The rivalry between Tom Brady and
Peyton Manning, has already been established in National Football League history as one of the greatest
ever between two quarterbacks. Since the first meeting between the
two September 30, 2001, the duo has played against each other
fourteen times including the playoffs, with Sunday, January 19,
2014, being the fifteenth time.
When the two have played each other it has been relatively a wash from a statistical stand point, Manning has thrown for more touchdowns 29,
versus 26 for Brady, Manning has thrown more interceptions,
20 while Brady has thrown 12. Completion percentage is 67 percent for
Brady and 61.8 percent for Manning. Brady holds the edge in the
statistic that matters the most with 10 wins compared to 4,
for Manning.
When referring specially to the Manning
versus Brady head to head rivalry there is a legitimate argument
as to who has been the better starting quarterback between the
two. All too many times the question is brought up in
regards to who has had the better career and that isn't a contest, Manning virtually owns every single season QB record
there is. In 2004 Peyton Manning broke the NFL record for
passing touchdowns in a single season with 49, three years
later Tom Brady broke Manning's record, throwing for 50 touchdowns
during the 2007 season, fast forward to the 2013 NFL season when
Manning at age 37 reclaimed his record throwing for 55
touchdowns. Food for thought: When Brady broke
Manning's record during the 2007 season he threw 81 more passes and
passed for 249 more yards than Manning had during the 2004 season, but Manning had a higher passer rating at 121.1 in 2004 compared to 117.2 for Brady in 2007.
Manning and Brady have both missed
entire seasons for all intents and purposes. Manning missed the
entire 2011 season due to neck surgery, the Indianapolis Colts had
a 2-14 record which consequently led to the firing of head coach
Jim Cadwell, who the previous season reached the Super Bowl in his
first season as the Colts head coach. Tom Brady missed the entire
2008 season aside from the first quarter of the first game of the
year, in addition to Brady the Patriots lost Rodney Harrison, Adalius
Thomas and Laurence Maroney to injury, all of whom were key
contributors to that team. With Matt Cassel starting quarterback, the
Patriots finished the 2008 season with a 11-5 record. The
Colts were doomed without Manning while the Patriots carried on with
business as usual with Cassel at the helm.
Peyton Manning will attempt to etch
his name in the record books once again with a win versus Brady
and the Patriots, attempting to becoming the first quarterback in NFL
history to reach the Super Bowl with two different franchises and
three different head coaches. With all due respect to Tony
Dungy, Jim Cadwell and John Fox, none of them are probably on the
same level as future hall of fame coach Bill Belichick.
Manning had the fortune to play with
all-pros such as Robert Mathis, Dwight Freeney and former NFL
Defensive Player of Year Bob Sanders, whenever Sanders
was healthy. The Indianapolis Colts defenses that Manning played with for
14 seasons were rarely filled with an abundance of dominate playmakers and game
changers. Some of the defensive players from the
Belichick-Brady era, include Asante Samuel, Lawyer
Milloy, Willie McGinest, Richard Seymour, Mike Vrable, Vince Wilfork,
Rodney Harrison, Ty Law and Teddy Bruschi just to name a few.
Brady has had the advantage of having more "complete" teams
throughout his career. Food for thought: During the 2001
playoffs which ended with the Patriots winning the first of their
three Super Bowl titles, Tom Brady threw one TD pass in three playoff games.
Tom Brady is an amazing quarterback and
one of the best players the game of football has ever
seen, his composure in the pocket, the way he handles the
media, the kind of leader he is, the fact that he has been
coachable throughout his career and his willingness to adjust his game to whatever his
teams needs are only some of the things that make him a
future NFL Hall of Famer. When comparing Manning and Brady
you have to look at the big picture, this rivalry isn't just Manning
vs. Brady, it is Peyton Manning vs. The New England Patriots.
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