Michael Dwyer, Associated Press Patriots quarterback Tom Brady passes the ball under pressure from Jets' Dewayne Robertson last Sunday.. Click photo for larger image. More Steelers coverage Steelers Notebook: Patriots give Steelers chance to shine The Game Who: Patriots (6-0) at Steelers (5-1) When: 4:15 p.m. tomorrow Where: Heinz Field TV/Radio: KDKA/WDVE-FM (102.5), WBGG-AM (970) and Steelers radio network. The skinny: The Steelers are 11-5 against the Patriots in the regular season, but have lost three in a row to New England, including the 2001 AFC championship game.

Just like the team for which he plays, Tom Brady is underappreciated, even underrated, if such a thing is possible for a two-time Super Bowl MVP. There he is, the winningest quarterback in the modern Super Bowl era, undefeated in playoffs and overtime, and he might not make the list of the five top quarterbacks in the NFL.

But, while Peyton Manning, Brett Favre and Steve McNair dazzle everyone with their yardage totals and touchdown passes, Brady quietly does something even better than Joe Montana, the only player with more Super Bowl MVPs.

He wins.

And he does it by making more good decisions than Joan of Arcadia. If the NFL didn't have such strict dress-code policies, he could wear a surgical mask and carry a scalpel for the amount of times he has methodically dissected an opponent in the fourth quarter.

"That's the obvious thing, and best thing, about him -- he wins," said safety Troy Polamalu. "You can have the most talented quarterback in the backfield, but if he's not a winner and doesn't pull out games, he's useless."

No other quarterback since 1966 has won more regularly than Brady, who is 40-12 in the regular season (.769), 6-0 in playoffs. Roger Staubach was close (85-29, .746). So was Montana (117-47, .713).

But Brady tops them all. He is even unbeaten in seven overtime games, a record no other quarterback has managed. The only other quarterback to never lose in at least five overtime games was Terry Bradshaw (5-0).

Not coincidentally, he is the winningest quarterback on the league's winningest team -- the New England Patriots (6-0), who come to Heinz Field tomorrow riding a league-record 21-game winning streak.

"I don't know if he's underrated, but I'll tell you what, he's as good a quarterback as I have seen in this league in the last couple years," coach Bill Cowher said. "He can manage a game and make plays on a consistent basis that I think separates him from most quarterbacks in this league."

"He just gets it done," said outside linebacker Clark Haggans. "There are a lot of great quarterbacks in the AFC, but, at the end of the day, any coach knows winning is the only thing that matters, and he does it very well. And they're used to winning. That's what they're all about."

Brady is the reason. He is 18-1 in games decided by six points or fewer, a daunting record for a quarterback who was a sixth-round draft choice -- the 199th player overall -- in 2000.

The Steelers were looking for a backup quarterback in 2000 and had a chance to take Brady. Instead, on the fifth round, they opted for Tee Martin, who won a national championship for Tennessee.

The oversight doesn't bother the Steelers nearly as much now. Their No. 1 pick this year, Ben Roethlisberger, has some of the same Brady-esque qualities: He has won his first four NFL starts and 17 in a row, dating to his final season at Miami of Ohio.

"You rarely see him make mistakes," safety Chris Hope said of Brady. "He doesn't take the big chances as Peyton Manning and Donovan McNabb and all those type of guys. [But] you don't see a lot of interceptions thrown by this guy.

"Peyton Manning, he's going to live with it and die by it. He's going to throw it. He's confident in his game like that. Tom Brady makes the most accurate and easiest decision each and every time down the field, and he takes what the defense gives him."

Brady is not exactly surrounded by a stable of Pro Bowl receivers. His starters are David Givens, a seventh-round pick in 2002, and David Patten, an undrafted rookie in 1997. But, because of Brady, they are productive receivers.

All of Givens' team-high 24 catches have resulted in a first down. Patten has 20 catches, second behind Givens, but only four touchdowns. However, the best touchdown-to-catch ratio belongs to tight end Daniel Graham, who has five touchdowns among his 18 receptions.

"All he does is stay in the pocket and find the guy who's open," Haggans said. "He takes what you give him. He has a lot of patience and he doesn't look like he gets jittery back there when the pressure is on.

"I guess the public could say [he's underrated] and people leave him out of the top quarterbacks, but you look at his rap sheet, he's been MVP of two Super Bowls, won two Super Bowls, and he's played solid every time he had a chance to get in there. We're not looking past him."