Had the Patriots lost the 2001-02 playoff game to the Raiders, would Tom Brady have still been great?

Question

It was the divisional playoff game where the Raiders appeared to recover a fumble in the snow in Foxborough, but it was overturned. Would the Raiders have won that game? Would Tom Brady have won future Super Bowls and still been great or would his career have taken a nosedive had the fumble stood?

Answer 1

One of the worst calls ever.  Tom Brady (who also admits that it was a horrendous call) obviously would not have won three, but would still be a great qb with a couple of rings.

  

Answer 2

Yes.

It was not a bad call as some very stupid people believe.  It was the correct call underr the circumstances.  Even if it was a bad call the Raiders could have still played a little defense and prevented the Patriots from kicking two field goals to win the game.  

Good call.  Great QB.  Horrible defense by the Raiders.  They let that call get in their heads and then they pouted, whined, and cried like little baby girls afterwards because they could not accept responsibility for their poor performance.  

They need a man like George Blanda on the team again to show them what it means to be a man.

Answer 3

I think he would have been just as great. The experience may have helped him win more superbowls.Including the one they barely lost to a much lesser team.

Answer 4

Oh yes, even though in some occasions an individual player doesn't look good unless your team looks good, but in this case everybody knew that Brady was a really great QB!

Answer 5

Tom Brady has never been great.  He walked in after Drew Bledsoe and Bill Parcells set everything up.  Bellychick is the worst of all.  I didn't even think you COULD CHEAT in football... I mean whats up with that...

Answer 6

Without a doubt. Hate him or love him, no one can deny that Tom Brady's skills are up there with Joe Montana's. Brady has obviously taken every mistake he's made and improved on it. I haven't been a Pat's fan since the 1986 Super Bowl song, but I do enjoy watching Brady execute those plays.

Answer 7

What if the Buccaneers would have went undefeated in there first year? Do you think the colors of the uniforms would've have changed sooner or later?

Tom Brady is a great QB, and because the Pat's won that game on that bogus call is irrelevant,

Look at Peyton Manning. And your what if's

Answer 8

It was a fumble!! yet another reason I hate Tom Brady and refs

Answer 9

Had the play been called correctly as a fumble he would have been the guy who fumbled the playoffs away rather than the guy who failed to move the team across midfield against the Steelers and who won Super Bowl MVP for no apparent reason giving him a "clutch quarterback" reputation.

I think his entire career would have gone completely differently had that call not been blown.  I doubt that 2003 and 2004 would have gone as well without the confidence gained from the 2001 Super Bowl victory.

^ NFL Rule 3, Section 21, Article 2, Note 2: "When a Team A player is holding the ball to pass it forward, any intentional forward movement of his hand starts a forward pass, even if the player loses possession of the ball as he is attempting to tuck it back toward his body. Also, if the player has tucked the ball into his body and then loses possession, it is a fumble."

He had both hands on the ball and was no longer drawing it back towards his body.  That should satisfy the "has tucked the rule back into his body" clause making it a fumble.

Answer 10

I hate Tom Brady....and Patriots fans....they suck...bandwagon hoppin SOB's

Answer 11

This is the dumbest thing I've ever read.