Brady or Manning?
"Brady belongs in the same breath as Montana, but Manning doesn't even belong in the same conversation!"
- Michael Felger
Over the past decade, the week leading up to the annual Patriots-Colts showdown has become less about the teams, and more about the quarterbacks. Today's show featured a debate on the greatest quarterbacks of all time, while Michael and Tony dissected this weekend's Brady vs. Manning match up. Here's a look inside the numbers discussed today:
Joe Montana Tom Brady Peyton Manning
Playoff Record: 16-7 14-3 7-8
Playoff TD-INT: 45-21 26-12 22-17
Playoff Passer Rating: 95.6 93.4 84.6
Super Bowl Record: 4-0 3-1 1-0
Super Bowl TD-INT: 11-0 7-1 1-1
Super Bowl Passer Rating: 127.8 99.88 81.80
Super Bowl MVP's: 3 2 1
Felger: "I think that when discussing the position in terms of leading, thinking, competing, and winning that Joe Montana is number one, but Brady can be mentioned in the same breath. He's the closest to Montana at this point. When discussing these elements, Peyton Manning isn't even close I mean the guy has a postseason record below .500! He doesn't even belong in the conversation. With that 7-8 record you can't even be mentioned. The fact that Montana played in four Super Bowls and didn't throw an interception is one of the most amazing stats I've ever seen...If we were talking about pure athletic talent, or about build, or about arm strength I would say that Peyton Manning is a better quarterback than Tom Brady. But in terms of leading and winning there is no argument here Brady is clearly better. The gap between the two was bigger earlier in their careers and it has closed a little bit since Manning won his Super Bowl, but there is still no argument. Brady is still the clear number one."
Mazz: "If you had the chance to pick one guy to win a game between Manning and Brady I would pick Brady. Naturally if I were able to take Montana I would rank him number one on the list, but I would take Brady. Although I think Manning's 7-8 postseason record is a little bit deceiving. There are other variables that can affect a quarterback's postseason record and I don't think the large gap between Manning and Brady is accurate. A lot of what goes on with postseason record depends on what kind of team you have. Peyton clearly has choked in a lot of big games like back in 2005 when he threw the four interceptions against the Patriots here in the playoffs, but I do think his record could be something like 9-6, or 8-7 if some of his team circumstances were different. It has a lot to do with the team why if I had to choose a quarterback to be on my team that I would pick Brady over Manning."
The Collin-tary: When comparing Brady to Manning the similarities are stunning. In fact, their career quarterback ratings are almost mirror images with Manning having the slight edge at 95.3 over Brady's 93.4. Yet, there is no debating who the better player is. What puts Brady head and shoulders over Manning is his postseason resume. The numbers above speak for themselves. Winning and ultimately winning the Lombardi trophy is all that matters in the NFL. I can almost guarantee Peyton would trade his three MVP awards for Tom's three Super Bowl rings.
Tony is correct in saying that the teams built around these two future hall of famers have a direct impact on whether or not championships are won. This point would be valid if we were comparing the Patriots or Colts to the Bengals, but it's not even close. Indianapolis and New England have both fielded dominant teams with almost identical records since the start of the 2003 season. However, come playoff time Brady has drastically outplayed Manning. Great players win MVP's, but legends win Super Bowl MVP's. Advantage Brady.
Where would you rank Brady and Manning amongst the greatest quarterbacks of all time? If you could pick one active NFL quarterback to lead your team who would it be?
