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If Tom Brady had won all 10 Super Bowls?

doubledragondoubledragon Posts: 23,269 ✭✭✭✭✭

If Brady had won all 10 of his Super Bowls, how do you think he would be viewed, as hands down the greatest athlete of all-time?

Comments

  • SanctionIISanctionII Posts: 12,117 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Define "greatest athlete".

    Does the term include physical items such as:

    1. fastest;

    2. quickest;

    3. strongest;

    4. ambidextrous;

    5. best vision;

    6. best coordination;

    7. best flexibility;

    8. best reaction time;

    9. best hearing;

    10. longest career playing at an all pro level;

    11. fewest injuries; and/or

    12. best and longest endurance.

    Does the term also include mental items such as:

    1. high intelligence;

    2. the ability to receive sensory input, process information, make decisions and make output almost instantaneously;

    3. the ability to connect with one's teammates and coaches in a positive way;

    4. the ability to be an effective leader; and/or

    5. the ability to be single minded in purpose, devoting 100% of one's waking hours to the chosen sport?

    Since football is a team game (with 22 players, 11 on offense and 11 on defense required to be on the field, plus the need for back ups) I do not think that any football player can be considered to be the greatest athlete.

    If the term includes predominantly physical items then I would say that a person who participates in an individual sport is more likely to be viewed as being the greatest athlete. For example a decathlete. I expect that some special forces members would also be candidates for being the greatest athlete (it would be interesting to see how an all pro professional athlete would perform in a special forces training regimen).

  • perkdogperkdog Posts: 30,636 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Nope, there would still be Montana fans, and Marino, Elway ect ect

    Without any doubt they would still not say that Brady was the best

    He is already a legend for us New England fans, it would be hard to even love the guy any more than we already do

  • RiveraFamilyCollectRiveraFamilyCollect Posts: 630 ✭✭✭✭

    Tom Brady is 6'4.
    For Tom to be the greatest athlete he would need to not have such a physical advantage. If a 5'6 QB achieved what Tom did it would be far more impressive.

    The substantial truth doctrine is an important defense in defamation law that allows individuals to avoid liability if the gist of their statement was true.

  • stevekstevek Posts: 28,991 ✭✭✭✭✭

    No, that was Jim Thorpe.

  • dallasactuarydallasactuary Posts: 4,322 ✭✭✭✭✭

    If Tom Brady, as opposed to the Patriots or Bucs, had won ANY Super Bowls, that would have been the greatest athletic achievement of all time. But I think it would take Superman to win a Super Bowl against an entire team of opponents.

    If the question is "what if Tom Brady's teams had won 10 Super Bowls" then my opinion of Brady individually would remain identically the same as it is now, as should everyone's.

    This is for you @thisistheshow - Jim Rice was actually a pretty good player.
  • Basebal21Basebal21 Posts: 3,448 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Is the question athlete or career success?

    In terms of sheer athletic ability he doesnt even come close and other than arm strength would be considered well below average in the totality of athletes in various sports for speed/agility etc even if he won 20 SBs. Theres still ice hockey, baseball, basketball, MMA, Boxing, Soccer, Tennis, and lacrosse even if all the Olympic sports are ignored.

    If its career success theres never going to be a consensus on that but I dont really think much would change in terms of hows hes viewed from a couple more titles. He clearly had a tremendous career. Theres players in other sports that have been more dominate even if they dont have the rings to show it, and all the which sport/position is harder starts to get involved

    He should have had one more than he did though with that dropped INT

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  • dallasactuarydallasactuary Posts: 4,322 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Basebal21 said:

    He should have had one more than he did though with that dropped INT

    On the other side of the ledger, there's the one Pete Carroll gifted him.

    This is for you @thisistheshow - Jim Rice was actually a pretty good player.
  • pdoidoipdoidoi Posts: 656 ✭✭✭✭

    @dallasactuary said:

    @Basebal21 said:

    He should have had one more than he did though with that dropped INT

    On the other side of the ledger, there's the one Pete Carroll gifted him.

    And the 2 the Giants won.

  • JoeBanzaiJoeBanzai Posts: 11,789 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Individual players don't win Super Bowls, TEAMS do.

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  • MaywoodMaywood Posts: 2,097 ✭✭✭✭✭

    as hands down the greatest athlete of all-time

    Not to take anything away from Brady but he was really a one-dimensional athlete,

  • JoeBanzaiJoeBanzai Posts: 11,789 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Am I the only one here SICK of how people just WORSHIP this guy?
    Get some reality people, he certainly wasn't a great athlete.

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  • perkdogperkdog Posts: 30,636 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @JoeBanzai said:
    Am I the only one here SICK of how people just WORSHIP this guy?
    Get some reality people, he certainly wasn't a great athlete.

    No, your a Minny guy not a New England guy so you should be sick of hearing his name lol

  • JoeBanzaiJoeBanzai Posts: 11,789 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @perkdog said:

    @JoeBanzai said:
    Am I the only one here SICK of how people just WORSHIP this guy?
    Get some reality people, he certainly wasn't a great athlete.

