From the days of Otto Graham and Bobby Layne through John Unitas, Bart Starr, Joe Namath, Terry Bradshaw, Joe Montana, John Elway and Brett Favre, point and counterpoint cases can be made for numerous candidates.

Sonny Jurgensen was a peerless marksman. Roger Staubach was the consummate leader. George Blanda was a marvel of stamina and longevity.

Ask 50 experts to pick the one and only quarterback, and it's possible there could a dozen or more responses.

But if Tom Brady can get New England a win over the New York Giants in next Sunday's Super Bowl, he has to go to the top of my list. Here's why:

* With a win, Brady and the Patriots, with a 19-0 record, would pass the 1972 Miami Dolphins in the category of single-season perfection.

Those Dolphins, led by Bob Griese, went 17-0, and there's no reason to think they could not have won two more games. They were that dominant, but it doesn't change the fact that the Patriots are one win away from actually doing it.

* One more title would put Brady even with Montana and Bradshaw for Super Bowl wins at four.

At 30 years old, Brady has done it in relatively short order and on a team with its share of roster turnover, too. There are no guarantees, but if he can stay in reasonably sound health and Bill Belichick sticks around as New England's coach, there's a good chance the Pats will remain among the NFL's best teams for the next three or four seasons. Who's to say Brady won't end his career with five, six or even more Super Bowl rings?

* Brady's success has occurred during a period of dominance by the American Conference teams over their National Conference rivals.

Merely qualifying for the playoffs has been difficult for most AFC teams during the bulk of Brady's career. Other than St. Louis during the 1999 season and Tampa Bay in 2002, an NFC team hasn't won a title since Green Bay beat the Pats in the Super Bowl that followed the 1996 season.

Montana and San Francisco won four titles during an era of NFC superiority in the 1980s. The same was true of Bradshaw, Pittsburgh and the AFC in the 1970s, although two of the Steelers' titles came before the regular-season schedule was expanded to 16 games. Both of those franchises had to deal with some free agency, but not so much as now.

The AFC's current depth is important in that it probably prevented the Pats from winning last year's Super Bowl. Playing in Indianapolis, the Colts' four-point win over New England in the AFC title game propelled them to a 12-point Super Bowl win over Chicago. It's a mild assumption, but the Bears almost surely would have had as much trouble with the Pats as the Colts.

* Finally, Brady has won big during a stretch of unprecedented advances by NFL defenses.

Compared to only a few years ago, pass-coverage schemes and blitz packages have become so exotic that even talented veteran quarterbacks frequently are rushed into incorrect reads. Defensive linemen are bigger and quicker than ever. Many linebackers are fast enough to cover most offensive backs and some wide receivers. Pass-pocket crashers have evolved into such high-dollar specialists that a few often sit out plays in obvious running-down situations.

Since the days of Bradshaw and Montana, several rules changes have been made to protect quarterbacks from injuries. Both were subjected to late hits from pass rushers on a regular basis. The quarterback position was more physically dangerous to play then, but it's more complex now and the game is unquestionably quicker.

Brady can show a lot of old-school toughness, however. Odds are, he'll be in some pain from a sore ankle next week. But if he plays well and the Pats win, he should move a step ahead of the best.

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