Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. turned 40 years old last week, and the NFL is still betting on him to continue being the face of the league.

Brady was born on August 3, 1977, and four decades later, he has accomplished more than most people ever will. The Pats' starting quarterback is a five-time Super Bowl champion, a four-time Super Bowl MVP, a twelve-time Pro Bowl selection, a two-time first team All Pro selection, a two-time second team All Pro selection, a two-time NFL Most Valuable Player, a two-time NFL Offensive Player of the Year, a two-time NFL passing yards leader, a four-time NFL passing touchdowns leader, and so on and so forth unto the ages of the ages.

Not too shabby for the 199th overall pick in the sixth round of 2000 NFL draft. Brady is now widely considered, by most sports-ball analysts, the greatest quarterback of all time. Brady is the most-winning quarterback of all time, which is a testament not only to his talent but also to his drive to win.

He is so committed to victory that he will do anything to win. Anything. Even if it means bending, breaking, and even – dare we say it – ‘deflating’ the rules. But Brady can rely on his skills alone, as demonstrated last Super Bowl when he pulled the Pats from the brink of defeat like Brian Sweeney Fitzgerald pulling a steamship across a muddy hillside from one river to another. And like Sinatra’s tombstone, the best is yet to come.

As far as NFL bets go, the Patriots are the favorites to win their sixth Super Bowl – so much so that there is even talk of a 19-0 season. Unlikely as that is, even if it were to happen, it would be the perfect coda to a near perfect career. Though some, such as USA Today’s Christine Brennan, who writes that Brady “doesn’t have to miss even one play, unless he wants to. No hits to the head, no other injuries. He gets to end the season as he starts it - in good health. And then he should walk away.” But that’s, of course her subjective opinion, and as such has little or no value. Sure, Mrs. Brady Gisele Bündchen said on CBS This Morning that he’s had concussions, but come on; we don’t live in a James Bond world where Denise Richards is a nuclear physicist.

Brady himself has expressed his desire to play well into his 40's, and why shouldn’t he? He’s like Dorian Gray up in here. As matter of fact, that new wax statue? There is a reason it looks nothing like Tom Brady, and it’s probably because it’s an avatar that ages while he retain his Parker Stevenson boyish looks. So here’s to you, Mr. Tom Brady; have a very happy birthday. May the sun shine warm upon your face, the rain fall soft upon your fields, and may God hold you in the palm of his hand.