Peyton Manning vs Tom Brady

[Milkyway!]

Being a Patriots fan, smack-dab in the middle of Worship Peyton Manning with all your Heart (Aka: Tennessee) I hear this debate QUITE often.

I was curious what the sports minds of WrestleZone thought about these two quarterbacks. Which one is truly better?

On one hand we have Tom Brady: 3 Superbowl Rings, on the other hand we have Peyton Manning: 1 Superbowl Ring. However taking into consideration the talent surrounding the QB's past & present, the coaching staff, etc which of these two players are honestly better?

 

[Davi323]

For me it is a really tough choice. Physically, Peyton Manning is more "skilled" as a QB, but Brady is probably a better decision maker. I have to follow my instincts, and go with the guy that more closely resembles who I think is the greatest ever, Joe Montana. So I have to go with Brady. 3 super bowls, and one fucked up could'nt do it again in 1,000 tries miracle play away from not only a 4th ring, but the only perfect 19-0 season. But for David Tyree's miracle catch, Tom Brady would have been known as the guy who led the greatest team in NFL history.

This isn't being anti-Manning, the dude is an amazing QB. If not for Brady, Manning would easily be the best QB in the league. But Brady just has a knack for winning with far less talent surrounding him. That gives him the edge for me.

 

[Unsold Bacon]

This is too hard. One thing I can tell you is that both of them are first ballot hall of famers.

Purely looking at stats, It's very even. One thing I can say is that Peyton Manning is less injury prone as he ahas played and started in all 208 games since his rookie season. Peyton Manning has been able to go very deep in the playoffs when their rushing game is usually in the bottom three because that's just how good his passing game is. Also on Brady side Brady has has better receivers. Peyton is a smarter quarterback. Meanwhile both have great coaches throughout the course of their careersthe

Meanwhile Brady is very,very clutch and beat Brady a lot before the Colts one Super Bowl win. Brady also beat Peyton singe season passing Td record which at one point was considered untouchable. He also came in as the underdog as a 6th rounder and became one of the best QBs of all time. He has been to 4 super bowls (3 wins, they really should of won 4 though but underestimated the Giants along with that New York played their ass off) to Peyton's two. I'm also pretty sure he has more playoff wins. Brady might be the better decision maker. Both quarterbacks ushings games are pretty even.

I might say Tom Brady but after saying Brady I want to say Manning. They are just so even it's really hard to pick I would love to see other answers though.

 

[People's Champ]

Ahh, the good 'ol Brady v Manning debate. For me this is really easy: Brady. Not only does Brady have more rings, but he was able to be a great QB while his team continually changed around him. The Patriots are a team that know when to keep guys and when to let them go, and the offensive pieces were changing seemingly every year for Brady. He helped the Patriots become a dynasty at a time when dynasties aren't suppose to happen, with free agency and all. And when he did get some pieces (Welker and Moss) we saw the kind of numbers Brady could put up. Manning is a great QB, but looking at everything, I would take Brady in a heartbeat.

 

[Big Sexy]

I've been on the forum for three years and it seems like I've answered this question in here about 10 times but here it goes again.

If both of their careers ended today I'd still say they were the two greatest quarterbacks of all time. I would have Manning at 1 and Brady at as about close a 2nd place as you could get. Both are tremendous at what they do and have been for their entire careers. Brady has more rings but has also had overall better teams. Manning has better numbers but he has probably had the better talent around him offensively over the years.

Basically I weigh those two things against each other. With Manning the Colts have never had a defense as good as the Patriots defenses of their championship years. The closest the Colts got was there 2006 defense and they happened to win the Super Bowl that year. Brady didn't have the same offensive talent early on his career but that changed the last few years. I'd say he has had just as much talent as Manning has had recently and probably a little more.

People say that Manning's numbers are ballooned because of all the superstars he has had around him but if you look at those guys none of them have been successful without Manning and Manning has certainly been successful without them. Marvin Harrison as great as he was never played without Manning. Reggie Wayne has never played without Mannning. Dallas Clark has never played without Manning. Edgerin James was one of the best running backs in the league with Manning and was very average once he left Indy. Peyton has made guys like Brandon Stokely, Pierre Garcon, and Austin Collie look like players who could start on any team. Brady has done similar things with some average players but I'd say Manning has done it a little more.

