With Tom Brady recently announcing his retirement, more than a few people have crowned him as the greatest quarterback in NFL history. One person who has not is New York Giants legend Lawrence Taylor.
In an appearance on the "I Am Athlete" podcast, Taylor said Joe Montana holds the title of GOAT in his book. Taylor said Brady played in a more favorable era for quarterbacks, and defenses were more reluctant to hit him due to the fear of drawing a flag. Taylor said that would have been different if he had played against Brady.
"Joe Montana is still my man," Taylor said. "Still my man. You say greatest quarterbacks ever, I'm still with Joe Montana. I'm not going with Tom Brady. … Listen, Tom Brady got all the rules on his side. You can't touch him. You can't touch him. If you hit him, if you breathe on him, they're gonna throw a flag.
"I don't understand how he drops back eight yards, and he sits in a little cocoon, and they're not sending people at him. Why is the defense not sending people? Man, let me tell you something. … If I'm playing, I'm hitting him every play. Even if I had to just pat him on the ass, I was right there beside you, brother."
There's no question that Montana is one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history. He has four Super Bowl rings, three Super Bowl MVPs and two MVP awards in his trophy case. His 40,551 passing yards rank 22nd all-time, and his 273 touchdown passes are 19th.
That said, it's tough to top Brady's resume. In his 23-year career, Brady won seven Super Bowls, was named Super Bowl MVP five times and owns three MVP awards. He also holds the NFL records for all-time passing yards (89,214) and touchdowns (649).