Super Bowl XLIV Proved That Tom Brady is Better Than Peyton Manning

Superstar quarterback Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts were defeated by the New Orleans Saints 31-17 in Super Bowl XLIV Sunday at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, Florida.

The game was ultimately decided by a crucial Manning miscue when his pass was intercepted and returned 74 yards for a touchdown by Saints cornerback Tracy Porter with only three minutes remaining in the decisive fourth quarter.

Manning, 33, a four-time AP NFL MVP and ten-time Pro Bowl selection, is rightfully considered one of the greatest signal-callers of all-time.

However, as this past weekend yet again proved, Manning is simply not a better player than New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

Manning, who is now a mediocre 9-9 in the postseason, went 31 for 45 for 333 yards and a touchdown.

Unfortunately, despite his otherwise impressive numbers, Manning’s  most recent performance in “The Magic City” will mainly be recalled for his sloppy gaffe that cost the Colts the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

The Colts selected Manning out of the University of Tennessee with the first overall selection in the 1998 NFL Draft.

Essentially from the instant he made his debut with the Colts, Manning has been brilliant and he is expected to capture every vital league passing record before he eventually retires from the sport.

Regardless of his otherworldly statistics under center, Manning was long criticized by both fans and the media alike for his penchant to struggle in big games.

In stark contrast to their aforementioned .500 winning percentage in the playoffs, Manning and the Colts are an overwhelming 130-62 (67.7 percent) in the regular season.

During the regular season, Manning has thrown 366 touchdowns in comparison to 181 interceptions.

On the flipside, Manning has only tossed 24 touchdowns in comparison to 18 picks in the playoffs.

Manning largely silenced his critics in 2007 when he led the Colts to a 29-17 triumph over the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI and earned the game’s Most Valuable Player award.

Sadly for Manning, many of his haters have resurfaced with vengeance over the past three days.

Brady, 32, a five-time Pro Bowl selection and 2007 First-Team All-Pro, was chosen by the Patriots out of the University of Michigan with the 199th pick in the 2000 draft.

Since he took over for Drew Bledsoe in 2001, Brady has helped lead the Patriots to three championships and he has amassed two Super Bowl MVP awards.

Brady, who threw the most ever touchdowns in a season with 50 in 2007, has produced tremendous numbers as a starter.

Still, Brady’s sensational stats appear almost pedestrian when they are stacked against Manning’s.

Nevertheless, Brady is the personification of a winner and it is hard to envision that he would have made a turnover similar to the one that Manning did on Sunday.

Granted, Brady greatly benefited from the Patriots powerful defenses and the tremendous coaching, and cheating, methods of their head coach, Bill Belichick.

But Manning has been surrounded by a talented and elite group of teammates on both sides of the ball for the grand majority of the past decade, too.

Based strictly on an educated guess, the Indianapolis Colts would have won a minimum of two championships since 2000 had Brady been their quarterback instead of Manning.

Manning, in disguise, was once featured in an advertisement for Sprint.

In the commercial, Manning said in reference to himself, “That’s pretty good. If you like six-five, 230 pound quarterbacks with a laser rocket arm.”

Manning is more than “pretty good.”

Peyton Manning is a living legend who is already one of the most accomplished men to ever play his position.

However, not only is Manning not the greatest quarterback in history, he isn’t even the best signal-caller of his own generation.

Tom Brady is the clear owner of that honor and distinction.

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