5 Reasons 2011 Season Proves Peyton Manning Is Better Than Tom Brady

[Bond Shane]

I'm going to handle this a little differently since this started with me yapping about why these five reasons are not good ones.

If anyone wants to make a case that Manning is the GOAT and/or better than Brady, here's where I would take it. And keep in mind, I'm a Patriots fan.

PRODUCTION

This is, first and foremost, the reason I would chose to argue that Manning is the better QB. Brady's numbers have been impressive in recent years, yes, but...

No one - let me repeat that - NO ONE in the history of the NFL has produced week-in, and week-out, like Peyton Manning. The numbers are eye-popping, and a lot of what we're seeing with the prominence of the passing game in today's NFL can be traced back to Manning's accomplishments. He's changed football in many ways, and his achievements and production have paved the path for guys like Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Tom Brady, and even the younger generation of Matthew Staffords and Matt Ryans.

After throwing 26 TDs and for nearly 3800 yards as a rookie, Manning did nothing except set a new standard when you look at quarterbacks' measurables. From his 11 seasons with 4,000+ yards (a record) to his 6 seasons with at least 30 TDs (also unmatched), to having more seasons (13) with at least 25 TDs... there is no other way to describe his production other than "totally unmatched."

Had it not been for Manning's current injury, coupled with Brett Favre being unwilling to retire when his time had come, it's pretty clear that by the time he hung 'em up, Manning would have held every significant passing record in the book. Favre holds those records strictly due to his longevity... if you look at numbers on the basis of per-season production, it's not even close. It's fair to speculate that Old Brett saw Manning closing in on some of his marks, and that could have a lot to do with him hanging on longer than he should have, in a vain attempt to put his records out of reach because he knows Manning wouldn't do what he did and would retire when his time was up.

When it comes to individual accomplishments and awards, no one can come close. That includes his four MVP awards... an unmatched achievement in football.

GAME COMPREHENSION

It took a minute or two to come up with the bold-faced "title" of this section. Because I'm not just talking about in-game adjustments, I'm talking about all of the work that goes into game preparation.

Since we're talking Brady-Manning here, let me start by saying that both guys are outstanding at reading defenses and making adjustments that allow them to exploit match-ups. Changing a pattern at the line of scrimmage, or audibling out of the play entirely, is something they both do well. But let's not forget, Manning has been doing it longer, and more or less has been Brady's role model when it comes to this aspect of playing QB. (Brady himself, in the "Top 100 NFL Players" of the 2011 season production, said so in no uncertain terms.) The cerebral part of Manning's game is, however, slightly superior to Brady's.

TEAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS

This is where the Brady backers deliberately try to blur the lines between "team" accomplishments and "individual" accomplishments.

While it's true that Manning was the benefactor of having some very talented offenses in the early part of the 2000s, he's never had the kind of defenses that have, on occasion, bailed out Brady's Patriots. The 2006 unit did have an historic turn-around in the postseason, yet they also surrendered a ton of first-half points to New England in the AFC Championship Game.

Manning has never had a Ty Law making timely interceptions and returning them for TDs.

He's never had a unit that could shut down the other guys and help the team win an ugly game by something like a 12-10 score.

And as he's sat out the entire 2011 season so far, his defense has not really risen to the challenge of winning close, tightly-contested games, like the Patriots did in 2008 without Brady.

One of the biggest knocks on Manning is that he's sub-500 as a starter in the postseason. But what about Brady? After starting off on fire as "Mr. Postseason," he's been very human. Why? It's simple... his defense is not what it used to be. Brady and the Patriots have, in many ways, become what the Colts always were - an offensive-minded team that does not have the defense needed to win in the playoffs. Keep in mind that NE hasn't won a postseason game in four years... or roughly since the last vestiges of the championship defense went away.

Other random reasons:

- His commercials are much funnier than Brady's.

- His guest host appearance on "Saturday Night Live" was much better than Brady's.

