New England quarterback Tom Brady is suddenly an aging legend seeking to prove forever more that he is the best of his generation. He was a three-time Super Bowl champion by age 28 but hasn’t won the Lombardi Trophy since the 2004 season. Instead, contemporaries Ben Roethlisberger (twice), Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers have taken what once seemed Brady’s annual right.
Brady is entering the final act of his career at 34. Denver counterpart Tim Tebow is calling him “Mr. Brady” as the two teams get ready for Saturday’s AFC playoff game.
Winning another Super Bowl would tie Brady with Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana but would make him the oldest among the trio to get his fourth ring. It would tie him with Ken Dawson and Bart Starr as the fifth-oldest Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks. John Elway won at ages 37 and 38. Johnny Unitas was 37, Jim Plunkett 36 and Roger Staubach 35.
It’s bizarre to think of Brady as an old player. His hair still looks perfect. He’s married to a supermodel and has beautiful young children. It’s so easy to flash back 10 years to his first title and freeze the frame.
But the NFL eventually is cruel to everyone. Brady was a play away from a 19-0 record and his fourth Super Bowl victory in 2007 before the New York Giants stole it. Since then, Brady has suffered a season-ending injury in the 2008 opener and first-game postseason losses to Baltimore and the New York Jets the past two years.
The Patriots were rewarded with a first-round bye after a 12-4 mark. Brady is a game away from the AFC championship, two from the Super Bowl. It’s tantalizingly close.
“There’s definitely a heightened sense of intensity because you’ve got one game,” Brady said. “Trying to control your level of emotions where it doesn’t interfere with your level of execution is important, but sometimes you can’t control that.”
It’s not like Brady’s declining. The seven-time Pro Bowl selection was second in the NFL with 5,235 yards passing. His 105.6 passing rating, 39 touchdowns and .656 completion percentage were among the top four.
Not bad for the 199th overall selection and seventh quarterback taken in 2000 behind Chad Pennington, Marc Bulger and five others you won’t remember.
Elway, now Denver’s vice president, said Brady’s among the top three passers ever — without noting the other two. Certainly, Brady’s 3,397 career completions, 39,979 yards, 96.4 rating and three rings will make him a first-ballot Hall of Famer like Bradshaw and Montana.
But can Brady extend his legacy, or will he go the final decade of his career without a championship? Surely this game gives him a good chance. Brady passed for 320 yards while throwing for two scores and running one in himself in the 41-23 victory over Denver on Dec. 18.
Captain America won’t fade away. Not yet, at least.
Examiner columnist Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more on Twitter @Snide_Remarks or email [email protected].
