[rexhamer]

I've got to add my $.02 here as well. I've heard this knock on Brady repeatedly - "works well only in the Pats dink & dunk scheme", "protected by a system", "average QB who owes a lot to great defense".

I'll leave the 8-0 playoff record aside for second, but he has put up better than decent numbers the last four years with a group of good/very good (but not great) receivers. And this is not a knock on the Pats receivering corps, who are finaly getting some well desrved attention, but unlike many other "more successful" QB's, he has never had that real stud WR like Owens, Moss, Harrison, etc. I think Troy Brown made one Pro Bowl.

So what is lacking besides gaudy statistics?

Arm Strength? He has consistently improved his deep passing ability since 2001, last week's 60-yarder to Branch an example.

Accuracy? He has always done well threading the needle, note several tough 3rd and long conversions against Indy in the 2nd half with defenders all over the Pats receivers.

Mobility? OK, he is not a scrambler, but has a great knack for stepping up or small lateral movement to avoid the rush (like Marino I might add).

Size? Not sure, 6'4 or 6'5.

Ability to read defenses? Always considered one of his strengths.

Cool in the pocket? Defenses are genuinely hesitant to blitz because he reads and reacts very well to pressure.

Good touch? Excellent on screen passes and short flairs. Also excellent with short passes in the red zone, note Vrabel in last year's SB, Branch (?) short TD against Indy. I believe he developed this good touch around the goal line from previous seasons due to a lack of a power runner.

Handles situational pressure? Now I'll cite the playoff record, or specifically the FG drive against the Rams three years ago or Carolina last year.

Leadership? Should be obvious. It is apparent from interviews how much faith his coaches and teammates have in him in big games (or any game for that matter).

So why would anyone say Brady would not be successful on Indy or any other team? Granted he may not be the pure passer that Manning is, but he could still get the job done.

Has he had some tough games? Sure - Pitt and Miami obviously. But nobody ever said he was perfect, and in both of those games the O-line had trouble also.

Could he lead any other team to a Super Bowl? Not immediately of course, because that takes a whole team. I cannot think of a single NFL team (and I now include Indy in this analysis) that would not be upgraded at the QB position with Brady.

Just my $02.