And if all that's not enough... let's recall what Tom Brady has to say about it:

"To me,

he's the greatest of all-time

."

"What he's accomplished and the way that he studies, the way he prepares. He's really got a killer instinct too. I've been fortunate to be around him on a lot of occasions and we always hit it off; we have a great relationship and he's a friend of mine and someone that I always watch and admire because he always wants to improve, he always wants to get better and he doesn't settle for anything less than the best."

"So when you watch the best and you're able to learn from the best, hopefully that helps me get better."

Good Job Buddy

[UMLBB10]

.The Patriots Didn't Fall Apart When Brady Went Down in 2008

3 reasons the patriots didnt fall apart when Tom Brady went down in 2008

1- The patriots were smart enough to have a serviceable back up QB. Credit Bill Belichick

2- The Patriots didn't have WR's who quit on the team and turned up missing when their qb went down. see reggie wayne

3- The Patriots didn't have a pass rushing DE quit on the team and go missing when his QB went down. see dwight freeney

[-JJ-]

I'm going to handle this a little differently since this started with me yapping about why these five reasons are not good ones.

If anyone wants to make a case that Manning is the GOAT and/or better than Brady, here's where I would take it. And keep in mind, I'm a Patriots fan.

PRODUCTION

This is, first and foremost, the reason I would chose to argue that Manning is the better QB. Brady's numbers have been impressive in recent years, yes, but...

Nicely played

I would note Brady is a couple years behin PM but he does improve each year and I think this year he has really put it all together much like PM did during the same time frame.

Especially the no huddle;)

[GoPats]

Nicely played

I would note Brady is a couple years behin PM but he does improve each year and I think this year he has really put it all together much like PM did during the same time frame.

Especially the no huddle;)

I'm wondering how many people are reading that post without seeing the one above where Superman presented his idea.

"GoPats done gone nuts."

[Superman]

Brady had 10+ seconds on a few occasions this season.

I'd be willing to bet money (if I was a betting man) that Brady has never had ten seconds with which to throw the football. That's simply unheard of. The average NFL play doesn't even take ten seconds, from snap to completion to the end of the play.

I agree that he gets better protection than most other quarterbacks (only elite quarterback that gets that kind of protection is probably Brees, maybe Rivers over the past few weeks). But ten seconds is severe hyperbole.

[Superman]

I'm wondering how many people are reading that post without seeing the one above where Superman presented his idea.

"GoPats done gone nuts."

I feel like Lois Lane writing an article entitled "Why the World Doesn't Need Superman."

I think you did a better job than I did, by the way.

[Smitto]

I do not agree with this at all, in 08 the pats had a better defense... if you go back and look at older articles from bleacher report they are the same site that said the pats would be the same way the colts are right now if they had lost brady... based on how their defense is playing this year...

08 and 11 season doesnt say which QB is better at all, all it says is which FO was prepared for the future the most and the colts werent.

[-JJ-]

I'd be willing to bet money (if I was a betting man) that Brady has never had ten seconds with which to throw the football. That's simply unheard of. The average NFL play doesn't even take ten seconds, from snap to completion to the end of the play.

I agree that he gets better protection than most other quarterbacks (only elite quarterback that gets that kind of protection is probably Brees, maybe Rivers over the past few weeks). But ten seconds is severe hyperbole.

yep, no one has 10 sec except a rare long scramble.

Infact the whole thing is a myth.

There are times Brady has time,lots of time,little time, and no time. The same with PM.

NE oline plays well due to superior oline coaching but doesn't have the same talent as others. This year we're on our 3rd center and some other positions due to injuries.

You overwhelm any oline up the middle whether its Brady,PM or any QB and they're going down or throwing it away.

Dan Marino was the true quick release QB.

[Superman]

And as he's sat out the entire 2011 season so far, his defense has not really risen to the challenge of winning close, tightly-contested games, like the Patriots did in 2008 without Brady.

