If Tom Brady wins a Super Bowl on Sunday against the Falcons, is he without question the greatest quarterback in NFL history?
On GameDay Morning, NFL Network's Marshall Faulk said the question is more complicated than people might think. Here's a transcript of the conversation:
Faulk: I like it. It's like the Olympics now, getting the silver helps. I would say yes, but there's always that little asterisk when you start talking about greatest ever.
Host Rich Eisen: What's the asterisk?
Faulk: Come on Rich. I don't even want to get into that. Man is about to play in his seventh Super Bowl, he has a chance at winning five, it's been great. But some things has happened and we know what those things are -- when you talk about Super Bowls and things that has happened along the lines with the Patriots and we just cannot pretend like they didn't happen.
Faulk, of course, was addressing the SpyGate controversy. The Patriots defeated Faulk and the Rams back in Super Bowl XXXVI 20-17 thanks in part to their game plan to slow the running back down.
"I know I'm going to hear from the 49er faithful and they're gonna say, 'Mooch, come on, Montana 4-0, never lost one,' all that kind of thing," Mariucci said. "And then I'm gonna hear from the Green Bay Packer fans because they're gonna say Bart Starr won five and he lost one in the championship game. But you know what? This is a different era. There are 32 teams now. We have free agency. You know how difficult it is to get to the Super Bowl and he's done it seven times? It's not just five wins, it's two silver medals too. This guy's resume is second to none."
Added Warner: "I'm with Troy Aikman on this one, I believe he's already there. We talk about the Super Bowls and if he wins he's got five, and he's played in seven. But it's just the longevity of the consistency that he's had. I mean, you're talking 11 AFC Championship Games in 16 years. Now I know they didn't get to the Super Bowl every time, but that's incredible when you think about it. Eleven opportunities to get to the Super Bowl. Seven of them, they got there - has a chance to win five.
"He's just been so consistent for so long with so many different guys. I think that's the thing that impresses you too. You look at some of these other dynasties we talk about, it was primarily the same guys that won those Super Bowls over and over again. This has been over a long course of time with a lot of different players and he continually gets his team back and find ways to win, I put him at the best already even if he doesn't win today."
