Well that would make your top 5 invalid.
Yes I realize Cassel had 11 wins with that team. What I'm trying to say to you is - don't credit those wins to
just him. First of all he wasn't the main reason they won and second of all football isn't an individual sport, hell it's not even like basketball where the main players can have influence on a scale that directly wins games. There's so many factors that were out of Cassel's control that contributed to the Pats winning games (defense, special teams, SOS, form, luck, injuries etc etc). Especially since Cassel only put up 21 TDs, 11 INTs and 3,600 yards (which was just above average #s) and Brady came through and put up 50 TDs, 8 INTs and 4,800 yards the following season (breaking pretty much every single QB record in the book).
Brady has been getting hit by the biggest and most athletic defensive players in the HISTORY of the game, for the last 15 years. His toughness and durability shouldn't be questioned.
QBs STILL get hit just as regularly - in fact they get hit more today due to the fact they pass more. All the rule changes that protect a QB past the line of scrimmage wouldn't affect Brady as he hardly ever runs. The head contact, below the knee and the G&C penalties are in a sense meaningless, because Brady still finds him in situations where these occur. Just because a defensive player is penalized for committing these now
illegal actions, doesn't mean Brady still doesn't suffer from getting hit in the head or below the knee. Accidental illegal contact on QBs still happens, regularly.
You can NOT play in this league for 15 seasons as a QB at a high and consistent level, and be deemed not "tough" enough to have played in previous eras. It is simply not reasonable for one to make that claim.
Of course he would. shyt Brady's taken front on/behind the back/side on hits from Lewis, Brooks, Dawkins, Polamalu, Milloy, Willis, Kearse, Harrison, Seau, Lynch, Merriman etc etc throughout his career and is still standing in the league today as one of the best QBs after 15 seasons.
You're not thinking logically and rationally - nostalgia is clouding your judgment. He's absolutely in the same tier as Montana and Young. It's not even up for debate. He's proven that he belongs right next to the greatest QBs that have ever played the game.