    No, your a Minny guy not a New England guy so you should be sick of hearing his name lol

    NO, that's not it at all. I can appreciate greatness in any player regardless who they play for, but for gods sake he was no where near the greatest athlete of all time. To suggest he was is laughable.

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  • perkdogperkdog Posts: 30,636 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited April 25, 2024 3:10PM

    @JoeBanzai said:

    @perkdog said:

    @JoeBanzai said:
    Am I the only one here SICK of how people just WORSHIP this guy?
    Get some reality people, he certainly wasn't a great athlete.

    No, your a Minny guy not a New England guy so you should be sick of hearing his name lol

    NO, that's not it at all. I can appreciate greatness in any player regardless who they play for, but for gods sake he was no where near the greatest athlete of all time. To suggest he was is laughable.

    Well you did say you were sick of how people worship him.

    But yes most of us normal.New England Patriots fans worship him but absolutely realize he isn't even close to being the greatest athlete

  • pdoidoipdoidoi Posts: 656 ✭✭✭✭

    @JoeBanzai said:
    Am I the only one here SICK of how people just WORSHIP this guy?
    Get some reality people, he certainly wasn't a great athlete.

    He was great at winning.

  • bgrbgr Posts: 1,704 ✭✭✭✭✭

    It’s really just that…. well. What he did was…. he would just take his helmet and he would turn it around, and you could see it. It was like a switch would turn on. And when that switch went on he was like another person. Or not even a person…. like a truck. Like a machine!

  • doubledragondoubledragon Posts: 23,269 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Of course I realize he isn't the greatest all around athlete of all-time, guys like Thorpe, Jim Brown, Bo Jackson belong in that category. I guess what I actually meant was, would he be considered the greatest individual team sports player in history. One other thing, to say that Brady isn't a good athlete is complete BS, he played three sports in high school, he can shoot the heck out of a basketball, watch him on YouTube some time, and he was good enough at baseball that he was drafted by the Montreal Expos, he's not the fastest runner, but he can run fast enough. Don't let his pre-draft photos fool you into thinking that he's some kind of unathletic bum.

  • JoeBanzaiJoeBanzai Posts: 11,789 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @pdoidoi said:

    @JoeBanzai said:
    Am I the only one here SICK of how people just WORSHIP this guy?
    Get some reality people, he certainly wasn't a great athlete.

    He was great at winning.

    He did have some help, but yes, he was a SUPREME competitor.

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  • craig44craig44 Posts: 11,241 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I mean, if people are just talking "athlete" wouldn't someone like Tony Mandarich or Michael Vick or Aaron Curry or Justin Gilbert fit the bill? Vick was super fast with amazing arm talent. the other three were super fast and super strong with measurables off the charts.

    someone mentioned above the best "player" that is where athletic talent meets mental skill/acuity. that is where someone like Tommy or Peyton or Montana or Seaver or Orr or Gretzky would enter the conversation.

    George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.

  • JoeBanzaiJoeBanzai Posts: 11,789 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Tony Mandarich? You're kidding........right?

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  • firstbase23firstbase23 Posts: 457 ✭✭✭

    Bo Jackson?

  • bgrbgr Posts: 1,704 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Seabiscuit.

  • craig44craig44 Posts: 11,241 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @JoeBanzai said:
    Tony Mandarich? You're kidding........right?

    nope. he was an absolute athletic monster the year he got drafted. Do you remember the issue of SI that called him the "incredible bulk?"

    George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.

  • JoeBanzaiJoeBanzai Posts: 11,789 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @craig44 said:

    @JoeBanzai said:
    Tony Mandarich? You're kidding........right?

    nope. he was an absolute athletic monster the year he got drafted. Do you remember the issue of SI that called him the "incredible bulk?"

    Yeah, I remember. Do you remember that he sucked?

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  • JoeBanzaiJoeBanzai Posts: 11,789 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I'll nominate a few not already mentioned, in no particular order; Deion Sanders, Chuck (the Rifleman) Conners, Bob Gibson, Jim Brown and Wilt Chamberlain. Honorable mention to Ted Williams, who having never played the game, picked up some golf clubs and shot par for 18 holes, then said "not interested in this".

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  • bgrbgr Posts: 1,704 ✭✭✭✭✭

    How many Superbowls would Brady have won if he had Mandarich protecting him?

  • Basebal21Basebal21 Posts: 3,448 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Some others
    Tom Glavin was drafted 69th overall by the NHL
    Kyler Murray was drafted 1st overall in the NFL and 9th overall in MLB
    Dave Winfield was drafted by the MLB, NFL, and NBA

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  • craig44craig44 Posts: 11,241 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @craig44 said:

    @JoeBanzai said:
    Tony Mandarich? You're kidding........right?

    nope. he was an absolute athletic monster the year he got drafted. Do you remember the issue of SI that called him the "incredible bulk?"

    yes, that is why I added him to my list of "athletes" who were not great at playing their sports. Mandarich could outlift, out push and out run anyone else in his position group, but he was not a good football player at the professional level.

    that was my point. sometimes the best raw "athletes" are not the greatest players. Neither Dan Marino or Tom Brady were great all around "athletes" but they were both fantastic at their positions.

    George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.

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