Brady and the Patriots are not the same as Montana and the 49ers.



Yes, ok, there are obvious comparisons to be had. 4 titles for Montana, now 5 for Brady. Montana was 37 when SF moved on, Brady is now 39/40. SF had Young ready to take over. Many believe Garapollo is almost there, if not ready now. But this is a very limited view of the situations and does not accurately represent where any of the 4 QBs mentioned, Montana/Brady/Young/Garapollo, were or are as players.



Montana missed all of the 1991 and 1992 seasons (except for playing the entire second half of the final game of the 1992 regular season and it is fair to assume this was done simply to let him show he could still play, Young took back over for the playoffs) with an elbow injury he suffered during the 91 preseason. He was 35 and 36 during those seasons. During the time Montana was injured, Young came in and established himself as the new starter. Young went 5-5 in 91, then 14-2 in 1992. 19-7, 26 career starts. 448 completions, 5982 yards, 42 touchdowns. Jimmy Garapollo, though fantastic, 6 quarters simply does not compare. 2 starts, and the stats aren't comparable. At these points in their career, the playing time is as valuable, if not more so, than the stats themselves.



Brady is not in the midst of missing 2 years in his mid30s, in fact, he's coming off a Super Bowl victory, and 2 rings in the past 3 years. Granted, Brady is older, but the rules of the game have drastically changed to benefit the health of a quarterback. On top of that, Brady's nutritional beliefs are widely known and he is determined to do everything possible in that regard to benefit himself as a football player. His training, "prehab", the way he talks about getting the 8-10 hours of sleep his body needs, a proven ability to mitigate hits when not avoiding them entirely, and his undeniable pliability further push him into a realm nobody has gone to before. Simply stated: Tom Brady is the epitome of a "Professional" football player. "Eat, Breath, and Sleep football". He has taken that quite literally.



So when I hear talk of "Like the 49ers with Montana/Young..."



No. There is no comparison for what we are seeing with Tom Brady.



Make no mistake: 5 Rings, 4 SB MVPs, 12 Pro Bowls, 2 League MVPs, 14 division titles, 7 Conference championships, and numerous personal statistical records. Tom Brady is already the Greatest Quarterback of All Time. But he's not finished, and he seems as determined as ever to continue being great, not good. None of us know when the end will come. However, I am DONE ever doubting this man in even the slightest of ways. Not in the longevity of his career, not in his ability to take a hit, not in his ability to produce at a high level, not if Tom Brady develops a 1 step drop to reduce his release to under one second and not even if we find the Patriots down 28-3 in the god damn 3rd quarter of a mother fucking Super Bowl.



So you trade Jimmy Garapollo, and you take the impressive haul he's going to bring back, and you put it all right behind Tom Brady.



"Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go." T.S. Eliot.



"LET'S GO!" - ALL of us, Brady included, for several years now. Brady plans to find out how far he can go, and I sure as hell hope every snap comes for the New England Patriots.