Manning could have and would have gone 16-0 this year and Brady broke Manning records by throwing 81 more passes than Manning did and Manning didn't even play in the last game of the 2004 season. EDIT - And besides aren't those records just "Fantasy numbers" anyway? Did Brady win the SB in 2007?
Could have but didn'd b/c the Colts were gutless and didn't want to go for a team record yet they went for individual records. Brady has been to 4 SBs and won 3, Manning is headed to his 2nd SB and maybe his 2nd win. manning has also played FOUR more seasons.
If they wanted to go for 16-0 they would have gotten it. That doesn't prove Brady is the better QB, just that he played on better teams Manning is getting better and better going to 2 SBs in 4 seasons yet Brady is getting worse and worse.
AGAIN, they have both had SB caliber talent around them most of the decade. One had 4 apps, one had 2. Both great QBs just one was greater when it mattered. They seem to be reversing roles late in the decade but Brady led the team of the decade and a SB win in 2001 counts as much as one in 2009. Brady came off missing an entire year and his last full season he had maybe the best year ever for a QB so obviously he was going to be worse. I hope this year was a sign of things to come for Brady but it doesn't erase what he has done.
Brady has been on a decline since 2004. In the playoffs from 2001 - 2004 190/304 1,951 11 TDs 3 INTs (9-0) In the playoffs from 2005 - 2009 205/333 2,157 17 TDs 12 INTs (5-4)
He still led a team to another SB and another team to a Championship game they had no business playing in. In peyton's 2 SBs the chips fell perfectly. In '06 they played WC weekend then hosted an AFC Title game, in '09 they played the 5 and 6 seed. Manning has had more bad days in postseason than Brady has.
matt cassell took brady's team to an 11-5 record last year.there's no way in hell cassell could do that with the colts.thats the difference.
In each of those years they got lucky to make up for Brady's poor play. His INT to Marlon McCree should have ended their 2006 season and they only made the SB in 2007 because SD were w/o Tomlinson and Gates and Rivers played with a torn knee; despite Brady's best attempt at blowing the game with his 3 INTs. The defense saved them by stopping SD in the red zone multiple times. In those two games Brady threw 6 INTs. I'd hardly call that "leading" the teams to victory.
The Patriots will be remembered as a dominant team over the last decade more than Brady will be remembered as a dominant QB. Brady's an excellent QB, no doubt Hall-of-Famer, but he's just not as good as Peyton at the position. I don't care if he has 10 Super Bowls. A QB isn't the only thing that wins a Super Bowl. A team does.
Cassell won 10 games as a stater a year after Brady led them to 16 wins and in 2008 the sched was MUCH, MUCH easier. The '08 sched was a complete joke. Cassell was also in that system for years, if he was in Indy for years he could have done that w/ Indy and if Sorgi was healthy they'd be a playoff contender w/ him. The game should have neded in Sd but he took the gift he was given and won the game unlike peyton in '05 vs. Indy who got even more gifts and still couldn't lead them to the W.
If Peyton went down to a season ending injury there is no way they are a playoff contender with Jim Sorgi as their QB. I know you love to blame Peyton for that loss but he was under pressure all game long. Peyton capitalized after the first gift by marching them down for a touchdown. Then after getting the ball back gets them in position for a makeable FG to tie the game. While Manning wasn't great in that game he didn't throw 3 INTs. Brady got bailed out while Manning didn't. That's the difference between the two of them.
There's no doubt they'd be playoff contendres w/ Sorgi or if they got a capable vet. obviously they wouldn't be as good(just as NE wasn't nearly as good w/ cassell) but they'd compete for a playoff spot. manning was terrible in that Pitt game, his #s look better b/c of the bail out on the clear INT. He was given MULTIPLE gifts and failed.
