The QB Files: Tom Brady vs. Terry Bradshaw With Tom Brady set to become the second quarterback to start five Super Bowls, The Fifth Down is comparing his body of work to some of the sport's greatest performers in the game that decides it all. They say you cannot compare players from different eras. They being roughly everyone who read Tuesday's installment of The QB Files, which compared Tom Brady with John Elway. So, what would the same people have to say about comparing Brady with Terry Bradshaw? While the eras certainly were quite different, Brady and Bradshaw are not entirely dissimilar. Each contributed relatively little statistically in his first Super Bowl (relying heavily on a hard-hitting defense to keep the score close) and each blossomed into a 300-yard passer over the course of his four Super Bowl appearances. Bradshaw In just over half as many passing attempts, Bradshaw threw for nearly as many yards and more touchdowns than Brady. His average of 11.09 yards per attempt would break the single-season record, set by Sid Luckman in 1943 (now we are really comparing eras!) Brady has limited his turnovers more, but Bradshaw threw three of his four interceptions in a cakewalk against the Rams in 1980, so they did not prove costly. Advantage: Bradshaw The Benchwarmers Bradshaw was replaced as the team's starting quarterback for part of the 1974 season by Coach Chuck Noll, but was able to regain his job in time to lead the team to its first Super Bowl win. Brady started the 2001 season as Drew Bledsoe's rarely-mentioned backup. By the end of the season he was the Super Bowl M.V.P. While not a situation where an advantage can clearly be determined, it is interesting that each player spent part of a championship season on his team's bench, but still was able to win the title game. Bradshaw's team was loaded from top to bottom over the course of the team's dynastic run, as the Steel Curtain featured the all-time greats Joe Greene, Jack Ham, Jack Lambert and Mel Blount. Brady has had some famous teammates in Richard Seymour, Tedy Bruschi, Junior Seau and others, but at this point none of them resonates with the power of those vaunted Pittsburgh teams. The Conclusion Brady seemingly has met his match in Bradshaw. While more accurate and less prone to turnovers in the Super Bowl than Bradshaw, Brady has not been as explosive offensively, and that glaring loss to the Giants seems to give Bradshaw all the edge he would need. Should Brady win a fourth ring Sunday, then it would be worth taking another look at their résumés. .