New England Patriots: Tom Brady's legacy secured

The debate is over, Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback of this era and one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game.

It was a typical New England Patriot way to end a game. With 18 seconds left in Super Bowl XLIX, quarterback Tom Brady took a knee to secure his fourth Super Bowl Championship with a 28-24 win over the Seattle Seahawks.

More from New England Patriots

Atypical of Brady, he went back to the kneeled position after standing up to congratulate his teammates, affixing his gaze ahead beyond the stands, hand on his chin as he savored every sensation he was experiencing (or trying to recap the oddly hilarious halftime show) as the seconds ticked closer to his latest championship conquest. This was going to be another memory that was going to remain with him for the rest of his life.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, there was a gloved hand reaching towards him with congratulatory intentions. However, the person that the hand was attached to was not wearing a Patriots uniform. The hand was attached to his supposed nemesis, Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman.

Feb 1, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman (left) shakes hands with New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) after Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

Like many NFL fans, Richard Sherman doubted Tom Brady and his greatness to a certain degree. Whether he actually believed it or whether he was promoting the matchup like a UFC fighter trying to increase pay-per-view buys, Sherman made his feelings about Brady clear before the two teams battled it out on the field on Sunday, recalling the infamous “u mad bro?” incident that took place when the Seahawks beat the Patriots in 2012 with a furious comeback.

“I think people somehow get a skewed view of Tom Brady,” Sherman explained. “That he’s just a clean-cut guy that does everything right and never says a bad word to anyone. We know him to be otherwise.”

The only thing Sherman and every other Brady hater knows now is that Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback of this era and may be one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.

Before the Seahawks near miraculous drive that ended with an inexplicable passing play on the one-yard line, Brady engineered another signature comeback drive down 21-24, completing all 10 of his passes for 65 yards and the game winning touchdown with 2:06 left in the game. The final drive would complete his sixth fourth quarter comeback and become his ninth game winning drive of his playoff career (both NFL records).

Success in the playoffs has become a signature of the New England Patriots and Tom Brady. It is that sort of success that transcends whatever shortcomings they may have had in the regular season because the playoffs are where greatness is measured, and Brady measures well against the all-time greats.

His only equal in this era has been Peyton Manning and in head-to-head matchups, Brady has been the undisputed better of the two (11-5 against Manning). Manning may have the awards and passing records, but Brady has the playoff wins (Manning: 11, Brady: 21) and the rings (Manning: 1, Brady: 4).

Sure, some may point out that Brady has been the beneficiary of great teams with an all-time great coach, but what elite quarterback has not been given that advantage? Brady had the opportunity to play with Randy Moss, Wes Welker, and had the great (if not surly) Bill Belichick coaching from the sideline.

Brett Favre played with Reggie White on defense helping him out; Manning had Marvin Harrison, Dwight Freeney, and Tony Dungy; John Elway needed Terrell Davis to get over the hump; and Joe Montana had Jerry Rice, Ronnie Lott, and Bill Walsh. No quarterback can be elite without proper help around him. Just ask Terry Bradshaw who rode all-time great defenses to four Super Bowl Titles.

Not that all those quarterbacks are not great. Brady just took advantage of the great teams that were given to him and he was able to lead them to a record number of playoff wins during his tenure all while compiling record-breaking statistics on the way.

Though Brady was unable win every Super Bowl that he was a part of unlike Montana and Bradshaw who are a perfect 4-0, he did manage to lead his team 6 times to the championship game and quarterbacked the team to 12 playoff appearances in the 14 years he has been a regular starter. That kind of historic longevity is certainly deserving of some recognition even by the most unreasonable Brady detractor.

Ah, those Brady detractors. To be fair to them, Brady makes it all too easy for them. His chiseled jaw line and supermodel wife alone make him the envy of most men in the world. Add that to his frustratingly charming personality, football talent, and ability to break the hearts of fan bases across the NFL with otherworldly precision and you have a recipe for the most illogically hated man ever.

At a certain point, fans begin to get bored of greatness and begin to turn on it, hoping that the mighty will fall. They hang onto gates both of the spy and deflate variety in order to discount the achievements of that pretty boy Tom Brady who has everything.

That is partially why Richard Sherman went after him in 2012. In a game with very little fanfare where a Seahawks team, who made the playoffs with a sub-.500 record in the prior season, faced off against the perennial powerhouse Patriots, Sherman verbally jousted with Brady throughout the game and made himself known by taunting Brady on the field and on twitter after the game. Sherman, it seemed, was sick of the Patriots habitual success: an opinion that was shared with most of the fans of the NFL.

But much like the rest of the NFL, Sherman looked up at the scoreboard at the end of Super Bowl XLIX and saw an all too typical sight: the Patriots with more points on the scoreboard as the clock flashed 0.00 at the end of regulation. No matter how much you may hate Brady, there is no denying that it is impossible to luck your way to four championships.

So even as the confetti rained down on Sherman signaling the end of his season, the man who took the national stage to suggest Brady’s image as a façade calmly went over to the subject of his attack and reached out for a handshake. When Brady stood up and accepted Sherman’s gesture of respect by completing the handshake, there was a tone of both peace and recognition; recognition from Sherman and critics everywhere that Brady is the greatest of his time and one of the greatest of all time.

Next: 2015 NFL Draft: 8 under-the-radar prospects to watch

More from FanSided

Home/New England Patriots

New England Patriots: Tom Brady’s legacy secured

By Daniel Tran | Feb 3, 2015

More from FanSided