There was a lot to take from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Super Bowl championship last month, but by far the loudest story that came out of Tampa was the solidification of Tom Brady’s legacy.
By winning a title under a non-coach named Bill Belichick, Brady removed what would have been one of the biggest counter arguments against his status as the greatest NFL consensus of all time if he had retired with the New England Patriots .
Brady now has seven rings with two different teams, five Super Bowl MVP awards in 10 appearances, three MVP awards, a record of 14 Pro Bowl selections and the all-time NFL record for passing touchdowns. The GOAT debates are tiring and reductive, no matter what the sport, but in Brady’s case, it seems to be a very short debate at the moment.
That was the case when Joe Montana, previously the answer to many in the GOAT debate, appeared on ESPN’s “First Take” on Wednesday. Asked by Max Kellerman if he believes that Brady outperformed him and everyone else, Montana said that this had happened a long time ago:
Response from Montana:
I think Tom took his place up there a long time ago. He had an incredible career, it’s fun to watch. Everyone always disputes that, but I think if you look at what Tom was able to accomplish in his time playing, I think it definitely puts him at the top of the list.
There are a lot of great guys, like I said, before me, you go back to Otto Graham, who won 10 or 11 championships. It is difficult to compare them, but if you are looking, yes, definitely Tom at that point.
Hearing this from Montana probably means a lot to Brady, who grew up idolizing the legend of the San Francisco 49ers.
It should be noted that Graham has won just seven championships (four AAFC championships, three NFL championships), but has reached a title game in all 10 years of his career with the Cleveland Browns.
Montana is correct, however, in saying that it is very difficult to compare defenders in a sport that is constantly changing with so many different coaches and systems. There are still some people out there who would like to see what would have happened if Peyton Manning or Aaron Rodgers played Bill Belichick for most of their careers.
GOAT status is an amorphous enough status that it is almost impossible to define a right accounts for almost any sport, but Brady has at least put himself in the status where the whole debate revolves around him.
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