Putting Brady in historical perspective after SB loss

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There has been a tremendous amount of time and effort by many pundits over the past several years to try and rank the greatest quarterbacks of all time.
With Tom Brady and the New England Patriots coming up short in Super Bowl XLII, many people believe that the Patriot dynasty may have come to an end, especially with the loss of their long time offensive and defensive co-ordinators.
The defeat at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles drops Brady’s all-time record in Super Bowls to 5-3. The closest quarterback to Brady in terms of Super Bowl appearances is John Elway, who is 2-3 overall.
Love him or hate him, there is no doubt that Brady is one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever don a pro football uniform. His achievements in terms of wins (223, including the playoffs), passing records and championship rings may never be matched when looked at as a whole.
But, I am of the belief that a great quarterback is a product of the system that he plays in.
If you look at some of the quarterbacks that are usually considered to be the greatest of all time, you must look at the way the team was run in terms of offensive scheme, personnel, and management. Great quarterbacks, to me, are part of great teams and great organizations.
Sure, there is some truth to the notion that in the end, the signal caller is the most important position on the field. However, you must admit, the only way that a player becomes a great player has a lot to do with the pieces around them.
Just look at what happened to Nick Foles in the last part of the season. Foles, who was drafted by the Eagles and left, had to come back at the right time, in the right place, with the right scheme and personnel around him to achieve his greatest goal in his professional career.
Now Foles is not Tom Brady, nor should he be mentioned in the same sentence with Brady, Montana, Manning, Favre, Brees, Elway, etc., etc. It just illustrates that greatness at that position is about timing and sometimes dumb luck. Just think about this, would Brady be considered one of the best if Drew Bledsoe had not gone down with an injury?
That is why I never say who I believe is the greatest quarterback of all-time. Some might think that is a cop out. I say how do you measure the best of the very best.
To me, one quarterback that I always put close to the top of list is Terry Bradshaw. I know a number of you are shaking your head in disbelief that he should not even be mentioned with the likes of Elway. Manning, Brady and Brees.
But, when you put things into perspective, Bradshaw led one of the greatest dynasties of all time. During his 14 seasons under center, the Steelers won four Super Bowl titles in a six-year period. He became the first quarterback to win three and four Super Bowls and led the Steelers to eight AFC Central championships.
His career winning percentage was .684, fourth highest in NFL history. But, Bradshaw’s success was part of the Pittsburgh commitment to winning.
So, if you want to give the title of G.O.A.T. to Brady, so be it. For me, I cannot pick one particular quarterback to fill that title. All of the top signal callers in NFL history have had the system in place to be able showcase their talents.
I will say this, if Brady is able to come back this coming season and help lead his team to another title, I may just have to rethink my position.