Once again, Brady is impossible to conquer

by Gary Shelton on January 21, 2019 · 6 comments

in general

Monday, 4 a.m.

The guys who love stats will write sonnets about Drew Brees. And yes, he is impressive. But he isn't Tom Brady.

The guys who long fresh flavors will prattle on about Patrick Mahomes. And yes, you'd love for him to be playing for your team. But he isn't Tom Brady, either.

Aaron Rodgers isn't Tom Brady.  Matt Ryan isn't Tom Brady. Ben Roethlisberger isn't Tom Brady.

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For that matter, Joe Montana wasn't Tom Brady, and Peyton Manning wasn't Tom Brady, and Johnny Unitas wasn't Tom Brady.

In the moments when it matters the most, no one is, or has ever been, Tom Brady.

Once again, Brady is headed to the Super Bowl. By now, it should be considered his winter home. He's been there eight times, and his team has won five. Once again, he was terrific in a 37-31 overtime win in Kansas City. He threw for 348 yards to lead his team to its victory.

It's odd. If you look around, Brady is yesterday's hero. Consider: Of the final four quarterbacks in the playoffs, SBNation.com ranked him third. Of the 12 who started the playoffs, CBSsports.com ranked him third. Yet, it is Brady is who is still standing, Brady who prepares to face another upstart quarterback -- the Rams' Jared Goff -- in yet another chapter to his legacy. This will be his ninth Super Bowl. He will try to win his sixth. He may get his fifth game MVP.

I know, I know. By now, familiarity plagues Brady. He's been on top of the mountain for so long that outsiders hunger for there to be someone else. Mahomes was a good candidate. Goff is a good candidate.

But in the clutch moments, it is Brady. It is always Brady.

Oh, he doesn't live at the top of the stats anymore. He was just seventh in passing yards this year, just ninth in the ratings, just 10th in touchdowns. But he is still excellent in the clutch moments. Coming into Sunday's game, he has 43 fourth-quarter comebacks and 55 game-winning drives. He is the Beatles. He is Picasso. He is Einstein.

And, by the way, none of them were Tom Brady, either.

Brady was amazing Sunday. After the Patriots fell behind 21-17, he led them back to a 24-21 lead. After they fell behind 28-24, he led them back to a 31-24 lead. Then, after winning the coin toss in overtime, he led them to a winning touchdown in a 37-31 game.

It is odd. Brady has done so much, and yet he seems so unsatisfied. He is 41 now, a champion, a millionaire, a father, a celebrity. But he plays as if he was still an unknown sixth-round draft choice.

The Chiefs were close to a second-half comeback that would have beaten the Patriots. A ball bounded off the hands of Rob Gronkowski and was intercepted. But the Chiefs were offsides on the play, a penalty that will haunt them for an entire off-season.

It is odd. You wonder what the great champions of the NFL, the immortals, think as they watch the Patriots' machine spit out trophies. And if not that, you wonder what the mortals think.

For instance, what did Jameis Winston think as he saw Brady overcome his interceptions for the victory. Did Winston think that excused his own turnovers? Did it make him less hungry to cut down on them?

And how about Ronald Jones? Jones was picked seven slots after the Patriots Sony Michele. Michele had 113 yards and two touchdowns Sunday. Jones had 44 yards his entire rookie season.

And how about DeSean Jackson? Kansas City's star receiver Tyreek Hill had one catch for 42 yards Sunday. He didn't complain about chemistry afterward.

And how about Donovan Smith and his linemates? The Patriots didn't give up a sack to a high-pressure Chiefs' defense.

Maybe that's the point. The Patriots are too well-oiled, too efficient for mortal teams. Oh, they can be beaten. But you better be two touchdowns better to beat them by one.

And Brady?

Somehow, you have to survive the best quarterback ever to play. Just that.

 

 

 

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