Fwd: Ezekiel Bread: Made with Human Dung

After eating Ezekiel English Muffins this morning, Nicholas asked if the raisins were a stand-in for the human dung.
--Phillip

from http://nobeliefs.com/washingtonnews/EzekielBread.htm

Ezekiel Bread: Made with Human Dung
Editorial by Jim Walker

Tuesday, October 3, 2006; 6:23 AM ET

While walking past the bread section in my local grocery store a few weeks ago, I did a double take at a bread loaf called Ezekiel 4:9. "What?" I exclaimed to myself. Has the world gone so nutty that merchandisers are now taking advantage of gullible religious people? (They also have a Genesis 1:29 bread!)

The Food For Life Corporation apparently thinks that Biblical bread will help sell its products to American Christians. Perhaps it will considering the rise of the number of religious nuts in this country. A nutty bread for nutty people (how's that for a slogan?). Food for Life claims that its products are "inspired" by the Holy Scriptures (a poorly disguised euphemism that means that their bread is also inspired by god). What religious person could pass that up? Of course their real inspiration is in making money. I wonder if Food For Life gets a kickback from Bush's faith-based initiative? Hmm, something to look into for a researcher.

You see, Ezekiel 4:9 refers to a passage in the Bible that describes how to prepare bread with wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet and fitches (spelt). The problem here is that the biblical recipe was intended to help survive famine during an upcoming siege, not because it tastes good or that it's healthy for you. Barley and, millet, throughout history, has been considered a poor man's food. Barley is a hardy grain that survives drought and frosts. It also grows in alkali soils. It is usually fed to livestock, but humans can eat it too if they can stomach the flavor. Millet is a bland tasting grass used mainly in disadvantaged counties to feed the poor (and the seeds are given to birds). It's also found in "natural" food stores because it's exotic (which means that its rarely eaten, especially by well-to-do people).

I bought a loaf of Ezekiel 4:9 bread just to see what it tastes like. As I expected, it tastes horrible, just as one would expect from grains and grass that only a starving person would eat. Only if the religious-right's self-fulfilling prophecy of Armageddon comes near (not likely!) and we pagans end up starving before our final demise, maybe then I'll eat it again, but never again, if I have a choice.

I haven't a clue why they sell a Ezekiel 4:9 bread with sesame. Nowhere does the Bible mention bread with sesame. Sesame is a pagan food, go figure. I guess they put it in there to help make it taste better (it doesn't work). The bread also doesn't contain real beans (gee, I wonder why), but it does contain soybeans which is a legume closer to a pea than a bean (a soy pea), and it's native source is in East Asia, (not the Middle East) so it doesn't even meet the requirements of the Biblical recipe.

Nor did Food For Life complete the recipe. They forgot the last ingredient! Either they did not read the third verse past 4:9 or they were embarrassed by the scatological implications because the last ingredient is human feces!

But what really shocked me is when I found out that Food For Life did realize its shortcomings. They are now introducing a new bread called Ezekiel 4:12!

Ezekiel 4:12 refers to bread baked with human dung! Yes that's right: Human shit. Apparently they realized that to fulfill the actual Biblical recipe, they had to introduce this new bread line (probably forced on them by fundamentalists). I suspect they will probably drop the 4:9 bread in favor of this Biblically correct bread. Here's the actual Biblical passage:

"And thou shalt eat it as barley cakes, and thou shalt bake it with dung that cometh out of man, in their sight. And the LORD said, Even thus shall the children of Israel eat their defiled bread among the Gentiles, whither I will drive them." (Ezekiel 4:12-13)

Note that some Christian apologists have tried to change the meaning of the passage by saying that the dung was used as a fuel, but this can't possibly be true because you can't use human feces as a burning fuel for cooking, not to mention that it would stink to high "heaven" if you did. Moreover, verse 13 explicitly states that it is defiled bread and verse 14 describes it as "abominable flesh." There's no way around it: Biblical bread is made with shit. A Hebrew scholar once told me that the original bread was made by mixing the wheat, barley, spelt, etc. and forming it with dung into a flattened shape. The dung substitutes for water and it helps retain the heat, like a clay oven would because it's the first thing that drys out. If you think about it, poor and starving people would not want to use up their valuable water sources, nor would they have access to clay ovens, especially if you are a nomadic tribe being driven through the desert by a crazy scat god. Of course the dung can't be helped but to be cooked into the bread, thus it is defiled and abominable.

