Brady is not Montana...yet; Super Bowl XXXVIII wasn't the great(est):
Three quarters of ugly football turned into the most exhilarating 4th quarter in Super Bowl history. And Tom Brady's cool demeanor under pressure led his team to a second Super Bowl title in three years. Many have started to compare him to one of the game's best, Joe Montana. Montana won two Super Bowls very young just like Brady but he wasn't considered great until a 92 yard drive against Cincinnati in 1989.
The final Sunday in the NFL is becoming more and more about the people around the game instead of the two teams in the game. Both Carolina and New England ran out on the field together, showing the 140 million viewers that they were about to see a great game. But then...no offense and no scoring for 26:55. Both teams finally got on the scoreboard as the half came to a close and it looked like things would turn around.
A 45 minute halftime show followed by an untimely streaker slowed the players down again. The result: No scoring in the 3rd quarter. And then, just when these two teams seemed destined for a boring finish, DeShaun Foster woke everyone up. His tremendous run sparked a 15 minute onslaught of excitement that suddenly had people writing about a great thriller. The game had one the most amazing finishes but it also had sloppy offense, 12 penalties by Carolina alone, and two missed field goals by the eventual hero, Adam Vinatieri.
Super Bowl XXIII was better overall as was the 1979 Dallas and Pittsburgh battle for the team of the 1970's. The New York Giants thriller against Buffalo had people on the edge of their seats for 60 minutes. The St. Louis Rams and Tennesse Titans tackle at the one was a classic and the first Patriots game winning field goal two years ago was better too. So it wasn't the greatest. It was maybe the sixth greatest and just barely. One could argue that John Elway's first title against Green Bay was also a better game. Super Bowl V's last second field goal cannot be forgotten either.
Tom Brady was the winning quarterback so obviously he is automatically vaulted up to the elite of all-time. But hold on. Brady is a very good quarterback. He became the youngest QB in NFL history to win two Super Bowls. In that sense, you could say he is in a class by himself. But I would put Brady in the same company right now as the man who previously held that record, Troy Aikman. Aikman also was undefeated in his first two trips to the playoffs and won his first two Super Bowls. Then he won his third two years later. If Brady wins a title next year, he would be Aikman. Remember, the Patriots did not make the playoffs last year.
There is a reason that you don't make the Hall of Fame unless you have played a minimum amount of games. To be great, you have to be dominant for an extended period of time. Not twice in three years; Not for just 15 games. Brady has been as good as it gets in December and January when it matters the most. He does play with a calm that reminds many of Montana and other greats.
Terrell Davis had a great three year run too. He was the MVP of Elway's first Super Bowl title. He was on pace to break many all-time records after his 2,000 yard performance the following season and another Super Bowl. But a terrible knee injury ended his chances. Brady will have to be productive for five to seven more years before people should talk about Brady as the next great quarterback. But in a society without patience, we will have to put up with all the Brady hype...at least until Dontrelle Willis and Josh Beckett report to camp in two weeks for the Florida Marlins.