Posted on 02/01/2008 4:38:28 PM PST by maddog55
Is Brady the best quarterback who ever played? NFL By John Powers The Boston Globe Published: February 1, 2008
PHOENIX, Arizona: Even now, after three rings and a season that is one victory shy of unprecedented perfection, the man shakes his head when you put him alongside Joe Montana, Terry Bradshaw and the other immortals in the signal-calling pantheon. "Those guys, as far as I'm concerned, are in a league of their own," Tom Brady said.
And yet, if the New England Patriots beat the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII on Sunday night, their quarterback will join Montana and Bradshaw as the only four-time winners of football's ultimate game. And since a victory also would cap a flawless season, Brady could well be considered the best who has ever played.
"If Tom wins this game and is part of a team which went undefeated in 19 games, then it strengthens his argument," said the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman, who won three Super Bowls and who lists Montana as his No. 1.
Comparing quarterbacks from different eras is an inexact science. Bradshaw and the Pittsburgh Steelers won their four titles in the 1970s, Montana and the San Francisco 49ers in the '80s. Since then, the NFL has added expansion teams, gone to free agency, adopted a salary cap and changed its scheduling to promote parity. Its players are bigger, stronger, and faster than ever.
(Excerpt) Read more at iht.com ...
As I said before the Niners were a team built (and built well) for the passing game. A team like this recruits good QB’s (Young was the best second string QB in the league for years, then came out of Montana’s shadow to become one of the best QB’s in the league) and then drives up their numbers.
And winning Championships doesn’t hurt either.
Yes!
When your defense is keeping the other team off the board you don’t HAVE to throw is 35-40 times a game. Second of all, Marino didn’t get sacked. He was as mobile as a statue but damn if he didn’t have a fast release. And, he had some great offensive lineman in front of him to go along with very good receivers.
My High School coach had a poster on the wall extolling the virtues of a strong Defense....
“If you Score. You might Win.
If they never Score. You will never Loose.”
What is really significant is that the 1972 Dolphins played two teams, in the regular season, with winning records. The Giants and Chiefs .... both finished the season with 8 wins and 6 losses.
This is a joke, right?
That kind of depends upon how you measure it. Prior to Dillon, they really didn't have an upper-half-of-the-league running back. Really, a couple of their starters weren't even the upper half of second string running backs.
What has gotten Brady through is that he is good at BOTH the dink and dunk and the shootout, and several styles in between.
In contrast, Peyton Manning has been in a system that showcases his shootout style, but until last year he couldn't do the "small" game well, and it killed him in the playoffs. He still gets left pounding the turn when he is forced to play the small game...or when he throws a pick from being too aggressive for the defense he's facing.
Most of his career the Colts didn't have a defense that could stop the Little Sister of the Poor. That's why his numbers were so wild some of those years. He was always playing catch up.
Again, NO.
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