Whose Side Are You On?
February 9, 2007
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Every journalist and sports critic was smiling last Sunday night. How could they not, considering the plethora of stories they could choose to cover following the conclusion of Super Bowl XLI? They could have covered the social significance of the game, with Tony Dungy becoming the first African-American coach to win a Super Bowl and only the third person in history to win the big game as both a player and a coach.
They could also cover the future quarterback controversy for the Bears. Rex Grossman’s luck finally ran out (exemplified by his two interceptions, with one being returned for a touchdown) and those who were asking for a quarterback change earlier this season will have even more to gripe about this off season.
Another story that might not be addressed as soon as others is the answer to the age-old question of who is the better quarterback: Peyton Manning or Tom Brady?
Super Bowl XLI threw a new dynamic into the issue of quarterback supremacy in the National Football League. Now that Peyton Manning has finally gotten the monkey of his back with the Super Bowl championship and the Super Bowl MVP, (much to the dismay of former Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino, who still claims the title as the most successful quarterback in the history of the NFL to never win the Super Bowl), does he have a clear advantage in the argument?
For the past five years, it’s been the same continuous argument. While many think Manning to be the more gifted quarterback in terms of pure athleticism and skill, the majority of the league has anointed Brady the better of the two, citing his three Super Bowl Rings, two Super Bowl MVP awards, and the general notion that Brady has the undefinable it that puts him in the ranks of Joe Montana and John Elway, two quarterbacks who were known for their clutch play making abilities.
So now, we go to the numbers. In terms of the regular season, Manning is superior in almost every statistical category.
So far in his nine-season career, Manning has thrown for over 37,000 yards, while Brady, with two years less experience, has surmounted over 21,000 yards. Manning also wins the touchdown pass category, throwing 275 to Brady’s 147, including his record-setting 49 touchdown passes in 2004—a feat that may never be accomplished again in our lifetime.
While Brady has played three fewer seasons (he played one game in 2000), his averages per season would project that if he did indeed play as many games as Manning, he would still trail Manning in both categories.
Manning also has a higher career completion percentage and career quarterback rating; however the quarterback’s gun slinging tendencies have also yielded over 50 more interceptions than Brady has thrown.
Peyton Manning undoubtedly has the more eye-popping stats, yet there is one major category where Tom Brady reigns supreme: the post-season. Brady has amassed more touchdown passes (20 to Manning’s 17), less interceptions (9 to 14) and has a higher passer rating.
When his team needs him the most, Brady almost always delivers. When comparing Brady’s three Super Bowl performances to Manning’s one, it can be said that Brady performed better individually, apart from his first Super Bowl victory against the St. Louis Rams.
Yet, even when looking at Brady’s performance in Super Bowl XXXVI, it is not as statistically impressive as Manning’s performance this year, but it was as solid an outing any quarterback could have in a game of that magnitude.
Brady made no crucial mistakes, had no interceptions, and made the clutch throws and decisions when he needed to, particularly when the game was tied with 1:21 left in the game and his team had no time-outs.
That was when he mesmerized even the most veteran of football experts (John Madden quickly and embarrassingly retracted his opinion that the Patriots should’ve gone to over time) and drove his team down the field to set up Adam Vinatieri’s game-winning field goal. What makes this even more impressive is the fact that this feat was done in his first year as a starter for the Patriots. As now we all know, not all first-year starters can play so confidently and coolly in the big game (see: Rex Grossman).
While stats are usually the components we use to calculate the greatness of a quarterback, as fans it is impossible to ignore the personalities and character of these two accomplished athletes.
Throughout the several losses that Manning has had to bear against his rival Brady and the Patriots, we have continuously seen him blame everyone around him but himself. Whether it was his lineman’s failed attempts to protect him or his receivers’ inability to hold a pass, Manning has developed the reputation as a cry-baby and a sore loser.
On the opposite side of the field, you have America’s All-American poster boy. He says the right things, keeps his mouth shut when he should, and shoulders the blame even when it wasn’t necessarily his fault. Despite the off-field attention he receives due to his good looks and social relationships, Brady remains humble and tries to stay out of the spotlight.
The same can’t be said for Manning, who if you’ve turned on a TV in the past six months, has been in every other commercial. Are these faults, though? Can Manning be blamed for wanting to create a more personable image through the media? And considering that every player and coach who has ever been with Manning has had nothing but high praises for the Louisiana native, it’s hard to believe that he is not as great a leader as Brady. In fact, after beating the Patriots in the AFC championship game this post-season, the Patriots players had nothing but praise for Manning, calling him one of the classiest players in the league.
So we’ve gone through the stats, and covered the personalities, but the last part of the Brady-Manning debate, which tends to be forgotten, are the teams that they played on. For Manning admirers, the argument has constantly been how Brady has had the luxury of playing on three Super Bowl teams that featured dominant defenses, led by Pro-Bowlers such as Richard Seymour, Rodney Harrison and Ty Law.
The Colts’s defense, especially against the run, has been under scrutiny for the past few years. Indy fans will lament how they’ve had to watch a one-man show for the past couple of years. Manning would have the most spectacular of games but it would not be enough because the defense would give up the lead. Most teams would not be able to win games with the defenses the Colts have thrown out there the past couple of seasons, but Manning had the ability to carry the entire team on his shoulders.
One must look at both sides of the field, however, when making this argument. While Brady for the most part will not have to worry about his defense failing him, Manning most certainly has enjoyed the more offensively talented team. With a receiving core led by Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, and Dallas Clark, and a backfield that once consisted of pro-bowler Edgerrin James, Manning enjoyed offensive tools that were second-to-none in the league.
When looking at Brady’s tools, he has had to deal with a lack of depth and consistency in the receiver position. He has never had that one big-play receiver and just when one seemed to have been emerging in Deion Branch, he was traded due to contract issues. It can be argued that Brady does much more with less talent considering most of his receivers this season were from the scrap heap.
This only emphasizes Brady’s skill at quarterback because he always seems to make the Reche Caldwells and David Pattens of the world look better. What have Deion Branch and David Givens done since leaving the Patriots?
Furthermore, it can be argued that Brady never played with a premier running back until Corey Dillon’s arrival in 2004. Since then, Dillon’s age and weight have caught up with him, but there is promise in the future with rookie Laurence Maroney. Brady now could have the premier running back that Manning has had his entire career.
While Peyton currently has the upper hand in this endless debate, the truth is that an answer will not be able to be reached for years to come.
What happens if Peyton continues to dominate the stats but Brady adds more rings to his collection? What happens if Peyton gets another ring? Will that tilt the scales in his favor?
Time will only tell but one thing is for certain; while it might be difficult to separate both players, it’s a certainty that both are future Hall of Famers and that when they finally do hang up their pads, they will be considered two of the greatest quarterbacks to ever set foot on the field.
So the only question left to answer is which quarterback reigns champion here on the hill. Does Tufts belong to the Colts’ gunslinger or the Patriots inspirational leader?