Brady Lost His Own "Rumble in the Jungle"

This hurts to say, but I'm going to rip my hero a little bit. Tom Brady, the person I watched shake his head in disbelief after winning his first Super Bowl, is still not the greatest. If he won a couple weekends ago, he would be in the discussion as one of the greatest quarterbacks ever. I am now over the shock of my favorite sports team losing to rival New York.  Again. BUT, I am not over the discussion of Brady's legacy.

People who know me, know I'm obsessed with Muhammad Ali. Ali was the king of boxing in his early to mid twenties, as he was undefeated and had the Heavyweight Championship belt. Brady won three Super Bowls at ages 24, 26 and 27. At age 27 Muhammad Ali was out of boxing for three years for declining the Vietnam War Draft. Brady was still in football from ages 27-30 but never got a title shot, until Super Bowl XLII. Ali came back into boxing with his first fight against Joe Frazier, called "the fight of the century." Two undefeated champs going at it in Madison Square Garden. Brady was playing the New York Giants going for an immortal 19-0 record. Ali was undefeated in title fights. Brady was undefeated in Super Bowls. Ali got put on his back in the 15^th round, and lost to Frazier. Sports Illustrated declared that this was the "end of the Ali legend." Brady got sacked five times by the Giants in Super Bowl XLII and lost. His team went 18-1. Both Ali and Brady were exposed to losing in the world's biggest stage for the first time. Brady lost the championship for the first time in the 2007 season. Ali lost for the first time in 1970. Four years later, Brady was back in the show in Super Bowl XLVI. Four years later Ali had another title shot in 1974, which was the infamous "Rumble in the Jungle." How ironic. It had been seven years since Ali had the heavyweight belt. It'd been seven years since Brady defeated Philly and hoisted a Lombardi. Ali was a 3-1 underdog and going up against a young 23 year old George Foreman, who some boxing experts thought was actually capable of killing a man with his hands. Many thought Ali was out of his prime at age 33. At age 34, Tom Brady was about to do the unthinkable; win his fourth Lombardi (ever tying him with his own childhood idol Joe Montana) with the worst Super Bowl defense. Many experts felt the Giants were a better team though.

Ali shocked the world with the famous "rope-a-dope", and knocked out the much younger Foreman. He was back. He finally got the belt once again. He scolded the media and told them to never doubt him in a fight until he was about fifty. That fight cemented Ali's legacy in many peoples opinions as the greatest boxer ever.

With 4 minutes left Brady was poised to get a ring once again. Welker dropped it. He threw it behind Branch. He went deep to a hobbled Gronk and threw a pick.

Why he threw it back shoulder to Welker? I'll never know why. He also caused a safety on the first offensive possession for New England. The Giants were his kryptonite once again. I was ready for Brady to put the team on his back in the fourth quarter when it was crunch time., but it never happened. He lost. I understand it's a team sport, but come on, in American sports we love individuals and how we perceive their legacy. If Brady won he'd be in the discussion as one of "the Greatest"; instead, he's 3-2 in Super Bowls. Ali went on to beat Frazier twice, and he regained his belt again. Brady's career is far from over, and I believe he will win at least one more Super Bowl before he retires, but only time will tell. American sports is cut throat; you win and you win a lot you get treated like a Roman Emperor. You lose, you get tossed in the shadows.   My childhood idol is still not the greatest. Maybe Brady should get cocky like the Louisville lip, and start calling his passing yards before every game, or create a new style like the "rope-a-dope". Who knows? He needs to change something though, because it's been too long since he's hoisted that silver Lombardi trophy.