Basically I look at it like this. If you put Manning on all of those Patriot championship caliber teams then I'd say they win just as many if not one more Super Bowl. With Brady if you put him on the Colts he obviously would still be one of the best qb's of all time but I'm not sure he makes the Colts better then what they are with Manning. I believe Manning on those Patriot teams would have made them slightly better teams.

 

[Megatron]

I made this exact same thread last year, and with another year in both of them, my answer has shifted from a little towards Brady to a fair amount towards Brady (by fair I mean not completely neck and neck, although the desparity is still narrow).

People say that Manning's numbers are ballooned because of all the superstars he has had around him but if you look at those guys none of them have been successful without Manning and Manning has certainly been successful without them. Marvin Harrison as great as he was never played without Manning. Reggie Wayne has never played without Mannning. Dallas Clark has never played without Manning. Edgerin James was one of the best running backs in the league with Manning and was very average once he left Indy. Peyton has made guys like Brandon Stokely, Pierre Garcon, and Austin Collie look like players who could start on any team. Brady has done similar things with some average players but I'd say Manning has done it a little more.

I'll say the same thing I said last time, Manning has a clear edge in career stats for a few reasons: he's always played in a dome (compared to unfavorable conditions in NE), Indy's offense has always revolved around him (while NE during Brady's early years were more balanced), he's had better talents for a longer period of time. Yes, Brady has had Randy Moss (although it was for only two seasons) and Wes Welker, but other then that, his guys haven't been big superstars. Guys like Troy Brown, Deion Branch, and David Patten were Brady's main targets early on. You're gonna tell me those guys were better options then Harrison, Wayne, Clark, and possibly even Stokely? Not a chance. Manning has made stars himself lately (like Garcon, Tammi, and Collie) but Brady has been doing it since he was a starter (with guys like Branch/Patten, the TE monsters he had last year, Brandon Tate, etc).

Basically I look at it like this. If you put Manning on all of those Patriot championship caliber teams then I'd say they win just as many if not one more Super Bowl. With Brady if you put him on the Colts he obviously would still be one of the best qb's of all time but I'm not sure he makes the Colts better then what they are with Manning. I believe Manning on those Patriot teams would have made them slightly better teams.

I disagree. Manning has made his living off of playing in a Dome and feeding off of the AFC South (due to them being in mostly warm cities). Compare it to his stats against the AFC East (which has his 2nd largest sample size) he's not as good. Manning isn't a great cold weather player. I think it's tough to say he'd win more SB's because, even with the defense the pats had, he'd be playing outside and, like I said, he's not nearly as good outside in the cold as he is in a dome or warm weathered cities. Brady would've won at least one SB as a Colt already (although I think at least 2).

Again, it's close, but I'm still taking Brady, especially now after his last MVP season.

 

[Big Sexy]

I made this exact same thread last year, and with another year in both of them, my answer has shifted from a little towards Brady to a fair amount towards Brady (by fair I mean not completely neck and neck, although the desparity is still narrow).

I love it when MSU fans see the light and praise U of M guys.

I'll say the same thing I said last time, Manning has a clear edge in career stats for a few reasons: he's always played in a dome (compared to unfavorable conditions in NE), Indy's offense has always revolved around him (while NE during Brady's early years were more balanced), he's had better talents for a longer period of time. Yes, Brady has had Randy Moss (although it was for only two seasons) and Wes Welker, but other then that, his guys haven't been big superstars. Guys like Troy Brown, Deion Branch, and David Patten were Brady's main targets early on. You're gonna tell me those guys were better options then Harrison, Wayne, Clark, and possibly even Stokely? Not a chance. Manning has made stars himself lately (like Garcon, Tammi, and Collie) but Brady has been doing it since he was a starter (with guys like Branch/Patten, the TE monsters he had last year, Brandon Tate, etc).

The dome helps a little but that's one of the more overrated things to use especially when it comes to the regular season. Brady plays in good enough weather for the majority of the season in New England. It may help a little but not enough to make a difference in who is better.

