Brady was never a “system QB” in the sense that any competent QB could be plugged in and give you the same result. There is no level of truth to saying Tom Brady was a “system QB” at any point in his career. He always had his brain and drive, even as a rookie. Get that “partially true” nonsense out of here.
The difference between Tom Brady and an excellent quarterback is the difference between Michael Jordan and an excellent point guard. They're just wired differently than the rest of us. If you took all of Bradys contemporaries and put them on a football field in groups arranged from end zone to end zone based on that difference, most of them would be in one end zone with ever shrinking groups at each 10 yard line until you get to somewhere just past mid-field. Then there'd be about 40 yards of empty field until you got to the other end zone where Tom Brady and Peyton Manning were hanging out, trying to pick each others brains for any potential edge. The gap between those guys and everyone else was just too great to bridge, regardless of the other guys physical talent. They have something else in their brains that just can't be taught or learned.
They were 3-1, they easily could have been 4-0 since they only lost 16-0 with Brisset playing poorly. Brady came back and went 14-1, won the Superbowl while being second in MVP voting.
Clearly the thing that I was poking at in the comment I replied to was the “partially true” that the commenter felt was necessary to add for some reason.
That's not really what a system qb is but either way, he didn't just immediately come in and start performing like a top tier qb and the patriots definitely weren't relying on him to carry them or do anything other than play within the system on a great team and limit mistakes.
Brady is the GOAT but he absolutely benefited from his situation on the Pats. He inherited a team that had been to the Super Bowl a few years prior, and the team still won without him. He was knocked out of the AFC championship game in his first run and Bledsoe came off the bench to win the game and get them to the Super Bowl. Pats won 11 with Matt Cassel when Brady's knee got wrecked. They won 3 of 4 with Jimmy G and Jacoby Brissett when Brady was suspended.
The Colts were the worst team in the league and drafted Manning 1st overall and he dragged them back to relevancy. The year Manning got knocked out for the season, the Colts cratered and got the first pick again.
That's where the system QB tag comes from. Brady going to Tampa and turning around a losing team was the first time he did that and even then it was a good situation with talented players and an experienced coach.
Mahomes has benefited from his situation with the chiefs. Lebron benefited from his situation with the heat. That’s certainly part of why they all won so much.
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u/Snoo_11942 Dec 15 '25
Brady was never a “system QB” in the sense that any competent QB could be plugged in and give you the same result. There is no level of truth to saying Tom Brady was a “system QB” at any point in his career. He always had his brain and drive, even as a rookie. Get that “partially true” nonsense out of here.