The most debatable sports topic in recent years is the G.O.A.T (Greatest of All-Time) conversation. It’s a discussion in which fans compare two elite athletes and try to determine who’s the best. Emmitt Smith versus Barry Sanders, Randy Moss versus Jerry Rice, Tom Brady versus Joe Montana, and the most popular of all, Michael Jordan versus Lebron James. Three of the four are still open for discussion. The Brady versus Montana case is officially closed. With 10 Super Bowl appearances and six rings, Tom Brady has solidified his position as the G.O.A.T of NFL quarterbacks. On Sunday, Feb. 7, Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers will face Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. If Brady is able to lead his team to victory, he will win his seventh Super Bowl ring. When Brady first entered the league, none of the coaches, scouts, or NFL experts could have predicted his incredible success as an NFL quarterback. Brady has orchestrated a legendary football career that can only be categorized as an iconic football journey. Deep in the shadows of Brady’s legendary run, we can reminisce about a couple of things that could have changed the course of history. These events are a few pivotal life-altering what-ifs.
With the first pick in the first round of the 1993 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots selected Drew Bledsoe, a strong-armed quarterback from Washington State University. In his first couple of seasons, Bledsoe showed gradual improvement. In the 1996 season, he led the Patriots to an 11-5 record. During the course of the playoffs, New England beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Divisional Round and the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC Championship game. In only his third year in the league, Drew Bledsoe helped the Patriots earn a trip to Super Bowl XXXI. Unfortunately for Bledsoe and the Patriots, they fell short of winning a championship as they lost to the Green Bay Packers by a score of 35-21.
Despite falling short in the Super Bowl, Drew Bledsoe proved he was the right choice in regards to being the franchise quarterback. In March of 2001, the New England Patriots placed all of their faith in Drew Bledsoe as they rewarded him with a then-record ten-year $103 million contract. The future of the organization appeared to be stable until Sept. 23, 2001. In a game versus the New York Jets, Drew Bledsoe took off running to his right. For some odd reason, as he was running in the direction of the sideline, he slowed down, then started running full speed again. Bledsoe’s hesitation allowed Jets linebacker Mo Lewis to get the perfect angle to land a devastating shot. Drew Bledsoe was down as he suffered a sheared blood vessel in his chest.
The franchise quarterback was out, and the unknown back-up Tom Brady was in. The Patriots went from the first pick in the 1993 draft to the 199th pick in the 2000 draft. They were forced to turn to a man who had okay arm strength and 5.28 speed. The sixth-round draft pick proved to be a pleasant surprise as Brady led the Patriots to an 11-5 regular-season record. In the Divisional Round matchup versus the Oakland Raiders, the Patriots trailed 13-10 with 1:50 left to go in the game. Brady’s former University of Michigan teammate Charles Woodson came on a corner blitz and delivered a hit, which caused Brady to fumble the ball. The Raiders recovered the ball, and the game seemed to be over. After the referees reviewed the play, they determined Brady’s arm was going forward, and it was an incomplete pass. The Patriots kept the ball due to the little known ‘tuck rule.’ Fortunately for the Patriots, they were able to tie the game and eventually win it in overtime. After defeating the Steelers in the AFC Championship, the Patriots pulled off a stunning upset in Super Bowl XXXVI versus the high octane St. Louis Rams.
The Super Bowl victory equated to the birth of a dynasty. Brady became the starting quarterback, and Drew Bledsoe was traded to the Bills. If you want to play devil’s advocate, you could start off with what if Drew Bledsoe would have continued to run full speed and successfully got out of bounds before Mo Lewis had a chance to hit him? Without Bledsoe suffering that gruesome injury, would Tom Brady’s career be known as him being a longtime back-up quarterback? Another key question is, what if the Charles Woodson play on Brady resulted in a fumble? Could we honestly say Brady and the Patriots would have bounced back and transitioned into the same dynasty? Could we even guarantee Brady would have kept the starting position after losing his first career playoff game? The fact of the matter is Tom Brady is a six-time champion and has a chance to earn a seventh on Feb. 7. His career path is legendary. He has the wins, the records, and the rings. Without question, he is the G.O.A.T of NFL quarterbacks, but it’s always fun to go back in time and ask the question, what if?
