After one of the most exciting Super Bowls in NFL history, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is being compared to former San Francisco 49ers great Joe Montana.

Montana led the 49ers to four Super Bowl victories and is regarded as one of the best quarterbacks of all-time.

After a comparison of the two quarterbacks, Brady has a slight edge.

One of the biggest factors to consider is the salary cap. The NFL salary cap was not established until 1994. This is huge because it puts every team on equal playing ground, unlike past championship squads. That doesn't mean that everything before 1994 is tainted, but you could certainly argue Brady's accomplishments are more impressive because of it.

Brady has only had one Hall of Fame caliber wide receiver, Randy Moss, and he only had him for a very limited time. Going into the 2015 Super Bowl, Brady's No. 1 target was a guy who played quarterback in college and was drafted in the seventh round. That guy (Julian Edelman) would eventually make the game-winning Super Bowl catch. Brady's other touchdown catch in the fourth quarter was made by Danny Amendola, a guy who wasn't even drafted and is playing on his fourth team in the last six years.

We also can't overlook what Brady had to overcome in the running game. The Patriots' leading runner (Jonas Gray) this season had just 412 yards, and he had just four total carries in the postseason. Starting running back Stevan Ridley missed nearly the entire season.

The bottom line is nobody has ever done more with less than Brady has.

The Super Bowl against the Seattle Seahawks once again backed up Brady's all-time great legacy. Although Brady did throw two interceptions, he had the greatest fourth quarter in championship game history with a 97 QBR. To do what he did against that all-time great defense in the final quarter speaks volumes.

Let's put this into perspective for a moment.

In last year's Super Bowl, Peyton Manning and the greatest offense ever (statistically speaking) managed to score just one touchdown in a 43-8 defeat to this same "Legion of Boom" defense led by Richard Sherman. A team that had Demaryius Thomas, Julius Thomas, Wes Welker and a 1,000 yard rusher in Knowshon Moreno. Now, Brady got his turn with far less surrounding talent. Brady threw for four touchdowns against the defending champs on drives that consisted of 65 yards, 80 yards, 68 yards and 64 yards.

Let's also not forget that the Super Bowl was about 70 percent Seahawks fans in Glendale, Arizona. Brady and Bill Belichick prepared for a road game, as they should have.

The big comparison going on now is between Brady and his childhood idol, Joe Montana. Both now have four Super Bowls and three Super Bowl MVP awards, the most ever by a quarterback. Montana never lost in the big game, but something has to be said about making to another two Super Bowls. In Super Bowl 42, Brady did go all the way down the field for the go-ahead score against the New York Giants. He did his job.

Even if the Seahawks run Marshawn Lynch and potentially win the game, the same could be said for this game.

Brady obviously has far superior regular season numbers, but he was counted on more than Montana was. In the most recent Super Bowl, Brady completed an NFL record 37 passes, and it came against the No. 1 defense in the league. Brady also became the first quarterback to ever throw for 50 passes in a Super Bowl and actually win the game. The Seahawks had 162 rushing yards, while the Patriots had just 57 yards on the ground.

Montana does a hold a huge edge in mobility. Montana has twice the amount of rushing yards in 17 less games.

The primary reason Brady slightly edges Montana is because of surrounding help. Montana has always had a far superior defense backing him up when compared to Brady

Defensive Ranks

In Joe Montana's four Super Bowl appearances, his defense ranked:

1981: 2nd
1984: 1st
1988: 3rd
1989: 4th

In Tom Brady's six Super Bowl appearances, his defense ranked:

2001: 24th
2003: 7th
2004: 9th
2007: 4th
2011: 31st
2014: 13th

Only once in Montana's career did he ever have a defense that ranked outside the top 14, which came in 1982 when the 49ers defense ranked 21st overall. The Patriots' defense hasn't even ranked in the top 25 four of the last five seasons. Montana had a top five defense five times, whereas Brady had a top five defense just once. Again, that goes back to the salary cap rule.

In 2011 (see above) the Patriots had the second worst defense in the entire league, and Brady still led the team to a Super Bowl.

Both quarterbacks are considered by most as all-time greats. Brady has done more with less talent around him and without a great defense, but Montana was perfect in his four Super Bowls and had mobility. In the end, it's up to you decide which quarterback ranks higher.

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