Patriots Top 5 All-Time QBs: GOATS and Footnotes
What more can be said about Tom Brady? Quite a lot, actually. After that, we have the Steve Grogan Epoch and Mister Footnote to deal with.
After much deliberation, the top quarterback in Patriots history has been determined.
- Tom Brady
It’s possible to separate Brady’s career into three distinct Hall of Fame-worthy careers.
- Take Brady 2000-04, chop off the rest of his career, and replace it with a short decline phase: a few years as a Pro Bowl alternate for a playoff also ran, one or two years of sliding into the booth. That three-time Super Bowl champion is a Hall of Famer in the vein of Troy Aikman or Bob Griese.
- Take Brady 2005-13, chop off everything that came before and after, and replace it with your typical long-time starting quarterback’s rise and fall. That two-time passing leader, two-time touchdown leader and two-time AFC Champion is a Hall of Famer in the vein of Jim Kelly, Fran Tarkenton or a big stats/no rings guy like Dan Fouts.
- Take Brady 2014-22, do just about anything you want with his first 13 years, and you would have a late-blooming legend in the John Elway/Steve Young/Y.A. Tittle mold.
There are only a handful of Jerry Rice-level legends whose career can be broken into two Hall of Fame careers. I think Brady is the only player whose greatness can be broken into Hall of Fame trimesters.
"He's done a reasonably good job. I don't think it's been unbelievable. But I've seen a lot worse, too." – Bill Belichick on naming Brady the Patriots starter when Drew Bledsoe was healthy enough to play, November 2001.
Brady had a game manager reputation early in his career, because that’s what he was. He was also a system quarterback; great systems sometimes produce great quarterbacks.
