THOMAS: Comparing Brady to Jordan is foolish; putting Edelman in the HOF is worse

OK, it's time for me to snap.

The first post on social media I saw after the New England Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII asked this: Has Tom Brady passed Michael Jordan as the greatest athlete of all time?

Has Tom Brady passed Michael Jordan as the greatest athlete of all time?

— First Take (@FirstTake) February 4, 2019

My short answer, no. My long answer, absolutely not.

Then I saw this tweet: With that MVP, Edelman just clinched a Hall of Fame spot.

The Patriot craziness has grown to a new level.

With that MVP, Julian Edelman just clinched a Hall of Fame spot.

— Mark Stopa (@MarkStopa) February 4, 2019

First of all, Michael Jordan and Tom Brady should never be mentioned in the same sentence when the word 'athlete' is present. Yes, Brady just claimed his unprecedented sixth Super Bowl, but that doesn't make him the greatest athlete of all time, nor should that even crown him the greatest quarterback of all time. What it does do is make him the most accomplished football player in NFL history. Brady, without question, boasts the greatest NFL resume ever. Tom Brady is an outstanding quarterback who has six Super Bowl rings, and those six rings certainly help vault him into the greatest quarterback of all time discussion. But also remember, he's the king of dink and dunk, tossing 10-yard passes to wide open receivers, he can't move outside the pocket, and he's playing in an era where if you brush a quarterback's shoulder, you're flagged for roughing the passer.    

For those who can't remember, Brady was, at best, mediocre in Sunday's game. His QBR was 25.8. His defense clearly won the game for the Patriots, but because the Pats won, Brady, like most quarterbacks do, gets a ton of the credit. The logic that the one with the most rings is automatically the best ever is just foolish. Is Brady a better quarterback than Johnny Unitas? Joe Montana? How do we know? He's certainly not as skilled as they were, but when Pats fans are asked this question, they automatically hold up their fingers and ask how many rings the other quarterbacks have.

For the record, Jordan, too, has six rings, but is also 6-0 in Finals appearances. He was named Finals MVP all six times. Let's play it safe, Pats fans, and just say Tom Brady is a better football player than Michael Jordan.

The Edelman thing is laughable.

I seriously thought the Hall of Fame tweet was a joke until I saw respected NFL Insider Adam Schefter tweet the same thing, saying this: As the MVP of this year’s Super Bowl, Patriots’ WR Julian Edelman is playing himself into a spot in Canton in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

As the MVP of this year’s Super Bowl, Patriots’ WR Julian Edelman is playing himself into a spot in Canton in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 4, 2019

I understand Edelman has a lot of postseason catches, but that's it. There is nothing on his resume that even reeks of HOF status.

He now has 499 receptions and 30 touchdowns in his career. He still trails Jerricho Cotchery (524) and Dwayne Bowe (537) in career catches. He is also eight touchdowns from passing Darnay Scott. Let's also remember Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens aren't in the MLB Hall of Fame because of their alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs. Edelman was suspended the first four games for the use of PEDs.

The Patriots are on an impressive run like we've never seen before, and their fans should embrace it. The dynasty eventually will come to an end and we'll go back to those pre-Brady/Drew Bledsoe days when Patriots fans rarely supported the team. Until then, put up another banner, but let's keep the crazy talk to a minimum.

 

Mike Thomas is the sports editor of The Herald News. Follow him on Twitter @NostraThomasHN