Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, and the New England Patriots are not on the list of things I like. I’ve been a huge fan of Peyton Manning ever since I started watching the NFL, so the dislike for his arch rival has always been around. I firmly believe that the comparison between Manning and Brady on who is the greatest quarterback of al-time is a joke based on different circumstances, but that may put me in the minority. Either way, this past Sunday, Tom Brady and the Patriots were once again in the Super Bowl. This time facing Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons.
Now, my rooting for the Falcons was not based entirely on my dislike for the Patriots. I actually lived in Georgia several years back and grew to like Matty Ice and the Dirty Birds. But I still wanted to see New England lose very badly.
During the first half, Matt Ryan and the Falcons were taking over. They ended with three touchdowns, including an 82-yard pick-six. The defense was dominating, only allowing a field goal before half time. But to make a long story VERY short, the Patriots engineered one of-if not the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history, tying the game after being 25 points down to go into the first ever Overtime in the championship game. The Pats won the toss, and drove down the field to win on a two-yard touchdown run by James White.
Game Over. Tom Brady now has five Super Bowl championships. But even though everyone is going to say it now, I still don’t believe this championship and the four before it solidify Tom Brady as the greatest quarterback there ever was.
Dan Marino never won a Super Bowl championship. Brett Favre only won one. Joe Montana won four. Peyton Manning won two. All of these quarterbacks and so many others never had as many championships as Tom Brady, but they all are or will be in the Hall of Fame. Why? Because they’re all great quarterbacks, however, they all played on teams with different circumstances that are rarely taken into comparison.
Dan Marino and the Dolphins just kept getting beat by better teams, including Joe Montana’s 1984 49ers. But his own performance was never short of great, setting the record for touchdown passes in single season that stood for 20 years.
Brett Favre made back-to-back Super Bowl appearances, winning only one. But he still had the record for most career passing yards until last year. Many speculated if his records would ever be broken because they were so incredible. He was the toughest QB to ever play the game, even playing just days after his father passed away, and putting on a throwing clinic as well.
Joe Montana was the leader of the San Francisco 49ers and the West Coast Offense. Head coach Bill Walsh spent years developing his playbook, and it was something nobody had ever seen before. Described as a perfectionist, Walsh wanted everything right to the inch. In essence, Joe Montana and the Niners were molded by extremely tough and critical practices into the dynasty they would soon become, which has led to Montana always having his name in the race for the greatest ever.
Last, but definitely not least…Peyton Manning was drafted by the 3-13 Indianapolis Colts in 1998, with one of the worst defenses in the league. With the help of Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne, Peyton literally built the Colts from the ground up. Some Colts executives have even said that without Peyton Manning, there wouldn’t be NFL in Indiana. His offensive line didn’t help much, which caused injury, most notably, his neck injury in 2010, causing Manning to miss the entire 2011 season. After signing with the Denver Broncos, Peyton ended up with two more Super Bowl appearances with one win, another MVP, and shattering several records such as most touchdown passes in a season (55), most passing yards in a season (5,477), most career touchdown passes (539), and most career passing yards (71,940). Some of those records belonged to Brett Favre, and even though his records no longer stand, his greatness will still remain.
I’m not trying to take anything away from Tom Brady. He's had an incredible career. He was unstoppable during the second half and he deserved this Super Bowl win. What I’m wanting people to realize is that Super Bowl rings shouldn’t automatically put you at the top of the list of “the greatest”. Football is a team sport, and let’s be honest, Tom Brady’s been bailed out by his teammates more times than people care to think: Adam Vinateri kicking two Super Bowl game-winning field goals and Malcolm Butler intercepting a possible game-winning touchdown in the end-zone in Super Bowl XLIX. (Fun fact: Not counting this past Super Bowl, Tom Brady never won a championship by more than 4 points.)
What I hope happens is that the argument for the greatest quarterback of all-time still goes on after this week. That every factor is taken into account, and each great has his say.
Peyton Manning’s still the greatest though.