One of the biggest knocks on Manning is that he's sub-500 as a starter in the postseason. But what about Brady? After starting off on fire as "Mr. Postseason," he's been very human. Why? It's simple... his defense is not what it used to be. Brady and the Patriots have, in many ways, become what the Colts always were - an offensive-minded team that does not have the defense needed to win in the playoffs. Keep in mind that NE hasn't won a postseason game in four years... or roughly since the last vestiges of the championship defense went away.

You have to look at what Brady and the Pats have done the past two seasons. With an average defense (at best), they won 14 games last year, can win 13 this year, and Brady has put together two MVP-worthy performances in a row. I'm sure Rodgers will win it this year, but that's not because he has no competition. What Brady is doing is amazing, simply said. But the problem they're going to run into in the playoffs is that they can't stop anybody defensively.

Starting in 2007, the Pats front office starting allocating more resources to the offensive side of the ball. And with the departure of players like Seymour and Vrabel and Harrison, etc., they've become more of an offense-oriented team. Much like the Colts of the past decade. When you have an all-time great quarterback like Brady or Manning, it makes sense to maximize on their talent. Problem is that you severely shrink your margin for error. If your quarterback has a bad game (Manning made ONE mistake in the Super Bowl), you go home early. If your pass protection isn't at peak performance (Brady got pummeled in SB42; Manning got a ton of pressure against the Steelers in 2005), you go home early. If you make a special teams mistake, you go home early. Two sides of the same coin.

A lot of Colts fans get into this thing where they think the team should be dominant defensively and dominant offensively, and we should have a great special teams unit for coverage and returns. And that would be great, but that's just not the way the NFL works. A lot of really good teams have made the decision to ride their best unit, and see what they can get out of it. That's what the Colts did with Manning, and that's what the Patriots are doing with Brady.

[Restored]

/thread

[-JJ-]

What Brady is doing is amazing, simply said. But the problem they're going to run into in the playoffs is that they can't stop anybody defensively.

I disagree somewhat and GoPats and I have certainly gone back and forth on it.

While the Pats defense is far from dominant it is not near as bad as the total yards ranking so many folks erroneously point to.

They make the plays to win the game and have been responsible for one loss (Buffalo) where they had a 21 pt lead.

Teams often feel each other out the first couple series and then adjust.

To be more specific Vince Wilfork explained perfectly what they did in Denver.

They knew Tebow had gotten better and didn't know what to expect from Denver. So they drew up several defensive alignments and studied and practiced them all week.

The first couple series Vince said they were looking to see what they could do. Once they did they adjusted and there was no confusion. They went to the sidelines and said we're going to implement this plan. Once they saw the potential of it they ATTACKED with it. A defense attacks in more ways than just a blitz. The Denver offense did not adjust to their adjustment to they turned the >>>s up even more. This was clearly evident as the game progressed. In other words they were prepared.

IF they run into a dominant defense with total execution they will have a tough time..otherwise its anyone's game for all the top teams.

[Superman]

I disagree somewhat and GoPats and I have certainly gone back and forth on it.

While the Pats defense is far from dominant it is not near as bad as the total yards ranking so many folks erroneously point to.

They make the plays to win the game and have been responsible for one loss (Buffalo) where they had a 21 pt lead.

Teams often feel each other out the first couple series and then adjust.

To be more specific Vince Wilfork explained perfectly what they did in Denver.

They knew Tebow had gotten better and didn't know what to expect from Denver. So they drew up several defensive alignments and studied and practiced them all week.

The first couple series Vince said they were looking to see what they could do. Once they did they adjusted and there was no confusion. They went to the sidelines and said we're going to implement this plan. Once they saw the potential of it they ATTACKED with it. A defense attacks in more ways than just a blitz. The Denver offense did not adjust to their adjustment to they turned the >>>s up even more. This was clearly evident as the game progressed. In other words they were prepared.

IF they run into a dominant defense with total execution they will have a tough time..otherwise its anyone's game for all the top teams.

