Why Peyton Manning Is Better Than Tom Brady

It is, perhaps, the most popular debate in Pro Football. They are considered by most to be the top two quarterbacks in the game and of their generation. The storied history between these two players dates back all the way to 2001. The question of who is the better quarterback is the topic of discussion in this article.

I will explain in detail, both sides of the argument. Highlighting the key points that most people use when declaring one of the players as better then the other. I will now begin with the points made in Peyton Manning's favor and explain why these factors contribute to him being a better quarterback then Tom Brady.

I will begin with the rebuilding of the Indianapolis Colts. Manning was drafted No. 1 overall in the 1998 NFL Draft. The 1997 Colts were a 3-13 team that was the weakest power in professional football.

When Manning took over in 1998, they were not much better. The team struggled and again finished with a 3-13 record. Manning however was the shining star of the team and went on to break several rookie passing records for most completions, yards, and touchdowns. He finished second in the Rookie of The Year voting.

1999 was a year of major success as Manning's leadership and production took what was a 3-13 team the year before, and finished with a 13-3 record in 1999. To this date, it is the largest turn-around in NFL history. Manning, within one year, was able to take the worst team in Pro Football and turn them into an NFL powerhouse.

Manning had to help transform the weakest team in the game into the Colts that most people know them for today.

That struggle of having to rebuild is not something that Tom Brady ever had to face. When he took over the Patriots in 2001, he was part of a very good team. Some might argue that since the Patriots were 0-2 before Brady replaced Drew Bledsoe, that Brady was the main factor in them finishing 11-5. I'm sure he helped, but he wasn't alone.

The Patriots had the sixth ranked defense in the league in 2001 as opposed to the Colts who had the 29th ranked defense in 1998. Essentially, Manning was not getting the help on the other side of the ball that Brady was.

To prove my point, Brady was able to defeat the very powerful St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI by completing only 59 % of his passes for 145 yards and 1 TD. This earned him Super Bowl MVP honors! Do you think the Colts would have beaten the Bears in Super Bowl XLI had Manning produced that little? That was the kind of backing that Tom Brady had during his career. Not every game, but certainly enough to make it so he was under far less pressure then Manning was more often then not.

The next point that illustrates Manning's superiority is the high statistical production. Simply put, Brady has not been as productive as Manning. The term "big numbers guy" gets unfairly used in derogatory fashion when talking about Peyton Manning as if being productive is somehow a bad thing. Bottom line is that Manning has done more for his team then Brady has done for his. If you don't believe me, look at the numbers...

Peyton Manning: 44,194 yards, 323 TD's, 162 INT's, 94.2 QB Rating

Tom Brady: 26,446 yards, 196 TD's, 86 INT's, 92.9 QB Rating

True, Manning has played longer (51 more games), but even if Brady posted his career averages for that amount of games, he would still not be as productive as Manning. The fact that he did not excel in college like Manning did is the reason he missed starting his rookie season.

Since Manning was far more productive in the NCAA then Brady was, he earned the right to become the starter at a very young age. Your production in the college ranks will have an effect on your NFL career and this was the case with both Manning and Brady as well.

Let's be even more technical when it comes to the statistics. Manning has posted a season QB rating higher then 90.0 in seven seasons. Brady has only done so in three seasons. Manning has thrown for over 4,000 yards in eight seasons (now on pace for a ninth) as Brady has only done so twice. Manning has thrown over 30 TD's in four seasons; Brady has done so only once.

As a matter of fact, Brady had never even thrown for over 28 TD passes until Randy Moss

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