Joe Montana
By COLE BREDAHL
There has never been a better quarterback than Joe Montana. His dominance of the NFL throughout his sixteen years proves his greatness. Montana won all four of the Super Bowls he played in and earned MVP in three of these. He also won two NFL MVPs.
Analysts love to throw numbers around to prove their points, but numbers are not a completely accurate measure of greatness. Montana may not have the numbers that many quarterbacks have today, but the NFL has become a more pass-heavy league since Montana’s playing days, so it’s unfair to compare quarterbacks from different eras just based on passing stats.
Championships are what matter. Montana has a perfect 4-0 record in Super Bowls, and he was dominant in those games, throwing eleven touchdowns and no interceptions.
Perhaps the biggest change in the NFL in the last ten years is player safety. Quarterbacks had targets on their backs in the eighties. Today, they are coddled in order to keep them healthy. Joe Montana battled numerous injuries throughout his career, like severe back and elbow injuries, and still managed to thrive.
Joe Montana battled through much more adversity than Tom Brady ever has. Austin can say all he wants about Brady, but anyone who needs to cheat to win is not the GOAT.
Tom Brady
BY AUSTIN SHONE
At 39 years old, Tom Brady cemented himself as the greatest NFL quarterback of all time by winning his record fifth Super Bowl ring in dramatic fashion earlier this month. Brady also set other championship game records with 43 completions and 446 passing yards, leading his New England Patriots to a 34-28 come-from-behind victory.
Sure, there may be quarterbacks with more raw talent, better statistics and more records than Brady, but look at the numbers that matter. In 17 seasons, Brady has a winning percentage of .774, owns 14 division championships, has played in 11 AFC championship games and has won five out of seven Super Bowls. He helped build a dynasty, and that’s what people will really remember.
Is Brady a villain? Of course. He is a sixth-round pick who got way farther than anyone thought he would. He married a gorgeous Brazilian supermodel and never stopped winning. The haters are just jealous. Brady has earned everything he’s gotten, and he’s earned the right to be the GOAT.
Cole will tell you Montana’s the best because he never lost a Super Bowl, but Brady has a better playoff record than Montana at 21-8 and has thrown more Super Bowl and playoff touchdowns than Montana. Jump off the hate train, Cole – Brady isn’t even done yet, the Patriots are favored to win it all again next year because of him.
Brady has accomplished more than any QB this side of Otto Graham (and maybe Bart Starr). He has done it without the cast of all-stars that Montana had. But, would Brady have done better with those 49ers than Montana? How would he have done against LT’s (and Belicheck’s) NY Giants? Or Buddy Ryan’s defenses (before anyone had seen anything like them). Conversely, how would Montana do with any of Brady’s teams? And how would Montana do with current rules? Now, boil it down to this: you have first pick for an all-time team to win one game. Brady or Montana? For me, it’s always going to be Montana. But no one in the Suor Bowl era has acccomplished more than Brady.