The balanced offense argument is also a common misconception about Manning. The Colts, especially when they had Edge, had a very balanced attack. Manning put up great numbers but it wasn't because they were throwing every down. In fact Since Randy Moss went to New England which is 4 years ago now, the Pats running game has been virtually non existent.

As far as Manning's weapons go, outside of the receiver position with Harrison and Wayne Brady wasn't at that much of a disadvantage. He always had more then solid enough tight ends and a good running game. I'd take Deion Branch and early-mid 2000's Troy Brown over Stokely any day. Brady nowadays doesn't have the running game but he has superior weapons on the outside. He had Moss for a few years, still has Welker, and he has a plethora of talented tight ends. Just look at what Manning did this year with half his offensive weapons injured. Brady the last few years has had more weapons on offense then Manning

You are also only focusing on one side of the ball. Manning has never had defenses as good as the Pats defenses were in their championship years. It's a completely different ball game when you know your team is more then likely going to lose if you don't put up a bunch of points. The year the Colts had their best D, they won the Super Bowl. Brady up until the last few years always had great defenses behind him. It isn't a coincidence that the Pats won all three SB's as a defense first team and haven't won it all since they became a more offensive dominant team.

I disagree. Manning has made his living off of playing in a Dome and feeding off of the AFC South (due to them being in mostly warm cities). Compare it to his stats against the AFC East (which has his 2nd largest sample size) he's not as good. Manning isn't a great cold weather player. I think it's tough to say he'd win more SB's because, even with the defense the pats had, he'd be playing outside and, like I said, he's not nearly as good outside in the cold as he is in a dome or warm weathered cities. Brady would've won at least one SB as a Colt already (although I think at least 2).

It's all about where you start. Playing in cold weather and warm weather isn't that much different. Manning is used to playing in domes and warm weather so it can be a challenging adjustment to the cold. If he was used to the cold and bad conditions then there wouldn't be that adjustment. Once again weather is and always has been one of the weakest arguments there is.

 

[Skairipa Matrix]

let me start by saying im a HUGE colts fan and i always will be BUT i will admit tom brady is pretty damn good although i have to say out of brady or manning id say peyton is better then brady i mean yes brady has the rings but just look at last season peyton had to deal with most of his team injured and he still brought them to the playoffs and he still had a damn good year! peyton hasnt had a bad year yet (as far as i knw) so im gonna go with peyton and no its not because im a colts fan or because i hate the patriots its because i think peyton does better under pressure and i think he has a better passing game then brady does. but thats just my thoughts on the matter

 

[Mr. HD]

Judging by my Avatar, you already know where I'm going with this one. I would take Peyton Manning over Tom Brady.

Someone said it earlier, Peyton Manning is more skilled and more talented, Brady just had a much better overall team around him. That Pats team that won those three superbowls could've lost easily if not for the defense being so good and bailing them out.

Look at how good Manning is when he barely has his weapons. Look at this past season without Collie or Clark, even Addai was injured for a while. He still made it to the playoffs. Tom Brady had weapons upon weapons to throw to and still put on a lackluster performance against The Jets compared to what Peyton Manning did to them.

Being a Colts fans for as long as I have been, it's no secret our defense isn't up to par. I know how bad the defense has been all these years. It hurts to see the offense bust its ass to get a lead only for the Defense to give the other team the lead right back. It's not a good feeling. I can't even tell you how irate I was to see Drew Brees light up our defense in the Superbowl when we held them to 6 points in the first half of the game. It hurt to see The Jets walk down to the field on us and kick that field goal because our second year Corner couldn't keep up with Braylon Edwards.

Peyton Manning blows Brady away in Regular season stats, but in playoff times, not so much since Brady has 3 rings to Manning's 1. But as I said earlier, Manning's Colts Defense wasn't nearly as good as Tom Brady's Pats when they won their rings.

Manning knows how to conduct an offense so efficiently and basically throws receivers open. I don't think anybody breathes the game of Football like he does. He studies the game so much he knows where to throw, when to throw it and where it needs to go. He's just a great QB. Not other way to put it. As good as Brady's arm is, I could even say Manning passing attack is as good as Brady's/

People could make the argument that Peyton Manning is the Colts' Offense or he chokes in the Superbowl. I could also argue that Tom Brady is a system QB, meaning he's good because of where he is. Belichick has done a masterful job making The New England Dynasty which begs the question is Brady good because he's good, or because of Belichick? Look at Matt Cassel. He left New England and took The Chiefs to the playoffs in his first season. I'm not saying Brady isn't a good QB. He's phenomenal, but how much is Brady and how much is the system?

