Tom Brady: Could the New England Patriots QB Be the Best in NFL History?

The upcoming Divisional Playoff weekend in the NFL is replete with fantastic matchups, but perhaps no game will garner more attention than the tussle between the New York Jets and New England Patriots on Sunday afternoon.

The still-up-and-coming Jets, led by Mark Sanchez on the field and Rex Ryan on the sideline, will look to unseat their still-dominant division rivals on the way to a second consecutive appearance in the AFC Championship Game.

For Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the Pats, a chance to be the AFC's best would be old hat for a team that has reached the Super Bowl four times in the Belichick era.

Such consistent success, with perhaps even more to come in the following weeks, begs an interesting question:

Could Tom Brady be the best quarterback in the history of the National Football League?

Brady's Resume Holds Plenty of Water on Its Own

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Tom Brady holds the Vince Lombardi Trophy as he stands on the podium after The New England Patriots defeated The Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX at Alltel Staduim in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

After 11 years in the league, Tom Brady already has a rather impressive resume with which to make a case.

Statistically, Brady has thus far completed 2,996 of his 4,710 career passes for a completion percentage of 63.6. He also has 34,744 yards, 261 touchdowns and 103 interceptions, resulting in a quarterback rating of 95.2.

Brady's actual accomplishments are even more impressive than his stats, with a resume that includes three Super Bowl rings, four AFC Championships, an NFL MVP (and possible a second this season), two Super Bowl MVPs, six Pro Bowl selections and the NFL record for most touchdown passes in a single season (50).

And that doesn't even include a whole separate litany of regular and postseason records to which Brady can lay claim.

Oh, and Brady is only 33, with plenty of high-caliber football left in him.

But How Does He Stack Up To...Joe Montana

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SAN FRANCISCO - NOVEMBER 25: Quarterback Joe Montana #16 of the San Francisco 49ers throws a pass during a game against the Los Angeles Rams at Candlestick Park on November 25, 1990 in San Francisco, California. The Rams won 28-17 keeping their 18 game

That being said, how does Tom Brady compare to the NFL's all-time greatest signal-callers?

Let's begin with the quarterback to whom Brady is most often compared, Joe Montana.

In most respects, Montana is still ahead of Tom Brady.

As far as numbers are concerned, Montana has more yards (40,551) and touchdowns (273) than Brady, though Montana's quarterback rating (92.3) is slightly behind Brady's.

Brady still has some ways to go before he can stand eye-to-eye with Montana as far as true greatness is concerned, as Montana has eight Pro Bowl appearances to Brady's six, four Super Bowl rings to Brady's three, three Super Bowl MVPs to Brady's two and two NFL MVP's to Brady's one.

Not to mention Montana's six All-Pro selections far out-weigh Brady's two (likely three after this season).

That being said, Brady still has plenty of time make up ground on Montana and may tie his greatest accomplishments come early February.

Dan Marino

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15 Nov 1998: Quarterback Dan Marino #13 of the Miami Dolphins throws a pass during a game against the Carolina Panthers at the Ericsson Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Dolphins defeated the Panthers 13-9. Mandatory Credit: Tom Hauck /Allsport

When it comes to Dan Marino, Joe Montana's contemporary and fellow native of western Pennsylvania, Tom Brady has a ways to go in some categories while already being miles ahead in others.

On the one hand, Brady already has as many NFL MVP awards as Marino as well as three more Super Bowl rings and two more Super Bowl MVP's than Marino (zero and zero).

On the other hand, Brady still lags far behind Marino in the record books. 

Marino's pass attempts (8.358) and completions (4,967) are nearly twice those of Brady, as are his totals in touchdowns (420) and yardage (61,361). Additionally, Marino's nine Pro Bowl and eight All-Pro selections are still well ahead of Brady's stash.

However, Brady has been a significantly more efficient quarterback in his 11 seasons than Marino was in his 17 years with the Miami Dolphins, as Marino's career completion percentage (59.4) and quarterback rating (86.4) lag well behind Brady's.

John Elway

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17 Jan 1999: John Elway #7 of the Denver Broncos celebrates during the AFC Championship Game against the New York Jets at Mile High Stadium in Denver, Colorado. The Broncos defeated the Jets 23-10. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bahr /Allsport

Sticking with great quarterbacks from the 1980s and 1990s, how does Tom Brady's resume stack up with that of John Elway?

Quite favorably, actually.

Like Marino and Elway, Tom Brady will likely end his career as the face of the New England Patriots franchise, as no single player has done as much for the franchise as Brady has.

Looking specifically at the accomplishments of Elway, the former Broncos great and current vice president of football operations in Denver, Brady still has some catching up to do to surpass Elway in yardage (51,475), touchdowns (300), Pro Bowl selections (nine) and All-Pro teams (three).

Other than that, Brady is already on par with, if not ahead of, Elway.

