GLENDALE, Ariz. — Tom Brady made winning Super Bowls look easy in his 20s. He rattled off three in four years, but it became more difficult once he hit his 30s.
The New England Patriots lost two Super Bowls to the New York Giants in four years, and Sunday night against the Seattle Seahawks, it didn’t look like Brady was ready to get back over the hump yet.
The Patriots trailed by 10 points in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XLIX, and it appeared their dink-and-dunk offense wouldn’t be enough to come back against the Seattle Seahawks at University of Phoenix Stadium.
Then Brady proved why he’ll widely be considered the greatest quarterback of all time once he retires. He led the Patriots on two of the best Super Bowl scoring drives of all time, and he did everything in his power to win the game in the fourth quarter.
His closest teammate, wide receiver Julian Edelman, explained why he believes Brady, not their childhood hero Joe Montana, is the best quarterback of all time.
“Tom’s the best ever,” Edelman said after the Patriots’ 28-24 Super Bowl win. “I’m a big Joe Montana fan. I love him to death. I thought he was the best and everything. He won four, and he was undefeated in four, but they didn’t have a salary cap back then. He had some great players around him. He had some great defenses around him. Tom Brady came out here. He’s been to six Super Bowls, he’s won four with a salary cap. It’s hard to argue against that.”
Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels had a hard time arguing against Brady, who also won his third Super Bowl MVP award.
“It’s hard for me to compare him to other guys in other eras,” McDaniels said. “I know this: It’s a privilege to coach him, and to me, he’s the best of this era. I don’t know where he ranks in history, but who’s done more than him? Who’s done more winning than him with the team changes, coaches changes. Bill and he have been together for this entire run, and they deserve a tremendous amount of this credit.”
Thumbnail photo via Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports Images
