So there are four minutes to go in Super Bowl XLVI and New England quarterback Tom Brady is marching his team downfield, holding on to a 17-15 lead over the Giants of New York.
Playing in his fifth big dance in 10 years, Brady is staring down the barrel of a 4-1 record in the NFL’s biggest game.
Knowing a first down will give his team the chance to wind down a lot of clock, he looks for his favourite target, wide receiver Wes Welker.
Welker is the man who has set all sorts of receiving records in the past four seasons, a guy who usually snatches anything put within arm’s reach, and sometimes even those that are just outside it.
Welker has confused the defence and beaten coverage, and Brady knows it.
He lobs the pigskin in Wes’ direction, leaving it a little above No.83’s head as he turns to face his marksman.
It’s history now that Welker gets two hands to the ball but fails to handle it. The Patriots have to punt. Eli Manning drives the G-Men downfield and snatches not only the Super Bowl but MVP status as well.
This isn’t a Welker-bagging column. He is one of the absolute elite receivers in the league, and sometimes the cards just don’t fall your way, no matter how good you are.
Sure there were a couple of other drops by Pats receivers in the final 57 seconds, but Welker’s drop undoubtedly changed the game.
Instead of the Pats having four more plays (at 40 seconds each) to wind down the Rolex, the Giants have the ball and plenty of time.
Brady’s 4-1 record, seemingly in the bag, has been reduced to 3-2, and all of a sudden any talk of him being an automatic entry into the Hall of Fame has been wiped.
Instead the talk is whether Eli, with two rings and MVP awards, is worthy of HOF status.
The answer – not before Brady. Think about what this guy has achieved.
The only time the Patriots have missed the playoffs since he arrived was the season when #12 missed the entire season after suffering a knee injury in week one. Even then they went 10-6 but still missed the playoffs (that’s just one win more than Eli’s world champions achieved this regular season).
Brady holds records for most completions achieved in a season, most touchdowns thrown in a season, and led his side to the only 16-0 regular season record since that system was introduced. He has made the Super Bowl in 50 percent of the seasons he has played, and did it this season with a defence that was ranked second worst in the league.
At this stage I will admit to being a Patriots fan, but the stats simply tell the true tale here.
As soon as Brady decides to call it quits (hopefully not for another few years) he should go into the HOF at the next induction ceremony. One dropped catch should not affect that.
Price
Guest
The Pats missed the playofs in 2002 as well at 9-7 and when they missed them in 08 with Cassel at QB they were 11-5 not 10-6.
mushi
Guest
Yep I'm in the states now and this is the first report I have heard of Brady apparently no longer going HOF because of this. there is a lot of anti brady senitment in NE apparently - they feel he is more NY than Boston - but nothing about this guy missing the hall of fame.
Ben Walker
Guest
Hey guys.I'm the author of this one.Sorry you may have misconstrued what I meant.I'm a Pats fan and personally Brady is the best QB I've seen (too young for Marino etc).All I was getting at was how a guy with 3-2 should easily have had 4-1.As it stands he only has one more than Eli and I don't think Eli is top 5 all time.Also I apologise for the two stat mistakes. -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download The Roar's iPhone App in the App Store here.
Lou
Guest
Both Eli and Brady are terrific QBs. Brady is already in the HOF, three rings and that incredible season with 50 TDs. He has won rings playing with guys that are not exactly HOFers themselves. Gonkowski's injury was huge for the Pats. If we're going to take players HOF staus off them for poor playoff games, then sorry Peyton, you're not going. (which of course would be silly). Eli has now wrapped up a place in the HOF with his second ring, no doubt. He dragged the Giants into and throughout the playoffs. He's been excellent all season. That pass to Manningham was just amazing. Watch him in the Conference Champ'ship game against the 49ers. He was murdered but continually kept his head in the pocket despite all the pressure. Lesser QBs would have thrown the balli into coverage under that pressure. Eli is underrated imo
amazonfan
Guest
That's probably more accurate. Still, whether you consider him a top 10 quartback or a top 5 quarterback (and I personally think he's closer to top 5 than top 10) he is still a guaranteed 1st ballot Hall of Famer. The OP's comment that 'all of a sudden any talk of him being an automatic entry into the Hall of Fame has been wiped' is completely absurd. "I didn’t think winning one game would change it that much for him anyway." I would agree with that. He's been named Super Bowl MVP twice, won three Super Bowls, and has made the Super Bowl five times. Unless he was named MVP for a third time, I don't think that winning a fourth Super Bowl would dramatically impact his legacy.
Mitsurugi
Guest
Just to correct you, the 2002 New England Patriots (defending Super Bowl Champions from Super Bowl XXXVI) with Tom Brady did not make the playoffs (they were 9-7). The year Tom Brady was out for the season, the Patriots finished 11-5 (not 10-6) and did not qualify for the playoffs. So, twice since Tom Brady became the starter. With that said, losing this Super Bowl should not hurt his legacy. If you can take your team to 5 Super Bowls in 10-12 years and win 3 of them, that is amazing. Most to all NFL teams would love that opportunity. Is he better than Montana? Very hard to compare as Brady's career is not over. I also believe that if Montana was able to take the Chiefs to the Super Bowl, the year they made the AFC Championship (1993), they would have surely been destroyed by the Dallas Cowboys. Kobe Bryant's and Derek Jeter's legacy is not tarnished because they lost championships, neither should Brady's.
