Who’s the greatest of all time? Everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion, which is why all-time great debates will never go away — but facts don’t lie.
EA Sports let their opinion be known when they released “Madden 18” with G.O.A.T. Edition displayed prominently above an image of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. However undeniably amazing it is, one glance at all of Brady’s accolades during his seemingly never-ending career is enough to make any non-Patriots fan sick. A sixth-round draft pick in the 2000 NFL Draft, it’s an understatement to say he has vastly exceeded expectations.
In addition to holding Patriots single-season records for passing yards (5,235), completions (402) and touchdown passes (50), Brady is a five-time…show more content… Comparing Joe Montana to Brady, as is often done in the G.O.A.T. quarterback debate, is like comparing apples to bananas.
We’re living in an era of explosive offenses, and a 400-yard passing game in the 90s would’ve been an astronomical accomplishment. These days, it isn’t uncommon.
NFL rules have drastically changed the way the game is played since Montana retired. At the annual owners meetings in 1994, the NFL competition committee passed a package of new rules with a goal of boosting offensive production. At the time, games had grown stale as scoring was down, resulting in a less exciting product for fans. During the season prior to the rule overhaul, there was a significant decrease in touchdowns and yardage gained, an increase in field goals and teams averaged less than two touchdowns per game. It was becoming a predictable game, and in the sports world, predictability is…show more content… Helmet transmitters were also implemented in 1994, allowing coaches to communicate with quarterbacks in real time. In 2008, coach-to-defense communications systems were also put in place.
Perhaps not as compelling, but still impactful, is NFL expansion’s effect. The league expanded by three teams (Carolina Panthers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Baltimore Ravens) in the two years following Montana’s 1994 retirement. To the casual fan, it’s minor. However, by the nature of athletics, the league was more diluted in talent base post-expansion.
The pool of high-end players was spread more thin among 31 teams (Houston Texans didn’t enter the league until 2002) versus the 28 teams during Montana’s career. Therefore, Brady is competing against teams not as fully stocked. Further evidence to the point, during most of Montana’s era, NFL roster limits were at 47. Rosters today are at
