Does anyone still think Manning is better than Brady?

It was a silly argument before, but what about now? Sillier? Silliest?

 

Can't argue with you. It's all about the rings.

 

I agree with Sunshine but not because of that lazy reasoning.

 

In the end it comes down to rings. Manning would gladly give up his MVPs for rings. I'm not saying Manning isn't a great quarterback. He's going to the Hall of Fame. But look at Brady's body of work over a very long period of time - nine AFC championship games, about to play in his sixth Super Bowl and he's won three. Manning has been to three and has one ring. Brady is just better.

 

As individual players, I think it's been a dead heat for many years. Brady is an all-timer who has been surrounded by great coaches and great teammates. Manning might possess the most raw skill and football savvy of any quarterback ever. It is inarguable that the end is coming for Manning faster than it is for Brady.

 

I find myself softening - slightly - on my hard line stance on Manning. Brady is better, clearly, but he's also benefitted from a head coach who he seems to work so closely with. Manning, I've had the feeling, has lorded over his coaches, especially Caldwell and Fox. Brady and Belichick seem to know they need each other and I think that leads to great respect of boundaries and limitations.

Manning has lived a football life where he was always The Chosen One. Archie's Son. I do think this kept most of his coaches from challenging him and, ultimately, getting the best of out him.

Brady's greatness comes in not being The Chosen One. He didn't start right away at Michigan. He watched Spergon Wynn and Giovanni Carmazzi get drafted before him in 2000. Combine this with Belichick in 2001, who was probably two or three more consecutive losses from getting canned that year. They needed each other once Bledsoe got hurt. They both knew this was probably their only shot.

 

The stat that surprised me was that Manning has lost in either the Wild Card round or at home in the Divisional nine times. Nine years in which Peyton Manning's team did not win a single playoff game.
Even when Brady falls short, it's in either the AFC title game or the Super Bowl

 

Manning was surrounded by better offensive players. Far better.

And don't forget the soon-to-be HOF coach he played for much of his career.

 

That is the NFL's 56-game hitting streak.

 

Manning has still won a ring more recently than Brady has. Just sayin'.

 

Against Rex Grossman and the Chicago Bears.
If the Patriots' defense doesn't implode against the Colts in that second half of that AFC title game, Brady gets ring #4 easily right there.
They were flat-out beaten by the Giants in SB42 but they were the better team in the second Giants SB game.
My point is, a play here or a play there and Brady could be on his way to competing for his seventh ring. Can you say Manning even had a chance at a second ring?

 

Manning is 2-1 against Brady in AFC Title games. He has been to three Super Bowls. So it isn't like he is Dan Marino or Dan Fouts or Warren Moon, a great player who has never performed in big moments or won titles. He has not benefited from playing for, my money, the best coach in NFL History. I always find it amazing that the only team where the loss is all about the QB is the team that Manning is on. Today, for instance I heard many people talking about how Luck's teammates let him down. When Brady loses it is some other reason other than him, even if he plays like crap. This year he was hurt the final four weeks of the season and it was easy to see he wasn't close to the same player at the end. But here is what is hilarious to me - the plan is going to be to bring in Kubiak, make the team more run-oriented and continue to build the defense and basically allow Manning to become almost a game manager, like Elway did at the end, and if he wins another Super Bowl or something, this will somehow validate his career in the eyes of the moron "rings' crowd. Brady won today because he was good but he didn't need to be great given the fact that he had a guy run for like 140, he had a defense that kicked the ass of the Colts offense and he had a coach who was nine steps ahead of the Colts coach the entire day on both sides of the ball. But no, it was all Brady because they won.