Just my two cents...

 

[Davi323]

People could make the argument that Peyton Manning is the Colts' Offense or he chokes in the Superbowl. I could also argue that Tom Brady is a system QB, meaning he's good because of where he is. Belichick has done a masterful job making The New England Dynasty which begs the question is Brady good because he's good, or because of Belichick? Look at Matt Cassel. He left New England and took The Chiefs to the playoffs in his first season. I'm not saying Brady isn't a good QB. He's phenomenal, but how much is Brady and how much is the system?

This is an absolutely ridiculous argument. Was Joe Montana just a product of the system run by Bill Walsh, aka the West Coast Offense? Was Michael Jordan the product of the triangle offense? New England runs a similar offense to 2/3rds of the NFL. If it was just the system, then everyone would be winning with it...yet they don't. You can firmly believe that Manning is better than Brady...but using the "system" argument has and always will be bullshit.

 

[Scuba 06]

System ? Yeah sure lets see Mark Sanchez go play for the pats and put up 36td/4int. Brady a system QB, please keep dreaming.

 

[Scuba 06]

For Manning to have had an eight year span of 12+ win season records, 13 or so playoff appearances and won only one Superbowl, while being called the best of all time by some. I'm sorry but the math just dosen't add up. Its not just about individual stats, its a team effort and Brady has always been a better leader and decision maker than Manning. Though the colts may have not had the early 2000 defense, Brady didn't have a Wayne or Harrison to throw to in his Superbowl winning seasons. Manning really has no excuse not to have more rings. If anything as much it is thanks to Manning colts are contenders, the team's management of putting all the weight on Manning's back and not making the team better overall has cost them a lot of games where they could have gone all the way.

 

[Big Sexy]

For Manning to have had an eight year span of 12+ win season records, 13 or so playoff appearances and won only one Superbowl, while being called the best of all time by some. I'm sorry but the math just dosen't add up. Its not just about individual stats, its a team effort and Brady has always been a better leader and decision maker than Manning.

No, Brady has just had better overall teams around him. You said yourself it's about the team not about one individual.

Though the colts may have not had the early 2000 defense, Brady didn't have a Wayne or Harrison to throw to in his Superbowl winning seasons. Manning really has no excuse not to have more rings. If anything as much it is thanks to Manning colts are contenders, the team's management of putting all the weight on Manning's back and not making the team better overall has cost them a lot of games where they could have gone all the way.

Defense wins championships more then offense. Outside of the Saints a couple years ago when was the last time a team won a Super Bowl with their offense far superior to their defense? The one time Manning had a good defense the Colts won the Super Bowl.

Even Brady has never won a Super Bowl with a shaky defense. All of his titles came in the early to mid 2000's when the Pats defense was better or just as good as the offense. Once the offense started to dominate with the likes of Moss and Welker and the defense took a back seat, the Pats have failed to win a title.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

Hands down Brady. Number 1 reason is his 3 super bowl rings, a 16-0 season, 50 TD passes in 1 season and a number of other accolades to his name (3 or 4 14-2 seasons), Brady knows how to win and he knows how to do it when his team needs them the most which makes him better. Its the same reason why Montana was better than Marino or Elway.

You can argue that New England had better teams but that's a scapegoat argument, New England was doing nothing with Drew Bledsoe, was 0-3, Brady walks in and wins them a Super Bowl immediately, that is beyond impressive and is something legends are made of. He plays consistent, hasn't had too many bad games and although its been a while since the Pat's have won the big game that doesn't mean they don't have great success. New England is a good team without (11-5 with Matt Cassel at QB is pretty good) but they are a much better team and much bigger threat with Brady at the helm.

Manning is a great QB, has won his Super Bowl (unlike Marino) but he has not had the overall success that Brady has, 9 time out of 10 when they meet Brady outperforms Manning and IMO Brady is the greatest quarterback of the last 10 years by far. Michael Jordan had some great teams as well, but those teams didn't perform as well without him and they certainly couldn't win a title without him either and the same rules apply for Tom Brady.

