Love/Hate: Tom Brady
February 2, 2023
Tom Brady holds the record for the most Super Bowl wins and MVPs
Brady: A career built on triumph
When the 199th pick in the 2000 NFL draft was announced, many people were shocked. The New England Patriots had selected Tom Brady, a quarterback from the University of Michigan. Brady was not a well known prospect out of college. His unimpressive 40 time and average performance at the NFL Combine certainly didn’t make people think he’d be the next Joe Montana. But, that 6th round draft pick who was supposed to be a backup QB for the rest of his career, turned into the steal of the century.
Some may say he’s overrated because he only played with good teams and was carried by his teammates like Rob Gronkowski. Some say that he whines about calls to the refs and cries when things don’t go his way. But he is the undisputed GOAT. There is no other argument for anyone else.
In 2001, after an injury to the Patriots starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe, Brady was named the starter in week three. That same year, Brady led the Patriots to their first ever Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XXXVI, beating the St. Louis Rams and winning his first Super Bowl MVP. Brady and Patriots’ Head Coach Bill Belichick soon became the faces of the Patriot dynasty that lasted from 2001 to 2019. In that time, Brady and the Patriots won six Super Bowls, and won 11 straight AFC East titles.
In 2007, Brady powered New England to the NFL’s first ever 16-0 regular season and set the single season passing touchdown record (50). Then in 2017, we all saw Brady’s ability to stand out when it mattered the most in Super Bowl LI. Down 28-3 at half versus the Atlanta Falcons, Brady activated his clutch gene and led the Patriots to a 34-28 win with a MVP performance in the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history. In 2020, Brady signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and immediately led them to their first playoff appearance in 13 years. He won his record-setting seventh Super Bowl in 2021 versus the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9 and won his third Super Bowl MVP, showing that he immediately carries any team.
Throughout his 22-year career, Brady holds nearly all of the major NFL QB records, making him debated as the greatest QB of all time. He is first in wins (251), completions (7,753), passing touchdowns (649) and passing yards (89,214). He holds the record for the most Super Bowl MVPs (five) and the most Pro Bowl selections (15). Not only is Brady the GOAT, but he also has the stats to back it up.
When Brady was a rookie, nobody predicted that he would become one of the greatest athletes of all time. Nobody thought he would win seven Super Bowls. Nobody expected him to set records and shock the world. Nobody knew how much he would dominate the NFL for the next two decades. Tom Brady is the best quarterback of all time. He has done things nobody thought possible. Anybody can look at his story and take inspiration from it, like when he and the patriots upset the St. Louis Rams in super bowl XXXVI. He wasn’t some first round pick that was handed the starting spot. He worked for everything, and as we all know, hard work pays off. Tom Brady is the GOAT.
Tom Brady is not the G.O.A.T because of his history of controversy.
Brady: A career built on controversy
Nobody likes Tom Brady. The guy is absolute garbage. He’s a well-known cheater that has ridden scandals into multiple Super Bowls, fumbled the bag on his supermodel wife, was at the helm of the most hated dynasty in NFL history and after that all kisses his son on the lips.
As many people believe that Tom Brady is the G.O.A.T of football, these are all the reasons on and off the field that he is not. Joe Montana who proved himself to be a winner, such as Tom Brady, without the cheating scandals is my G.O.A.T. There are other players that aren’t just quarterbacks such as Lawrence Taylor, Jerry Rice and Deion Sanders that could be considered as G.O.A.Ts, anyone but Tom Brady
From a football standpoint, Brady and the New England Patriots have cheated multiple times, including the infamous “Deflategate” and “Spygate.” The “Deflategate” is more notorious for his cheating scandals in which he got footballs deflated, so that the Patriots had an advantage over the Colts in the 2014 AFC Championship game. Tom Brady and the Patriots went on to win that game and the Super Bowl. He was suspended four games for his actions, but cried and whined like a baby, causing his suspension to get nullified after taking the NFL to court. Who in their right mind takes a football suspension to court? Brady, I guess.
The other scandal involving Tom Brady and the Patriots occurred in their undefeated regular season in 2007-2008, when they illegally spied on opposing sidelines to help with defensive calls. This made it significantly easier for Brady to win games and gave him an unfair advantage that season. My G.O.A.T. of football, Joe Montana who was a proven winner without cheating scandals, would never need to spy on opposing teams; he would simply be able to go out and defenses through his own talent.
Brady has also made some questionable decisions off the field. He announced his retirement after the 2021 NFL season, before announcing that he was coming back to play again. This decision had people speculating if this decision cost him his marriage to his wife Gisele Bündchen, whom he had been married to since 2009. They both hired divorce lawyers during Brady’s offseason and eventually announced their separation. He often gets questioned on his relationship with his kids as he has been caught on multiple occasions kissing his children on the lips, which many can agree is not normal. Not to mention the interesting Instagram story post with his dog.
Tom Brady’s obsession to win drove him to cheat multiple times and ruined the integrity of it. Off the field, he chose football over his wife. I don’t care how many Super Bowls he’s won throughout his career, I will forever hate Tom Brady.
