New England Patriots: Tom Brady could cement himself as the greatest

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New England Patriots Tom Brady (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) /

Why Tom can pass the other “GOATS”

I’m aware how it is nearly impossible to correctly compare legends from different sports to one another, but I plan on taking the challenge on.

The only two other players that can come close to Tom’s success are the NHL’s Wayne Gretzky and the NBA’s Michael Jordan. Both, however, are getting to the point where they can’t compare to TB12.

Wayne Gretzky didn’t earn his nickname “the great one” for no reason. In his over two-decades-long career, he accounted for 15 All-Star appearances, 4 Stanley Cup Trophies and a ridiculous 9 MVP selections. The issue with Gretzky lies in his extreme lack of postseason shortcomings.

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For being in the league for over 20 years, he only made 6 trips to the finals and as mentioned before, won 4. He was known for playoff shortcomings and failing to be able to lead his team to the promise land.

The other issue with Gretzky is he played in an NHL that helped to score. With multiple rule changes and better equipment for goalies, scoring is way down in hockey from the ’80s. It is hard to call Gretzky the best because even though he did succeed at an astronomical level, he played with the rules catered most towards him and in an easier era of his sport compared to the other two. His records are undeniable, but going beyond the numbers it is clear Gretzky can’t match up to Tom.

Then we get into a man who transcended a generation of the sport in which he played: Michael Jordan. The issue with Jordan is that his pop culture status, as well as exciting play, tainted the image of who he actually was.

MJ was a dynamic scorer that inside the key could knock down anything. He was explosive to the rim as well and could finish around the basket like no one that came before him. Also on the defensive end, he was transcendent with his ability to lock down multiple decisions and not let players get past him.

The main issue with Michael Jordan was his success directly correlates with the pieces around him. Just like Brady, Jordan had one of the best coaches of all time in Phil Jackson. However, Michael Jordan also had Scottie Pippen.

Jordan won all 6 of his titles alongside Pippen, who in his own right is one of the top 50 basketball players of all time. With having 4 other guys on the court, MJ knew he could always rely on one to put out a great performance.

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Tom Brady has not only won for a longer period but has done it with a revolving door of characters. Besides that one great year with Randy Moss, Brady has never had an elite wideout that he could trust to get the ball to. Football is the hardest sport to win in due to all the changing parts, but Brady is the one constant has almost accumulated two decades of excellence.

If Tom Brady can win with a team that is this week all around, he can surpass all the other greats and be known as the best athlete of his generation.

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New England Patriots: Tom Brady could cement himself as the ultimate GOAT

By Xaiver Aguiar | Jan 16, 2019

Why Tom can pass the other “GOATS”