What kind of question is this? Of course Tom Brady is the GOAT, aka greatest of all-time! The man has 10 Super Bowl appearances and 7 victories, so what are we even doing here? Should the article end right now? Not so fast, as the great Lee Corso says on ESPN’s College Gameday! What if Tom didn’t have the greatest defensive mind this sport has most likely ever seen, Bill Belichick, take care of that side of the ball? What if Tom played in the 90’s or previous decades where the quarterbacks could get massacred and defenders weren’t playing with their hands tied behind their backs?
Tom is the GOAT… of his era
Imagine Tom Brady in the 80’s or 90’s being bludgeoned by defenders and his receivers are being mugged. Is he playing to 44? I think not. Is he having little Julian Edelman run free across the middle? I think not. Is he able to stand in the pocket all day and get a flag if someone touches his shoulder pad? Again, I think not. Joe Montana took a massive shot in the back from Leonard Marshall of the Giants. That devastating blow ultimately got Joe traded to Kansas City. Frank Gifford was nearly decapitated by Chuck Bednarik, aka Concrete Charlie, in one of the most iconic and blood curdling hits in NFL history! Above all, this isn’t to take anything away from Tom who is clearly the GOAT of this era. However, this is merely a conversation starter to decide if we need to parcel out the GOAT arguments into eras, especially with how much the game has changed. What if Joe Montana played today with all the rules favoring the offense and under Bill Belichick who would stifle any offense that was placed in front of them?