He was sacked FIVE times and was under pressure all game long. He wasn't great but he wasn't terrible either and had them in position to tie after the gift fumble. He capitalized on the gift INT call by marching them down for a TD. These are facts of the game.
best QB doesn't mean most Super Bowls. Brady has more Super bowls than John Elway and isn't even close to as good a QB as Elway was. you can make an argument that Brady is a system QB. Matt Cassel played great in that system when Brady went down, and the team was better with Cassel last year than it was with Brady this year. Brady won because he is a great player on a great team. Indy wins because Manning is the main component of the team and is the most significant part of what makes them great. big difference between the two. Manning doesn't have to win another Super Bowl, and when all is said and done his accomplishments will reveal him to be the greatest QB ever. being the best ever, though, has nothing to do with winning more Super Bowls than any other QB in comparison.
The facts are he lost another home playoff game after being given multiple gifts while Brady accepted his one gift and led his team to the win. No most SBs alone doesn't mean best QB but w/ the medicore offensive talent he had and the fact that he took over a sinking ship of a franchise and turned them around instantly tells me he's the best. Let's also remember he doesn't play at least half his games in domes like peyton and Brady has performed much better on the big stage. You can call him a system QB all you want but show the example of belichick and that system winning a SB w/o him? W/o Brady Belichick is a DC today. Manning is one of the best of all time, so is Brady. What seperates the 2 is how they have played on the big stage. They have both had SB caliber teams around them, one made 4 and won 3 and the other has made 2 and has the chance to win 2. If one was QB of the Lions them using postseason wouldn't be fair but they have been part of 2 of the best teams in the AFC this decade and despite playing 2 less years this decade Brady has 2 more SBs.
no, he didn't turn them around. the offense wasn't that good their first Super Bowl and the defense carried them. they missed the playoffs the following season, and he really didn't become a dominant QB until the next season and Super Bowl year, where the D was still equally good, so his emergence as one of the top in the league didn't dictate the teams success. he certainly has contributed to it, but he was arguably at his best during the season he didn't win the Super Bowl but went 18-1, so clearly winning the Super Bowl does not define a players ability and overall success.
The games aren't as black and white as you make them out to be. Is it Manning's fault he was pressured all game long? How about the penalties (9 in total)? I know you WANT to blame Manning for Vanderjagt missing a FG but he was in FG range and should have made the kick. w/o that gift that Brady received the Pats lose because of his THREE INTs. Despite all this Manning has had some of the greatest post season games in NFL History and continues to get better. Manning single handedly won the game yesterday. Manning single handedly won teh AFCCG in 2006 and took them to the SB. Manning has more victories than any other QB in the decade. Manning has elevated the players around him. Only 4 times has a QB thrown for more than 350 yds 3 TDs and ZERO INTs in the postseason. Manning did it twice Peyton Manning 2009 AFC Championship Game 26 / 39 377 yds 3 TDs 0 INTs Kurt Warner 2009 NFC Wildcard 29 / 33 379 yds 5 TDs 0 INTs Peyton Manning 2003 AFC Wildcard 22 / 26 377 yds 5 TDs 0 INTs John Elway 1989 AFC Championship Game 20 / 36 385 yds 3 TDs 0 INTs
The team was getting worse every year and began 2001 0-2 w/ losses to Cincy(who would go 6-10) and us. from the 2nd meeting of 1997 through that first game of 2001 we beat NE 7 of 8 times(the lone loss being a close game where our P played most of the game at QB). After Brady took over we lost 10 of 11 to NE. NE was a skinking ship, there were already rumblings about a coaching change. Yes their D played great that postseason but they don't get to postseason w/o Brady. '01 was the only postseason where the D played great all the way through and as greata s they played that SB against SL they blew a 14 pt 4th qtr lead only to be rescued by Brady. So you can use the pressure excuse for Manning but in SB XLII when Brady was running for his life all game you can ignore that? The bottom line is he had multiple gifts and couldn't take advantage of it. Vanderjagt was a choker too, we all knew that but instead of getting in chip shot range he went for the EZ on 2nd and 3rd and 2 from the 28. You are right, NE loses w/o that one gift against SD but he got it and took advantge just likethe Tuck Rule game. Manning had multiple gifts in that pitt game and couldn't take advantage. Manning has had some great postseason games, they always seem to come in WC games until yesterday BUT he also has too many clunkers where he cost his team a chance to advance. When has Brady ever been fortunate enough to face the 5 and 6 seeds to get to the SB? when did he ever host an AFC Title game after playing WC weekend?
