The standard for great quarterbacks has been their jewelry. Terry Bradhsaw, Joe Montana and Bart Starr have won 4 NFL championshhips (more in Starr's case) in their careers. A lot of people will take Peyton Manning over Tom Brady because of his yardage numbers and overall stats, but where is Peyton's bling? Sure he won a Superbowl but that's singular, Tom Brady has won SuperbowlS plural.
One of the reasons Brady doesn't get the respect he deserves is he missed out on that 4th Superbowl title. 3 years ago Brady damn near capped off a perfect season with a touchdown strike to Randy Moss with a little over 2 minutes left in Superbowl 42. Ultimately the Patriots defense couldn't hold and Eli Manning walked off the field as Superbowl MVP and Brady had to settle for his 3 previous victories.
As Brady puts the finishing touches on his second NFL MVP this season one has to wonder if this is his last chance for that elusive 4th championship. No quarterback has been to 5 Superbowls in the modern era and only Joe Montana possesses 3 Superbowl MVP trophies. Currently Brady sits on 3 superbowl wins and 2 MVP's (which is more than Peyton Manning) and is 3 playoff wins away from the promise land.
This could be his last chance, nobody expected the Patriots to be this good this year coming off 2 lost seasons and a host of injuries (Ty Warren, Leigh Bodden, Stephen Neal, Kevin Faulk, Brandon McGowan all lost for the year) yet they sit at 12-2 on the year thanks to the efforts of Tom Brady.
Experts say this is Manning's best year since he's lost a ton of players to injury yet at best the Colts will go 10-6. Meanwhile back in 2006 Tom Brady led the 12-4 Patriots to the AFC Championship game with receivers the likes of Reche Caldwell and Jabar Gaffney in the abscence of David Patten, David Givens and Deion Branch. Even then, Brady led the Pats to a go ahead score before the defense gave the game away. Compare that to Manning who's crucial 4th quarter interception sealed the Superbowl for the Saints. Brady may have lost Superbowl 42, but he didn't exactly lose it himself in the manner that Manning lost Superbowl 44.
Time appears to be catching up with Manning and unless the Colts strike gold in next year's draft and free agency, the chances of him owning 3 Superbowl rings are getting slimmer every year. Time also will catch up with Brady eventually, nobody expected the Patriots to bounce back from Superbowl 42's collosal collapse but they appear to be doing it this year. One more regular season win will give the Patriots a first round bye and home field advantage against the likes of the Chargers and the Colts who are historically allergic to bad weather January games. Also the Steelers, Ravens and the Jets who the Patriots have defeated this season. The one wild card are the Kansas City Chiefs who I refer to as the Kansas City Patriots with Scott Pioli, Romeo Crennel, Charlie Weis, Matt Cassel and Mike Vrabel on the team. The Patriots enigmatic defense will be a wild card unto itself but Tom Brady's offense has been consistant all season.
As it stands, this could be Brady's last real chance for a championship and 1st ballot hall of fame status. He's already had a fhall of fame career, but one last Superbowl victory (and subsquently MVP) could put him along the wall with Montana himself. After all, Montana didn't play in 5 Superbowls.
No comments:
Post a Comment