Here are the ingredients of Food For Life's Ezekiel 4:12 bread:

Ingredients: Organic sprouted wheat, organic human feces, organic sprouted barley, organic sprouted millet, malted barley, organic sprouted lentils, organic sprouted soybeans, organic sprouted spelt, filtered water, fresh yeast, sea salt.

Well I guess its alright if the shit is organic, right? We certainly don't want non-organic shit in our bread, do we?

I got to sample a taste of Ezekiel 4:12 bread before its official release. The weird thing is that the added ingredient makes it tastes wonderful*. In fact, the flavor is to fantastic that I highly recommend it to any religious person. So while you Christians are waiting for Ezekiel 4:12 bread to come to your grocery store, why wait? Buy a loaf of Ezekiel 4:9 bread and crap on it before you put it in the toaster oven. And make sure that you shit on it in full sight of all your family members and friends. It's not only organic and live, but it's in the Bible!

*	Actually I never tasted Ezekiel 4:12 bread because it doesn't exist (although Ezekiel 4:9 bread does exist). No doubt it would taste abominable. This is satire, but I don't want Christians to know that. Gullible Christians don't read footnotes do they?

Brews for Jews

By Meredith Goldstein Globe Staff / February 13, 2008

Gesher City, a group that aims to entertain Jewish folks between the ages of 21 and 35, hosts a beer tasting tonight at Big City in Allston. The beer in question is He'Brew, brought to you by the San Francisco-based Shmaltz Brewing Co. What Shmaltz calls "the chosen beer" comes in a number of blends, including a new flavor called "Jewbelation Eleven" to celebrate the company's 11 years in business. Even the goyim will like it. 7 p.m. Free. RSVP required. Big City, 138 Brighton Ave., Allston, 617-457-8789. geshercity.org

Newscast: Iraqi with subtitles

Newscast: Iraqi with subtitles
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvy6MjiNgl0

second WHS bomb threat

from http://www.wickedlocal.com/winchester/news/education/x469090616

Security may tighten; handwriting expert called to scene, in second WHS bomb threat

By Eric Tsetsi/Staff Writer

Fri Feb 01, 2008, 12:06 PM EST

Winchester, MA - A second bomb threat was found scrawled on the wall of a Winchester High School boys' bathroom Thursday. It was the second reported incident in a little more than two weeks.

According to police, a student found the words, "(expletive deleted) this school. Bomb on Monday" in a third-floor bathroom at about 8:30 a.m.

The threat was written in pencil on the back of a bathroom stall door, police said.

"School resource officer Daniel Perenick … determined the threat was low-level, but the school administration and the Winchester Police Department are treating this threat seriously," said school principal Thomas Gwin in a notice sent to parents and faculty members. "The school administration is working with the police department to determine the writer of the threat."

The bathroom was secured and photographs were taken of the writing, shortly after the threat was discovered. All the words were written in small lettering, each word less than an inch long, according to police.

Gwin requested a handwriting expert to review the writing, and teaching staff was e-mailed requesting information about which students had been out of the class or came in late, police said.

According to Gwin, if a culprit is not identified by Monday the school will implement security measures, including a sweep of the school Sunday night to ensure no threats are present, any backpacks brought to school will be searched and there will be a heightened presence of security officers.

All students will also have to enter the school from the main entrance.

"We need to take these precautions because student safety is our highest priority," wrote Gwin in an e-mail sent to parents Friday. "We wholeheartedly believe that Monday will be a safe school day. I strongly urge all students to attend school on Monday."

Gwin's initial notice to parents and staff was sent out around noon Thursday, several hours after the threat was first reported.

The school was not locked down and classes were held as usual, according to Gwin's secretary, Mia Gustin.

"We're still working the case," said Officer Perenick reached by telephone Thursday afternoon. "And we're going to make sure things are as safe as possible on Monday if we're not able to solve this by then."

About two weeks ago on Tuesday, Jan. 15, a similar threat stating, "Bomb this week," was discovered. According to a source at the school, both threats were found in the same bathroom.

According to Superintendent William McAlduff the high school's incident management team, headed by Perenick, has been meeting to devise a plan for dealing with the threat.

"They're working on this vigorously and trying to get to the bottom of it," he said. "(Perenick) is an expert in these things."

In addition to being the school resource officer, Perenick is also the regional commander of the School Threat Assessment Response Systems (STARS) team.

