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If there is one game other than the Super Bowl that you must watch every NFL season it has to be when Tom Brady goes up against Peyton Manning.
Both players have numerous accolades, both have MVP awards, Super Bowl MVP awards and Super Bowls.
Both will be first ballot hall-of-famers and are considered two of the greatest to ever play the game.
Both are unique guys.
One was the first pick in the draft and revolutionised the quarterback position with his ability to read defences and change the play at the line of scrimmage.
The other slid to the sixth round in the draft and got his start due to an injury. He has always played with a chip on his shoulder and let everyone know they made a mistake passing on him.
Both these guys, despite being great friends, form possibly the greatest sporting rivalry of the modern era, trumping the likes of Federer and Nadal, Kobe and LeBron, Man United and Man City, Red Sox and Yankees, and the Ravens and the Steelers.
While these two are still in the league and continue to play against each other the debate will always rage on.
Who is the better quarterback?
When this question is raised, arguments between analysts, friends and fans often follow. Different stats, different arguments and different situations are brought up every single year.
Different scenarios and different hypotheticals are raised and make the mind speculate.
The crux of the debate is always the number of rings compared to personal numbers and accolades.
Your personal preference is probably determined by your value of Super Bowl titles and personal achievements.
Peyton has a record four MVP awards (soon to be five when you look at it) to Brady’s two. When you compare career passing rating and completion percentage Manning has the slight edge.
Peyton Manning’s playoff record is far from ideal, he has a 9-11 record with eight first game losses. For a four-time NFL MVP it is quite a poor record and one that will haunt his legacy.
Meanwhile, Brady has a record of 17-7, with the most playoff wins by any quarterback ever, an astonishing feat.
Most of the numbers stack heavily in Peyton’s favour but at the end of the day Brady has three Super Bowl Rings to Manning’s one.
When it comes to winning championships though, a number of factors are at play. Things like coaching, rosters and defence.
No disrespect to John Fox, Jim Caldwell, Tony Dungy and Jim Mora but they are no Bill Belicheck. His influence on Brady’s career and systems he built around him should never be overlooked. His roster building skills are extraordinary.
Belicheck is considered by some as the best coach since Lombardi.
Proof of Belicheck genius is in 2008 where Brady tore his ACL on opening weekend and was replaced by Matt Cassel, yes that guy who stinks in Minnesota and stunk in Kansas City.
Cassel led the team to an 11-5 record and had a career defining year, one that led to him receiving a bigger contract.
When you look at Brady and Manning’s head-to-head record (including playoffs), Brady has a winning record of nine wins to four.
According to Scott Kacsmar of Football Outsiders, Brady has had the better defence in 11 of the first 13 meetings between the pair.
When you look at turnovers in the head-to-head battles, Brady has the edge by throwing fewer interceptions (19 compared to 12) however fumbles by teammates have hurt Manning in key moments.
14 fumbles by Colts/Broncos players compared to just eight by Patriots players. Turnovers out of any of the quarterbacks control.
The NFL Network did a “Top 100 Greatest Players” series in 2010 and Manning finished eighth on the list, in the end won by Jerry Rice, and Brady finished 21st.
The panel that decided the list were former and current NFL coaches, players, executives and members of the media.
Judged on that and the other research conducted you would have to give the slight edge to Peyton Manning.
If Manning can create history and be the first quarterback ever to win a Super Bowl with two different teams and likely collect his fifth NFL MVP award along the way, he should move further ahead of Brady.
Many people will debate this for many hours and days but ultimately we should sit back and enjoy two of the greatest quarterbacks of all time battle it out once again.
Enjoy the spectacle that is Manning v Brady.
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