We all know the season Tom Brady had he set records and he won the MVP so that should say it all. But I think we should take a look not only at Brady’s season but his remarkable career.
Everyone is well aware that Brady was a 6th round pick by the Patriots out of Michigan but I don’t think even the geniuses in the New England front office had this in mind when they selected the most important player in team history in April 2000.
Brady set or tied 10 franchise records and 18 NFL records this season. While his record setting season is one for the ages, it’s just a small part of what maybe one of the best careers ever for a NFL quarterback.
Among quarterbacks in the Super Bowl era Brady has the top regular season winning percentage. With a minimum of 50 starts the top three are:
- Tom Brady New England 86-24 .782
- Roger Staubach Dallas 85-29 .726
- Joe Montana San Francisco/Kansas City 117-47 .713
He is tied for the most wins in his first 100 starts:
- Tom Brady 76
- Roger Staubach 76
- Ken Stabler 72
- Terry Bradshaw 68
- Joe Montana 68
- Brett Favre 68
He is the second winningest QB in the playoffs:
- Bart Starr .900 9-1
- Tom Brady .867 13-2
- Jim Plunkett .800 8-2
Since 1970 the winningest quarterback/coach combo’s are:
- Brady/Belichick 86-24 .782
- Manning/Dungy 73-23 .760
- Stabler/Madden 60-19-1 .756
- McMahon/Ditka 46-15 .754
But where Brady really excels is in the close calls and comeback wins. A close call is defined as a game won by less than a touchdown and a comeback win is a win from a fourth quarter deficit or tie. In these two categories Brady is amazing.
In close call games he is 30-5 (6-1 in post season) and he has 28 comeback wins including 6 of his 13 playoff victories and 3 times in Super Bowls. The 28 comeback wins are the most for any quarterback since 2001.
This season alone he had 4 games in each category and they were the same four games.
- Nov 4 at Indy he was trailing 20-10 with 9:42 left to play and they won 24-20.
- Nov 25 v Phi he was trailing 28-24 with 15:00 left to play and they won 31-28.
- Dec 3 at Balt he was trailing 24-17 with 14:25 left to play and they won 27-24.
- Dec 29 at NYG he was trailing 28-23 with 15:00 left to play and they won 31-28.
For Brady it doesn’t matter if he’s at home or on the road his record is impeccable, including the playoffs he is 52-10 in Foxboro and 47-16 in all other stadiums. His 99-26 career mark also includes 39-2 on artificial turf, 76-3 when leading at halftime and 7-0 in overtime.
All I know is that on any given Sunday if his team is in striking distance he has to put fear into the other team. I know I wouldn’t want to be coaching or playing against the guy who has more comeback wins than anyone in the NFL in the last 7 seasons.
And just for your viewing pleasure here is a look in print at Brady’s 2007 season.
Franchise records set by Brady in 2007:
- Most touchdown passes in a season (50).
- Most passing yards in a season (4,806).
- Highest completion percentage in a season (68.9 pct.).
- Highest passer rating in a season (117.2).
- Most touchdown passes in a game (6, 10/21/07).
- Highest completion percentage in a regular-season or playoff game (92.9 percent, 26-28, 1/12/08).
- Most career touchdown passes (197).
- Highest single-game passer rating (158.3, 10/21/07).
- Highest touchdown-interception differential in a single season (+42)
- Most games with three or more touchdown passes in a season (12).
NFL records set by Brady this year:
- Most touchdown passes in a season (50).
- Highest completion percentage in a regular-season or playoff game (92.9 percent, 26-28, 1/12/08).
- Most games with three or more touchdown passes in a season (12).
- Highest touchdown-interception differential in a season (+42)
- Most consecutive games with three or more touchdown passes (10).
- Most consecutive games with three or more touchdown passes to begin a season (10 games, 9/9/07 to 11/18/07).
- Most touchdown passes in a single month (20, October).
- Most touchdown passes in first 10 games (38).
- Most touchdown passes in first nine games (33).
- Most touchdown passes in first eight games (30).
- Most touchdown passes in first seven games (27).
Most touchdown passes in first six games (21).- Most consecutive completions to begin a playoff game (16, 1/12/08).
