|
|
|---|
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Peyton Manning is about to become the best quarterback in the NFL over the past 30 years. I know that may ruffle feathers from San Francisco to New England, but hear me out.
The topic of Manning's place in history has heated up in the wake of the Colts punching their ticket to another Super Bowl. While everyone agrees Manning already is among the NFL's greatest QBs and that his stature will only improve if he gets an a second Lombardi Trophy, few are ready to take the big leap I am. Here are the reasons I think Manning, with a win Sunday, will cement his place as the best to play the game in my lifetime.
The only two men who really challenge Manning, again assuming he wins Sunday, are Joe Montana and Tom Brady. Both were incredible leaders who put up astounding numbers at times while seemingly willing their teams to multiple Super Bowl titles. Montana may have been the most clutch performer ever; his postseason success is almost unprecedented. He did, however, play in an era before the advent of free agency and the salary cap. That's not his fault, of course, but it does help explain why he accomplished what he did, benefitting from immensely talented rosters that other teams couldn't raid.
The topic of Manning's place in history has heated up in the wake of the Colts punching their ticket to another Super Bowl. While everyone agrees Manning already is among the NFL's greatest QBs and that his stature will only improve if he gets an a second Lombardi Trophy, few are ready to take the big leap I am. Here are the reasons I think Manning, with a win Sunday, will cement his place as the best to play the game in my lifetime.
The only two men who really challenge Manning, again assuming he wins Sunday, are Joe Montana and Tom Brady. Both were incredible leaders who put up astounding numbers at times while seemingly willing their teams to multiple Super Bowl titles. Montana may have been the most clutch performer ever; his postseason success is almost unprecedented. He did, however, play in an era before the advent of free agency and the salary cap. That's not his fault, of course, but it does help explain why he accomplished what he did, benefitting from immensely talented rosters that other teams couldn't raid.
I had the chance to play with Brady and never played with any other quarterback who was even close to his skill level. But Brady's injury, and Manning's continued dominance, have me thinking Peyton Manning is the better quarterback. He used to have issues with 3-4 defenses -- that is why his playoff record hasn't been sterling -- but he appears to have figured it out, shredding both blitz-heavy schemes and 3-4s at an amazing rate this year. The scary thing is he really appears to be getting better. That means there is a chance two or three years from now this subject is not even up for discussion.
