Who still thinks Tom Brady should be mentioned among the all-time greats?

I know this is the era of the here-and-now, and far too often we seem to forget about the past due to the seemingly 24-7 reminders of the present; but can we now please stop saying Brady is as good as Joe Montana and some of the other truly great quarterbacks in the 92-year history of the National Football League? 

I recently asked Georgia State head football coach Bill Curry if Tom Brady and New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick would become the greatest quarterback/head coach combination ever if they'd won a fourth Super Bowl.  His response was simple. 

"Vince Lombardi and Bart Starr won 5 NFL championships (including the first two Super Bowls).  When they get to five, then we can talk." 

Curry, who played for Lombardi and snapped the ball to Starr in Super Bowl I, also noted that Lombardi and Starr had a career playoff record of 9-1 (when there were much fewer playoff rounds and games, I might add.)

Brady and Belichick are now 2-4 in their last six playoff games. 

So for all of those (mostly media at a four-letter network based in the northeast which houses many New England fans and homers--I know, because I worked there and saw it for myself) who continue to try to persuade us that Brady is capable of becoming the greatest quarterback of all-time, please ... stop!

Belichick was also thought to be in Lombardi's class as a coach.  He is now 6-6 in his last 12 playoff games.  And his 17-7 career record in the postseason is tied with Joe Gibbs of the Washington Redskins.  Gibbs also has 3 Super Bowl rings.  But he lost just one Super Bowl as head coach of the Washington Redskins.  Yet for some reason, the classy Gibbs has never been mentioned in the greatest coach conversation.

Belichick has now lost twice on football's biggest stage, and his team has come up short on two occasions against a team it was favored to beat. 

If you exclude Brady's six-touchdown game against an overmatched Denver Broncos team 3 weeks before this latest Super Bowl loss, he's thrown eight touchdowns and 11 interceptions in the other six playoff games he's started since Jan. 20, 2008. 

Not exactly numbers that would describe "the greatest of all-time."

For the record, Starr (against defenses that could virtually maul quarterbacks) had a career playoff touchdown-to-interception ratio of 15-to-3 to go with those five NFL championships. 

It sure seems as if Brady is spiraling downward from the glittering start to his playoff career (won his first 10 playoff games).  Meanwhile, Montana threw 15 interceptions to just 17 touchdowns in his first 10 playoff games.  He had 28 TD to six picks the rest of his playoff career. 

More than anything, Montana was 4-for-4 in the biggest game.  He threw 11 touchdown passes and zero interceptions in his four Super Bowl games. 

So for goodness sake, can we please stop saying Brady is in the class of the all-time greats. 

He and the Patriots have now won zero championships in the last seven years.