"Any type of bomb threat is not only a serious school offense, but also a very serious felony not tolerated in the court system," wrote Gwin. "Please understand that Winchester High School takes threats of violence very seriously and we want to assure students, staff and parents that the school is a safe environment for learning."

Anyone with information about the incidents is urged to contact Gwin or Perenick at the high school by calling 781-721-7020.

from the Winchester Star

Sachem wrestlers top Woburn in a thriller

By Michael Liuzza

Fri Feb 01, 2008, 02:53 PM EST

Winchester, MA - One thing high school wrestling fans from Woburn and Winchester have learned they can count on is every time the Sachem and Tanner varsity grappling teams square off, sparks are going to fly, fans are going to fill the gymnasium and the intensity level will be raised.

Wednesday night's match was no different, and once again, it came down to the wire.

For most of the season, Winchester has crushed its opponents. But with two matches to go the Sachems led the Tanners by just six points, 33-27.

Enter 135-pound Sachem grappler Kevin Constantine.

Constantine took on Woburn's Steve Rao, and after the first period Rao had himself a 4-3 lead. But a minute and 30 seconds into the second period Constantine turned the tables and pinned Rao, giving Winchester six points. The victory ultimately propelled the Sachems to a 39-30 victory in front of a packed house at Woburn High School.

"I told Constantine the other day that somewhere along the way I would need him to come up with a big pin for us," said Sachem coach Larry Tremblay. "In previous years he came up big for us in matches against Billerica and Wayland, and he did it again tonight. He's a great kid and a great student who works very hard, and he deserved this."

Woburn's Mike Widtfeldt (140) earned an 8-1 decision over John Williams in the final match of the evening, but the outcome of the match had already been decided.

Despite the tough loss, Tanner coach Mike Tedesco was proud of the way his team performed.

"We have a senior-heavy team, and we knew this was going to be close," said Tedesco. "Our kids wrestled very well, and we threw everything we had at them. But Winchester is a phenomenal team, and they're one of the best in the state for a reason."

The loss was Woburn's fifth of the season (13-5), but for a while it looked as if they were going to upset the powerful Sachems.

"We had some really strong performances tonight," said Tedesco. "Kyle Blanchette stepped up for us, and Josh Rollins wrestled a great match. A guy like Matt Ramos — who has been banged up for most of the season — stepped up in a pivotal match and earned a huge victory."

As happy as Tremblay was that his team managed to pull out the victory, he wasn't thrilled with the way some of his guys performed.

"A lot didn't go our way tonight," said Tremblay. "We have smart kids on this team that tend to wrestle carelessly. I can't figure it out."

Despite that, the Sachems still had enough gas in the tank to keep the Winchester express rolling. Wednesday night's victory was the Sachems' 54th straight win, their 23rd this winter.

But Winchester didn't get off to a good start, dropping the first two matches of the evening.

Starting at the 145-pound weight class, Woburn's Kyle Teves pinned Winchester's Mike Greco with just 10 seconds left in the final period. Justin McLaughlin (152) also earned a third-period pin with 46 seconds left, and just like that Woburn had itself a 12-0 lead.

Winchester, however, came back to win the next four matches.

Charlie Hale (160) pinned Woburn's Jeff Boggs in 31 seconds, and Zach Gramlich (171) pinned Woburn's Seamus O'Brien in 53 seconds. Winchester's Connor MacNamara (189) led Steve June, 14-0, in the third period before June was disqualified.

After Moranian earned an 11-5 decision over Woburn's Chris Hardy, Winchester held a 21-12 lead.

Ramos (heavyweight) defeated Winchester's Andrew Zani, 6-2, converting a successful takedown with 15 seconds left in the match. But the Tanners forfeited the 103-pound weight class (victory credited to Winchester's Andrew Lacombe), and after eight matches the Sachems held a 27-15 lead.

Woburn closed the gap when Rollins (112) pinned Winchester's Connor Gregory in the third period, earning six more points for the Tanners. Fernando Monroy then pulled off a big pin on Woburn's Brian Chambers in the second period, but Tanner John O'Connell won a 6-1 decision over Winchester's Ryan Fitzpatrick. With three matches to go Woburn trailed, 33-24.

Blanchette (130) didn't let a bad nose bleed get in the way of another Tanner victory. After the match was stopped three times, Blanchette had his nose and face wrapped in tape to help keep the bleeding under control. The trick worked, and Blanchette earned a 6-1 decision over Winchester's Miguel Tirado.

