It’s time to say it: Brady is the best QB in NFL history

Tom+Brady+has+won+four+Super+Bowls%2C+as+many+as+his+boyhood+idol%2C+Joe+Montana.

Keith Allison/Creative Commons license

Tom Brady has won four Super Bowls, as many as his boyhood idol, Joe Montana.

By Nilay Barde, Staff Writer

Tom Brady led the New England Patriots to a thrilling 28-24 victory over the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX, tying him with Terry Bradshaw and his boyhood idol Joe Montana for most Super Bowl wins by a quarterback with four.

For almost two decades now, “Joe Cool” has largely been considered the best quarterback in NFL history. But ring number four for Brady may have just changed that.

Brady has been playing with a chip on his shoulder since being selected in the sixth round, No. 199 overall, in the 2000 draft. He has spent 15 years proving he is in the same league with the man he grew up wanting to be.

But when it comes to the regular season, Brady isn’t just in Montana’s league; he is in a league of his own. The numbers are much better. Brady has thrown for more than 4000 yards in seven seasons, while Montana never reached the 4000-yard mark.

Brady has also thrown at least 25 touchdown passes in 10 seasons, while Montana threw for 25 or more touchdowns in six seasons.

Brady also has averaged fewer mistakes than Montana. Brady averages an interception on 2 percent of his passes, while Montana averaged an interception on 2.6 percent of his attempts.

Even if you factor in the different eras, Brady is still superior. Brady has led the league in passing yards twice, something Montana never did. And Brady led the league in most touchdowns passes three times, while Montana only did that twice.

But Montana does have the edge when it comes to accuracy. He led the league in completion percentage five times, while Brady has only done it once.

That statistic, however, is misleading. It’s a different time. Montana led the league in completion percentage five times with percentages of 61.3, 63.7, 64.5, 66.8, and 70.2. Brady might not have led the league, but his numbers are just as impressive: a completion percentage of 61.3 11 times, 63.7 six times, and 66.8 once.

Brady is as good or better than Montana across the board.

Hall of Famer Joe Montana had the luxury of passing to Jerry Rice.
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Hall of Famer Joe Montana had the luxury of passing to Jerry Rice.

When it comes to the playoffs, both of these quarterbacks have been amazing. Brady has a better record, but Montana did things never seen before.

Brady has gone 21-8 in the playoffs, with more wins than any other quarterback in NFL history. But his numbers aren’t better than his regular season stats. His playoff passer rating (95.9 to 89.0), touchdown percentage (5.5 to 4.9) and interception rate (2.0 to 2.4) are all slightly worse than his regular-season stats.

Montana had huge success in the playoffs. He shined brightest on the big stage. He had a career playoff passer rating of 95.6, which is better than his regular-season passer rating of 92.3. In the 1989 playoffs, Montana threw an amazing 11 touchdowns and no interceptions, with a mind-boggling 146.4 passer rating in three games.

But you absolutely must factor in the help these two quarterbacks had or have had. Both played under coaches considered among the greatest of all time—Montana for Bill Walsh and Brady for Bill Belichick. Brady, however, has never consistently had a Hall of Fame wide receiver, while Montana clearly had the best to ever play the game, Jerry Rice.

Montana’s 49ers also had elite defenses. San Francisco ranked second, first, eighth, and third in points allowed in the years that Montana won the Super Bowl.

In the end, quarterbacks are judged on how often they win. In 13 seasons as a starter, Brady has led the Patriots to the playoffs 12 times. He has also led the team to nine conference championship appearances, compared to Montana’s six.

Montana played with some of the greatest players of all time on some of the greatest teams of all time. Brady has won his four Super Bowls with a wide range of personalities and talents and, except for the 2007 group that went 16-0 in the regular season, he has never played for a team considered among the best ever.

It’s finally time to say that Brady, when everything is considered, is the greatest quarterback of them all.