We know all the storylines by now. Denver Broncos QB Peyton Manning has been the golden child, the chosen one, and the number-one overall pick. New England Patriots QB Tom Brady has been the competitor, the underdog, and the clutch one.
As much as it's been analyzed though, there could never be enough talk about these two. One thing is for sure: we all need to feel fortunate for having watched each of them play.
One critical aspect that hurts both of these guys when ranking them among the best QB's in NFL History is that they played during this era. An era where passing has become not the norm, but the ultimate weapon. Prior to this generation, never had teams set up the run by passing, it was always the other way around. Believe it or not, passing in this league used to be difficult. The idea of the "Run and Shoot" in the late 80's was wild, while almost every team runs some variation of the spread offense today. With rule changes, fantasy football and the league's salivating as it relates to points scored, both of these guys have greatly benefited.
The Super Bowl rings don't lie, and winning is the number-one stat as it relates to the QB position. Brady has three to Manning's one. Brady has been to five Super Bowls, while Manning just three. Success in the playoffs has always gone Brady's way as he sports an 18-8 career playoff record, notes Pro Football Reference. Manning on the other hand, is only 11-12, which is a huge positive for his detractors. And oh yeah, Brady is 10-5 in career head to head matchups with Manning.
However, if Brady wins the side of winning, then Manning destroys Brady on the side of stats. He might actually be the best regular season football player of all-time.
He just broke the career mark held by Brett Favre for career touchdown passes (509) and has numerous statistical passing records. To put his stats into perspective, he has 67,536 career yards which ranks him second all-time (Favre.) Brady has 51,541. Manning has 515 career passing TD's to Brady's 381. Manning has gone over 30 TD's in a season eight different times while going over 49 twice. Brady has only topped 30 on four different occasions, and reaching 49 once (2007.)
Another thing to consider is that when Brady won his three championships early in his career, he was not that dominant player he morphed into during the 2007 campaign. He was a game manager on a great team, with a great defense and fantastic coaching. It is obvious that Brady has been on better teams, while Manning has always had to be "the man" since he was drafted in 1998.
The question is this: Was the in-balance of Brady's better teams in comparison to Manning's enough to detract from the stark winning edge he has?
I say yes, especially because of one little phrase: Spy-Gate.
Now, while I'm not arguing spy-gate was the only reason the Patriots won three Super Bowls, I firmly believe it was a huge factor. The only evidence I need is how quickly the NFL destroyed those tapes after confiscating them. If the spying system wasn't that big of a deal for Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, then why did they continue to cheat after numerous warnings handed down by the league? That's a different topic for a another day though. Gary Obuiso of the NY Post wrote a great piece recently on it.
Trying to decide who's the better of the two, it comes down to Brady's winning against Manning's statistical dominance. And for our pick of the greatest QB in this generation, TheCelebrityCafe.com chooses...neither. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, there is no real answer.
I love Manning's smarts and dominance and do believe he was held back by terrible defenses with Indianapolis. I love Brady's fire and competitiveness, but I also believe he was boosted by those great teams in New England.
It's a question that could linger forever, but one that is always worthy of discussion.