Woburn now trailed by just six, 33-27, but Constantine's victory sealed the fate of the match.

Both coaches agreed that the Woburn/Winchester wrestling match is a big event, year in and year out.

"Woburn is one of the top teams in the state, but even when they aren't or when we aren't this is always a great match," said Tremblay. "Tedesco does a real nice job. He's a good coach and a great man."

Tedesco and Tremblay have a good relationship, and the Tanner coach even took a few friendly jabs at the Sachem skipper.

"People come out to see the 'Larry Show' and the 'chicken dance,'" joked Tedesco, referring to one of Tremblay's sideline moves while coaching. "He's an old guy who's been coaching for a long time. In fact, coaching when I was in high school.

"Seriously, Winchester is a great team, and Larry always has his guys in top shape. They always seem to have great depth. We hoped to spoil their winning streak tonight, but it didn't work out."

Why the Patriots have to blow out the Giants in the Super Bowl.

from http://www.slate.com/id/2183279/

The Cowboys have been to nine Super Bowls, outscoring their foes 221-132. The 49ers are undefeated in five trips, by a total score of 188- 89, an average score of roughly 38-18.

The Patriots franchise, in five Super Bowls, has been outscored 148-107. Most of that margin was rolled up in Super Bowl XX, by the Chicago Bears, when Tom Brady was a small boy. That 46-10 pounding still stands, for my money, as the most thrilling Super Bowl ever played. There was no question about the outcome. It had been obvious all season that the Bears were the greatest defensive team ever and were going to win the title. They got better in the playoffs, reaching the Super Bowl with back-to-back shutouts. The game itself was the victory party, with the Patriots' backfield as the piñata. The Bears had transcended the whole idea of competition.

On Sunday, the Patriots get another shot at those Bears—and the 49ers and the Cowboys. The question is whether they'll take it. Any win at all would put them in the record books with a perfect 19-0 season. They can play it safe, fend off the Giants, and say they were better than the unblemished but plodding '72 Dolphins. Or they can cut loose, aim for 55 points, and maybe say they're the best team the NFL ever saw.

China pledged to prevent rain during this year's Olympics

from http://www.slate.com/id/2182930/

China pledged to prevent rain during this year's Olympics.
Methods: 1) Inject clouds with chemicals that increase droplet size and flush out rain before clouds reach the stadium. 2) Inject chemicals that shrink droplets so the rain doesn't fall till clouds have passed the stadium. Delivery systems: 7,000 anti-aircraft guns, 4,000 rocket launchers, and 30 aircraft that can fire the chemicals. Supervising agency: The "bureau of weather modification." Critique: Weather modification doesn't work. Chinese rebuttals: 1) We've used it for decades to alleviate droughts. 2) We've validated current methods experimentally. 3) Weather modification can't stop heavy rain, but it can mitigate light rain.

Patriots history

I found an article on Patriots history with some funny stories.

1) Bob Gladieux comes out of the stands to play for the Patriots
In 1969, Sullivan was in a very demanding mood before the opening home game of the season. When defensive back John Charles refused to sign a new contract in the locker room just hours before kickoff, Sullivan cut him on the spot as his ankles were getting taped for battle. There was only one problem: The Patriots were short on personnel and desperately needed a replacement for Charles.
Enter former Notre Dame running back Bob Gladieux, who had been cut by the team earlier in the summer. Gladieux had no hard feelings and had come to the game as a spectator with a buddy. While Gladieux was in a concession line to buy hot dogs and beer, an announcement came over the loudspeaker that he was to report to the locker room. His buddy never heard the announcement and was beginning to get nervous when Gladieux didn't return by the opening kickoff. He found out where Gladieux was a few seconds later when he heard the stadium announcer say, "Tackle by Gladieux."
Gladieux, who had indulged quite a bit before he arrived at the stadium that day, began to get sick on the sideline a few minutes later. But he had made the play, and another Patriots legend was born.

2) Fan knocks down a pass in the endzone
At the end of a game in 1961, a man in a trench coat ran into file endzone and knocked down a pass intended for a Dallas Texans receiver named Chris Burford. No one ever learned who that person was, including the officials, who never saw him make the play and never threw a flag.

