It’s like deja vu all over again. 

I personally think it is for real this time.

 

Only undisputed GOAT in professional sports, IMO. 

Hopefully he takes A. Rodgers with him.

4 hours ago, Jumper_Dad said:

 

 

I think he has a good case to make the HOF.

Ozzy retired today too, tough one. 

1 hour ago, TheDeuce said:

Only undisputed GOAT in professional sports, IMO. 

I'm not sure you can make a case for anyone other than Wayne Gretzky in hockey.  All time leader in goals, assists, and points.   Alex OVechkin might catch him in goals as he only trails by 82, Gretzky has 714 more assists and 936 more points than the next closets players.  He also won 9 MVP awards.  There are others with more championships than he has but that is somewhat skewed by the fact that most of those players played in an era when the league only had six teams for twenty five years.  

3 minutes ago, Irish Cat said:

I'm not sure you can make a case for anyone other than Wayne Gretzky in hockey.  All time leader in goals, assists, and points.   Alex OVechkin might catch him in goals as he only trails by 82, Gretzky has 714 more assists and 936 more points than the next closets players.  He also won 9 MVP awards.  There are others with more championships than he has but that is somewhat skewed by the fact that most of those players played in an era when the league only had six teams for twenty five years.  

I thought of him as soon as I said that. I would agree. 

5 hours ago, 16thBBall Fan said:

I personally think it is for real this time.

I think it is too, but it was two years too late and DEFINITELY should have stayed gone the last time.  His legacy is unquestioned, but it could have been just that tiny bit better if he'd have walked away at right time two years ago.

Might still have his marriage too.

Lost all of it's impact this time around.

17 hours ago, DragonFire said:

I think it is too, but it was two years too late and DEFINITELY should have stayed gone the last time.  His legacy is unquestioned, but it could have been just that tiny bit better if he'd have walked away at right time two years ago.

Might still have his marriage too.

I don't think these last two years had a negative affect on his legacy at all. I think had he retired after winning the SB with the Bucs it would have made for a better story. But he played at a high level these last two years...it wasn't like watching other older QB's limping around their last few years. Brady was still balling. 

I also think his marriage was in trouble long before he decided to un retire last year. I think that might be part of the reason he came back....there wasn't much left to save.

1 hour ago, rjs4470 said:

I don't think these last two years had a negative affect on his legacy at all. I think had he retired after winning the SB with the Bucs it would have made for a better story. But he played at a high level these last two years...it wasn't like watching other older QB's limping around their last few years. Brady was still balling. 

I also think his marriage was in trouble long before he decided to un retire last year. I think that might be part of the reason he came back....there wasn't much left to save.

You're probably right on the marriage, but I would bet that it had a better chance of surviving if he had stayed retired.

I guess what I mean about the legacy being a bit better is that people would have assumed he could just keep on winning Super Bowls indefinitely had he stepped away two years ago.  He went over to Tampa and immediately proved that he could win without Belichick, and had he retired then, people would have speculated just how many more he could win.  You may not agree but I personally think two years later we now know the answer is zero.  He may not have hit the same cliff that we've seen for some others, but this year he did not look good.  I understand the stats look fine, but the team was directionless, he played poorly for stretches, and he was not nearly as good this year as he was in 2020.  Consider that he attempted 123 more passes to get 61 more yards than he did that season, and he also had the benefit of an additional game.  He threw fifteen fewer TDs this year than his 2020 season.  Does he remain a serviceable QB in the top half of the league? Of course.  But he did not look like a guy that you'd ride to the Super Bowl title, and even last year he definitely did look like someone capable of that.  We're probably splitting hairs on the definition of legacy or narrative, or whatever, but had he walked away two years ago, there's no doubt it would have reflected just a bit better than it did today.