Why Eli Manning Being Better Than Peyton Manning Is Dumbest Argument of the Year

Eli Manning is the reigning Super Bowl MVP, he's on top of the NFL, but he's not better than Peyton Manning. 

After his triumph in Super Bowl XLVI, there's no questioning Eli's "elite" quarterback status, but he's still the second-best signal-caller in his family. 

In fact, the argument alone is flat-out dumb. 

I'll admit, I wasn't sold on Eli before the season began, mostly due to a rather disappointing 2010 in which he threw 25 interceptions and missed the playoffs. 

I was made a believer this year, especially over the Giants' last six games. 

He's a gamer, a warrior, a quarterback that can take you to the promised land and get you a ring. During the regular season, he proved he's a gun-slinger who can light up just about any secondary. Throwing for 4,933 yards with 29 touchdowns is no joke. 

However, you simply cannot call him a better quarterback than Peyton. 

No way, no how. 

Peyton's the ultimate dissector of defenses, a guy that is essentially his own offensive coordinator. He calls his own play, audibles out of it when he scans over the defense, then delivers a ball with the proper trajectory, speed and accuracy to the receiver he knew was going to be open. 

When it comes to playing and executing as a quarterback, there's no one better. 

If you're going off postseason success and Super Bowl victories, obviously, the younger Manning comes out on top.

One must remember that he didn't accomplish everything by himself, in fact, New York's defenses, most specifically their defensive lines played an integral role in both world championships.

The Colts have rarely had as menacing of a defense and despite having bookend edge-rushers like Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney, Peyton, for the most part, has had to carry his teams each respective year.

Look at what happened with Tom Brady in 2011.

Eli has gotten hot at the perfect time twice and won two Super Bowls with the aid of superb defenses. 

Imagine Peyton calling the shots on the G-Men this season. 

Quite the scary thought.  

Rarely do we see a "what was that?" moment from Peyton, and although Eli was magnificent during the postseason, don't forget the countless amount of "Hail Eli's" he tossed into the air. 

When it comes to clutch postseason play, Eli may now have surpassed his brother, but when it comes to playing the quarterback position, it's still not even close.

We don't know where Peyton will play in 2012, and a regression in his play is a distinct possibly. Yet, a return to an All-Pro caliber isn't out of the question, either. 

In the end, how should we measure the greatness of a quarterback? Regular-season successes and statistics should matter. Playoff accomplishments should carry more weight. 

We watched Eli's Giants win another Super Bowl and didn't see Peyton for the entire year.

Remember that before jumping to the conclusion that the Giants' quarterback is the best Manning. 

Because when they've both been on the field, Peyton has easily been the more well-rounded quarterback.

That's not a knock on Eli, because, well, not many guys can even stack up to his older brother. 

Follow @ChrisTrapasso