Tom Brady has been to the Super Bowl 5 times and won 3 times during his 11 year career as a starter. The way I would look at it is that it’s better to actually play in the Super Bowl and keep having a chance at winning it rather not doing so at all. With Brady having the ball you always have a chance so he is definitely an elite quarterback.

The New England defense was not a championship level defense by any means and it can be easily argued that Brady carried this team. It really was an offensive display all throughout the season with Brady making full use of his many offensive weapons. I could even make the case that Gronkowski not being a hundred percent might have hurt the Pats chances.

The bottom line is that both Super Bowl games against the Giants came down to the final minute and you could make an argument the final play. In Super Bowl XLII, Brady did get the ball back in the final seconds and made a long pass to Randy Moss that if caught would have resulted in a different ending. It was a very similar situation last Sunday night with the Hail Mary that could have been pulled down by Patriots Tight End Aaron Hernandez.

Talking about close games, another interesting statistic that NBC color commentator Cris Collinsworth brought up during the game was the fact that all the Super Bowls that Brady had been involved in before Super Bowl XLVI were decided by 3 points. This is really a tough game and getting there is even tougher so I would say that Brady should be applauded for making it five times.

Brady doesn’t have Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana’s four rings in as many Super Bowl starts, but he definitely has the most appearances tied with John Elway who has a record of 2-3 compared to Brady’s 3-2 in the Super Bowl.