3) Michael Jackson and Don King knockout the owners
In 1988, Kiam bought the team from the financially ailing Sullivan family. The Sullivans had lost a fortune bemuse they had promoted Michael Jackson's Victory Tour and had gotten the wrong end of the deal when they negotiated terms with none other than Don King. When King sat down with Patriots vice president Chuck Sullivan, the result was a knockout. King referred to the younger Sullivan as "Charlie the Tuna," and the financial bloodletting forced the Sullivans to sell their team.
Kiam's reign was disastrous, headlined by a notorious incident involving Boston Herald reporter Lisa Olson and several members of the team who were accused of harassing her in the locker room. Kiam had no clue as to how to handle the incident, and it had a negative impact on his razor company, which specialized in sales to women. Kiam sold to James Busch Orthwein, a St. Louis businessman who wanted to move the team to Missouri. When that maneuver failed, Kraft stepped in and saved the team for New England.

Brady has joined the rarefied air of the all-time greats

Brady was not a big star in high school or college.  From Boston Globe article:

• almost nobody envisioned him (Brady) as a superstar. Bradshaw was the top pick in the 1970 draft. Montana piloted Notre Dame to the national championship in 1977. Brady was a sixth-round pick out of Michigan, the 199th player taken in 2000.
• All the Patriots wanted Brady to do was run a scout team. He was fourth man on the depth chart as a rookie, an unknown face with a thin résumé. "When he walked into the locker room I was like, 'Who is this skinny little kid?' " recalls wide receiver Troy Brown. "He wasn't very big and nobody had any idea who he was . . . He wasn't a very flashy guy. The girls didn't think he was as cute as he is now that he is winning and rich.
• Nobody in the locker room worked harder or studied more diligently, then or now, than Brady. He was driven, he later acknowledged, by the insecurity of the perennial backup, the kid who couldn't play on a winless high school freshman team, who began Michigan as a seventh-stringer.

Brady has joined the rarefied air of the all-time greats

By John Powers, Globe Staff  |  February 1, 2008

PHOENIX - Even now, after three rings and a season that is one victory shy of unprecedented perfection, the man shakes his head when you put him alongside Joe Montana, Terry Bradshaw, and the other immortals in the signal-calling pantheon. "Those guys, as far as I'm concerned, are in a league of their own," Tom Brady says.

And yet, if the Patriots beat the Giants in Super Bowl XLII Sunday night, their quarterback will join Montana and Bradshaw as the only four-time winners of football's ultimate game. And since a victory also would cap a flawless season, Brady could well be considered the best who has ever played.

"If Tom wins this game and is part of a team which went undefeated in 19 games, then it strengthens his argument," says former Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman, who won three Super Bowls and who lists Montana as his No. 1.

Comparing quarterbacks from different eras is an inexact science. Bradshaw and the Steelers won their four titles in the 1970s, Montana and the 49ers in the '80s. Since then, the NFL has added expansion teams, gone to free agency, adopted a salary cap, and changed its scheduling to promote parity. Its players are bigger, stronger, and faster than ever.

"Today's game has changed so much," says Aikman, now a Fox analyst. "When Roger Staubach retired from the NFL [in 1979] he was the leading passer of all time with an 83.4 rating. That's not even a good game now. You see quarterbacks with a rating over 100 as if it's nothing."

What Brady, Montana, and Bradshaw all have in common are the champion's intangibles - leadership, competitiveness, calm, heart, toughness, and unshakable optimism. "His drive and motivation [is] to be the best," says receiver Randy Moss, "even in bad situations."

Low expectations

What sets Brady apart, though, is that almost nobody envisioned him as a superstar. Bradshaw was the top pick in the 1970 draft. Montana piloted Notre Dame to the national championship in 1977. Brady was a sixth-round pick out of Michigan, the 199th player taken in 2000.

"Nobody expects anything of you," Brady says. "You just show up and you're trying to make the team. You're trying to bring your playbook to the meetings and not forget it in the room. When you're a first-round pick, everybody's counting on you to come in and save the franchise."

All the Patriots wanted Brady to do was run a scout team. He was fourth man on the depth chart as a rookie, an unknown face with a thin résumé. "When he walked into the locker room I was like, 'Who is this skinny little kid?' " recalls wide receiver Troy Brown. "He wasn't very big and nobody had any idea who he was . . . He wasn't a very flashy guy. The girls didn't think he was as cute as he is now that he is winning and rich. He wasn't really anybody that caught your eye at the time."

