Tom Brady, the New England Patriots' quarterback, is a man known by many names: Lord Brady, The Goat (Greatest of all time), Tom Terrific, Four-time Super Bowl MVP, and this Thursday he gained a new name. Brady is now also the fifth oldest active NFL player.
Brady's Birthday
Brady turned 40 this Thursday and both his family and the Patriots celebrated accordingly. According to ESPN, Brady's wife, family and many of his teammates took to social media to wish the quarterback "Happy Birthday". The Patriots also got fans to sign a giant birthday card for the quarterback, as tradition dictates.
The most touching and amusing gesture in honor of Brady's birthday also came from the Patriots. On Thursday, the Patriots transformed their training camp into an animal farm of sorts, bringing in baby goats in honor of the quarterback. Fans and players spent some time with the adorable kids as the Patriots celebrated the birthday of their "Greatest of All Time" player.
Comparing his stats: The 10 year difference
Despite being the NFL's oldest active non-kicker, Brady has no intention of throwing the towel in any time soon, according to Bleacher Report. And with good reason too! Last season was Brady's best season since 2007 and Brady told press that he'd "like to play until my mid-40s." According to ESPN, Brady is signed to play for the Patriots for the entire 2019 season.
This would bring him to a grand total of 20 seasons played for the New England Patriots.
When you compares the stats on Brady from when he was 30 to his current stats, you will see exactly why the Quarterback is still in the game. It's as if he has not aged at all! According to the New York Times, Brady's completion rate went from 69% in 2007 to 67% in 2016.
Similarly, his touchdown percentage dropped from 7% to 9%. He is still throwing approximately the same number of passes further than 15 yards. This means that in both 2007 and 2016, he threw around about 83 passes further than 15 yards. As you can see, although there may have been some slight declines, Brady is still practically the same player that he was 10 years ago.
However, there is one major difference. The Brady of 2007 couldn't pull his team through to win the Super Bowl. The Brady of 2016? That Brady took his team to the top. So, yes, Brady is 10 years older. And yes, some of his stats have declined slightly. But does it look like he should retire yet? Definitely not! The GOAT looks as though he still has a few years of playing and making history in him.
