From the soon to be named studios, let’s go.
This handout from Sports Illustrated shows the cover of the Dec. 12, 2005 issue, featuring Tom Brady, the 2005 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year. The issue will hit newsstands on Dec. 7. (AP Photo/HO, Sports Illustrated)Excellence before us
It’s not that often that a playoff game – or any game for that matter – in any sport features a matchup of two all-timers. That’s one of the reasons that the Bird-Magic stuff was so special, it was two of the NBA’s best ever meeting in critical games at the height of their powers. Same for Russell-Chamberlain.
In football it’s a little different because there’s so much more of the team aspect involved. But during the late 1980s, the 49ers-Giants games were an event because it was Montana vs. Taylor. In baseball, we’re sure when Aaron or Mays faced Gibson or Ruth vs. Walter Johnson drew similar awe.
When you factor in the playoff factor, those match-ups naturally elevate. So when Tom Brady faces Ray Lewis on Sunday, there’s a real argument to be made that this meeting features the best ever at the two most important positions in NFL history.