Can Tom Brady Top Peyton Manning As Greatest QB?

New England Patriots Tom Brady has work to do, but has a chance to surpass Peyton Manning as the greatest quarterback of all-time.

Manning retired a reigning Super Bowl champion and surpassed all modern QBs in virtually every meaningful category over his 18-year NFL career.

I recently made the case that Peyton Manning retired as the greatest QB of all-time based upon his statistical dominance and that he had greater impact at his position than other legendary quarterbacks.

Asserting that Manning stands alone at the top of the heap naturally incensed Patriots and Tom Brady fans, among others.

However, Manning retiring as the best doesn’t mean he will look down from Mount Olympus for all time. In fact, his time on top may be briefer than predecessors such as Joe Montana.

Pro football lore dictates that Otto Graham —with his seven championships (4 in the AAFC and 3 in the NFL) and incredible dominance from 1946 to 1955 – was the greatest quarterback of all time. Therefore, our current debate actually focuses on players in the modern era, working under today’s rules geared toward increased passing.

It’s unlikely that Tom Brady will play anywhere but New England, so we’ll never be able to compare how he fares in another systems as Manning, Montana and Favre did at the tail end of their careers.

However, we can compare other aspects of their respective careers.

And, Brady already has the edge in some areas.

Playoffs Matter

Winning playoff games matters greatly.

No quarterback has won more playoff games than Tom Brady. The New England gunslinger has led his team to 22 postseason victories. Joe Montana runs a distant second at 16, and Manning only achieved 14, including Super Bowl 50. There are no other active players genuinely in the hunt for this record and in all likelihood Brady will add more before he hangs up the cleats.

Playoff wins are a great measure because, usually, the best teams are facing off and QB mettle can truly be measured against top defenses. Brady led the Pats to six AFC Conference Championships, more than any QB in the modern age. Tom Terrific has been just that, terrific, in these situations.

Wins Matter

Manning notched win No. 200 with Super Bowl 50, passing Brett Favre by a single game. Brady will likely own that record midway through the 2016 season.

Going into 2016, Brady has 173 regular season wins, and 22 playoff wins, giving him 195 total wins. So he’s only five away from passing Favre, and six away from passing Manning. Barring injury, and the fact that the Patriots have posted double-digit wins each year since 2003, Brady should be the “All-Time Winningest Quarterback in NFL History” before Thanksgiving. That’s a tough stat to argue against.

Touchdowns Matter

When Brady tossed 50 TDs during the 2007 campaign, many had him alone on the mountain top. However, two things detract from the 50. New England failed to complete the undefeated season, losing to the N.Y. Giants in the Super Bowl. And, Manning returned the favor in 2013 with the Broncos by throwing 55 and erasing Tom Terrific’s record.

But those 50 TDs may not be in vane. Manning holds the All-Time record at 539. Favre comes in second at 508, and New Orleans QB Drew Brees and Brady are tied at third with 428 each. Brady has averaged about 33 TDs per season during the last five years.

Needing 111 additional scores, he would have to play about 3.5 more seasons to gain sole possession of first place. While Brady appears ageless, he enters the regular season at 39 years old. Father time catches us all, and playing at 42 years old seems unlikely. The question then becomes: How close can he get to 539?

Yardage Matters

Again, Peyton Manning holds the mark in career yardage with 71,940, inching past Favre last season. Brady enters his 17th season at 58,028 — almost 14,000 yards behind. During the past fiveseasons, Brady has averaged about 4,600 yards. He would need three good seasons to catch Manning. Again, he would have to be performing at his current level at 41 years old to complete this task. Unlikely, but possible.

Winning Super Bowls Sorta Matters

Winning Super Bowls has been a tricky part of the “greatest” debate. Many point to Joe Montana’s four rings and particularly his game winning drive against the Bengals in Super Bowl XVI as defining his greatness. However, few put Terry Bradshaw in the debate even though he also has four Super Bowl wins.

Montana and Bradshaw both went 4-0 in the big game and both played on perennial contenders. Also, how does one ignore Bart Starr’s 5 championships and the fact he won the first 2 Super Bowls, earning MVP honors in both with the Green Bay Packers? Perhaps the argument can be made that Starr did not play in the “Modern Era,” and more emphasis was placed on the run-game than passing. Vince Lombardi and the Packers were well known for their power sweep.

If Brady is going to distance himself from Manning and Montana, and have a winning case that he is, in fact, “The Greatest QB All-Time,” it will definitely require a fifth Super Bowl ring.

More nfl spin zone: Was Pats '07 Season Best Ever?

The good news for Brady and Patriots fans is that Vegas puts them as early favorites to win it all.

With the Super Bowl Champion Denver Broncos losing key players to retirement and free agency, and given some excellent off-season moves by New England, the window remains open to hoist another Lombardi Trophy.

For Brady’s to complete his “Greatest” legacy, it may be Super Bowl or bust.

Home/New England Patriots