NFL Fact or Fiction: Tom Brady Is the Best QB in the NFL

Fiction. Just ask Eli Manning and everyone that was tuned in Sunday. 

Tom Brady may have the most successful resume of all active quarterbacks, and when he lets it grow he may have the thickest, most voluptuous hair, and he definitely has the most attractive significant other, but he is no longer the league's best quarterback.

The once-invincible "Golden Boy," Brady has looked beatable and shaky of late. He and his partner in crime, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, seem to have lost a step. That being said, Brady is still a first-ballot Hall of Fame inductee and as long as he is healthy, his team is still in contention to vie for the Super Bowl.

This year, however, he is clearly not the league's best because he is no longer doing certain things better than everyone else. Here are the five things Brady is no longer the best at doing and a couple of guys who do them better.

Minimal Use of the Play-Action

Remember the days when the Patriots used to have a top-notch run game? It's been so long sometimes I forget. This is far from Tom Brady's fault but at the same time, when discussing the league's best quarterback, you need to discuss play-action.

You can be elite without the help of a run game. But you cannot be the best without the run. A good running back is a great quarterback's best friend, and unfortunately for The Golden Boy, he doesn't have that best friend by his side this season.

The Patriots have the league's 19th-best rushing offense this year. Couple their lack of depth at the running back position with their ever-present inability to throw the ball deep down the field and one aspect of Brady's game has been taken away just like that.

Young quarterbacks like Cam Newton and Christian Ponder are using the play-action tremendously but Brady unfortunately cannot.

Poor Body Language

Frustration is to be expected. It comes with the territory. You're one of the best quarterbacks of all time. You command the spotlight on one of the league's most prolific franchises and when push comes to shove, you are the face of the league. You are also a dedicated workhorse that is constantly striving for perfection.

When Brady doesn't attain the perfection he so strives for, or when he isn't even "great" out there, it shows—often times the way a young child pouts because his parents won't let him play with his favorite toy or eat as many cookies as he wants. Trust me, I love Tom Brady—I'm only 20 years old and for as long as I have been seriously watching sports, he's been "the man."

But he isn't perfect, and neither is his attitude.

This past Sunday night, he and Giants quarterback Eli Manning seemed to switch rolls. Brady threw a couple of interceptions and lost a fumble, and on each turnover you could see him screaming and yelling, throwing fists and stomping around. His tantrum culminated in a sideline water bottle toss for the ages.

Brady is clearly frustrated but he needs to step back and realize the way he conducts himself is a reflection of his team and his organization; he is much better than the way he has been playing and the way he has been acting.

Plenty of quarterbacks around the league this year have stepped up as leaders, even young stars such as Andy Dalton, yet Brady has been overtly cranky lately. 

Not a Good Rushing Quarterback

The one thing Brady has never been able to do throughout his decade of dominance is effectively run the ball. He and his foil Peyton Manning have always been "statues" in the pocket. This is not necessarily a bad thing considering Brady's success throughout his career, but it wouldn't hurt to have another weapon in your arsenal.

Through nine weeks, Brady has only ran the ball nine times for 37 yards. That is the seventh-fewest rushes and fifth-fewest yards among active quarterbacks. The longer Brady plays in the NFL and the longer he decides he wants to sit in the pocket, the easier it gets for defenses.

Opposing teams do not need to draw up plays or specific schemes for the "what if" involving Brady's legs. The fewer things Brady can throw at his opponents, the worse off he is. He has never been a great runner so it is impractical to expect that to change, but the position itself is slowly changing and since Brady is not on board with that change, it is affecting his ability to be dominant.

Notable quarterbacks that can rush the ball effectively include Aaron Rodgers, Cam Newton, Michael Vick, Tim Tebow, Josh Freeman and even Big Ben Roethlisberger.

Not the League's Strongest Arm

Once upon a time, in 2007, Tom Brady threw for over 4,800 yards and 50 touchdowns while leading his team to an undefeated regular season. Brady was on top of the world until that ill-fated night in the Arizona desert. 

Let's go ahead and throw away the 2008 season because Brady spent the season recovering from a gruesome injury. In 2009, he threw for 4,400 yards and in 2010 he threw for 3,900 yards. Like I said earlier, I love Tom Brady, but the fact of the matter is, he is falling off slightly year in and year out.

At the beginning of his decade of dominance, he had a young and healthy Deion Branch and in the prime of his career he had a record-breaking Randy Moss lining up to his right on each down. Today, he has three of the league's best slot guys and check-down options but no deep threat (sorry Chad). 

Even if the threat were there for him to utilize, his arm would still not be the strongest. Just ask Drew Brees.

Poor Decision-Making

As with a couple of the previous reasons Brady has fallen off, this one is not entirely his fault either. Since starting the season hot throwing seven touchdowns and just one interception in his first two games, Brady has thrown 13 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Not the most solid ratio in the NFL.

The Patriots' lack of a run game and Brady's lack of weapons have forced his hand. He is staring down his preferred target more often than he used to and he is also trying force balls into windows in which they don't fit.

His decision-making has been poor of late but you can't entirely fault him for it; he is doing what he can with the weapons at his disposal. However, as long as his touchdowns-to-interceptions ratio is anywhere near 13-to-9 I cannot call him the league's best quarterback whatsoever.