Still The Best

Ask a group of football fans who the greatest quarterback of all-time is and you'll get a mix of responses: Johnny Unitas, Joe Montana and Dan Marino are popular answers. Some may tell you that it's Brett Favre, Steve Young, John Elway or Fran Tarkenton. I asked a good friend recently and he even offered Bobby Layne. Okay, maybe that's a stretch - but everyone's entitled to an opinion.

Maybe it's one of these guys, maybe it's not. Who really knows for sure? What we do know, however, is that for the last decade Peyton Manning and Tom Brady have been at the head of the class.

I ask people all the time, "Brady or Manning?" Heading into '08, most told me that, historically speaking, Mr. GQ is better than Mr. IQ. But that left me thinking, "Does the average fan lack long-term memory?" Isn't it the body of work that matters?

I'm sure fans were in awe of what Tom Brady accomplished in '07. And they should have been. The 2007 Patriots are still the greatest team ever (championship or not) and Tom Brady was their MVP. He broke countless league records -- including Manning's single-season TD mark -- and set career highs across the board. He's won three Super Bowls -- to Manning's one -- and is as cool as a fan. But despite all that, I'll tell my kids that Peyton was the best.

Today, for a record-tying third time, Peyton Manning was named NFL MVP. While the 2008 season was far from vintage Manning, this honor may be the most deserving of his three MVP awards. He struggled early with his accuracy, an array of injuries to teammates and a bum knee of his own before leading his team to an improbable playoff berth. The performance he put on was, indeed, the definition of Most Valuable Player.

When Peyton struggled, his team struggled. When Peyton was hot, his team was hot. Through the Colts' first seven games their general had an average QB Rating of 81.3 and, consequently, Indianapolis fell to 3-4. Then things turned around and the Colts never looked back. They ended the regular season on a nine game winning streak thanks (in part) to Peyton bumping that rating up to 111.1 - including five games with a rating of 100-plus.

But as great as his 2008 season may have been, it was far from extraordinary by Manning standards. Most of his numbers dipped below his career averages and, statistically speaking, his '05, '06 and '07 seasons -- none of which produced MVP awards -- were as good or better as '08. It's crazy. Peyton Manning has developed into such a great quarterback that some of us fail to appreciate how stellar he's been.

For those of you who aren't buying my sales pitch and still believe that Tom Brady is the best, consider these facts: If you rank the top four QB Ratings for both Brady and Manning through their careers, Manning would hold seven of the eight spots, including the top spot. For his career, my boy averages more yards per game, has a higher career completion percentage and a higher touchdown percentage.

I know what you're thinking. Championships, right? Yes, Tom Brady has won two more Super Bowls than Peyton Manning. But the last time I checked, no one player -- especially in the NFL -- can win a championship single-handedly. It takes a good GM and a good coaching staff that orchestrates good offense, defense and special teams - while getting a little luck.

And while I shouldn't have to defend Peyton any further, don't give me the argument over who has more to work with. Every skill player that has come through Indianapolis has benefited from Peyton. Did you think Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne would be Hall of Famers when they were playing Big East football? Of course you didn't. But after playing with Peyton they look worthy, don't they? The greatest players make those around him better. Peyton Manning is one of those players.

Long ago, I told anyone that would listen that Peyton Manning is not only the greatest of his era, but the greatest ever. I've been saying it for years and Peyton isn't showing any signs of slowing down. The Colts will continue to plug people into skill positions and Peyton will continue to make them stars. And five to ten years from now, when his career is coming to a close, he'll still be the best.