Not sure this has been posted anywhere yet, but a great piece by LaCanfora at cbssports.com:
https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/why-tom-brady-despite-all-his-rings-and-accomplishments-is-still-very-underrated/
Snippets:
"
Tom Brady is underrated. Markedly, possibly exceedingly, underrated.
Yes, I wrote the above sentence of my own free will and volition. No, this is not a hot take or faux content spewed out by some algorithm designed to obtain the maximum exposure on a google search. And by the end of this exercise you too may come to the same conclusions I have about precisely how astonishing Brady's career has been, and why it far surpasses anything else we have ever seen in this sport in its totality of regular-season and playoff success.
No one at this position has ever done more with less. No one."
"The reality is, Brady's one true advantage, outside of those he creates for the
Patriotsvirtually every game he plays, is his coupling with football savant Bill Belichick as his head coach. That consistency and continuity cannot be overstated – only Charlie Weis, Bill O'Brien and Josh McDaniels have held the title of offensive coordinator in New England since Brady became the starting quarterback in 2001 – but it's coupled with the reality that every year Brady is asked to do more with less in terms of the talent around him. He routinely turns castoffs and undrafted slot guys into stars, goes deep into the playoffs in seasons in which Reche Caldwell, Brandon Lloyd and Brandon LeFell have been too targets, and he's managed to reach eight Super Bowls and win five despite being mired, by-and-large, with skill players who more closely resembled the limited units that we'd associate with the offensive rosters that held back guys like Dan Marino and John Elway (until the very end) from achieving postseason greatness."
"Even if you dissect the defensive rosters during Brady's incredible, dynastic run with New England, it's slim pickings in terms of truly transcendent talent. Moss and Gronk are Hall of Famers, but no Pats offensive lineman will even be seriously considered, and as a slot guy who didn't score many touchdowns, Welker was limited as well. Save for the three years with Moss, Brady has never been paired with an outside receiver making anywhere close to top dollar. And no running back from this Patriots era will ever even be a Hall of Fame finalist; consider that Coery Dillon, who spent just three seasons in New England and last played in 2006, is the Pats leading rusher during the Brady era with 753 carries for 3,180 yards (a modest 4.2 per carry) and 37 TDs.
LeGarrette Blount is second with 677 rushes for 2,917 yards (4.3 per carry) with 34 TDs."
"The only Pats running back to last more than four seasons in New England during Brady's 17-year run is
Brandon Bolden, a special teams guy. Only 10 Patriots have more rushing yards than Brady during his career in New England, and we all know he can barely move and basically just runs QB sneaks (557 carries for 968 yards, a whopping 1.74 per attempt!). It's a one-man show, people, in a way that is almost incomprehensible. As for true standouts/potential Hall of Famers or guys already in the Hall who have played with Brady on the other side of the ball, it's a short list, too – kicker
Adam Vinatieri (five years with Brady), corner
Darrelle Revis (one year), end Richard Seymour (eight years), linebacker Junior Seau (three years at end of his career), linebacker Willie McGinest (five years), safety Rodney Harrison (six years), safety Ty Law (four years) and tackle
Vince Wilfork (11 years). It's Brady and Belichick, folks."
"Hate him if you like, but to fail to appreciate him is to deny history and overlook the facts. He is the greatest ever, and it isn't even really close anymore."