This piece is entirely satirical as a part our April Fool’s edition, the Trinibonian.
Everyone has heard the narrative: Tom Brady is the greatest player in NFL history. Fans across the NFL, specifically Patriots and Buccaneers fans, are willing to die on this hill, citing his Super Bowls, comebacks, records, and intangibles. But the reality is that Tom Brady isn’t a Hall of Fame quarterback; he simply can’t be.
Sure, Tom Brady has more Super Bowls than any team — yes, team — in NFL history. Brady has been to the Super Bowl on ten occasions, winning seven. Brady stans will tell you that he’s been in over 17% of all Super Bowls and he has won over 12%, making him alone a substantial piece of NFL history. Brady fans will tell you that these numbers alone are enough to make him a Hall of Famer, but they’re not.
Yeah, it’s true: Tom Brady is the king of the comeback. It was never over when Tom Brady and the Patriots were down late in a game. Tom Brady has 46 fourth-quarter comebacks and 58 game-winning drives, including nine comebacks and 14 game-winning drives in the postseason. Tom Brady’s supporters will remind us that he came back from down 24 points against Denver, beat the Ravens in the 2014 Divisional despite being down 14 twice, and came back from down 12 to the Browns with just over a minute left. They’ll even take it a step further, reminding you that he came back from down ten against Jacksonville in the AFC championship game with a ripped-up thumb, came back from down 10 in the Super Bowl against the Seahawks after losing two straight Super Bowls, and how he even overcame a 25 point lead against Atlanta in Super Bowl 51. But Tom Brady is not a Hall of Fame quarterback.
It cannot be denied that Tom Brady was a record-breaking athlete. According to NBC Sports Boston, Tom Brady holds 35 different NFL records. Besides the records I’ve already mentioned, Brady’s admirers love to list Brady’s statistical records like most passing yards, touchdowns, and completions. They also list some of his records on winning games; wins by a quarterback, division titles, beating all 32 teams, and conference championship appearances. They’ll even explain his longevity records like most games started, oldest NFL MVP, and most seasons with one team. But no amount of records will change the fact: Brady isn’t a Hall of Famer.
Tom Brady possessed many of the intangible qualities that make a quarterback great. They say Brady was a leader. As former Patriots wide receiver Danny Amendola said in the recent “The Dynasty” documentary, “We worked for Bill, but we played for Tom.” They say Brady had heart and was the hardest worker on every team he played for, always fighting to prove the doubters wrong. They say that Brady knew the game better than anyone in NFL history. However, these factors can’t change the fact that Tom Brady is not a Hall of Famer.
I will concede to Brady that he is unequivocally the greatest quarterback and even player in the history of the NFL, and it isn’t debatable. But he’s not a Hall of Famer. He literally can’t be. The NFL Hall of Fame has a rule that says you must wait at least five years to be considered for the Hall of Fame. It has only been one season since Brady’s retirement. For this reason, Tom Brady is not a Hall of Famer. Oh wait, you thought I meant he won’t ever be in the Hall of Fame? … Happy April Fools’.
