Breaking down Brady: Best QB ever? Just wait and see

PHOENIX -- Press the pause button, and put aside Tom Brady's right ankle for a moment. What I want to know is this: On your Mount Rushmore of quarterbacks, where does the Patriots' quarterback fit in?

'Brady is living the life every man would like to lead,' Jerry Magee says. (US Presswire)

There's a tightly wound circle of quarterbacks in Otto Graham, John Unitas and Joe Montana. But then the discussion includes Roger Staubach and Terry Bradshaw, John Elway, Sammy Baugh and Dan Marino.

But Marino never won a Super Bowl. In fact, he went to only one. Brady is in his fourth in seven years and could make it four consecutive victories with a defeat of the Giants.

So where does that put him?

"Tom Brady will be at the pinnacle of all those who ever played," said former head coach Mike Martz, now the offensive coordinator in San Francisco.

You'll have to trust him, folks. It was Martz's Rams who gave Brady his start, losing to Brady and the Patriots in a stunning Super Bowl XXXVI upset. So, yeah, he has a handle on the guy.

But he's not alone. That is why I consulted a panel of experts to determine just what we're witnessing here. I know it's greatness, but of what magnitude?

Sit back and listen.

The opposing coach

Say what you want about Martz, but he knows how to produce a passing attack. He turned journeyman Kurt Warner into a two-time MVP and just completed a second straight 4,000-yard season with Detroit's Jon Kitna.

Martz is to quarterbacks what Lombardi was to the sweep.

"The next time you look at Tom Brady," he said, "watch him when (the Patriots) break the huddle. Look at the look on his face. Nothing moves him. He's got a stoicism that reeks of confidence. When things are at their worst, that's when he's at his best."

Of course, things are almost never at their worst with New England, and Brady is the reason why. Before he showed up, coach Bill Belichick was 42-58; with Brady he's 100-26 and working on his fourth Super Bowl.

"He is smart, he has great anticipation and he's a great leader," said Philadelphia's Andy Reid, another coach who lost to Brady in the Super Bowl. "He has subtle movement in the pocket and, of course, he's accurate. The guy's a competitor."