Peyton Manning: Why He's Already a More Legendary QB than Tom Brady
Peyton Manning and Tom Brady are two of the most legendary QBs playing today, and you would be hard pressed to make the case that anybody else deserves to be considered alongside them.
While it may be that both quarterbacks get their due in terms of attention and overall acclaim, it seems that Brady is more often viewed as a living legend.
But maybe not. In fact, there are plenty of reasons why Manning should be the biggest living legend playing right now.
Here are the top 10.
10. College Legacy
1 of 10
To compare the complete football legacies of Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, you have to take their college careers into account.
Manning became one of the best collegiate quarterbacks the country has ever seen in his four years at the University of Tennessee (1994-1997). He is Tennessee's all-time leading passer with 11,201 yards and 89 touchdowns, and he also won 39 of his 45 starts.
Brady's college career was impressive in it's own right, as he was an All-Big Ten quarterback in his two years as a starter for the University of Michigan. But he doesn't hold any career records, and his college career was only good enough to make him a sixth round pick.
Peyton's essential greatness stretches back much further than Brady's.
9. Manning Has Lived Up to the Hype
2 of 10
There are so few players who are taken number one overall that actually live up to all the immense expectations that come with the territory. This is especially true of quarterbacks.
The fact that Peyton has not only lived up to the hype, but effectively made the Colts into a dynasty team, is pretty darn impressive.
In 1997, the year before Peyton was drafted, the Colts went 3-13. In his rookie season, they went 3-13 again.
But in 1999, he led the Colts to a 13-3 season, and has racked up over 130 regular season wins since.
Good pick? I think so.
8. Respect Factor
3 of 10
Generally speaking, the Pro Bowl is a complete waste of time that offers very little in terms of actual football.
But it is a useful barometer as far as gauging the amount of respect a player has in and around the league.
If so, then Manning is easily the most respected player of the last decade. He's been to 10 Pro Bowls, including eight in a row from 2002-2009.
Brady has been to five Pro Bowls in his career. While that does indeed tell us that he's had some off seasons here and there, it also tells us that he doesn't have some kind of automatic, Derek Jeter-esque legacy with the fans, whose votes play a key part in selecting who goes to the Pro Bowl every year.
But perhaps I should just ask a simple question: do any of you know anybody who doesn't like Peyton Manning?
.jpg?w=256 "Rams Eagles Football")
7. Charisma
4 of 10
Because Brady is such a notorious lady killer, and perhaps even the quintessential pretty boy in contemporary professional sports, you have to think that Manning ultimately gets the short end of the stick when it comes to pubic appeal.
But between the two, Manning is a much more charismatic fellow. Not only is he quite possibly the only athlete whose commercials are not obnoxious, but he is also damn funny.
If you've seen his classic SNL skit, you'll know what I mean.
6. Recent Head-To-Head History
5 of 10
Admittedly, Peyton and the Colts got off to a rough start in what is now viewed as the NFL's best contemporary rivalry.
The Colts lost the first six head-to-head meetings between the two teams from 2001-2005, two of which came in the postseason.
Since then, the Colts have won four of five, including a long-overdue playoff victory in the 2007 AFC Championship game that propelled the Colts to an eventual Super Bowl victory.
The tide, as they say, has turned.
5. The Record Book
6 of 10
Brady has some pretty sexy records attached to his name: most passing touchdowns in a season (50), consecutive postseason wins (10), most career Super Bowl completions (100), and so on.
But Manning occupies far more pages in the record book. And in fact, it's not even close.
Manning holds over 30 NFL records, among them being the highest passer rating for a season (121.4 in 2004), most seasons with at least 4,000 passing yards (10), most seasons with 12+ wins as a starter (eight), most career games with a completion percentage of 70 percent or higher...
You get the idea.
4. Numbers
7 of 10
In addition to NFL records, Manning's overall numbers are simply more impressive than Brady's.
Sure, Peyton has had couple more seasons with which to add to his stats than Brady has, but the numbers are still overwhelmingly in his favor.
In 12 and a half seasons, Manning has passed for 52,791 yards and 382 touchdowns. Brady, on the other hand, has passed for 33,020 yards and 242 touchdowns in his career, which essentially consists of eight and a half seasons of full-time duty.
Average them out, and an average Manning season consists of just over 4,220 yards and 30 touchdowns. An average Brady season consists of just over 3,880 yards and 28 touchdowns.
Can't argue with the math, right?
3. Durability
8 of 10
Since Manning debuted in 1999, he has yet to miss a single start.
Indeed, he's started in 201 consecutive games to start his career, which is an NFL record. He still has a ways to go if he wants to break Favre's record of 294, which is going to be even more difficult if the old man keeps playing, but it's certainly not out of the question given Manning's durability.
And while I want to make it clear I'm not attacking Brady for being injured, he did miss the entire 2008 season with that nasty knee injury. In addition, it seems like he's always fighting some kind of weird injury. Remember the whole boot fiasco before the 2008 Super Bowl?
On balance, you're better off setting your watch the Manning.
2. Consistency
9 of 10
It's one thing to be durable, it's another thing entirely to be both durable and consistent.
Just look at Brett Favre.
Indeed, the fact is that you know what you're going to get from Manning every season, and it just so happens that you're going to get something really good.
Manning holds the NFL record for season of 10+ wins as a starter (10), consecutive seasons with at least 25 touchdown passes (12), and he is the only quarterback in NFL history with at least 12 wins as a starter in seven consecutive seasons.
These are things that I think we take for granted. We know that Peyton and the Colts are going to be contenders every season, but I don't think we recognize how rare that is in this day and age.
1. Most Valuable Player
10 of 10
Of all the players who have come and gone in the last decade or so, no single player has been as valuable to his team as Peyton Manning has been to the Colts.
He is, for lack of a better word, irreplaceable.
Maybe that's why he's won an NFL-record four MVP awards.
Brady has won just a single MVP, a reward for the Patriots' undefeated regular season in 2007.
With Brady on the sideline in 2008, the Pats went 11-5 with Matt Cassel under center. One doubts that the Colts could succeed as much without Manning.
And that, I think, is the key reason why Manning's legend should be bigger than Brady's right now.
.jpg?w=480 "Rams Eagles Football")
.jpg?w=600 "Netflix to Air 49ers-Rams 🇦🇺")
.png?w=600 "2027 NFL Mock Draft 🔮")
.jpg?w=600 "McVay Explains Viral Simpson Reaction")
.jpg?w=600 "Bain Signs Rookie Deal ✍️")