Whether you like the New England Patriots or not, you have to respect Tom Brady and everything he has achieved during his NFL career. When Brady was selected with the 199th overall pick in the NFL draft back in 2000, nobody expected him to start a handful of games for the Patriots – let alone go on to become one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.

Since joining the Patriots, Brady has exceeded all expectations and then some. Prior to this season, he had led the organization to the Super Bowl six times, winning four of those games. Meanwhile, he has been named in the Pro Bowl on 12 separate occasions – an incredible achievement to say the least.

Brady now has the opportunity to rewrite the history books in the Super Bowl against Dan Quinn’s Atlanta Falcons on February 5th. His legacy speaks for itself but a fifth Super Bowl ring would stand him tall as the greatest quarterback to take the field. The Patriots star was on another level against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship game; completing 76.2% of his pass attempts for 384 yards and three touchdowns.

But out of Brady’s long list of outstanding accolades, his accomplishments this year might just trump them all. At the age of 39, Brady has turned back the clock to record career high statistics in a number of important categories. He has recorded his second highest passer rating, finished the regular season with a 28-2 touchdown to interception ratio and completed 67.4% of his attempts… and he did all of it without star tight-end and future Hall of Famer Rob Gronkowski.

When you sit down and compare Brady’s statistics and records to his rivals at the position, it is easy to see just why the New England man is regarded as the very best. Joe Montana will take his 100% record in the postseason to the grave but Brady can eclipse the San Francisco 49ers legend with victory in this year’s Super Bowl. The Patriots quarterback has won 24 playoff games during his longstanding NFL career – eight more than second-placed Montana.

Tom Brady's performance vs. #Steelers was one of the best of his NFL record 24 playoff wins – #Patriots @DJ_Bean https://t.co/hyE9qCzLsg

— CSN New England (@CSNNE) January 23, 2017

Of course, the “greatest quarterback” is subjective – but from an objective perspective, it is very easy to label Brady as the best of all time. After all, he is on the verge of surpassing his elite rivals at the position in terms of success but how big of an influence has New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick been to Brady’s achievements?

When it comes to coaches, Belichick is in a class of his own. Without a shadow of a doubt, Belichick is the greatest head coach of all time and you could even claim that, despite Brady’s talent, he is a product of the 64-year-old’s system at Foxborough. As of January 23rd, bet365 NFL betting markets have the Patriots at -137.50 to win the Vince Lombardi Trophy for the fifth time and both Brady and Belichick will be key to their chances against the Falcons.

Brady will be remembered for his unrivalled success at the position and a fifth ring will confirm his status as the greatest player of all time. Belichick’s presence has helped Brady along the way but the New England man has done incredible things to maintain his place at the top of the rankings. All eyes will now be on an exciting matchup against Matt Ryan on February 5th as Brady looks to fully cement his spot as the greatest player of all time.

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