Giants vs. Patriots: Window Has Officially Closed on the Tom Brady Era

From potentially passing Joe Montana to the end of an era, that was one rough Super Bowl for Tom Brady.

After watching No. 12 make un-Brady-like throws and decisions, the chances of winning another Super Bowl are now hanging by a thread. 

From the safety to the Wes Welker overthrow and overall crappy performance in the AFC championship, the evidence is glaring.

Brady isn’t the same quarterback he used to be.

While he's still capable of going through stretches like the second and third quarter of Sunday when he completed 16-straight passes, once again he couldn't close. He'd be a terrible salesman at this point. 

His decision-making in the pocket isn’t what it once was, nor is his ability to evade the rush. Sure he doesn’t have the greatest group of receivers, but he didn’t have them in the early 2000s either. It's not like he could finish the job with Randy Moss around.

It seems as if the speed of the game has finally surpassed Brady to a certain extent and that has caused him nothing but "what ifs" since 2004.

2004, when Brett Farve still had five years left in the tank. When Facebook was just a small startup website. When Tim Tebow was still in high school.

That was the last year Brady won a Super Bowl and after watching him lose to Eli Manning twice in the big game, it’s clear he doesn’t have his fast ball anymore. The zip of years ago just isn’t there. He is 6-6 in his last 12 postseason games…that’s no fluke.

It’s perfectly natural considering his ACL tear in ’08 and constant pounding his shoulder has taken over the years. It’s a sobering thing to think about for Patriot fans, but why do you think the front office used a third-round pick on Ryan Mallett? The organization already knows Brady's best days are behind him and it was only a matter of time before the fans realized it as well. 

Father time is undefeated in sports and it looks like the clock has struck midnight on No. 12.

Sunday night was quite possibly his last shot at immortality and he blew it. Then again, I think having three Super Bowl rings is a fine consolation prize.