But Bill Belichick quickly noticed Brady's knack for command and control. "You could really see some of Tom's leadership taking over at that point, even though it was with other rookies," the Patriots coach says. "You could see him handle the team, handle the call, getting people lined up and making sure everybody knew what to do."

Nobody in the locker room worked harder or studied more diligently, then or now, than Brady. He was driven, he later acknowledged, by the insecurity of the perennial backup, the kid who couldn't play on a winless high school freshman team, who began Michigan as a seventh-stringer. "You don't forget where you came from," Brady once said. "The scars that you have from those days are deep scars."

His obsessiveness, though, always moved him up the ladder. By the end of his rookie season in Foxborough, Brady was No. 2. When Drew Bledsoe went down early in 2001, Brady coolly took over. Once the Patriots upset the Rams for their first title, it was his offense, his era. The kid who'd grown up wearing a Montana jersey was on the same path as "Joe Cool" himself.

Yet the first ring simply stoked his hunger for a second and a third. Every night during the week before Super Bowl XXXIX, Brady insisted on sitting down with offensive coordinator Charlie Weis and going over the game plan for the Eagles. His passion for preparation, Weis complained half-jokingly, was making Brady a pain in the butt.

"Every game, you're playing for perfection," says offensive tackle Matt Light. "That's what Tom's doing, and it trickles down to everybody else."

There is always another film clip to watch, another bit of strategy to discuss, another technique to perfect. "He is hard to coach," concedes Belichick, "because he is so well-prepared and knows his job so thoroughly that you have to be prepared just to deal with him on his level."

Zen master's gift

Eight years of compulsive fine-tuning have made Brady a master of his craft. No quarterback in the game has his evolved awareness of time and space; none is better at sorting out multiple options and executing decisions.

"The things he does amaze me," says Jimmy Johnson, who coached the Cowboys to consecutive Super Bowl triumphs in the early '90s. "I talk to Bradshaw and I always preface it by saying, 'Now Terry, I know how great you were, but . . . ' Tom Brady is so knowledgeable about the offense and where the open receivers are. Back in the shotgun, which is so beneficial for him, he is able to get rid of that football even with a free rusher."

Brady has a Zen master's gift for slowing down and simplifying a rapid and chaotic environment. "He's calm in the pocket," says Giants quarterback Eli Manning. "He has a great feel for how much time he has. He's never thrown off. He's fun to watch."

And maddeningly difficult to catch, particularly with a formidable line protecting him. "Tom's back there moving like he's on ice skates," testifies New York defensive end Michael Strahan, who'll be trying to prevent Brady from doing quadruple toe loops Sunday. "He knows how to glide and how to turn."

More importantly, Brady can perform under extreme pressure. From the time he led his mates down the field for the game-ending field goal that beat the Rams for New England's first Super Bowl triumph, he has been able to keep the chains moving while the clock is ticking, just as Montana could.

"Through the course of a game, players start to panic," says Moss. "When it comes down to the nitty-gritty, nail-biting time, Tom has been a player. To be able to show that much poise and not show a lot of emotion . . . "

The immortals in the pantheon - Bart Starr, Johnny Unitas, Joe Namath, John Elway, Bradshaw, Montana and the rest - all had that unflappability, especially when the stakes were highest. If Unitas invented the two-minute drill, Brady has turned it into a fine art. He has played beat-the-clock twice at the Super Bowl and won both times.

By now, his teammates' belief in him and respect for him is absolute. "By any measurement he's a superstar, and yet every guy in that locker room has a piece of him," says Aikman. "Tom makes himself accessible to every guy. There are times when quarterbacks, when they reach the level Tom has reached, without even trying, can alienate themselves from the rest of the team. He's not done that."

Possibly because, even after three titles and two Super Bowl MVP trophies, Brady doesn't believe that he's yet at that level. "I've got a long way to go for that," he was saying this week. "I've still got a lot of playing left. I'm not done."

Montana was 33 when he won his fourth title. Bradshaw was 31. Brady is only 30. He's healthy and he's playing for the same coach in the same system with a better team than he started with. By the time he's done, he may need a thumb-sized ring.

For now, though, the guy who was a toddler when Bradshaw won his last one and hadn't started school when Montana won his first is content just to be mentioned in the same sentence.

"It's a great bond that you have with people who you've shared experiences with, and more so than anything, people who I looked up to when I was younger," Tom Brady says. "Now I have some things in common, and that's probably the best thing about it."

John Powers can be reached at jpowers@globe.com.