Tommy Boy

Saturday night, Brady looked as sharp as
ever and forced people to talk about
  him even when they still wanted
to discuss Tim Tebow.

Not use to playing second fiddle to anyone, much less a second-year quarterback, New England Patriots' Tom Brady made sure that didn't happen Saturday.

In their highly anticipated rematch with the Denver Broncos, New England's offense came out firing on all cylinders. Brady threw two first quarter touchdowns, which was significant given the fact he had only throw one first quarter touchdown in his last 11 postseason first quarters.

It was the beginning of a record-setting night for a determined Brady-led offense.

Loser of three consecutive playoff games, including the last two coming in Gillette Stadium, and many saying the two-time league MVP's postseason mystic had faded, Brady threw a NFL postseason record five touchdowns in the first half, giving New England a commanding 35-7 lead at the half.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Brady is the last quarterback to throw five first half touchdowns
in any game, regular season or postseason. That game coming in Week 6 of the 2009-10 season in a 59-0 pounding of then-winless Tennessee Titans.

Finishing the game with a record-tying 6 TD passes and 363 yards, Brady continues to cement his legacy as one of the greatest field generals in NFL history. His 36 career postseason TD passes are third most all-time, trailing only Joe Montana (45) and Brett Favre (44) and the most by a quarterback in franchise history. Brady's 363 passing yards are also a franchise record for the most in a single playoff game.

The former sixth-round pick now has throw a touchdown pass in 18 consecutive postseason games, second only to Brett Favre's 20.

Three of Brady's six touchdowns came with tight end Rob Gronkowski at the receiving end, tying a postseason record for the most receiving touchdowns in a postseason game.

Gronkowski, who caught a record and league leading 17 TDs this season, was one of three tight ends on the day to total 100-plus receiving yards and catch two touchdown passes, but the only one to catch three TDs. There has been only one other tight end to accomplish these feats in the last 25 years.

Miami's Keith Jackson was the last to do so, catching 8 passes from Hall of Famer Dan Marino for 109 yards and two scores in their 22-21 Divisional Round loss to the San Diego Chargers in January of 1995.

If that weren't enough, Brady and head coach Bill Belichick surpassed Pro Football Hall of Famers Terry Bradshaw and Chuck Noll for the most postseason wins for a quarterback-head coach tandem with 15.

Earlier this year Brady and Belichick eclipsed Marino and Don Shula for the most wins (124) for a quarterback-head coach duo in NFL history.

It was the second time Belichick got the best of Denver's John Fox in the postseason. The first was in Super Bowl XXXVIII, when Fox was the head coach of the Carolina Panthers.

While New England's historic season will continue, the Broncos and Tim Tebow's magical, improbable and unconventional run will not. Never holding a lead in their eventual 45-10 loss, Denver looked outmatched from the get-go on the Patriots' opening 5-play, 80-yard, touchdown drive.

It was the Broncos' inability to matchup and tackle tight ends Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. In the teams two meetings this season both of New England's tight ends combined for 443 total yards and 5 TDs.

Meeting with Coach Belichick postgame, it was
a long night for Tebow and Co.

One wrinkle the Patriots incorporated in their offense Saturday was offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien, who recently accepted the head coaching job at Penn State, lined Hernandez up in the back field, having him carry the ball five times, including a 43-yard carry that step up Brady's first touchdown pass.

New England's defense also decided to show up, recording 14 plays for negative yardage. That is most in a playoff game since 2007, when the Pittsburgh Steelers also had 14 plays dip into the red in their wild card loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Overall, for a player that experienced so much criticism before starting an NFL game, the 2011-12 season was a success for Tebow.

Tebow took over a 1-4 Bronco team, lead to a six-game-winning streak, five fourth quarter comebacks, including three overtime victories, an AFC West title and unbelievably dramatic overtime win on Wild Card Weekend against the defending AFC Champion Steelers.

Whatever the future holds for Tebow, he has proven one thing already, he can win in the NFL. And in the end that's all that matters.

Just ask Tom Brady.