NFL: Does Tom Brady have any more Super Bowls left?
By Kim Myers
When Tom Brady was 27 he had three Super Bowl rings on his hand. Now, he’s staring down 37 and hasn’t won another since. Who cares if he’s near the top of whatever the latest “Super Elite Quarterback” rankings is if his Super Bowl window is closing in on him? Does Tom Brady have any more Super Bowl wins left in him?
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The NFL Network recently debated the topic of Tom Brady’s closing Super Bowl window. The arguments in favor of Brady hoisting another Lombardi Trophy explained that the Patriots have won their division eleven times out of the last thirteen seasons. Tom Brady has been to five Super Bowls and has had his team in the AFC Championship game the last three seasons. There’s no real reason to think that he can’t set his team up with the same chances again anytime soon.
The Patriots have been “struggling” to find offensive weapons for Brady but still have the success as a team that dozens of other teams wish they could boast. While they’re expecting to have a healthier Rob Gronkowski this season, it’s not out of the question for Brady to lead the team back to the AFC Championship with another roster of no-name receivers and offensive weapons.
When Brady first became a starter in New England, he benefitted from a stellar defense and excellent special teams. It wasn’t until he was throwing to the likes of Randy Moss and Wes Welkerdid he explode in the stats but even that didn’t translate into Super Bowl victories. The Patriots have realized it’s more important to put a better all-around team around Brady including defensive players instead of just loading it up with offensive weapons.
Brady is coming off of one of his not so great statistical seasons in 2013 that has him lower on some of the “Super Great Elite Quarterback” lists around the NFL, but even with that the Patriots were in a position to reach their sixth Super Bowl under Brady and Belichick. If he has a healthy Rob Gronkowski in 2014, those odds to have improved stats and get back to the AFC Championship are pretty high.
| Year | Age | Tm | G | QBrec | Cmp | Att | Cmp% | Yds | TD | Int | Lng | Rate | Sk | 4QC | GWD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 23 | NWE | 1 | 1 | 3 | 33.3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 42.4 | 0 | |||
| 2001* | 24 | NWE | 15 | 11-3-0 | 264 | 413 | 63.9 | 2843 | 18 | 12 | 91 | 86.5 | 41 | 4 | 5 |
| 2002 | 25 | NWE | 16 | 9-7-0 | 373 | 601 | 62.1 | 3764 | 28 | 14 | 49 | 85.7 | 31 | 2 | 3 |
| 2003 | 26 | NWE | 16 | 14-2-0 | 317 | 527 | 60.2 | 3620 | 23 | 12 | 82 | 85.9 | 32 | 4 | 7 |
| 2004* | 27 | NWE | 16 | 14-2-0 | 288 | 474 | 60.8 | 3692 | 28 | 14 | 50 | 92.6 | 26 | 0 | 2 |
| 2005* | 28 | NWE | 16 | 10-6-0 | 334 | 530 | 63.0 | 4110 | 26 | 14 | 71 | 92.3 | 26 | 3 | 4 |
| 2006 | 29 | NWE | 16 | 12-4-0 | 319 | 516 | 61.8 | 3529 | 24 | 12 | 62 | 87.9 | 26 | 3 | 3 |
| 2007*+ | 30 | NWE | 16 | 16-0-0 | 398 | 578 | 68.9 | 4806 | 50 | 8 | 69 | 117.2 | 21 | 4 | 4 |
| 2008 | 31 | NWE | 1 | 1-0-0 | 7 | 11 | 63.6 | 76 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 83.9 | 0 | ||
| 2009* | 32 | NWE | 16 | 10-6-0 | 371 | 565 | 65.7 | 4398 | 28 | 13 | 81 | 96.2 | 16 | 1 | 1 |
| 2010*+ | 33 | NWE | 16 | 14-2-0 | 324 | 492 | 65.9 | 3900 | 36 | 4 | 79 | 111.0 | 25 | 2 | 3 |
| 2011* | 34 | NWE | 16 | 13-3-0 | 401 | 611 | 65.6 | 5235 | 39 | 12 | 99 | 105.6 | 32 | 2 | 3 |
| 2012* | 35 | NWE | 16 | 12-4-0 | 401 | 637 | 63.0 | 4827 | 34 | 8 | 83 | 98.7 | 27 | 1 | 2 |
| 2013* | 36 | NWE | 16 | 12-4-0 | 380 | 628 | 60.5 | 4343 | 25 | 11 | 81 | 87.3 | 40 | 5 | 5 |
| Career | 193 | 148-43-0 | 4178 | 6586 | 63.4 | 49149 | 359 | 134 | 99 | 95.7 | 343 | 31 | 42 |
Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/29/2014.
On the other hand, as they pointed out in the debate on the NFL Network, what stands in Brady’s way of another Super Bowl victory at this point in his career is pretty significant. There’s Peyton Manning’s Broncos, who have the offensive firepower that the Patriots just can’t match at all. No other AFC team can, really. On top of that you have the NFC teams like Seattle and San Francisco that seem to be playing at a completely different level than the AFC teams.
At this point in his career and his life it’s no secret that he doesn’t need to win another Super Bowl to justify anything. But, there’s no way he’s still playing at 37 if he doesn’t want another one more than anything.
If you start to pile up everything that stands between Tom Brady and another Super Bowl victory, you’ll see it’s not looking good. He’s got Peyton Manning’s Broncos, who can put up 35 points without breaking a sweat, an NFC that is capable of embarrassing even the likes of a Manning-led offense, and Father Time. I’d be leaning on the side of the window being closed on Brady’s future Super Bowl chances.
I wouldn’t expect the Patriots led by Tom Brady and coached by Bill Belichick to have an under .500 season anytime soon, but there are too many things standing in their way to reach the pinnacle again.