Gerald McCoy: Tom Brady Is a 'Winning' QB, but 'Father Time Is Undefeated'

While he didn't predict the demise of Tom Brady ahead of the 2020 NFL season, Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Gerald McCoy noted Brady is on the wrong end of the aging curve ahead of his first year with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

During an appearance on The Herd with Colin Cowherd on Tuesday, McCoy said Brady has been a pillar of consistency throughout his legendary career but that the 42-year-old might finally have hit a wall:

"His supporting cast was not what it has been in the past, and I know, you know, you hear Shannon Sharpe always say, 'This guy, if you looked in the dictionary, if it says do more with less, you should see Tom Brady'. Yes, but that's younger Tom Brady, where he wasn't older, his arm was still strong. You know, his body was still up to par. He's gotten older. And I think people forget, Father Time is undefeated, even for Tom Brady.

"Muhammad Ali, Father Time kicked in. I know LeBron, I don't know where he came from, he's not from Earth. I don't know where he came from, but Father Time has not kicked in with him yet. Father Time kicks in for everybody. Do I believe Tom Brady is still a winning quarterback? Absolutely. Do I believe Tom Brady can win 10-plus games? Absolutely. Is it yet to be seen? I don't know."

McCoy told Cowherd he will be rooting for the Buccaneers after having spent his first nine seasons with Tampa Bay and that he hopes the Bucs can get far enough to lose to the Cowboys deep into the playoffs.

The six-time Pro Bowler isn't the first to raise questions about Brady's ability.

Brady, who turns 43 in August, is approaching uncharted territory. According to Pro Football Reference, only four quarterbacks (Vinny Testaverde, Steve DeBerg, Doug Flutie and Warren Moon) have continued playing upon reaching that age. None of the four made more than 10 appearances over the remainder of his career.

Brady is coming off a somewhat underwhelming 2019 by his usual standards. He completed 60.8 percent of his passes—his third-lowest ever over a full season—while throwing for 4,057 yards, 24 touchdown and eight interceptions.

The Patriots didn't have a great supporting cast in the passing game. James White was the team's second-leading receiver, and New England got seven combined appearances from Josh Gordon and Antonio Brown.

The Buccaneers, on the other hand, have a pair of Pro Bowl wideouts (Mike Evan and Chris Godwin) and brought Rob Gronkowski out of his brief retirement. Brady has the pieces to succeed on his new team.

As McCoy alluded to, however, even the greats must succumb to Father Time eventually.

Peyton Manning is the most obvious example as he finished with nine touchdowns to 17 interceptions in his final year. Brett Favre, Troy Aikman and Dan Marino were among the others who had forgettable ends to Hall of Fame tenures. Manning and Favre were both Pro Bowlers in their second-to-last seasons before falling off a cliff.

The coronavirus pandemic is another wild card as well since it will have disrupted Brady's preseason training.

NFL fans have mostly abandoned predicting the demise of Brady and the New England Patriots' dynasty because the Patriots continued to win as Brady played at a high level. Given how much the circumstances have changed for both sides, the benefit of the doubt is quickly fading.