Tom Brady: Why He's the Best Quarterback in the NFL Today

If there is one constant on most people's lists, it's that Tom Brady is the best quarterback in the NFL today, based on his career accomplishments and his MVP season in 2010. Brady has the most Super Bowl victories among active quarterbacks, with three, and he has two Super Bowl MVPs. 

People may say that Brady has struggled in the postseason recently, like in the 2009 playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens when he threw three interceptions. However, Brady led the Patriots to ten consecutive playoff wins from 2001 to 2005.

People must remember that the current Patriots teams aren't as dominant as they were earlier in the 2000s, and this is a huge reason why they haven't been succeeding in the playoffs.

This year, Brady had a nine-to-one touchdown to interception ratio. What makes this number even more impressive is that Brady was surrounded by mediocre receivers, an aging offensive line, and rookie tight ends. He made Deion Branch, who had disappeared in Seattle, relevant again. After he was traded back to New England, his numbers skyrocketed.

In 2008, Branch had 412 receiving yards in eight games. In 2009, his numbers declined even further, pretty much telling everyone that his career was over. He had 437 receiving yards and two touchdowns in 14 games. Then, in his first four games in Seattle in 2010, he only had one touchdown and 112 yards.

After the trade, Branch's numbers exploded. He scored five touchdowns with 706 receiving yards in 11 games. 

Coincidence?

Tom Brady makes everybody better. This season, he had a guy named Danny Woodhead as one of his primary targets. Woodhead had been cut by the Jets earlier this season. There's no doubt that if Mark Sanchez was his quarterback, Woodhead would not have had the numbers he had this year. In New England, Woodhead played with Brady, and Brady raised his game. 

It's unbelievable what Tom Brady can do when he does have talent on his team. In 2007, when Randy Moss was on the Patriots, he threw for 50 touchdowns, setting an NFL record. Imagine if Brady had a Jerry Rice on his team the same way Joe Montana did. He would eclipse Montana's totals.

He would have a couple more Super Bowl victories under his belt. Brady has done all of this with minimal help. 

It's important to see that one aspect of the game that Brady has honed since his rookie season is his reluctance to throw interceptions. He set a record for most consecutive pass attempts without throwing an interception to start a career when he was a rookie.

This past year, he broke the record for most consecutive passes thrown overall without an interception, and he will continue building that ongoing streak whenever the NFL season starts.

Brady has consistently defeated his nemesis, Peyton Manning, in the playoffs and in the regular season. As great as Peyton is, he's had the benefit of having better receivers on his team, like Reggie Wayne and Marvin Harrison.

Manning, like Brady, has turned no-names into big names, including guys like Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon. However, Manning's struggles in the playoffs put him behind Brady. 

One guy that can eclipse Brady eventually is Aaron Rodgers. He picked up his first title recently, but it's hard to see him getting three, when other quarterbacks, like Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco, Mark Sanchez, Sam Bradford and Andrew Luck are emerging.

It's come to a point that even if Brady doesn't win another Super Bowl, we can still put him as one of the top three quarterbacks of all time. If he can win one more, it woudn't be too crazy to put him ahead of Montana.

Once again, Brady never had Jerry Rice. Montana had him for most of his career. 

Oh, and for those who say Bill Belichick cheated, and that's why Brady has three Super Bowls, please note that Denver cheated as well, and they finished in last place in the AFC West. Looking at tapes isn't that much of an advantage, especially when it's grainy footage.

Who knows if other teams are doing it? Maybe Green Bay was doing the same thing this year, and we just didn't catch them.

What Belichick did wasn't right, but to say that what he did overshadows Brady's accomplishments is absolutely ridiculous.