Steve Silverman

Tom Brady is on the wrong side of 30 — for Patriot opponents.

Although 30 years old may sound old for a quarterback who has been dodging tacklers since he first started wearing shoulder pads before he was 10, it is nothing for Brady supporters and Patriots fans to panic about.

A running back may start to go downhill at age 28 or 29, but that does not apply to a quarterback. Need an example? Hall of Famer Steve Young earned a spot in the Pro Bowl seven times. All of those invitations came after the age of 30.

Young, of course, had a very long apprenticeship with the 49ers because they had a pretty good No. 1 quarterback in Joe Montana. A great argument can be made that those two are the best quarterbacks to ever play the game. Most making that case would give Montana the No. 1 spot, but Young’s accuracy (96.9 passer rating; No. 1 all-time in that category) and athleticism allow him to make a pretty good case.

Brady, of course, has a pretty good track record already. He has three Super Bowl titles under his belt and has thrown for 21,564 yards with 147 touchdowns and just 78 interceptions through his first seven seasons. Thrust into the starting lineup when Drew Bledsoe was injured against the Jets in 2001, Brady never blinked as he led the Pats to a stunning Super Bowl upset over the Rams.

Championship game wins over the Panthers and Eagles have followed and a fourth title could be at hand since the Patriots have rebuilt their receiving crew by adding Randy Moss, Donte Stallworth, Kelley Washington and Wes Welker in the offseason. Although he never has complained publicly, Brady simply did not have the weapons last year to handle Peyton Manning and the Colts especially after wideout Deion Branch was traded to Seattle.

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During their intense rivalry, even the staunchest Brady supporters realize that Manning has the kind of technique and delivery to earn him a comparison with Dan Marino, John Elway, Montana, Young and Johnny Unitas. Brady’s numbers are not quite in that category, but it’s his competitiveness and decisiveness that allow him to compete with Manning on even terms.

In last year’s 17-13 victory over the Bears in Week 12, Brady made a key first down in the fourth quarter by running out of the pocket and faking All-Pro middle linebacker Brian Urlacher out of position with a head-and-shoulders move. While Urlacher’s greatest strength may be his athletic ability followed by his aggressiveness, Brady was fearless in taking on the Bears’ best player when the game was on the line.

That’s an intangible edge that is almost impossible to quantify with stats, but it’s why Brady’s name comes up at No. 1 or 1A when personnel analysts are asked to name the best quarterback in the game.

The 30-year-old Brady is taking some steps to acknowledge his age. Like the 31-year-old Manning, he no longer has to throw a 100 balls per session in practice. Brady used to throw as many as 200 passes a day in previous camps and that would leave him with a sore arm. He has nothing left to prove in training camp. He just wants to familiarize himself with his new weapons and make sure they know his habits and vice-versa.

“I think I’m at a point in my career where I know what it takes to prepare myself,” Brady told the Boston Globe. “I’ve tried just about everything at this point, so now I try to be efficient in how to prepare for games and make the most out of practice time.”

Moss is the kind of gamebreaking weapon that Brady has never had at his disposal. He has thrown his new deep threat the kind of high-arcing passes that Moss loves to run under and make big plays. Brady has compared Moss to a centerfielder in baseball, because he tracks the ball so well and knows the precise moment to accelerate and put his hands out to make the catch.

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Brady will do everything he can to take advantage of Moss’s speed, leaping ability and strength. If both stay healthy (and Moss stays focused), Brady-to-Moss could become as dangerous as Manning-to-Marvin Harrison.

NFL scouts and insiders have long know that Brady throws one of the best deep balls in the league. Fans may not be as familiar with that part of his game because he has not had the kind of weapons that could take advantage of that strength. With Moss and his other new playmates, that ability should come to the forefront.

Brady has no fear about turning 30. He has avoided major injuries during his pro career and three championships mean he is playing with the house’s money. He is immune to pressure and prepared to make the next part of his career just as memorable as the first.

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