NFL: Selecting the best player in each franchise’s history
By Brad Rowland
New England Patriots – Tom Brady
With apologies to John Hannah, it has to be Brady. Yes, Hannah is considered as potentially the best offensive lineman to ever play football, but that is a highly subjective distinction, and an argument could be made that Brady is on a path to being the best quarterback ever.
Give me the quarterback.
Brady’s four Super Bowl wins speak for itself, but making six Super Bowl appearances is no small feat, and his individual numbers are off the charts as well. Brady, who is (of course) still active, already ranks fifth all-time in touchdowns (392), passing yards (53,258) and completions (4,551), and his peaks were extremely high (50/5,235/401). To that end, Brady won MVP honors in both 2007 and 2010, setting an NFL record with 50 touchdown passes in 2007 and taking care of the ball at an obscene rate with only four interceptions in 2010.
For better or worse, quarterbacks are judged on team success more than anything else, and Brady’s is matched only by Joe Montana in the history of the NFL. He may not be the greatest quarterback in history, as that is very much up for debate, but he is the top player for the New England Patriots.
Next: New Orleans Saints