Tony Dungy Slights Tom Brady in All-Time Rankings

The Colts and Patriots had one of the greatest rivalries in NFL history, but did it cause Tony Dungy to have a skewed view of Tom Brady?

ESPN.com recently wrote up a “GOAT Index”, which ranks the greatest QB’s of all-time according to the input from current and former NFL head coaches and executives.

The panel included Pete Carroll, Tony Dungy, Mike Holmgren, Howard Mudd, Wade Phillips, Mike Reinfeldt, Ray Rhodes, Mike Shanahan, Al Saunders and Norv Turner. Mike Sadano cites in the article that the panel had 330 seasons of combined NFL experience with 20 Super Bowl rings.

It has become consensus among most NFL fans and personnel that Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback who ever lived, and he finished first on this list, but Tony Dungy ranked him sixth.

Dungy ranked his top quarterbacks by who was the toughest to defend, which is why he had John Elway, Steve Young and Aaron Rodgers in his top three.

Elway, Young, and Rodgers all had next-level mobility to pair with their incredible passing skills, which is why Dungy set them apart from the rest.

At the surface it looks like Dungy may have slighted Brady because Belichick, Brady, and the Patriots prevented his Colts from winning multiple Super Bowls.

While Dungy’s rating system was a bit peculiar, it didn’t reveal much bias because Peyton Manning didn’t even finish in his own top three when he finished number two on the list behind Brady.

No quarterback can top Brady’s credentials:

• 5 Super Bowl Rings
• 2 MVP’s
• 12 Pro Bowl appearances
• 4th in all-time in passing yards and touchdowns
• 3rd all-time in passer rating
• Winningest quarterback of all-time

However, Dungy’s rating wasn’t based on Brady’s credentials. A player like Aaron Rodgers did more to keep Dungy awake at night, and that’s not an insane way to devise a ranking system.