When using the eye test it is clear to many that Tom Brady is one of the best quarterbacks in the league as well as all-time. When you dig into the statistics and the QBR behind Brady’s recent seasons though, it reveals that maybe the Golden Boy isn't a top five quarterback anymore.
According to Sam Monson over at Pro Football Focus, Brady has been in a steady decline for years now. When you take into account the pressure of being the Golden Boy and his early success, its hard to fathom that Brady hasn't declined faster.
Manning is the standard by which all quarterbacks are measured, and Rodgers and Brees remain worthy of places on the quarterback Mount Rushmore, but Brady has slipped below passers like Philip Rivers (if he maintains his 2013 performance level) and Ben Roethlisberger. Russell Wilson has already led his team to the Super Bowl and has shown a Brady-like knack for making plays at the right time. Andrew Luck is well on his way to surpassing Brady if the Indianapolis Colts can give him a little more help.
Brady remains good enough to keep the Patriots in the Super Bowl mix; he won't become a bad player overnight. But for the first time, it appears that Brady's career has a shelf life, and time is ticking down on it. Perhaps the Pats drafted second-round QB Jimmy Garoppolo at just the right time.
Regardless of what the numbers tell me, I am still taking Brady in the top five if I need to win one football game. Throw out the likes of Russell Wilson, Phillip Rivers and Andrew Luck for now as Brady has been doing this for much longer. Brady is most definitely on the decline, but perhaps Peyton Manning’s historic 2013 has added to the Brady criticism just a tad. Brady can still play and has the Patriots in contention year after year with subpar weapons at his disposal.
[ESPN]
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