Michael Bottiglieri, Contributor
On March 20, 2020, Tom Brady officially signed his contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, breaking both the internet and the hearts of lifelong Patriots fans.
Backtrack to the 2019 season, the Buccaneers were 7-9 being while led by former first overall pick Jameis Winston, who tallied up an all-time high 30 interceptions which led to 112 total points for opposing teams. Although he led the league in passing yards, to go along with 30 passing touchdowns, it was safe to say Tampa was in need of a quarterback change.
Enter Tom Brady, who was fresh on the free agency market after a disappointing loss to the Tennessee Titans in the 2019 AFC Wild Card playoff game.
After the game, Brady told the ESPN press, “I love the Patriots. I would say it’s pretty unlikely, hopefully unlikely. I love playing football. I don’t know what it looks like moving forward.”
This statement demonstrated his love for the Patriots and the game of football itself; however, he was actually subtly indicating that his future with the team wasn’t up to him.
Fast forward to this crazy and extremely unorthodox NFL season we all witnessed. Despite the fact that players had to study film and playbooks via Zoom meetings and had limited practice during the week, the coaches and players made it work.
More impressively, Tom Brady made it work.
Tom Brady is the G.O.A.T of football, and there really is no more debating it.
This isn’t just a guy who has been to ten Super Bowls. He isn’t just a guy who won seven out of those ten– two of the wins happening in his forties– which is more than any other franchise in the NFL. He is a 43-year-old man who signed with the historically worst franchise in the NFL in terms of winning percentage, and immediately made them a Super Bowl contender.
Keep in mind that this was a season in which the global pandemic had drastic effects on every team’s success and growth. Football is a game in which preparation is more than half the battle. Tom Brady had to enter a completely new system under head coach Bruce Arians and at the same time couldn’t connect and build chemistry with his teammates, because of the COVID-19 restrictions enacted across the league.
It is without question that this season was the greatest Super Bowl run anyone has ever seen and that the debate for the G.O.A.T of football ended last weekend. There were always people who questioned Brady’s greatness because he always had Bill Belichick, who is regarded as one of the greatest coaches of all time, as his head coach. Well, Tom Brady left Belichick this season and went 11 to five and became a Super Bowl champion; while Bellicheck went seven to nine and missed the playoffs for the first time in years.
Arguments have constantly been made that Aaron Rodgers has always been better, and that if he was in New England his whole career that he would’ve done the same thing.
While that is a valid argument, this isn’t about the most talented of all time. This is about the greatest of all time, and there’s a difference.
Does Aaron Rodgers have more arm talent than Tom Brady? Yes.
Does Aaron Rodgers have anywhere near the amount of Super Bowls Tom Brady has? We all know that answer.
What’s more, Tom Brady went to Lambeau Field for the NFC championship and beat this past season’s MVP Aaron Rodgers in one of the best years of his career. So even if we disregard Super Bowl statistics, he still went into Aaron Rodgers’s house and straight up beat him.
Debate is finished.
Every single argument against Tom Brady has been silenced. Brady did what he did best in Super Bowl LV, which is silencing the hate and proving everybody wrong. And the scariest or greatest part, depending how you look at it, is that he is not done yet.
My prediction? Tom Brady competes for his eighth Super Bowl ring next season at 44-years-old.
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in the Quadrangle are those of the individual writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board, the College or the student body.