Patriots icon Ty Law pumps brakes on Tom Brady-Patrick Mahomes GOAT debate: "You gotta get Joe Montana first"
Ty Law is one of the greatest cornerbacks of all time, winning three Super Bowls with the New England Patriots during the first half of their dynasty. It means that he knows Tom Brady's greatness very well.
Lately, though, Patrick Mahomes is threatening to upend the notion over the greatest player in NFL hsitory is, winning three Super Bowls before the age of 30 and being named the MVP in each of them. Still, Hall-of-Famer Law believes that the face of the Kansas City Chiefs has a long way to go before he can surpass Brady in the conversation.
Ty Law told Julian Edelman Tuesday on the Games with Names podcast:
"It's not even an argument, the greatest quarterback of all time. That's how I feel about Tom Brady... Tom surpassed that notion of being as tough and as resilient as he was, taking the hits, getting up talking shit, getting in people's face. He was just a different breed.
"(Patrick Mahomes)'s doing some great, great things. But to put him, for some, to say in Tom Brady's category, it's too early. They're in the honeymoon stage... You have to play long enough to even be in the conversation... You got to start with (Joe) Montana. You gotta get him first."
Ty Law discusses Tom Brady's late-career evolution
In the same podcast, Ty Law discussed how Tom Brady developed as a player as he progressed through his 30s and 40s..
One highly celebrated aspect of the seven-time Super Bowl champion is the longevity of his success. He wasn't the first player or quarterback to play well into his forties, but he had arguably the best success of all of them, winning Super Bowl LV and being named the MVP at 43 - the oldest player to do so.
Ty Law, having retired after the 2009-10 season, was retired by the time Brady began his second and arguably more popular run of Super Bowl success.
However., he has an idea how his former teammate kept performing at such a high level. He said:
"The willingness, want to learn, not have that much ego, to where he wasn't - couldn't get frustrated with not getting his opportunity. I respect Tom so much for when he got that opportunity. He took it and ran with it.
"He didn't develop into Tom Brady, the best that we've ever seen in our life at that time - he was still a young guy. He got to come in easy, not as much pressure; but when it was time, that's when you see that something special in this kid - when in crunch time, as a young buck, he was cool, always real chill."
The full video can be seen below: