Thursday, 4 a.m.
He's better. No rational man would deny it. In any game, Tom Brady trumps Jameis Winston, and it isn't close.
The Tampa Bay Bucs have been wrong about a great number of things in their history, but this is not one of them. Despite the age, despite the cost, despite the adjustment period, Brady is the better bet to lead a franchise out of the wildness. We all agree on that.
But, wins aside, Super Bowl championships notwithstanding, how much better is he.
Oh, a lot. It's like asking what's taller: Mount Everest or the Death Valley. Brady has 30 playoff wins. Winston has 28 regular season wins. Chew on that for a minute.
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Ah, but how much better is he now? After all, Winston threw for more than 1,000 more yards than Brady in 2019. He threw nine more regular-season touchdown passes. Brady threw fewer interceptions and had a higher rating.
So let's play a game. Let's look at the 13 opponents on this year's Bucs' schedule (they play three teams twice) and see how the two quarterbacks have fared against them. Then you can decide which quarterback you'd rather have in this year's contest.
Atlanta
Brady: Tom has been terrific agains the Falcons. He has a lifetime record of 5-0, and he overcame a deficit to win Super Bowl LI. His lifetime rating against Atlanta is 116.He has 11 touchdown passes and one interception in his regular season games.
Winston: Winston has generally played well against Atlanta, but he's just 4-4 in his career. His rating is 109.1. He has 25 touchdown and nine interceptions in his nine games.
Carolina
Brady: Against Carolina, Brady is 2-3 in the regular season with a rating of 82.0. However, you can add another Super Bowl win to the total. Brady led a last-minute rally in a 32-19 win in Super Bowl XXXVII.
Winston: Winston has sputtered against the Panthers. He's 4-5, and his rating is just 75.6. He's thrown 14 interceptions in his nine games and nine touchdown passes.
Green Bay
Brady: Brady is just 3-2 against he Packes, and his rating is 93.0. He's thrown 10 touchdowns and three interceptions.
Winston: Winston lost his only game to the Packers, although he had. rating of 112.8. He threw two touchdowns and no interceptions.
Kansas City
Brady: Brady is 5-4 against the Chiefs, and his rating has been 85.4. In the nine games, Brady has 10 touchdown passes and three interceptions.
Winston: Winston is 1-0 against the Chiefs, a two-point win in 2016. In that game, Winston had one touchdown pass and no interceptions.
L.A. Chargers
Brady: Brady is 6-2 against the Chargers (San Diego and Los Angeles games are included). He has a rating of 97.3. He's thrown for 15 touchdowns with five interceptions.
Winston: Winston is 1-0 with a rating of 93.7. Winston threw one touchdown and one interception in the fourth quarterback comeback (in 2016).
L.A. Rams
Brady: Brady is 3-1 against the Rams, including a 20-17 win in super Bowl XXXVI. It was Brady's first title. In the regular season, Brady has thrown eight touchdowns and two interceptions and has a rating of 100.8.
Winston: Winston is 1-2 against the Rams, including a 55-40 victory last season. In his three games, Winston has a 98.1 rating. He's had nine touchdown passes and three interceptions in his career.
Minnesota
Brady Brady is 5-0 against the Vikings with a rating of 103.5. He's thrown for 10 touchdowns and two interceptions.
Winston: Winston is 0-1 against the Vikings and has a rating of 80.0. In his one game, he threw two touchdown passes and had three interceptions.
New Orleans
Brady: He has won four of the five games against the Saints in his career with a rating of 103.6. He has 11 touchdowns and three interceptions.
Winston: He's had his troubles against the Saints, and that doesn't include the silliness where he instigated contact with Marshon Lattimore while not even playing. Winston is 3-6 with a 76.8 rating. He has 11 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions.
Chicago
Brady: He's 5-0 against the Bears and has a rating of 109.2. He has 14 touchdown passes and four interceptions.
Winston: Winston is 2-2 against the Bears, and his quarterback rating is 94.2. He has six touchdown passes and four interceptions.
Denver
Brady: The Broncos have been a tough team for Brady. He's just 7-6 against them, even though he has a 93.0 rating. He's thrown 26 touchdown passes and six interceptions.
Winston: Winston bombed in his only game against Denver, losing 27-7. Winston had just a 40.1 rating that day after throwing two picks with non touchdown passes.
Detroit
Brady: He's 4-2 against the Lions, with a rating of 93.5. He has seven touchdown passes and four interceptions.
Winston: He's 1-1 against Detroit, but has a rating of 106.4. In two games, he's thrown for six touchdowns and three interceptions.
Las Vegas
Brady: Brady is 4-1 against the Raiders, wherever they have played. His rating has been 102.4. He has eight touchdown passes and no interceptions.
Winston: He's 0-1 against the Raiders with a rating of 88.0. He has two touchdown passes and no interceptions.
New York Giants
Brady: The Giants are the bane of Brady's existence, beating him twice in Super Bowls. In the regular season, though, Brady is 4-1 with a rating of 88.8. He's thrown six touchdown passes and four interceptions.
Winston Winston is just 1-3 against the Giants, although he had this year's game won before a missed field goal cost the Bucs. Winston has a rating of 104.4 in his games. He's thrown eight touchdown passes against two interceptions.
Does it seem close to you? Brady has obviously had the better career, although it could be argued he also had Bill Belichick coaching and receivers like Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski.
The question is the now. Does Brady have enough to keep the winning coming?
The Bucs are wagering he does.