HOUSTON -- When the inevitable "best quarterback in the NFL" conversation comes around again and Peyton Manning's passing yards, Brett Favre's touchdown totals, Steve McNair's toughness and Donovan McNabb's versatility all get mentioned, feel free to plunk down these numbers: 32-12, 12, 7-0.
Since Tom Brady took over as the Patriots' starter on Sept. 30, 2001, the Patriots have won 32 of the 44 games he's started, including all three playoff games. An astounding 12 of those wins were games in which the Patriots either erased a fourth-quarter deficit or broke a fourth-quarter tie. More than a third of the Patriots' wins since he took over were fourth-quarter comebacks. Absurd.
No quarterback in league history has a better overtime record -- 7-0 in less than three seasons as a starter. The only three guys close were Kenny Stabler (6-1 in 15 years), Jim Kelly (6-2 in 11 years) and Terry Bradshaw (5-0 in 14 seasons).
In Sunday's 23-20 win over Houston, Brady offset ugly early mistakes with late-game brilliance. It was the latest evidence entered in the case for Brady being the best quarterback in the NFL and one of the most exciting late-game players this region's ever seen.
When it comes to leading a team, delivering in the clutch and simple athletic excellence, Tom Brady is the best there's been around here since Larry Bird's back forced him off the basketball court.
There, it's said. And now that it is, let's throw some more wood on the fire. Brady's impact on this franchise has been Bird-like. The Celtics added Larry Legend in 1980-81 and went from a 19-win team to a 60-win team. The Pats plugged in Brady two games into 2001 and went from 9-19 in the 28 games previously to one that's now won 39 times in the last 52 times it's taken the field (including preseason games). That's 75 percent.
Brady, like Bird, can play poorly all game and still ratchet up his work at the end. His focus is scary. His self-confidence is total. He's got arrogance and horse-sense. And there's absolutely no question that he has the ability to make his teammates better. Anybody heard from Jermaine Wiggins lately?
The trouble with making a cross-sport comparison is that Brady can't "take over" a game the way a Bird or Michael Jordan could. He won't make any goal-line tackles, like Ted Washington did Sunday, or overtime interceptions (Mike Vrabel), or backfield tackles to push offenses out of field-goal position in overtime (Willie McGinest).
If any of those things hadn't happened Sunday, maybe Brady's overtime record would be 6-1. And you can go right down the line with examples of players other than Brady who've figured prominently into several of the last 32 wins. For instance, who gets more credit for the Snow Bowl win, the quarterback or the kicker who kicked a 45-yarder in a blizzard?
One great way to cheapen Brady's accomplishments is to pretend he's the sole owner of the team's won-lost record. He isn't. And presenting it that way would cheapen the argument. No one guy is ever to thank for the wins; no one guy is to blame for the losses. But no one can ignore the fact that the one player prominent in every single one of those wins was the quarterback.
He's infused this entire team with a feeling that, if they just get the ball in his hands, good things will follow. And when the numbers get as convincing as they are with Brady at the controls, conclusions can be reached.
The reason the Patriots are so impressive as a team is that there's implicit and total confidence that people will do their jobs. Coaches, players, personnel staff, special teams -- they all figure into the 75 percent success rate. But on every football team, how well the quarterback plays decides the mood of the franchise.
And the mood here?
"I sense a special feeling here," said newly signed wide receiver J.J. Stokes after the Patriots came back to beat Houston. "It's the same feeling I sensed in my first and second year in San Francisco (1995 and '96, when Steve Young was quarterbacking). When we took the field we had a feeling of confidence and a feeling that, "We're gonna get the job done no matter the circumstance.' I get that sense here. That feeling that we'll bust our butts and take advantage of whatever we have to. It's great to be around this."
To be around greatness.
