literally the moment it all turned around. As a Pats fan, I actually hope those who are saying Brady is a product of Belichick are right. If so, it means we won't miss a beat when Jimmy G takes over. But I think it's mostly Brady. As a completely unrelated note btw, I hope the Jets win the Super Bowl if the Pats don't. Never thought I'd say that, but my Grandfather is a huge Jets fan and is getting up there in years and has Alzheimers. Would be nice for him to witness that, even if he may still think Namath is the QB.
I get all that but Brady had his hat off and Belli had given up and but for an incomprehensible call by Carroll the Pats don't win and Brady doesn't have his 4 ring. I just didn't think he was the GOAT going in and that fluke doesn't elevate him to me. JMHO. Anyone and everyone can disagree, which is fine. _
Clearly you didn't read, it's not just about winning this SB. He's led his team to 6 of them, had Seattle scored and won Brady still led his O to 28 pts against one of best D's of all time, a D overrated Peyton could only lead t 8 garbage time pts a year earlier. He still led his from down 10 in the 4th qtr against that D and gave his D another late lead. if the D blew it again like they had the last 2 SBs then so be it, it wouldn't take away from his greatness. and how is game where he leads his team back from down 10 in the 4th(1st time ever a team has won in that spot) and leads his O to 28 pts a "gifted" win? but a ball sticking to his helmet wouldn't the opposite, right? Brady is far and away the best of his generation, peyton doesn't come anywhere near him and Rodgers hasn't been doing it long enough. Brady has been a top 5 all time guy for a long time and the best I have ever seen.
If any of our QBs would have done what Brady has done they'd be discussing him as the greatest. so Unitas winning the worst SB off all time gets removed from the discussion since he was awful in that SB? we remove Montana since Cincy dropped an easy INT on the last drive in SB XXIII? what nonsense.
This is a discussion taking into account opinions. I think Brady is top 5. He was not the GOAT in my book prior to that game and that game doesn't elevate him to the GOAT. JMHO. If folks are of the opinion he's the GOAT, that's fine. I'm my book he's not. And there is no dispositive criteria that makes it so. _
It's fine with me if you don't have him there but I'm not sure why a 4 td performance especially that dominant 4th quarter in a super bowl wouldn't raise him in anyone's eyes, win or lose. Not saying it should put him in the top spot but it obviously adds to his achievements
I'm not saying it doesn't add to him accomplishments- it obviously does. But it doesn't for ME move him into the top spot. _
One thing I do have a problem with is people who say Montana's 4-0 is better than Brady's 4-2. I mean I think it is a case of people not thinking. Obviously getting there less times means that you lost before you got there. It isn't better to lose in the divisional round or miss the playoffs altogether than to lose in the Super Bowl
I think this bumps Brady into, wait for it, my Mount Rushmore. This Mount Rushmore has Montana, Peyton, Brady, Marino, Unitas. The tough part of Marino and Montana is that I didn't watch so it's hard to judge. Brady bumps off either Unitas or Marino, but I'm not sure which one. Before Unitas or Marino bumped off Brady, now Brady is given a spot and those two are left for the last spot. It wasn't just the SB win that bumped Brady there though. If the NE defense doesn't stop Joe Flacco earlier in the playoffs, he still probably bumps Unitas off in my top 4. It's another top QB type season from Brady which is incredible. The longevity is incredible and I think another great season even after the "slow" start puts him up there. He was great vs. his peers over the season which is how I try to judge since then comparing across eras is tough. In my head Montana is considered the MJ of football. Everyone uses him as the ideal standard for the QB which puts him ahead of everyone else.
I have no issue w/ anyone putting Joe at the top but I think 4-2 in the SB in this era is more impressive than 4-0 in Joe's especially since he is 2 defensive collapses away from being 6-0. Joe's SB was in the NFC championship game and 3 of the 4 he won he played at home. we also need to realize the accomplishment of winning all of those div titles. Brady has NEVER led a team to a WC and the team he took over was a sinking ship. he turned around a franchise that was a disaster. Joe helped turn around SF but not the second he stepped on the field like Brady. No issue w/ anyone putting Joe at the top but I have Brady at the top and a great argument for having him there. I wish he wasn't in the running, I wish he stunk and NE stunk but that's not reality. maybe and if the Jets had 5 more SBs we'd be in the running for best franchise of the SB era. Brady has 6 apps and 4 wins when the AFC was much tougher than what the 90s Bills dominated.
I couldn't disagree more w/ Peyton. If it is a regular season/#s mt. rushmore he's right there but he does not belong w/ those other QBs. Peyton is an all time great, he's obviously a lock HOFer but he's not in the discussion for best of all time. he's down w/ Favre, Young and the other #s guys who rarely stepped up in big games.
