Today marks the anniversary of one of the most outrageous claims in the history of the NFL and perhaps all of sports, the infamous Tom Brady cliff argument. 

The old saying goes that ‘father time is undefeated’, meaning that no matter how good you may think you are and how long you think you might be able to be at the top of your profession, or even just capable at your profession, as you get older your talents will start to diminish and you’ll never be the same again.

The one man who that doesn’t seem to apply to though, is Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, who had long ago made the argument that he was the best quarterback of all time by the time he had won his first three Super Bowls with the New England Patriots and had put up some incredible numbers whilst with the team.

But given that at the age of 44 he managed to lead the league in both passing yards with 5,316 and passing touchdowns with 43 in 2021, he is giving father time a run for his money. He’s coming back this season looking to make it eight Super Bowl victories, and you would be hard pressed to find anyone who doesn’t think that he and the Buccaneers will be contending for honors again.

However there was a time when some thought, with one very famous example, that Brady wouldn’t be around to rack up all the records and further trophies that he has already done, let alone compete well into his 40s. 

The coldest of cold takes

Step forward ESPN broadcaster Max Kellerman, who on this day in 2016, the season that Brady was forced to sit out the first four games as a result of Deflategate, Kellerman believed that the then 39-year-old Brady was coming to the end of his lifespan as an NFL quarterback and that he was set to suffer a significant decline in his abilities:

The reaction of co-host Stephen A Smith says it all, and all these years later that reaction is as relevant then as it was now.

These numbers don’t lie

Since Kellerman’s now infamous proclamation, Brady has (as per Statmuse), thrown for 26,492 yards and 196 touchdowns just in the regular season, that’s not counting all the postseason trips he’s made in that time, which have included four trips to the Super Bowl and three Vince Lombardi trophies.

Have there been wrong predictions in the NFL? Yes, far too many to count. But when it comes to being wrong, particularly when you consider the conviction with which Kellerman said it, you will struggle to find one that was as wide of the mark as this one.