After last night’s thrilling Super Bowl, people are regarding Tom Brady as the no-doubt, greatest quarterback of all-time. There’s just one problem.
He’s been the best.
It’s time to consider Brady as not just the greatest football quarterback of all-time, but as the greatest athlete of all-time.
At the hardest position to play in sports, Brady has been at the top of the game for about 20 years in both college and the NFL. At Michigan, he earned the nickname “Comeback Kid” on his way to several comebacks, including two bowl wins in the Citrus Bowl and Orange Bowl.
Despite the clutch performances (while battling for playing time) at Michigan, Brady was not a top NFL prospect and the Patriots drafted in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.
In the NFL, Brady again battled and outworked everyone. And here we are. 17 seasons later, at 39-years-old, Tom Brady has five Super Bowl wins.
And nearing 40, Brady might have had his greatest comeback yet in Super Bowl LI.
Down 28-3 to the Falcons last night, things did not look good. Some teams and some players you would be able to count out.
But you would be foolish to count out Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.
Down 25 points in the middle of the third quarter, the Patriots couldn’t afford any more turnovers, punts, or big mistakes.
So Tom Brady drove his team down the field for five straight scores and two two-point conversions to lead the franchise to its fifth Super Bowl win.
13 plays, 75 yards, TOUCHDOWN
12 plays, 72 yards, FIELD GOAL
5 plays, 25 yards, TOUCHDOWN (two-point conversion)
10 plays, 91 yards, TOUCHDOWN (two-point conversion to tie it)
8 plays, 71 yards, TOUCHDOWN (OT game-winner)
Are you serious?
It was hard to think the game was over, but the end result still even left those that believed a comeback was possible dumbfounded.
Brady is now a five-time Super Bowl champion and a four-time Super Bowl MVP. He had a game-winning drive in all five of his Super Bowl wins, including the two biggest comebacks in Super Bowl history.
Think the “Comeback Kid” nickname is fitting?
At 39-years-old, he’s no longer a kid, but there is no end in sight for Brady’s career. He says he feels better now than he did when he was 25-years-old. His unique methods with his TB12 Sustained Peak Performance company are no doubt a big part of how Brady keeps progressing instead of regressing at this age.
Brady is not done yet, either. He wants to play as long as he can—and no one should doubt him.
We are lucky to witness the greatest ever, despite his age, in the prime of his career. He’s still at the top of the game and this likely wasn’t his last Super Bowl.
But if this was his last Super Bowl appearance, it’s been a pleasure to watch. It’s hard not to be a fan of someone that has approached the game with extraordinary class and passion.
Hopefully over these next five or so seasons for Brady, people—particularly those that are not fans of him for whatever reason—will realize how fortunate they are to be able to watch the greatest athlete of all-time. Maybe a dad watching the Patriots can tell his kid that asks “who’s number twelve?” that it’s Tom Brady—the greatest athlete to ever live.
Pundits say the fall of Brady will be swift and sudden. They say age catches up with everyone. After all these years, they haven’t learned that Tom Brady isn’t someone that you doubt.
The bottom line is Brady is more committed than other people are willing to be. He has unique methods with his diet and training that not many other people are willing to commit to and he shows more focus than any other athlete ever has.
In the biggest games and the biggest moments, Brady is as calm as ever. When the Patriots won the overtime coin toss, was there any doubt what would happen? There was no way Tom Brady was not going to take his team right down the field for a touchdown.
Because Tom Brady is the greatest athlete of all-time.
And there’s no doubt about it.