By Jessika Harkay | Sports Writer
Tom Brady has made the Super Bowl nine of the last 16 years. If you’re anything like me, you’re probably sick of the Patriots’ Super Bowl reign and the same old same old Super Bowl matchup that feels as if we’re watching the same game. Every. Single. Year.
Of his 18 years in the NFL, he’s won six Super Bowls and four MVP’s; and although he’s impressive without a doubt, he’s overhyped and it comes down to one thing — I hate Tom Brady.
Tom Brady will inevitably go down as one of the best, if not the best, quarterback in the NFL. There’s no fighting it. There’s no huge argument against it. Even if you don’t like him, we have to accept the fact that he has set all-time records in the playoffs and ranks closely to all-time greats like Brett Favre and Peyton Manning.
There’s something to set straight, though: Tom Brady isn’t the football god people make him out to be. The first thing to address is New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and how that ties into Brady’s consistency. Without having to endure any big change, with coaching and his overall lineup around him, Brady’s statistics look less impressive next to Manning, who got to the Super Bowl with four different coaches and two different teams.
Maintaining a generally consistent and healthy team inevitably brings success. You learn what clicks. More importantly, you learn what doesn’t work and how to create a certain momentum. Most of the Patriots’ success has to be accredited to Belichick. The Patriots went 3-1 with a backup quarterback during Brady’s suspension in 2016 and 11-5 when Brady tore his ACL in 2008. Players are as good as the coaches around them, as evidenced by the Cowboys’ ‘90s decline after the firing of Jimmy Johnson.
Another thing to consider is the strength of the AFC and who’s really a threat. This year, the Kansas City Chiefs did build momentum, but during their matchup we have to look back at quarterback experience and weapons around the quarterback — both of which favored the Patriots. When we look at the AFC in the grand scheme of things, no team genuinely has stood out as a threat or strong contender throughout the years to match the Patriots’ consistent momentum. The NFC even holds more Super Bowl wins the last 10 years (6-4).
When we get down to the statistics of it, it’s not so much Brady’s talent, but rather the talent around him, which magnifies the illusion that Brady is the “GOAT.” Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes, New Orleans’ Drew Brees, Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger and Indianapolis’ Andrew Luck all outranked Brady in total quarterback rating, according to ESPN. This year Brady’s completion percentage was 24th out of 32 in the league. Even last year, Brady was ranked No. 10.
Brady is the product of a successful overall team. We could get into the deflategate argument, which comes down to how the NFL found he was generally aware of the whole scandal and how it was suspicious he destroyed his phone during the investigation. Regardless, the argument about what makes him seem like a godly quarterback is not only more accurate but interesting to consider.
Tom Brady is overrated and I hate the character that people make him out to be. Tom Brady isn’t the “GOAT,” he’s just another player in the herd.
