It seemed that the conversation of Tom Brady being the greatest quarterback of all-time was put to rest several years ago, especially after Peyton Manning withered away in his final season with the Denver Broncos which seemingly cemented Brady’s legacy as the best to ever play the position.
But there is one current NFL quarterback that doesn’t think the debate is over.
Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers believes that the GOAT debate is still an open race if you base it on his criteria, which comes down to more than winning Super Bowls.
“I remember thinking when the Patriots beat the Seahawks, when they had that interception against the Seahawks down (on the goal line) and that gave them what, their (fourth) championship?” Rivers said during an interview on “The Dan Patrick Show”. “You know everyone said, ‘Well, he’s now the greatest of all time.’ And I thought to myself, I already thought he was already one of (the greatest); I mean, how do you ever decide that?
“It’s like the old Michael Jordan (debate), right? We could talk about that forever, too. But I already thought he was already one of the greatest of all-time, but because they intercepted the pass, he’s now the greatest of all time? What if the Seahawks were to run it in? And the Seahawks were to have won? Brady would have just played the exact same game. He didn’t do anything different, you know?”
Rivers, who at 37 years old has not won a Super Bowl in his 15-year career with Los Angeles, believes that another former quarterback who never won the big game deserves to be in the conversation as the GOAT.
“That’s why I always think (Dan) Marino is right there in the mix, too,” Rivers said. “All these guys. You can’t just go off that (Super Bowl wins). I don’t think that you can. Not in this sport, especially.
“No, I don’t think I can say that. A Brady-led team versus a Rivers-led team, we’re (winless). That’s just tells you a little bit head-to-head.”
Rivers has a point, though it won’t be taken lightly by Patriots fans. Football is a team game, so counting Super Bowl wins as an individual accolade when comparing players can be a bit unfair.
It helps that Brady has been coached by the greatest head coach in the history of the sport, Bill Belichick, who has played a large part in the team’s success over the past two decades. However, some of the credit does deserve to be given to Brady, who performed at a high level during some of the biggest moments over the same time period, which has led to six championships for New England, and counting.
