For as long as many can remember, Tom Brady has been dominating the National Football League (NFL). It’s almost hard to imagine a league without the man who many consider the greatest of all time. Brady has achieved countless feats over his 22-year career with the Patriots and the Buccaneers.

Brady wasn’t highly recruited coming out of college: he was drafted with the 199th pick in the NFL draft to the England Patriots. After Patriots Drew Bledsoe went down with an injury in the 2001 season, Brady was thrown into the starting line-up as a second-year quarterback and thrived right away, a rarity for a sixth-round pick. He threw for a solid 2800 yards and 18 touchdowns to only 12 interceptions that season.

By 2005, Brady was up over 4000 yards along with 26 touchdowns. The year Brady really shined was 2007 when he lead the Patriots to a 16-0 regular season throwing 4806 yards with a career-best and tied for second all-time in a season with 50 touchdowns. The bid for the undefeated season was cut short in the Super Bowl against the Eli Manning led New York Giants.

All these stats are great, but it’s the success that teams led by Brady see that really make his legacy so special. From 2001-2004, a 24-27 year old Brady led the Patriots to three straight Super Bowls, a remarkable feat. His team’s success didn’t end there, however, because ten years later Brady led the Patriots to another Super Bowl win against the Seahawks with the infamous Malcolm Bulter interception on the two-yard line. 

It only took another two years for Brady to win his 5th Super Bowl, this time against the Falcons. With his back against the wall, Brady managed to turn the Falcons 28-3 lead into a 34-28 win. This win really highlights Brady’s ability to handle extreme pressure with his normal calm and collected self. He immediately threw two touchdowns after being down by 25, and then running back James White ran in two within five yards touchdowns that were set up by Brady. Brady’s last Super Bowl win for the Patriots came in a defensive struggle against Los Angeles with only 16 points combined between the two teams.

Many fans began to question if Brady’s success was really his own or if long-time Patriots Coach Bill Belichick was really the one who was behind the winning. In 2020 Brady put that question to the test, by the 7-9 Buccaneers. After not making the playoffs for 12 seasons in a row before Brady; adding him they won the Super Bowl the first year he was there while Belichick’s led Patriots missed the playoffs with a record of 7-9. This silenced all the people who doubted Brady’s part in New England’s success.

In the end, Brady will be seen as one of the greatest players to ever throw a football. He is going to be a no-doubt first-ballot Hall of Famer. Whether you love him for what he’s been able to accomplish, or you hate him for your favorite team being on the receiving end of his success, there is no room for debate whether he is an all-time great. 

Contact Lathan Pearce at [email protected]