The Student Newspaper of Saint Peter's Prep

The Petroc

The Student Newspaper of Saint Peter's Prep

The Petroc

The Student Newspaper of Saint Peter's Prep

The Petroc

The G.O.A.T: Joe or Tom?

The G.O.A.T: Joe or Tom?

When discussing professional sports, simply uttering the phrase “greatest of all-time” conjures images in one’s mind of championships, MVP awards, and records being broken. It also raises a ton of controversy. One of the most passionately contested “greatest of all-time” debates is the one over the greatest NFL quarterback ever. The conversation usually comes down to a few names, but the most dominant in this regard are typically Joe Montana and Tom Brady. The career statistics, overall team success, and even the controversies surrounding them are strikingly similar, so it is often hard to choose one over the other.

Tom Brady will forever be known for his dominance throughout the 2000’s, although his outstanding play has continued to this day. Having won four Super Bowls in six appearances at this point, with three coming in the span of four years, Brady has exemplified the way in which one player can help his whole team achieve greatness. In addition to a plethora of playoff success, Brady has bolstered his resumé with eye-popping career statistics including a career quarterback rating of 95.9, good for fifth all-time. The New England Patriot great’s achievements are even further cemented by his awards, which include two NFL MVP awards, four Super Bowl MVP trophies, and two First Team All-Pro selections. However, many wonder whether cheating has had something to do with the level of success experienced by Brady and the Patriots. Accusations range from spying on other teams’ walkthroughs and practices to deflating footballs, albeit several of these claims have been disproven. Do these claims mar Brady’s legacy and illegitamize his bid for being considered the G.O.A.T.?

Joe Montana’s career highlights are eerily similar to those of Tom Brady, which is part of the reason that this debate is such a tough one to make a decision about. Like Brady, he also has won four Super Bowls. The key difference between the playoff successes of these two players is that Joe Montana is undefeated in the big game while Tom Brady has been victorious in four out of his six appearances, having been trumped twice by the New York Giants. These facts could swing the momentum of the debate in either direction. Some argue that it is better to have a perfect record like Montana while others say that it is more impressive that Brady has made it to the mother of all football games as many times as he has. Obviously, though, the argument is not merely restricted to a discussion of postseason accolades. Looking at regular season statistics and awards, one can see that Joe Montana achieved a slightly lower quarterback rating than Tom Brady for his career; Montana’s QBR lies at 92.3. The two players have earned the same amount of regular season MVP awards, with each having won two, although it is conceivable that Brady could earn another. Montana has the upper hand in First Team All-Pro selections with three to Brady’s two. Outside of the statistics and trophies, another question lies: does the fact that Montana played prior to the salary cap era diminish his achievements at all? The general consensus in this regard is that Montana was certainly assisted by the lack of a salary cap, which enabled the San Francisco 49ers to put a formidable team around him. Still, this controversy weighing down on Montana’s legacy is not typically held against him too much in this argument against Brady on account of Brady’s own cheating scandals cancelling it out.

So, which of these two is the greatest NFL quarterback of all-time? That is like asking whether you prefer your milk to be 1% or 2%. There is hardly a difference between the two. The similarities between these legends make it difficult to even develop points favoring one over the other. Whatever your opinion on the matter, you must acknowledge that the game of football is better for having been played by both Tom Brady and Joe Montana.