Elway has as many NFL MVPs as Brady (one), but has fewer Super Bowl MVPs (one) and Super Bowl rings (two) as well as a far inferior career quarterback rating (79.9).

As such, Brady will likely overshadow Elway completely in the history of the game if he plays solid football for another four or five years.

Brett Favre

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GREEN BAY, WI - JANUARY 20: Quarterback Brett Favre #4 of the Green Bay Packers throws a 90 yard touchdown reception against the New York Giants during the NFC championship game on January 20, 2008 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Jam

As far as Brady's own contemporaries are concerned, he may never come close to matching the overall resume of Brett Favre.

Then again, it's quite possible that no one ever will.

Yes, Brady's three Super Bowl rings and two Super Bowl MVPs outweigh Favre's totals of one apiece.

However, in just about every other category (except for quarterback rating), Favre makes Brady look like a chump.

There's no need to list all of them here, but Favre's all-time best totals of 71,838 passing yards, 6,300 completions, 10,169 attempts and 508 touchdowns are about as untouchable as it gets for anyone, not just Brady.

And, despite two short stints with the New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings to end his career, Favre will still forever be the face of football in Green Bay.

Peyton Manning

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INDIANAPOLIS, IN - JANUARY 08: Quarterback Peyton Manning #18 of the Indianapolis Colts looks to pass against the New York Jets during their 2011 AFC wild card playoff game at Lucas Oil Stadium on January 8, 2011 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Jets won 17

In fact, forget about catching up to Brett Favre.

Tom Brady might never keep pace with the career accomplishments of "arch rival" Peyton Manning.

In just two more seasons than Brady (well, three more if you count Brady's lost season in 2008), Manning has four NFL MVPs to Brady's one, eight All-Pro and 11 Pro Bowl selections amidst accumulating 54,828 yards, 399 touchdowns, a completion percentage of 64.9 and a quarterback rating of 94.9, nearly identical to that of Brady.

Manning has been far more consistent than Brady over the course of his career and would likely have more postseason awards on his mantle if not for absence of a strong defense year after year, a la Dan Marino in Miami.

Johnny Unitas

Comparing Tom Brady to the older greats is a bit difficult, as the game of football today is very different from what it was back in the 1950s and the 1960s.

Nonetheless, if Brady is to earn consideration as the greatest NFL quarterback of all time, he must do so in comparison to all of the best, not just the most recent ones.

The trek back in time naturally begins with Baltimore Colts legend Johnny Unitas.

"The Golden Arm" sits at or near the top of just about everyone's list of the all-time greats, and for good reason. 

Johnny U has as many championships as Brady does, having won two NFL championships before the creation of the Super Bowl to go along with his ring from Super Bowl V. Additionally, Unitas' 10 Pro Bowl appearances, seven All-Pro selections and three NFL MVP awards still outpace Brady's totals.

Statistically, Unitas' numbers, 40,239 yards and 290 touchdowns, are still ahead of Brady's, though they are far from beyond the reach of the Patriots quarterback. However, Unitas' record of 47 consecutive games with a touchdown pass still stands today and isn't likely to be broken by Brady or anyone else anytime soon.

But perhaps Unitas' most important accomplishment, one that can never be replicated, is the fact that he was instrumental in the ascension of professional football into the American sports conscience.

All Brady can hope for is a strengthening of the reputation of the game that Unitas made so popular.

Fran Tarkenton

Once Unitas helped lift football into the ranks of legitimate professional sports, he handed the baton of quarterback leadership off to Fran Tarkenton.

The former Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants great was the Brett Favre of his day, retiring with just about every passing record to his name, including yardage (47,003) and touchdowns (342).

Brady still trails Tarkenton in those categories, as well as in Pro Bowls (nine) and All-Pro appearances (three).

Tarkenton and Brady are even at one NFL MVP apiece, though Tarkenton never once won a Super Bowl ring or was named Super Bowl MVP.

So Where Does Brady Stand?

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FOXBORO, MA - JANUARY 02: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots celebrates a touchdown by teammate BenJarvis Green-Ellis in the first quarter against the Miami Dolphins on January 2, 2011 at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Elsa

As of right now, it's difficult to place Tom Brady ahead of any of these quarterbacks in the NFL history books without significant backlash.

Though Brady owns the advantage in postseason accomplishments over most of the aforementioned combatants, he still has a ways to go to catch any of them in terms of statistics, Pro Bowls, NFL MVPs and All-Pro teams.

That being said, Brady still has plenty of quality football left in him, assuming he remains relatively healthy for the rest of his career and decides to play into his late thirties.

As such, Brady may very well go down as one of the all-time greats, if not the very best. However, a fair evaluation of the Patriot's place in history will have to wait, though a fourth ring from Super Bowl XLV would certainly advance his case even further.