Former ESPN anchor and current sports columnist for The Atlantic, Jemele Hill, kept her streak intact of delivering inane commentary designed to start arguments rather than provide any information of redeeming value. Her latest effort involves a debate over who is the better quarterback – Patrick Mahomes or Tom Brady.
Hill posted what she described as a “medium heat take” on her X social media account.
“Patrick Mahomes doesn’t have to pass Tom Brady in Super Bowl rings to be better than Brady,” she wrote.
Jemele Hill: Ain’t No Thang Like A Super Bowl Rang
The first thought that comes to mind in this debate – well, it’s not even a debate really – is that yeah, Super Bowl rings kind of matter when it comes to ranking all-time great quarterbacks.
You can’t just eliminate the main factor – championships – when it comes to ranking success.
Put it this way: If Patrick Mahomes wins the Super Bowl this year … and then wins it the next four years in a row … he would finally catch up to Tom Brady in number of rings.
RELATED: Comparing Patrick Mahomes playoffs resume to all-time greats like Joe Montana, Tom Brady
There is the matter of longevity, of course. Until Brady came along, 23-season careers were quite a rarity. It’s nearly impossible to compare the two because of the differing bodies of work.
In his 8th season as quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs, Mahomes trails Brady in number of games played, 335-96.
Brady owns a plethora of all-time stats: Most career wins (251), most career passing touchdowns (649), and most career passing yards (89,214) to name a few.
He’s played 31 more playoff games than Mahomes.
Yes, comparing the two statistically does yield more impressive number for Mahomes. And comparing their first 8 seasons shows the Chiefs play-caller with more yards/game, a higher QB rating, more touchdowns, and fewer interceptions.
That said, consider this – the NFL’s offensive explosion (NFL rankings) based in part on rule changes to the benefit of quarterbacks is widely considered to have taken place in 2011.
That was Brady’s 12th season in the league. He played 11 seasons when the rules for quarterbacks weren’t nearly so friendly.
Add in the fact that Tom Brady helped two separate franchises win Super Bowls (New England and Tampa Bay), as well as their two head-to-head meetings in the playoffs where Brady won both games and significantly outplayed his opponent (Super Bowl LV wasn’t even close), and Mahomes just can’t compare.
And this is coming from a guy who probably rooted for the opposing team every single time Brady appeared in a Super Bowl. He’s the GOAT – end of discussion.
Look, we’re well aware of what Jemele Hill is doing here. As are most of her takes, she’s basing her analysis on the race of the players and naturally, the white guy just can’t be the GOAT in her mind.
She’s not complicated enough to not see it, even though she doesn’t specifically mention race in her post on X. But we all know what Hill is doing.
And besides, when her hot take eventually proves to be garbage, as they so often do, who’s going to remember? Who’s going to call her out 15 years from now, provided Mahomes’ career even goes that long?
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