Superbowl LI – Tom Brady is the GOAT
Well, that seals it.
Tom Brady is the GOAT.
Winning in dramatic fashion once again, Tom Brady and the Patriots beat the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 in a stunning comeback to capture Super Bowl LI yesterday. They were able to erase a 25 point lead with only three minutes left in the third quarter. It is the largest deficit any team has been able to overcome in Super Bowl history.
Oh, and the previous record of 10 points? That was achieved by the Patriots as well when they tied the record in Super Bowl XLIX.
Let’s run down a few of Brady’s achievements for the record:
- Only quarterback in history to be victorious in five super Bowls.
- Quarterbacked the Patriots for seven of their appearances in Super Bowls, the most for any NFL player in history.
- Won four Super Bowl MVP awards, the most by any player.
- Won the league’s Most Valuable Player award in both 2007 and 2010.
- Taken the Patriots to more division titles (14) than any other quarterback in the history of the league.
- Named to the Pro Bowl 12 times.
Not to mention he is third in career passer rating, fourth in career touchdown passes and career passing yards, has won more playoff games than any other pigskin tosser, built a career postseason record of 25 wins and nine losses, and has appeared in more playoff contests than any other player at any position on the field. If that wasn’t enough, his more than 200 regular-season and postseason wins are the most of any player in his position in the history of the NFL.
I think you can safely say that Tom Brady is the GOAT (Greatest of All Time).
So why is he hated so much?
The obvious answer is that people hate winners. Football, and the NFL in particular, is a highly competitive, emotional game. People support their teams to the end of their days.
“US good! THEM bad!”
So when a particular player wins over and over, especially when they come back from a severe point deficit as many times as Brady has, it’s inevitable he will develop haters — simple competitive envy.
It’s painful when your team struggles year after year, only to end up with a losing record every time. Just ask Patriots fans. They sucked for years before they turned it around.
But with Brady and Bill Belichick, it’s more than that. Some people hate them because of their questionable tactics. Deflategate and Spygate stick in the craw.
Everybody like’s a winner, but that shine is lost if you cheated to get there. Like when the DNC conspired against Bernie Sanders to make sure Hillary Clinton got the nomination in the 2016 Presidential election.
You say winners take every advantage they can, and that’s what the Patriots do. You may be right, but the perception that the Patriots bend the rules too much hangs over their legacy.
Either way, you can’t deny Brady’s talent. He’s settled the debate with this Super Bowl win.
Peyton who? Joe who? Aaron who?
Tom Brady is the NFL’s GOAT.
