With superstar quarterback Tom Brady scheduled to make his ninth Super Bowl appearance with the New England Patriots next weekend, both his admirers and haters are forced to take a step back and analyze what this player has accomplished in his career. In his 17th season as the starting quarterback, Brady has reached milestones and achievements that seem not only unattainable, but also appear to be unchallenged by anyone else in the league. Now, on this next weekend, Feb. 3, the 41-year-old living legend has a chance to make history yet again and break ground on another untouched milestone. If he is able to defeat the Los Angeles Rams, he will become the first player in history to have won six Super Bowls.

“Brady is an amazing player and an even better competitor, leading his team to the top all the time. I’m not very happy seeing him in another Super Bowl, being a Steelers fan, but what else do you expect from one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play?” senior Matthew Wagner said.

Although he has now risen to fame and stardom, the future Hall of Famer got off to quite a rough start in his football career. In high school, Brady struggled to compete with the other quarterbacks, not even playing as the starter on his JV team. However, the starter ended up getting injured, so Brady took the field, playing much better than his previous superior. He would then come to maintain control of the starting position throughout the remainder of his high school years.

Going into college, Brady struggled to make a name for himself, but eventually landed a spot at Michigan. Once again, he did not go in as a starter, but was instead serving as the team’s backup behind future Super Bowl Champion Brian Griese. Interestingly enough, history would repeat itself. As soon as Griese left and Brady took over at the helm, he excelled. This time, however, he was in position to get himself noticed. After concluding what would be two record-setting years as the Michigan starter, Brady declared for the NFL draft.

Before the draft, at the NFL Combine, Brady displayed a less than stellar showing, not being anywhere near as athletic as some of his fellow draftees. He was not the biggest, strongest or fastest of the athletes. In fact, he was often near the bottom of the charts in all of those categories. Despite this, what allowed Brady to outshine his competitors was a superb knowledge and understanding of the game, a good throwing arm and the confidence to counterbalance his lack of physical attributes. With this, Brady was drafted as the 199th pick in the 2000 NFL draft to the New England Patriots.

Not starting his first year, Brady managed to learn and improve his skills to the point that in his second year, when starter Drew Bledsoe got injured, Brady was able to lead his team not only through the rest of the season, but also to winning the 2001 Super Bowl. It would be after this season that Brady rose to fame, going on to win two more within the next three years.

Since then, Brady, in his 17 seasons, has won a total of five Super Bowls, and has played in eight. He’s been the recipient of four Super Bowl MVP titles, 14 Pro Bowl appearances and several Offensive Player of the Year awards, all in addition to being the leading passer and scorer in the league several times. He holds a variety of NFL records and will likely break and make many more. Despite these amazing feats, many still dislike the quarterback. Whether it is caused by an envy of his skill, the upsetting feelings of having lost a game to his hands or the controversial Deflate-Gate scandal involving the allegation that Brady was using deflated footballs, Brady’s integrity has been called to question numerous times throughout his career. Regardless of this, fans and haters alike can all agree that Tom Brady has received universal respect and praise for his athletic prowess on the field.

“Despite the fact that I’m one of the most anti-Patriot people out there, I think when you look at his entire career, there is no question that Brady is the greatest quarterback in history. Especially as a Dolphins fan, I dislike the Patriots and wanted to see a fresh new team make the Super Bowl, because it’s gotten pretty predictable with the Patriots,” senior Max Rego said.

While the history of his legacy is undeniable, one of Brady’s greatest obstacles still awaits him. With his latest victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, the best offense in the National Football League (NFL) this season, Brady secured the AFC Conference Championship title for the ninth time. In doing so, it puts him and head coach Bill Belichick at the top of the list for the number of all time Super Bowl appearances not only by any individual person, but also by any other individual franchise in NFL history. Now, all that is left to do is see whether or not this all-time great can pull off the unthinkable and emerge victorious, or be defeated by one of the NFL’s powerhouse offenses, the Los Angeles Rams.

Be sure to tune in to the NFL Super Bowl on Sunday, Feb. 3 on the CBS Channel at 6:30 P.M.

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