Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

https://www.nfl.com/news/buccaneers-qb- ... 22-seasons

Definitely the end of an era...

He goes out tied with Otto Graham for QB'ing his teams to 7 championships.

Of course, Otto did it in 10 years. If he'd put in the years Brady did, he might've retired with 10, maybe more. Who knows? As always, different era, different rules.

But props to Brady. Winning a title with a new team his first year out of NE is quite an achievement. And he just narrowly missed pulling out another comeback last week vs. Rams. Well, his kids got to see him play when they were old enough to understand and appreciate what Dad did for a living. Guess that was as much of a driver as anything for him.

but he may just want to do it himself--

Oh no....
Did I jump the gun?

I wont believe it till I see the press conference. ESPN would report Brett Favre retiring every year starting in 2004 ...

JuggernautJ wrote:Oh no....
Did I jump the gun?

You're penalized 15 yards and a double-ring of kielbasa.

I also take back any nice things I said about Brady.

We will see if Brady pulls a Brett Favre in the coming months ...

Mr. Spygate has officially retired.

RichardBak wrote:He goes out tied with Otto Graham for QB'ing his teams to 7 championships.

Of course, Otto did it in 10 years. If he'd put in the years Brady did, he might've retired with 10, maybe more. Who knows? As always, different era, different rules.

But props to Brady. Winning a title with a new team his first year out of NE is quite an achievement. And he just narrowly missed pulling out another comeback last week vs. Rams. Well, his kids got to see him play when they were old enough to understand and appreciate what Dad did for a living. Guess that was as much of a driver as anything for him.

To be fair though Otto Graham also didn't have to go through as many playoff games to get those championships. Back then if you won your division you were automatically in the championship game.

That's true, but it cuts both ways. There were no second- and third-place teams or wild cards in the postseason in Otto's day--just straight-up conference champs. (I think the final year of the AAFC was an exception.) Winning 10 straight conference titles was no little achievement. The modern NFL is a tournament, meaning you can be an also-ran and still win it all.

Again, different eras, different rules. Brady benefitted hugely by all of the rules protecting QBs and favoring the offense. Today's QBs can expect to play pitch-and-catch until they're 40+ years old, if they want. If Brady had played in the 40s, 50s, early 60s, I doubt he even gets close to 7 championships. His career most def would've been shortened by the pounding all QBs of the era took, and the one-game postseason meant, as you pointed out, that he would first have to win his conference to even have the opportunity to win a title.

I'm not diminishing Brady's achievements, just trying to put them in perspective. He had a remarkable career. But now way is he the GOAT, despite the media drumbeat telling us it is so.