I don't think the defense is as bad as advertised. Like you said, the total yards metric has be put into context. I'd rather have the Pats defense than the Colts defense, even though the yardage tells a different story.

Still, the defense has struggled, especially in comparison to how good they used to be during the dominant Super Bowl years. The AFC isn't all that good this year, but if the Pats play Pittsburgh or if San Diego can get in, the defense is going to be tested, and I wonder if they'll hold up.

[gspdx]

1. The Patriots didn't fall apart because Belichick is 10 times the coach that Caldwell is...

BLASPHEMY! - no wait, I agree with this.

[FireJimCaldwell]

BLASPHEMY! - no wait, I agree with this.

I don't... It's far more than 10.

[GoPats]

I feel like Lois Lane writing an article entitled "Why the World Doesn't Need Superman."

I think you did a better job than I did, by the way.

But can't we just pretend that "Superman Returns" never really happened? LOL... hoping the new one is better.

And thanks. I gave it some thought over the weekend and decided which areas to present. So it was, for a change, not all "from the hip" with me.

You know me so you know I've always respected Manning and his accomplishments. Rivals make you better, they make you work harder and practice longer. I sometimes wonder if either Manning's or Brady's career would have been different if not for the other guy.

I disagree somewhat and GoPats and I have certainly gone back and forth on it.

While the Pats defense is far from dominant it is not near as bad as the total yards ranking so many folks erroneously point to.

They make the plays to win the game and have been responsible for one loss (Buffalo) where they had a 21 pt lead.

I do agree with you in that yardage allowed is a misleading and potentially overblown stat. Ultimately it comes down to how many times you let the other team score. When I look at the web on Sunday nights to see recaps and highlights, the headlines rarely read, "Patriots out-gain Jets" or anything along those lines.

My only question that remains unanswered is this:

What is going to happen if the Patriots are in a position, kind of like they were in the Giants game this year, where their defense is trying to put the game away? They did that successfully against Washington, but I don't think a Rex Grossman-led offense is a good litmus test for how you're going to do against the upper tier teams in the postseason. They also had a huge stop in the Cowboys game, but Garrett's extremely conservative play-calling was a huge help there.

One thing that's playing out in the Patriots' favor, though, is that the AFC is so wide open right now. Pittsburgh is a good team but they're banged up, and so is Big Ben. The Ravens are the biggest Jekyll and Hyde team in the NFL right now, and Flacco can be awful at times. Houston doesn't have a QB and the Jets are always dangerous but also struggle to put up points at times.

I think any team in the playoffs has the potential to punch their ticket to Indy this year. But whoever gets there from the NFC, likely the Saints or the Packers, is going to be a tough matchup.

[Brice Harris]

True to the points that some of you are making. Brady has more rings than Manning, however, Manning was the fastest person to ever get to 50k passing yards. If it wasn't for him being down this year he'd still be on pace to break Marinos passing record and would have been able to do it most likely by the'15 season (if his neck didn't restrict him.) Manning is arguably the best QB ever. Notice I say arguably, no one will truly know until his career is over. But what he has done has no doubt changed part of the game. He is a cerebral Quarterback and probably the best thinking Quarterback to ever play the game. These 2 QB's are the same in some areas of the game, but in other areas of there game they are far different. No arguing that they are both awesome at reading defenses. But if you look at the way Manning does Audibles compared to Brady, Manning never truly calls a play until he sees the defense and then will audible to a play he likes or if theres a base play for that formation he will feign a Audible to catch the defense off guard. Mannings' intangibles in my opinion, are better than Bradys. I am a colts fan and that is not me being biased. Both will be in the top 5-10 of the greatest QB's to ever play. But if you ask the analyst's on NFL Network and ESPN. They will all say that when Manning is healthy he is the superior QB compared to Brady, but not by much and I emphasize NOT. Because they are so close in comparison that it is truly hard to make a judgement on who is better.