Kragthorpe: Styles of Tom Brady, Russell Wilson converge in Super Bowl

Phoenix

The past and the future of NFL quarterbacking will converge in Sunday's Super Bowl XLIX.

It's impossible to think about New England's Tom Brady without using historic reference points, and just as natural to view Seattle's Russell Wilson in a context of how offensive football is changing. Could there be a more intriguing QB matchup? Not since last February's meeting of Wilson and Peyton Manning, anyway.

Brady is a classic dropback passer. Wilson is the evolving model of the position, doing his best work by rolling out or scrambling, in addition to running the zone-read option. Brady is seeking a fourth Super Bowl victory, 10 years after his most recent championship, and Wilson is going for a second consecutive title in his third NFL season.

Either way, it makes for a great story Sunday.

Brady's place in pro football history is secure, with his record-tying sixth Super Bowl appearance at any position (joining lineman Mike Lodish). He can match the four wins of quarterbacks Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana, Brady's idol while growing up in the Bay Area.

Brady and Patriots coach Bill Belichick already have competed in more Super Bowls than any quarterbacking/coaching duo, and any conversation about one of them has to include the other.

"They care so much about doing things well," said Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. "They go through every detail. Their preparation is just endless. To me, how they've been able to sustain this level of success at their positions has been an unbelievable thing to witness and watch."

If not for New England's losing leads via the New York Giants' late drives in two Super Bowls, Brady and Belichick would have five championships. Regardless of how their previous 14 seasons together ended, they've kept coming back.

"I've never seen either one of those two guys even have a hint of complacency in their jobs," McDaniels said. "The way that they come in and work the next year like last year never even existed is really, really a neat thing to see."

The Patriots' degree of reliance on Brady has grown considerably since his second NFL season. That's when he replaced an injured Drew Bledsoe and delivered the franchise's first championship. Prior to the final drive vs. St. Louis, Brady had passed for fewer than 100 yards in the Super Bowl. Yet he completed five passes for 53 yards, moving the Patriots into position for a winning field goal.

The breakthrough moment of Wilson's rookie season of 2012 came in a 23-17 overtime victory at Chicago. The Seahawks trailed 14-10, before he directed a 97-yard touchdown drive that included a fourth-down conversion. After the Bears forced overtime, Wilson led Seattle to the winning TD.

Wilson's game keeps expanding, and so does the outlook of personnel evaluators who once allowed a quarterback who stands less than 6 feet tall to drop into the third round of the NFL draft. His multidimensional ability "is definitely going to change how people look at the position," said Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell. "There are still going to be traditionalists who look for certain things, but really, you are looking for a guy who can win games. And however you can do it, you have to bring those skill sets out."

Counting playoff games, Wilson is 42-13 in his three seasons as Seattle's starter. He has made the Seahawks' offensive staff adjust to him, as Bevell had no previous experience with a zone-read scheme. Wilson insists he's looking to hand off the ball to Marshawn Lynch about 99 percent of the time, but his own running ability is enough to confound defenses.

Brady, meanwhile, just keeps throwing.

kkragthorpe@sltrib.com

Twitter: @tribkurt