It Begins or {possibly} Ends Here

I have been a football fan for as long as I can remember. I have seen some amazing players do some unbelievable things during that time. Incredible throws, ridiculous catches, and spectacular runs. Every time a player comes along, and shows the ability to consistently make these types of plays, they become stars in the league. Depending on how long these players are able to maintain their high level of gameplay, they may find themselves being mentioned in the same breath as the greatest to ever play their position. That is the natural progression for all athletes……except one.

The media push to elevate Patrick Mahomes to “GOAT” status, as fast as possible, has been unwavering. His every action on the football field looked upon the way someone would look at a new invention from DARPA….with utter wonder and amazement. Crazy runs. Unorthodox throws. Highlight reel plays on the regular. There is no denying that his meteoric rise, and clear next-level skills, are certainly worthy of the constant barrage of platitudes and exaltations he gets, but there is one moniker the sports media, and a lot of football fans, really WANT to give him. The next GOAT. And the reason for this……Tom Brady.

Let’s face it, Tom Brady IS the GOAT. Anyone arguing otherwise is either ignorant or biased. That’s a fact. Can he run like Michael Vick? No. Is he as accurate as Aaron Rodgers. Probably not. Can he throw the ball with the velocity of John Elway? Nope, can’t do that either. There are a lot of QB’s in history that can do things better than TB12, but winning isn’t one of them. He is the greatest winner in NFL history, and he did that as the quarterback. The field general. He’s not Robert Horry on the right team every year. He’s Michael Jordan. Jim Loscutoff went to 9 NBA Finals, and won 7, but we all know who was doing the heavy lifting on those teams, and don’t get me started on how many guys you’ve never heard of, that have World Series rings or Stanly Cup Championships from the Yankees or Canadiens. That’s not Tom. Brady LEAD his team to all the tiles he now has. That’s why he’s the GOAT.

However, from one generation to the next, fans and media trip over themselves trying to convince the masses that some new shiny toy, with 4 years in the league, will be better than the last one. Kobe is the next Mike. Crosby is the next Gretzky. Trout is the next A-Rod. Once in a great while it’s true, but more often than not, it isn’t. The only way to truly know if an athlete is better than another athlete is to wait and see, because comparing the first 4 years of the new toys stats, to the first 4 years of the old toys stats, is foolish. Jerry Rice had 264 catches for 4881 yards and 49 touchdowns in his first 4 seasons. Randy Moss’ numbers are better than those, but who is the GOAT? Admittedly, Randy is the 2nd best WR of all-time, but he’s not #1. The likely unattainable stats of Rice are a big part of it, but the 4 SB’s and 3 rings are the reason it is undeniable. Rings hold weight. They are THE tie-breaker, and the more you have, the better. The idea that Patrick Mahomes is going to go to 10 SB’s, and win 6 rings, is laughable. Especially considering the fact that Brady actually doing it, is laughable. That kind of thing just doesn’t happen in modern sports. It’s actually designed specifically to not happen, yet it did. So, the idea that the new toy is going to do even better is outrageous.

Now we are less than 2 weeks away from seeing these very men compete against each other in Super Bowl 55. There will be so many stories written about these quarterbacks in that time period. Most of them will have something to do with the new toy vs the old toy. However, in keeping with my wait and see mentality, the biggest story will be written when it’s over. It’s unfathomable to think that Mahomes will come anywhere near 6 rings, but if he wins a 2nd ring, in his 4th season, with a league MVP under his belt, the legend will continue to grow, and the moniker of GOAT will continue to gain traction, but that’s if he wins. If he loses, to 43 year old Tom Brady, then the chatter needs to cease and desist. If Tom can take HIS all-star offense to the Super Bowl, and beat Mahomes’ all-star offense, for a 7th ring, nobody should EVER try and make the argument that Mahomes will surpass Brady. EVER!!!! That argument will be over. How about we just enjoy Patrick’s career, and stop trying so damn hard to unseat the true GOAT. It’s stupid, and to be honest, it’s extremely unfair to Mahomes, and thoroughly disrespectful to Tom Brady.

Enjoy the game.