The Colt's would be F'd in the A without Manning (as its gonna be proven this season) but the Colts aren't the threat with Manning as the Pat's are with Brady.

 

[Ash_Ketchum_All]

Brady has three super bowl rings and Manning has one because the Patriots have been a better team than the Colts over the past decade. But Manning is the better quarterback. Some will say Manning has had the better receivers over his career and for the most part this is true. Wayne, Harrison, and Dallas Clark are all immensely talented football players and at least in Harrison's case a future hall of famer would help any Quarterback. But look at the virtual unknowns the Austin Collies, Pierre Garcons, Jacob Tammes, and Branden Stokleys of the world. Manning has made every single receiver or tight end to ever lace up a pair of cleats look insanely better than they already were. Brady may have the all time touchdown pass record for a single season but look who he had that season. Randy Moss one of the five greatest receivers in NFL history, and Wes Welker. Brady's had much better offensive lines to play behind in his career almost never getting hit giving him all the time in the world to find his receivers. Manning's offensive lineman have always looked better than they are with Manning getting rid of the ball so quickly. Watch the pre-season game this year against GB where Painter and Orlovsky got mauled by Green Bay's second unit while the starting offensive line for the Colts was in and you'll see my point. Lastly look what happened in 2007 when Brady went down and Cassel came in and took the Patriots to an 11-5 record barely missing the playoffs. Manning goes down this year and people are saying the Colts are a 2-3 win team. When you look at the sheer talent surrounding both players in their careers no question Brady has always been surrounded by more. But with his intelligence, arm strength, and accuracy Manning slightly trumps Brady in my opinion.

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

Lastly look what happened in 2007 when Brady went down and Cassel came in and took the Patriots to an 11-5 record barely missing the playoffs. Manning goes down this year and people are saying the Colts are a 2-3 win team. When you look at the sheer talent surrounding both players in their careers no question Brady has always been surrounded by more. But with his intelligence, arm strength, and accuracy Manning slightly trumps Brady in my opinion.

This right here is a very naive argument. A) the quality of teams surrounding them is about even over the past decade, with the Pats ahead at the beginning and the Colts ahead at the end. B) the Pats lost 7 more games without Brady in 08. 7! I don't care who you are that's a lot of games. And while the Colts will likely drop that much or more this year, it's more a reflection of the management in both cases than the quarterback. Cassell is a much better backup than Painter or Collins. The Pats did not develop an entire system based around their QB. That's the biggest problem right there. Without Manning the Colts are dead, not because he's so good, (he's amazing but that's not the point) but it's because they designed a system that COULD NOT work without him. That's entirely management's fault for letting it happen. If they had the style the Pats had they could probably win about 7 or 8 games this year. The talent is there, but the only man capable of running their style is gone.

Anyways, I'd pick Brady. Manning is probably the best student of the game of all time. He's got amazing numbers and is a surefire first ballot hall of famer. I'd even go as far as calling his the greatest REGULAR season QB of all time. But that's the problem. It's not just the rings, it's the post season as a whole that has to swing most people's vote. Even the year he won his only ring, the Pats were kicking the Colts ass in the first half of the AFC Championship and Brady had virtually NOBODY on his receiving corps all year. The only name I can remember at all from that year is Jabar Gaffney. If you compare their quality players surrounding them that year the Colts should've destroyed the Pats, but they barely squeaked by in a come from behind win.

Also, lately Brady's stats have been amazing. I don't even mean just 07. Look at last years stats. And this year has started off I'd say even better than last years. For me I don't have to think about it anymore: Brady.

 

[ECW Sandman]

Being a Hoosier I have to go with Peyton Manning I rank him up there as one of the all time greats along with Elway, Montana, Marino and Steve Young. Manning although he may miss this whole year and it will suck if he does has one hell of an arm on him when he's in the pocket and he launches that football to Reggie Wayne it is a sight to see they are my home team although I live in Michigan but I was born in Indiana Peyton Manning will go down in history as one of the best and greatest QB's EVER in the NFL.