- Most consecutive games with completion pct. of 75% or higher in a single season (4, 9/9/07 to 10/1/07).
- Most completions in first 100 passes of a season (79).
- Most touchdown passes in a game since 1970 AFL-NFL Merger (6 on 10/21/07; tied with 11 others).
- Highest single-game passer rating (perfect 158.3 rating, 10/21/07; 17th time since 1970).
- Most victories in first 100 starts in the Super Bowl Era (76, tied with Roger Staubach).
Awards won by Brady in 2007:
- Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player
- Associated Press All-Pro: First Team
- Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year
- Associated Press NFL Offensive Player of the Year
Sporting News Sportsman of the Year- AFC Pro Bowl Starter
- Pro Football Weekly/PFWA NFL Most Valuable Player
- Pro Football Weekly/PFWA All-NFL Team
- ESPN.com All-Pro Team
- Dr. Z’s SI.com All-Pro Team
- NFL Alumni Quarterback of the Year
- NFL 101 Award: AFC Offensive Player of the Year
- USA Today NFL Most Valuable Player
- Dallas Morning News NFL Most Valuable Player
- Fort Worth Star-Telegram NFL Most Valuable Player
- San Francisco Chronicle NFL Most Valuable Player
- San Francisco Chronicle Offensive Player of the Year
- San Francisco Chronicle All-Pro Team
- Fort Worth Star-Telegram All-Pro Team
AFC Offensive Player of the Month (Sept.)- AFC Offensive Player of the Month (Oct.)
- AFC Offensive Player of the Week (Wk. 3)
- AFC Offensive Player of the Week (Wk. 6)
- AFC Offensive Player of the Week (Wk. 7)
- AFC Offensive Player of the Week (Wk. 14)
- AFC Offensive Player of the Week (Wk. 17)
- FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week (Wk. 6)
- FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week (Wk. 7)
- FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week (Wk. 11)
- FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week (Wk. 17)
I think it’s safe to say that not only will Brady join the other great quarterbacks in Canton when his playing days are done, but he is putting in a claim for the best ever to play the position. If he were to quarterback another Super Bowl winning team I think the argument is no longer who is better Manning or Brady but who is the greatest Brady or Montana.
Blah, blah blah. We already know he’s good.
Interesting how Roger Staubach ranks high in those categories. Definitely reinforces how great that guy was.
I remember watching Staubach as a kid, I don’t think he and Bradshaw get the same amount of dap that guys like Montana, Elway and Marino get. I think part of that is because Staubach’s teams and Bradshaw’s teams were so well rounded, not that the others didn’t play on well rounded teams but I think the Broncos, Niners and Dolphins relied more on those great quarterbacks.
What a lot of people fail to remember as well is Staubach didn’t start his career until he completed his military service, so if he had those few extra years in his prime you know his numbers would have been even better. It’s kind of similar to what would Ted Williams have done if he didn’t serve in WWII and Korea.
I think what it comes down to is that all the guys on anyone’s greatest quarterback’s list are great athlete’s and deserve the reverance but today’s athlete’s are just so much bigger and better that the numbers are just being wiped off the pages. With that said I’m sure 10-15-20 years from now there will be some other “Brady”, “Manning”, “Montana”, “Staubach”, etc and all these records will be erased as well.
the funny thing is most cowboy fans don’t remember roger staubach. i did and its funny how much i hated him and tom landry. they were an awesome team i say that now seeing as a pats fan the hatred spewed in our direction w/ the pats season this year.
I’d really hate to think that “most Cowboy fans don’t remember Roger Staubach”, especially in a football crazed state like Texas where they name elementary schools after guys like him and Tom Landry (King of the Hill ref). I would say that the “bandwagon” Cowboys don’t remember or don’t know of him.
they mostly remember aikman, and the later superbowls they won. i have mentioned staubach which to me is the one who put the cowboys on the map, they seem to not know him. i’m not saying its all the fans but the ones i’ve come across seem to be around the later time. landry seems to be totally not remembered. its funny because i feel those are the cowboy teams that were the mark of the later run and its funny how they have been forgotten in a way. i’m no cowboy fan at all but its funny i know that history and most of there fans don’t.
If they dont remember the coach that ran the team for nearly 30 years they arent fans. As I said they’re bandwagoneers.