FOXBORO, Mass. — Tom Brady became the fourth player in NFL history to reach 400 career touchdown passes Sunday as the New England Patriots defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 51-17 at Gillette Stadium.
None of the other three quarterbacks — or any QB, for that matter — holds a candle to Brady, if you ask teammate LeGarrette Blount.
Blount, who ran for 78 yards and three touchdowns in the Patriots’ Week 3 beatdown, made it perfectly clear where Brady stands in his power rankings when asked about the quarterback’s latest milestone.
“I think he’s the best quarterback to ever play this game. It’s an honor to be able to play with him,” Blount said after New England’s win. “There’s not a lot of guys that can say that, but it’s crazy to be playing with the best quarterback to ever play the game, and he’s not done.”
Forget losing a step. Brady only seems to be getting better at age 38. The 16-year veteran completed 33 of 42 passes for 358 yards and two touchdowns Sunday. He has thrown for 1,112 yards and nine touchdowns to zero interceptions this season with New England sitting at 3-0 going into its bye week.
“The fact that he’s won four Super Bowls and he’s been to six,” Blount said when asked what makes Brady the greatest quarterback of all time. “The fashion that he wins them in — he’s (earned) MVPs — and the kind of season he’s having right now is kind of piling on top of that legacy.
“He’s only been on one team, and his team is consistently one of the best teams to play every season, and he’s one of the main reasons why.”
Brady joined Peyton Manning, Brett Favre and Dan Marino as the only quarterbacks in league history to total 400 touchdown passes. Drew Brees should join the club soon enough, as he entered Sunday with 398 TD tosses but sat out the New Orleans Saints’ game against the Carolina Panthers with an injury.
Brady has the rings to go along with the individual statistics, though. And a fifth Super Bowl title isn’t out of the question this season if the Patriots continue to follow his lead.
“Yeah, pretty much. Pretty much,” Blount said with a smile when asked if everyone shuts up and listens when Brady’s in the huddle. “And that comes with the leadership that he has. That comes with the role that he has on this team. We just kind of listen, and whatever he says, goes.”
There’s no denying Brady’s status as one of the NFL’s all-time bests. And as he continues to rack up accolades, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to rank him a notch below anyone to ever play.
Blount can attest to that.
Thumbnail photo via Stew Milne/USA TODAY Sports Images
