The conventional wisdom on Tom Brady is that he's a "system" quarterback who "manages" the game well. These descriptions may be accurate, but they don't tell the entire story. In fact, they're often used as back-handed compliments, implying a certain lack of physical talent that other quarterbacks supposedly possess in greater abundance.
The Cold, Hard Football Facts, in their deep-echoing bass of authority, sing quite a different tune.
The Cold, Hard Football Facts measured Brady's first four years in the league against those of 13 giants of NFL history. The list includes all nine Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks who now reside in the Pro Football Hall of Fame: Terry Bradshaw, Len Dawson, John Elway, Bob Griese, Joe Montana, Joe Namath, Bart Starr, Roger Staubach, and Johnny Unitas. There are no easy outs in this lineup.
Just for kicks and giggles, the Facts threw in four other shining stars of the NFL and likely future Hall of Famers: three-time Super Bowl champ Troy Aikman; perennial passing leader Dan Marino; one-time Super Bowl champ and NFL fan favorite, Brett Favre; and modern gunslinger Peyton Manning, hailed by contemporary "pundits" as the best quarterback in the game today.
Here, then, is an aria of truth as sung by the Luciano Pavarotti of gridiron knowledge, the Cold, Hard Football Facts. Brady critics will be shocked to see how he stacks up against these NFL immortals after four years in pro football:
| Comp. |
Att. |
Pct. |
Yds. |
TD |
INT |
Rating |
Playoffs |
Title games |
| Marino (83-86) |
1,249 |
2,050 |
60.9% |
16,177 |
142 |
67 |
95.2 |
3-2 |
0-1 |
| Montana (79-82) |
713 |
1,130 |
63.1% |
8,069 |
52 |
32 |
88.0 |
2-0 |
1-0 |
| Unitas (56-59)* |
611 |
1,129 |
54.1% |
8,954 |
84 |
48 |
87.2 |
0-0 |
2-0 |
| Brady (00-03) |
955 |
1,544 |
61.9% |
10,233 |
69 |
38 |
85.9 |
4-0 |
2-0 |
| Manning (98-01) |
1,347 |
2,226 |
60.5% |
16,418 |
111 |
81 |
84.7 |
0-2 |
0-0 |
| Staubach (69-72) |
202 |
360 |
56.1% |
2,943 |
18 |
14 |
83.4 |
2-1 |
1-0 |
| Favre (91-94) |
983 |
1,580 |
62.2% |
10,412 |
70 |
53 |
82.2 |
2-2 |
0-0 |
| Aikman (89-92) |
920 |
1,528 |
60.2% |
10,527 |
54 |
60 |
76.4 |
2-0 |
1-0 |
| Elway (83-86) |
944 |
1,748 |
54.0% |
11,637 |
66 |
65 |
71.9 |
2-2 |
0-1 |
| Namath (65-68) |
841 |
1,682 |
50.0% |
12,753 |
78 |
87 |
69.2 |
1-0 |
1-0 |
| Griese (67-70) |
615 |
1,183 |
52.0% |
8,192 |
58 |
67 |
67.0 |
0-1 |
0-0 |
| Starr (56-59)* |
289 |
550 |
52.5% |
2,661 |
19 |
31 |
54.1 |
0-0 |
0-0 |
| Bradshaw (70-73) |
522 |
1,079 |
48.4% |
6,739 |
41 |
73 |
52.9 |
1-2 |
0-0 |
| Dawson (57-60) |
14 |
30 |
46.7% |
119 |
1 |
2 |
40.8 |
0-0 |
0-0 |
* Won NFL titles in the pre-Super Bowl era (Starr, 3; Unitas, 2) before winning Super Bowls (Starr, 2; Unitas, 1); playoff record does not include title game record
After four years in the league, when compared with 13 immortal NFL quarterbacks, including nine Super Bowl-winning, Hall-of-Fame inductees, Brady is:
- Tied for No. 1 (Unitas) in championship victories (two)
- No. 1 in postseason victories (six)
- No. 1 in playoff record (6-0)
- No. 1 in Super Bowl MVP awards (two)
- No. 1 in INTs per attempt (1:40.63)
- No. 2 in TD/INT ratio (1.8:1)
- No. 3 in completions (955)
- No. 3 in completion percentage (61.9)
- No. 4 in passing efficiency (85.9)
- No. 6 in TD passes (69)
- No. 7 in passing yards (10,233)
- No. 7 in TDs per attempt (1:22.38)
That's more touchdown passes than Montana and Elway; more yards than Unitas and Bradshaw; a better passer rating than Manning and Favre; and twice as many postseason victories as his closest Hall-of-Fame competitor. Not half bad for a sixth-round draft pick with no running game; a "system" quarterback who has benefited from the assistance of just one Pro Bowl player on his offensive squad (Troy Brown, 2001); a mere "game manager" who took over for a team that had lost 13 of its previous 18 games before he stepped on the field and a club that had never won an NFL title in its previous 41 years of existence.
"Pundits" question whether Brady is the best quarterback in the game today. The Cold, Hard Football Facts digest a mountain of data and can reasonably conclude that no quarterback in the Super Bowl era has had a more awe-inspiring first four years in the league than Tom Brady.
Next time someone tells you that Brady is a "system" quarterback not worthy of mention among the game's elite, beat them about the head, neck and face with this billy club of truth called the Cold, Hard Football Facts.