Tom Brady showed us again Sunday night why he's the best football player to ever play the game.
The debate is now officially over.
Oh, and that debate as to whether it was Bill Belichick or Brady being the main reason New England won six Super Bowls is also over. It's Brady, even if Belichick is the greatest coach of all time.
That's what Brady did in leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a resounding victory over the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday night in Super Bowl LV. Brady didn't put up gaudy numbers, but even on a day when the defense shined for the Bucs the story was all about him.
Seven Super Bowl victories means he has more than any other franchise in history. He won this one at the age of 43, which is downright amazing.
As we head to the offseason, the Super Bowl behind us, this could be an offseason almost as strange as last year. With the pandemic still an issue, things will be different. There will be no NFL combine and the league still hasn't decided about OTAs and on-field work such as minicamps.
The draft will happen, but the process leading to it will be so much different without the combine and limits on workouts.
The NFL made it all work last season, which is a testament to the league and its players, so it's smart to think they will make it work again -- no matter what the rules.
One thing is certain: The trade market should be fun to watch. We've already seen the Los Angeles Rams agree to trade a boatload of picks and Jared Goff to land Matt Stafford from the Detroit Lions.
It's unlikely that will be the last quarterback moves to be made. There are lot of teams in flux at that position, which is never a good thing. The Houston Texans have to decide if they will keep disgruntled quarterback Deshaun Watson -- they should -- or unload him for picks. The Philadelphia Eagles are likely trading away Carson Wentz as well.
It should be a fun offseason. As we head into it, here are my final power rankings, which has the Bucs naturally at the top. Kansas City, which looked awful in losing Sunday night, is still right behind them in the second spot.
What's to think these two won't be back next year? Brady is coming back and the Chiefs still have Patrick Mahomes.
Sunday's game might have stunk in terms of drama, but this season was still a success in a big way, mainly because they finished it.
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | They have some tough personnel decisions coming up - the main one is edge rusher Shaq Barrett - but this team has the ability to do it again. | 6 | |
| 2 |  | They got pushed around up front on both lines in the Super Bowl. Injuries hurt the offensive line, but they need to be better on both fronts next year. | 1 | |
| 3 |  | All that talk about Aaron Rodgers going somewhere else was way overhyped. They do need to improve on defense as they made a coordinator change with Joe Barry now in charge. | 1 | |
| 4 |  | They made big strides this season, but one thing they have to do is get bigger on defense. They will push for the Super Bowl again next season. | 1 | |
| 5 |  | They have a new offensive coordinator in Shane Waldron, but what will that mean? They certainly shouldn't play more conservative with Russell Wilson. | 1 | |
| 6 |  | If Drew Brees isn't back, they will be a lot lower on this list in the next rankings. Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill are a step down from Brees. | 1 | |
| 7 |  | Ben Roethlisberger will be back, but it could be his last season. They have to start planning for the future. | 1 | |
| 8 |  | This has to be the offseason where they improve the passing game. Lamar Jackson needs to be better, but he needs help outside. | -- | |
| 9 |  | They face a major decision about the quarterback decision. Do they go out and get a veteran? Carson Wentz maybe? | -- | |
| 10 |  | Kevin Stefanski did a nice job with this team in his first season. They do have to improve on the defensive side of the ball. | -- | |
| 11 |  | The pass rush has to be a priority this offseason. They just weren't good enough in that area. | -- | |
| 12 |  | With Matt Stafford now in as the quarterback, thanks to a monster trade, they should again be a playoff team. But that trade says Super Bowl, not playoffs. | -- | |
| 13 |  | The coach, general manager and quarterback are all back after going to the playoffs. For now, at least. The question is whether that's a good thing. | -- | |
| 14 |  | This is another team that is in flux at the quarterback position. They tried to trade for Matt Stafford, so they clearly want an upgrade. | -- | |
| 15 |  | Their situation is this: Stick with Tua Tagovailoa or make a deal for Deshaun Watson. They are certainly moving in the right direction, but it's all about Tagovailoa's growth if they keep him. | -- | |
| 16 |  | The offense leveled off in the second half of the season, so that needs figuring out. This coming season will be a big one for Kliff Kingsbury. | -- | |
| 17 |  | The defense was a disaster, but they hired Gus Bradley to try and fix it. They also need better players on that side of the ball. | -- | |
| 18 |  | The quarterback situation is in flux, same as it was last offseason. The question is can anybody fix it. | -- | |
| 19 |  | They surprised some with the hiring of Brandon Staley as head coach. It has to be comforting to know they have Justin Herbert for the next decade. | -- | |
| 20 |  | Mike Zimmer had this team playing better in the second half of the season. With some more additions on defense, and guys getting back healthy, they might be back in the playoff mix next season. | -- | |
| 21 |  | They inquired about Matt Stafford, but it looks like it's still Drew Lock's job for now. They have a chance to be good on offense if he can take a big step forward. | -- | |
| 22 |  | Joe Judge had a solid first season, but this team's growth will be all about Daniel Jones at quarterback. He likely has one more season to prove he's the guy. | -- | |
| 23 |  | They have to get Dak Prescott signed to a long-term deal. They can't have that being an issue as he returns from missing most of 2020 with injury. | -- | |
| 24 |  | They will be much higher on this list when the next batch of rankings comes out after the draft. Injuries crippled the 49ers last season, but they will be back. | 1 | |
| 25 |  | This is yet another team with quarterback issues. It appears they are ready to upgrade from Teddy Bridgewater. | 1 | |
| 26 |  | Nick Sirianni was a surprise hire after Doug Pederson was fired. His first job is to decide what to do at quarterback, although a trade of Carson Wentz will make that an easy decision. | -- | |
| 27 |  | The hiring of new coach Arthur Smith will help Matt Ryan and the offense since it sounds like he's coming back. Will Julio Jones be back? | 1 | |
| 28 |  | This has the looks of a total rebuild after they traded Matt Stafford to the Rams. They will a have a lot of picks the next few years, which means they need to be patient. | 2 | |
| 29 |  | This will be a big year for coach Zac Taylor, so he needs a healthy Joe Burrow in his rehab from knee surgery. The offensive line has to be better. | -- | |
| 30 |  | New coach David Culley needs to repair the relationship Deshaun Watson has with the team. He should not be traded. | 3 | |
| 31 |  | Will Robert Saleh and the new staff decide to keep Sam Darnold? He would seem to be a nice fit for their offensive scheme. | -- | |
| 32 |  | They landed Urban Meyer as coach and will load up in free agency, and then add Trevor Lawrence. They won't be this low for much longer. | -- |
