Rodgers Vs Brady, Who Is The G.O.A.T.?

By: Parnell Saint-Preux

Constantly, most football fans have this conversation, who is the greatest quarterback to ever play in the NFL? Previously, the greatest quarterback was San Francisco 49ers quarterback and 4x Super Bowl champion, Joe Montana. Now that Montana is retired, most argue that the G.O.A.T. is 5x Super Bowl Champion, Tom Brady. At age 41, Brady continues to defeat father time by his play and commitment to football.

Meanwhile, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is recognized by most as the greatest passer the NFL has ever encountered. Since he took over for the Packers in 2008, Rodgers has captured 2 NFL MVPs, a Super Bowl championship, and a Super Bowl MVP. Unlike Brady, Rodgers has the highest passer rating of all time, plus a 4 to 1 touchdown to interception ratio. Also, Rodgers is the fastest quarterback in NFL history to throw for 300 touchdown passes and less than 100 interceptions.

If there is one thing that Brady and Rodgers have in common, great narratives. Most people never anticipated that they would marvelous careers. Brady was drafted with the 199th pick in the 6th round back in 2000. Coming into the draft, Brady was known for his lack of arm strength and mobility. At the combine, Brady ran the 40-yard dash at 5.28, which is slow for quarterback standards.

In the following year, Brady was inserted as the starting quarterback after the previous quarterback Drew Bledsoe suffered an impactful hit from New York Jets linebacker Mo Lewis. During that year, Brady would cap off with an invitation to the Pro-Bowl, along with a Super Bowl title and Super Bowl MVP. Later on, Brady followed by winning 4 more Super Bowls, 3 Super Bowl MVP’s and 3 league MVPs.

According to most, Brady is considered the G.O.A.T. due to his accomplishments and stunning comebacks. In his playoff career, Brady is 27-10. He joins 4 other quarterbacks to win multiple Super Bowls and Super Bowl MVPs. In that category, Brady is with Joe Montana, Terry Bradshaw, Bart Starr, and Eli Manning. Likewise, Brady became the 3rd quarterback in the NFL history to reach 500 touchdown passes.

Most believe Brady cemented his G.O.A.T. status with a remarkable 28-3 comeback against the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl 51. Brady finished the game throwing for a previous Super Bowl record 466 yards and receiving his 4th Super Bowl MVP.

Even Rodgers himself gave his assessment about the G.O.A.T. debate.

“[Brady’s] got five championships, so that ends most discussions, I think,” Rodgers said Tuesday, according to ESPN.

During the 2005 draft, Rodgers was projected to be selected by the San Francisco 49ers with the first overall pick.  Fans would imagine the hometown hero from the University of Cal would land in the Bay-Area. However, the 49ers went with an alternative and selected Utah quarterback Alex Smith. Continuously, teams passed on Rodgers. Eventually, after 23 draft picks later, Rodgers was selected by the Packers.

During Rodgers first 3 seasons, he sat behind the immortal Brett Favre. After Favre spent his last 3 years in Green Bay, Packers decided to move on from the 38-year-old at the time, and subsequently place Rodgers as the starter.

Packer Nation was shocked and in total disbelief of Favre’s departure. Some if not most were not sold Rodgers being the successor to Favre. Ultimately, it took Rodgers 3 years for Packer Nation to change their perception of him by delivering the franchise their 4th Super Bowl against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2011. Rodgers was named Super Bowl MVP.

Rodgers has surpassed the legacy of Favre and continuing to build on his own legacy. Last season, Rodgers became the first person in history to throw for 300 touchdown passes and less than 100 interceptions. Additionally, Rodgers has captured 2 league MVP’s, 6 pro-bowl experiences and numerous records.

Noticeable people, particularly, Hall-of-Famer and co-host Fox Sports 1 “Skip and Shannon’s Undisputed” Shannon Sharpe had this to say about Rodgers skill-set and why he believes Rodgers is better than Brady.

“Who’s the better of the two? It’s Rodgers. Who’s the more accomplished of the two? Clearly, it’s Tom Brady,” “But here’s the thing… We have never, ever, in the history of football seen a guy that possesses what Aaron Rodgers possesses. Nobody, no quarterback in history, has the touch, the accuracy, the ability to throw the ball moving left or right, throw the ball from the pocket, throw the ball from different plains. No one has ever been able to do it with the accuracy that Aaron Rodgers has been able to do it.”

According to ESPN’s Ian O’Connor, Brady allegedly acknowledged that Rodgers is so much better than him.

“He’d throw for 7,000 yards every year,” Brady reportedly said. “He’s so much more talented than me.”

Sunday’s night game between the Packers and Patriots has fans, public, and media excited, especially the greatest basketball player to ever live Michael Jordan.

Here is the answer to the question that everyone wants to know. Who would you have at quarterback and call the G.O.A.T.?

From an accomplishment standpoint, obviously, the answer goes to Brady. No one with common sense can argue Brady’s body of resume. There are some skeptics who would say, if it were not for Bill Belichick, Brady wouldn’t have 5 rings. Believe it or not, some people think it’s legitimate. For the majority of Brady’s career, outside of Randy Moss and Rob Gronkowski, Brady has worked with nameless talent.

However, from a talent standpoint, without question, the argument goes to Rodgers. Rodgers combination of arm strength, mobility, and accuracy is unparallel. More importantly, Rodgers had to deal with the circumstances surpassing a pantheon quarterback.

Truthfully, here is how the debate between Rodgers and Brady can finally be over, seeing them face each other in the Super Bowl. If one of them plays great and win, the debate is over. Hopefully, fans and everyone else will get a chance to see.