Is Terry Bradshaw the Greatest Super Bowler of All Time?
In today's world, when someone says 'TB12' they're talking about Tom Brady. Which is fair because he's more than likely going to go down in history as the greatest quarterback in NFL history. And, while Brady has become the bench mark of success, the original TB12 Terry Bradshaw was a beast like no other.
Bradshaw is a 4 time Super Bowl Champion, a 2 time Super Bowl MVP and is responsible for quite possibly the greatest pass in Super Bowl history (see video below). When it mattered most...when the lights were the brightest, Terry rose to the occasion and became an unstoppable force.
At the time of his retirement, he had a Super Bowl record for passing yards by a player (932) and touchdowns (9). Those records now belong to the new school TB12 (it helps that Brady has played in 8 Super Bowls). But in the 70s and 80s, what Bradshaw was able to accomplish in the post season was unheard of. Plus, Terry played in an era where defensive players were literally trying to hurt you every time you dropped back for a pass, you can't say that about the modern era of football.
I think Terry's post season legacy is often overshadowed because he was a grittier player than most quarterbacks. He wasn't Broadway Joe guaranteeing a victory. He didn't have the looks of Joe Montana. He wasn't married to a super model like Tom Brady. Terry was a guy that showed up for work, got the hell beat out of him, found a way to get his job done and went home to live his life. He wasn't a 'media darling'. He was a working man's player.
But the thing that makes Terry the G.O.A.T. when it comes to the Super Bowl is that when the lights burned their brightest, Terry played his best ball. In pressure spots, a lot of players fall apart. Terry took the blows and became a legend.