B.A Sports
Agree Jimbo. I'm a Pats fan but Eli made one turnover throughout the entire playoffs and on that occaision (an interception v Green Bay) he got drilled as he released the ball. His offensive line gave him no protection. Eli doesn't have the same body of work over a career as Brady has but he has to be considered amongst the games current elite QB's. I mean how many teams wouldn't trade their current QB for Eli? Saints, Packers, Pats. There are a few others you could have robust debate about - Pit/Dal and maybe Carolina if you want to develop Cam. But anyone else? The dude can flat out play.
Johnno
Guest
No it wont be effected, he has Gisselle.
Jimbo
Guest
I agree Brady is a better player than Manning, but with apologies to John McEnroe, you cannot be serious when you claim Eli Manning is a joke! He has had an outstanding season, on a team with a huge injury toll, and was at many times the only thing saving them from absolute mediocrity. Surely his 2 Superbowl rings (the first against a team many considered one of the greatest in NFL history) and amazing ability in clutch situations, as seen on the last drive, and on many occasions previous (i.e. Superbowl XLII...) has to have shut up any doubters he may have had.
Big Steve
Guest
and Hernandez's drop was the worst. The one to branch appeared to get a touch in flight which may have put him off a little. Agree with everyone else, brady will go straight to the HOF. In terms of "chanpionship windows" the pats appear to be reaching the end of their's. Giants and Packers should have another 3-4 years to win more rings. But, can the Pats do anything to their defence to improve enough to get back to the superbowl. I think they may have a couple of extra picks in this draft. Are there enough young players at a high enough level to help them in the next year or two?
B.A Sports
"and all of a sudden any talk of him being an automatic entry into the Hall of Fame has been wiped." I listen to plenty of american football chatter on various TV shows, podcasts and radio shows from around the US and i have not heard a single commentators, journalist, presenter or even a voer the top talk-back caller suggest Brady isn't going straight into the Hall of Fame. Fact is you are practically an automatic when you win 2 titles (i think only about 11 QB's have done that), and he has 3. Not to mention that this year he threw for more yards in a single season than any other player in the history of the game... accept Drew Brees who also broke Marino's record this year. Yeah, I think you might need to look for a new sub plot post Superbowl...
Savvas Tzionis
Guest
Do you hate them for the smae reason as I do? They beat the super attacking Rams back in 2002. They played on being 'Patriots' just when America was at war with 'weasly old Europe' and 'slimy Muslims'. And Tom Brady himself is a Republican. How apt that his team won whilst Bush was in power but started losing when the Bush legacy started to unravel in 2007/08.
odogg
Guest
I hate tom brady and the pats but he will get into the HOF no problem. The only thing that has happened to his legacy is when they have "best QB's of all time" shows on ESPN, they'll talk about his 3 rings and how great he is, but they'll end with Eli and the Giants owning him. They have a good chance to get back and win again if and only if they have a better defense.
Paul
Guest
Welker hurt Brady's legacy? The most idiotic thing I have ever heard. Wes is a professional through and through. It's unbelievable that he is the only one truly stepping up and taking responsibility. The Patriots had 56 minutes in addition to the the final 4 to make a case as the best team in football. Where was the culpability for the offensive line? Why did Brady not say, hey I made a bone head move and gave two points to New York...yes I made a bad read and threw a pick. I've only heard one member of the Pats defense take some responsibility. You know as a team you have less than 4 minutes to stop Eli from driving the field for the go ahead points...DO IT! What ablout Hernandez and Branch? Those guys both dropped passes that hit them in stride. The only one that can taint Tom Brady's legacy is Tom Brady.
mushi
Guest
I'd say top 10 with manning/farve/young/montana/elway/marino/unitas/star/bradshaw but then I didn't think winning one game would change it that much for him anyway.
mushi
Guest
Not sure where he got the Brady is no longer a HOF certainty. If you're a multiple super bowl winning QB you go hall of fame (no matter how nonsensical the concepts of judging one player by a team's success is) let alone a 3 time winner + 18-1 + MVP + having held a few passing records. Not even the most ardent Brady/Pats hater could put him on the sideline for that. That is why they are talking about Eli now - his 2 wins and both being come from behinds (another strange thing - wouldn't he be better if his team won by 50?) gives him a pretty good shot at the hall.
daryl kane
Guest
The author of this article needs to check his facts. The patriots missed the season in Brady's second season with a 9-7 record and also they won 11 games, not 10 when Brady was out. Not knocking brady, I'm a huge patriots fan and they are my favorite team in the world but I just think that this article was pretty amateurish for these reasons. Also, no one is questioning his HOF status. Brady will continue to compete, amass records and if he ever does get that 4th ring he will likely go down as the greatest ever. Without the 4th ring he will be considered top 5 all time.
amazonfan
Roar Guru
Brady's HOF chances haven't been affected at all. He will get in on the first ballet no matter what, and probably the only thing that can stop him is if it was revealed he took steroids, or something. The only impact on his legacy is where he is regarded among the greatest quarterbacks of all time; if he had won, he might have been challenging for the title of greatest of all time, but now he's still 'only' top 5.
Caroline Wright
Guest
I agree! Tom Brady is awesome with a record to prove it.. Eli manning what a joke he screwed up more than once that night , Tom Brady as you say is FAR SUPERIOR!!!!
Macca
Guest
It was a difficult catch for Welker as his body was twisted in an odd position, but yes that dropped catch was important. Didn't Green Ellis drop one soon after? It was a depressing day all round. Welker was one of my favourite receivers, but one can't help think of that moment and the ramifications when one thinks of him now. Tom Brady is elite. It is a shame he is very unlikely to get the opportunity to climb the mountain again....but that is the cruelty of sport.