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Pretty good in spite of the trophyI have nothing against either, but I was always a Peyton Manning guy. Brady is super good. He's accurate, a clear leader and someone I'd kill to have on my team. However, the argument to me was who was the best QUARTERBACK. Meaning, I've seen Manning make throws that blew my mind. I've never felt the same way about Brady's throws, which I find more economical and pragmatic. I've never been awed with Brady like I have with Manning.
The argument or debate always curtailed into a discussion of winning. Brady had three Super Bowl wins and Manning -- at the time -- had none.
To me, this was a moot point. It wasn't about the quarterback as it was about the team: The Patriots in the early- to mid-2000s had clearly superior squads, more so than the Indianapolis Colts. This shouldn't devalue Brady or overvalue Manning, although I do think the latter did more with less.
Today, Eli Manning has two Super Bowl wins. Both over Brady's Patriots.
Do I consider Eli the better quarterback? I don't think so. I think Brady is much better. However, in the past five years, the "lesser" quarterback (Eli, for the record, is really good, if not great) has won.
Why?
Because he played for the better team. And there lies the inherent fallacy in declaring guys Hall of Fame worthy or whatever. Brady, Terry Bradshaw, Troy Aikman, Bart Starr and Joe Montana were great quarterbacks, who played for otherworldly teams.
What if the Baltimore Ravens with Trent Dilfer -- the poster boy for "bus driver" -- had sneaked in and won another Super Bowl. Is he a Hall of Fame quarterback?
No. That's a ridiculous statement. Titles are a ridiculous indicator when you really think about it. Over the weekend, the Hall of Fame voters whittled down candidates excluding Charles Haley and Bill Parcells in lieu of Willie Roaf and Cortez Kennedy.
The former two are great and Hall-worthy. They also won a crapload of titles. The latter two are equally as great and equally as worthy. Yet, they didn't win a thing.
Players are great because they are great. If they happen to land on a good team, more power to them. No matter what, Dan Marino and Peyton Manning are pretty good. And so are Tom Brady and Eli Manning. That's a concept we need to comes to terms with as we wrestle with our hyperbole.
Super Bowl thoughts:
1. Can we quell the "Wes Welker is a Hall of Fame receiver" talk? I like the guy and all. Why every sports commentator needs to get on their knees and suck the guy off is a complete mystery. He's an excellent slot receiver on the game's most prolific offense probably in its history. Yet, he still doesn't have the numbers because he was slotted as a marginal guy. If he survives another five seasons, then we'll talk.
2. I think the Patriots, Bill Belichick and Brady are terrific and deserving of all the praise in the world. Still, you have to look at their drafts (poor, at best) and their poo-pooing the sheets in the last two Super Bowl appearances as just stinkers. Cold hard facts.
3. The Super Bowl proved that a good defense can stifle a good offense. The Giants won another title by completely dominating or holding their own (San Fran was pretty salty up front) in the trenches. A good offensive/defensive linemen are worth any number of cornerbacks or receivers.
4. Does it floor anyone else that the Patriots actually played in the Super Bowl with zero run game, no legit stretch-the-field deep threats, almost no pass rush or secondary?
5. Any Dallas fans still picking Tony Romo over Eli Manning? Cowboys fans need to recognize just how far behind the curve they are.
6. Tom Coughlin second Super Bowl win weeks after it was rumored that the team had "quit" on him and he was about to be fired could set a standard in the NFL. Teams are quick to dump a coach they deem bad. Had the Giants done that, no way they make or win the Super Bowl and no one was touting their chances six weeks ago. Still, will this example force teams to slow down the firing line in order to let things play out. Maybe things aren't as bad as they appear.
7. If nothing else, the Super Bowl outcome shut up the dumb rationale behind taking the Patriots. Playing for the owner's dead wife, a motivated Tom Brady, revenge and the Giants "lucking out" in making the Super Bowl could not have mattered in the least.
8. Some Brazilian supermodel expresses the same opinion of about five million NFL fans in private and somehow she's to blame? She's right. Pass catchers need to catch passes.
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