Despite coming in toward the end of his career, as long as Tom Brady is the quarterback of the New England Patriots, they always have a shot to win a Super Bowl.
When the Patriots march through Boylston and Tremont Streets in Boston later today as they make their way to City Hall, celebrating their big Super Bowl win over the Seahawks in a parade that was delayed due to weather, keep in mind that while this was the Pats’ first Super Bowl win in a decade, it’s still not their last. Not as long as No. 12 is their quarterback.
Brady, who turns 38 in August, told the media on Monday that he’s “still kind of in the midst of [his] career.”
“I just love the game. I love playing. I love representing our team.”
The face of the franchise and the arguable best quarterback of our time (at least the 2000’s) may be getting “old,” to NFL standards, but he’s far from done.
Since his first full season as the Patriots starter a game into the 2001 season, Brady has missed just 15 starts – all of which came in 2008 after he suffered a torn ACL on opening day against Kansas City. Other than the 2008 season, Brady has not missed a start.
He’s 160-47 as the starting quarterback of the Patriots, just 26 wins shy of tying Brett Favre as the NFL’s winningest quarterback in the regular season, he’s already owns the most postseason wins by a quarterback (21), most career home postseason wins (14), most consecutive postseasons wins in the postseason (tied for eighth with Jim Kelly) and owns the records for the most consecutive postseason wins by a starting quarterback (10), most consecutive wins by a quarterback to start a career (10), most consecutive home wins (31), most wins in a season (18) most touchdowns in the Super Bowl (13), most completions in a single title game (37), is the only quarterback in the 16-game regular season era to win all 16 games and owns the records for most touchdown passes in a season (50) and most touchdown passes in the postseason (53).
His offensive line has done an amazing job keeping him clean for over a decade just about. Brady was sacked just 21 times last year and was sacked less than 30 times in two of the last three years.
Considering he’s been able to stand and deliver in the pocket with relative ease, Brady’s thrown for over 4,000 yards in five of the six years since 2008, including throwing for a career-high 5,235 yards in 2011.
While he’s been the most successful quarterback throughout this millennium, Brady knows that it’s hard to repeat. Remember, it took New England a decade to win another title after the won back-to-back Super Bowls in 2003 and 2004.
“I was a young kid when we won those first three,” Brady added. “I know in ’04 after we beat the Eagles, I was like, ‘I’m just ready for this to be over, get the offseason started,’ just because we had already experienced it. Obviously, with some perspective of that game, it’s a hard thing to get here and then it’s a hard thing to win the game.”
To put Brady’s career in a perspective, it took New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter about nine years to win his fifth World Series after he won four titles in his first six years. Remember that six year span includes a heartbreaker against the Seattle Mariners in the ALDS and then in 2001 against the Diamondbacks in the World Series. Jeter also suffered numerous losses in the playoffs and a World Series loss in 2003 to the Marlins.
Brady’s career, as statistically great as it has been, is very similar: a lot of success early on, then a long stretch of playoff losses before the next title.
“He’s a great player,” Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said. “It’s been a great privilege to coach Tim for the last 15 years, 14 as starting quarterback.
“There’s no player I respect more for that than Tom. That’s been a great pillar of strength for our football team for the past decade and a half.”
He could become the winningest quarterback in NFL history by the time he’s 39 (needs two 13-win seasons), works hard to stay in top shape and has not been injured much, if at all minus the 2008 season and is still at the top of his game as he approaches his 40’s. The only difference between him and Peyton Manning is that Brady wins in the postseason.
Tom Brady is not the greatest ever … yet. His four Super Bowl rings ties him with his childhood idol Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw as the only quarterbacks with four rings.
Let’s say Brady has three years left to play. It’s still possible that he could win a Super Bowl within that span. He won’t do it on his own and he knows that.
But for the ultimate team player in the ultimate team sport, a fifth ring may be the one that helps Brady ride into the sunset.
Remember kids, records get broken. Rings last forever. If there’s anyone that’s watched or knows Tom Brady throughout his career, you know he’s going to do everything possible to go out on top.
Next: Are Tom Brady and Bill Belichick's legacies secured?
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