Tom Brady has been maybe the third-most impressive quarterback of the 2011 NFL season, behind Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers, but Brady's time in New England's pass-happy offense is likely to be remembered very fondly by Patriots fans, especially ones with no love for the Miami Dolphins. Brady surpassed Dan Marino's old NFL record for passing yards in a single season in Week 17, throwing for 338 yards to finish with 5,235 yards on the season, better than Marino's 5,084 yards from 1984.

Brady only moved into second place on the all-time list with that performance, because Brees, who broke Marino's record in Week 16, put even more yardage on his ticker in Week 17 with an 389-yard performance in a rout of the Carolina Panthers. But Brady has had better years — in a couple of respects; Brady topped Marino's single-season touchdown record, previously smashed by Peyton Manning, with 50 scoring strikes in 2007 — than the best year one of the best quarterbacks ever.

That's certainly worth celebrating for Patriots fans.

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