Both players are Top 10.

Brady’s reputation was based on winning which any intelligent fan must admit really is more of a team thing. To his credit though, he routinely comes up big in the big spots. Another argument for Brady is that no QB has ever done more with less. It’s amazing what he did on the offensive talent deprived team of 2001 and 2006.

Manning’s reputation was based on statistical dominance which any intelligent fan must recognize is the product of playing on a dome team that was constructed to be an offensive juggernaut. Manning has always been surrounded by incredible offensive talent. Year after year, the Indy front office spends their first rounders on offensive skill position players.

The significance of playing in a dome should not be dismissed. Every QB plays better in controlled environments. Without wind and weather, the ball goes where its intended and the WR’s are much better at catching it.

My feeling is that Brady is the better QB. His averages in cold weather games surpass Mannings and perhaps surprising to some, his #’s in domes are higher as well, although in a much smaller sampling size.

For me the bottom line is playoff performances. It’s not won/loss records since those really are team efforts. It’s about how each player plays. If Manning’s playoff record included a bunch of 38-34 losses where he only lost b/c his defense played poorly, nobody could criticize that. But the reality is that in most of Indy’s playoff losses, Manning himself has played poorly. Its the same argument I make against Dan Marino. Manning’s Colts and Marino’s Dolphins didn’t lose despite their All Pro QB’s, they often lost BECAUSE of them.

Like I said, you don’t have to convince me of Brady’s merit. I think he’s a top 10 guy.

Pats fans finally accepting Manning will go a long way toward calming down Colts fans. Even Bill Simmons has written in recent weeks about how he finally respects Manning for being clutch.

Of course, that’s hilarious since he won 6 games his 2nd year in the league with fourth quarter comebacks.

Like I said, it’s a little unfair of Pats fans to start a QB flame war, conduct it for 6-8 years and then decide it’s over, and everyone should just be friends. I’m glad NE nation accepts Manning. That’s the first step.

Give Indy fans some time to come around. They will.

He’s always been clutch.

Manning played one bad game in the playoffs, the 2003 AFC Championship game. Of course, that was on the heals of possibly to the two best games a QB has ever had in the playoffs.

We have a saying around 18to88 that originated after some of those playoff games: “Well at least they won’t blame this on Manning”. It’s what I said after almost every playoff loss when it was clear Manning was playing well and the rest of the team sucked (esp. 2002 and 2005). It’s become a joke, because we’ve found out that Manning gets blamed whenever the Colts lose. He’s posted a rating over 90 in his last three playoff losses and played crazy well in all three games.

Still he takes all the blame.

QBs get too much credit and too much blame.

The arguments you make about Brady’s success could be applied to Manning. Did the Colts not have a great D during the years we’re talking about? You espouse the play of the Colts D in your blog post – is Manning just not that good any more? And the Patriots D was good, but we’re not talking about 46-defense good, here.

And how about Brady holding the record for TD’s in a season? Manning held the record prior to that – did that mean anything? Look at the overall stats, they are just so close. So, to say that Brady isn’t in the same class as Manning (or the other QB’s you mentioned) just defies logic.

From there, you make your argument that Manning is better and we make the argument that Brady is. But you’re not doing that any more, you’re just saying he’s just not top 10, period. That doesn’t scan, either statistically, or result wise.

This is a QB driven league, gone are the days of the 60′s and 70′s when a guy like Bradshaw could hand off the ball to Franco Harris half the time and make a cameo appearance every now and then.

What I see from this conversation is respect for Manning from Pats fans for his accomplishments, and what we’re getting back are petty arguments for disrespecting the accomplishments of Tom Brady.

It’s petty, man, it really is, and it speaks to the fan base. If you guys want to take that attitude when everyone else knows different, then that’s really on you. Have at it.

This conversation, unfortunately, has run its course – its obvious that not I, nor anyone else, will magically say something that will turn a light on in your heads and say “Manning, Brady, Montana, yeah, tough choice there”, so, since you’re our guest here on this blog, I’ll give you the last word (on our thread, that is), and once again hope you enjoy the game Sunday.

Cheers.

They disrespected Manning because of a couple of games, and now on the whole of the Colts fan base violently dislikes Brady. If you don’t like it, take it up with Fitzy, Simmons, or any of the dozens of psychos who email me all the time. People in Indy dislike Rivers. They respect Roethlisberger.

They hate Brady.

The only difference is the fan bases in question.

Embarrassingly clueless. Ever wonder why Midwesterners are called Roundheads?