"If Tom wins this game and is part of a team which went undefeated in 19 games, then it strengthens his argument," says former Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman, who won three Super Bowls and who lists Montana as his No. 1.
Comparing quarterbacks from different eras is an inexact science. Bradshaw and the Steelers won their four titles in the 1970s, Montana and the 49ers in the '80s. Since then, the NFL has added expansion teams, gone to free agency, adopted a salary cap, and changed its scheduling to promote parity. Its players are bigger, stronger, and faster than ever.
"Today's game has changed so much," says Aikman, now a Fox analyst. "When Roger Staubach retired from the NFL [in 1979] he was the leading passer of all time with an 83.4 rating. That's not even a good game now. You see quarterbacks with a rating over 100 as if it's nothing."
What Brady, Montana, and Bradshaw all have in common are the champion's intangibles - leadership, competitiveness, calm, heart, toughness, and unshakable optimism. "His drive and motivation [is] to be the best," says receiver Randy Moss, "even in bad situations."
Low expectations
What sets Brady apart, though, is that almost nobody envisioned him as a superstar. Bradshaw was the top pick in the 1970 draft. Montana piloted Notre Dame to the national championship in 1977. Brady was a sixth-round pick out of Michigan, the 199th player taken in 2000.
"Nobody expects anything of you," Brady says. "You just show up and you're trying to make the team. You're trying to bring your playbook to the meetings and not forget it in the room. When you're a first-round pick, everybody's counting on you to come in and save the franchise."
