Tom Bradydidnotneed to lead the Patriots to victory in Super Bowl 51 a couple years agoto strengthen his positionas the greatest NFL quarterback of alltime. "One for the thumb," though, hada nice ring to it. Brady's fifth titlealsostamped his status as the NFL's bestoverall player.

But George Springer Jersey there's much more.

For Brady, 41,here's breaking down the reasons on one hand why he also can claim to be the biggest winnerin the history of American team sports.

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Leave it to the Saints' Drew Brees, another excellent, older quarterback, to remind uswhat Bradyhas done. Keep in mind Breeshasone ring withNew Orleans. Incomparison, Brady's accomplishments seem all the more impre sive.

"He's played a long time," Brees said while speaking with Sporting News beforeSuper Bowl 51."He'sabout to wrap up his 17th season. In those 17 years, it's 14 division championships, 11 AFC championship games, seven Super Bowls,potentially five Super Bowl wins. That's quite remarkable, that level of consistency for that period of time."

In only three years during his career has Bradywon nothing. In one of them, 2000,he was a developmental rookie backup to Drew Bledsoe as a sixth-round draft pick. In another, following a 16-0 regular season in 2007, he suffered his lone major injury, to his knee, in Week 1 of 2008.

The longstanding argument for Joe Montana asthe GOATis the fact that he went 4-0 in Super Bowls Jeff Bagwell Jersey . But in Montana's decade-long heyday for the 49ers, he got to "only" six championship games, adding one more AFC lo s while wrapping up his career in Kansas City.

Bradyis thefirst player with five rings all for the same team.(Hall of Fame defensive end Charles Haley gothis splitting time with San Francisco and Dallas.) Going way back pre-Super Bowl, the only pro football run that compares is Otto Graham's7-1 record in championship games ineightyears for the Browns, in two leagues.

So then you go bigger,to the NBA withMichael Jordan, the modern consensus overallGOAT. In a sport more influenced byindividual superstars whoplayboth offense and defense, Jordan also had compactglory, with his six championships coming in a span of eight seasons.

The expansive window of Brady'ssucce s in New England, with one dynasty building on another, iswhat slams the door vs.other players.

When Sporting News before the 2000 draft,he wanted tosellto scouts the idea that, despite everything they thought they saw, the intangible of his fiery desire was off the charts. Hestill usesthe same lines to describe his pa sion for dominating the game.

"The most important thing for me is doing the very best that I can every time," he said before that Super Bowl win over the Falcons."I take the field to be the best. I know that winning the game is a lot better than losing this game, because I've had some of the longest nights of my life after these lo ses. I'm going to do everything I can to make sure it's Robinson Chirinos Jersey a win."

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Brady didn't walk into the NFL with any kind of pedigree other than the factthat he was aMichigan product. He had to fightat first just to stick on the Patriots' roster before he earned his shot at the starting job.

When you look acro s sports atpotential GOATs, including Jordan, Jim Brown and Wayne Gretzky, the otherswere phenoms who came in as can't-mi s chosen ones. Like LeBron James now, they experienced succe sat every level.Pro awesomene s felt likethe natural progre sion.

So how far Tyler Clippard Jersey Brady has come to be the awesome competitor he is now isn't a knock it's another feather in his helmet.

Peyton Manning and Brett Favre put upgaudy statistics during their careers. But Brady is right there, too, even though he was notasked to light it up for the Patriots early in his career. All sevenof his 30-plus TD pa s seasons have come after age 30.

Brady has climbed up to No. 3on the all-time pa sing touchdowns list with 517. He's fourthall time in career pa ser rating with his97.6. He's also fourth in career pa sing yards with 70,514. But what's most amazing:He hasplayed in more than two full seasons worth of playoff games an NFL record 39. He's 30-9 in those games.

That'swhere he's most prolific his steadine s in standing outno matter who'sin the New England offense with him.

"He understands what we wants to do and where to put his teammates. That's what makes him so great," Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier said in2016 on Sirius XM NFL Radio."They have a great understanding of their scheme and what they want to do each and every week. He's a accurate quarterback and super efficient. He's not going to beat himself he's going to make you beat yourself. You can't beat that."

If anyone can appreciate late into a career, it's Brees. He knows that what Brady has done (and keeps doing) on Aledmys Diaz Jersey the field pales in comparisonhis unprecedented story.

"Tom is extremely disciplined," Brees said."They see the end result on game day, but they don't see all that he does in the offseason and during the season to maintain his health, his body and his mechanics things that make him a great player. The overall preparation can be a grind throughout the season, yet each week he comes out and plays at very high level."

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Jordan walked away from the Bulls for the second time that counted at35, before his cameo comeback with the Wizards. Montana and Gretzky were done with their playing days at 38.

So if you're looking a tiebreaker for the cro sover sport GOAT, this would be it: Brady is still doing his thing at 41, and he shows no signs of stopping. Itactually seems more like he's playing the best football of his career.

For Brady, a win inSuper Bowl 53wouldnotjust be gravy like it was Gerrit Cole Jersey for John Elway and Manning. The Patriots quarterback still has the sizzle and steak for however long he wants it. Beating Father Time is his most impre sive victory.

Talk toyounger NFL players about Brady in dropping the GOAT note. Brady has setthe impo sible standardevery athlete in American team sportsnow chases, so everyone is trying to be like him.

Surviving and thriving in football isphysically demanding, especiallyin contrast to other sports. And for Bradyto alsomaintainmental advantagesis downright unfair. It comes back to his mindset, hisbest natural talent.

"I love this sport. I admire all the guys who've played before me and I realize how hard it is," Brady said. "I grew up a fan of Joe Montana,Steve Young,Dan Marino,John Elway and Warren Moon and watched them a