New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has a resumé that simply is unmatched by any other player in NFL history.
Brady owns many regular season and playoff records, including a record six Super Bowl championships. The 42-year-old quarterback also is giving Father Time a heck of a fight, and despite being in his 20th pro season, he still is among the best players at his position. In fact, Pro Football Focus recently ranked him the top quarterback in the league through three weeks of the 2019 season.
With all that Brady has accomplished, is there even a debate that he's the greatest player in league history?
"I think it's very difficult to find somebody else that's had a better career," Hall of Fame quarterback and current Denver Broncos executive John Elway said Wednesday on WEEI's "The Greg Hill Show."
"I think when you look at the success he's had, the numbers he's put up, the wins that he's had, but also the world championships. Obviously there's a lot of great quarterbacks that have played in the NFL that don't have world championships, but I think that's one sign of a great quarterback. When you have as many (Super Bowl titles) as Tom has, it's hard to argue that he's not the greatest."
Elway played 16 years for the Denver Broncos but didn't win the Super Bowl until his final two seasons, and you could arge his four best statistical seasons were the last four of his career. Elway knows what it's like to play at a high level late in your career, and he's quite impressed with the way Brady is performing at age 42.
New England Patriots
"I think the way that he takes care of his body, No. 1. Obviously he trains, and trains year round. The way he fuels his body I think allows him to continue to play like he's been playing," Elway said. "I think the mind that he has, the competitive nature that he has, and the will that he has to continue to be great also is a big factor. He's still playing tremendous football individually, as well as the team. They're another (team) that's going to be hard to contend with."
The last two teams to repeat as Super Bowl champions are Elway's Broncos in 1997 and 1998, and Brady's Patriots in 2003 and 2004. It's still early in the 2019 campaign, but judging by Brady's performance and the team's play as a whole through the first three games, it wouldn't be surprising if the Patriots return to Miami in February with a chance to become just the second team in league history to win back-to-back Super Bowl titles multiple times.
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