Peyton Manning Tops Tom Brady, Joe Montana as Greatest All-Time
By Jim Vickers
A week ago, Peyton Manning rode off into the sunset as Super Bowl 50 champion and the greatest QB of all time.
“The Sheriff,” as he was dubbed by Jon Gruden, outperformed all quarterbacks in the modern era, bar none.
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Statistically, Manning leads all-time greats such as Brett Favre, Joe Montana and Tom Brady. His 71,940 yards tops all passers. He ranks second in completions to Favre, first in touchdowns (539), and with Super Bowl 50 earned his 200th win, breaking a tie with Favre.
While, statisticians use numbers as a means to quantify greatness, Manning’s on-field impact wins him the “Greatest Ever” debate, hands down.
The Tennessee Vols SEC Champion gunslinger was drafted No. 1 overall in 1998, arguably the most pro-ready QB ever to enter the NFL. It was fated this son of Hall of Fame QB Archie Manning would complete the legacy and hoist a Lombardi Trophy.
But the Colts program was a shambles when Manning arrived, as are most teams drafting first. Coach Jim Mora owned a 3-13 record. Three different QBs had started games in 1997, including Jim Harbaugh, who was summarily sacked 41 of the season’s 62 times.
The Colts lone star was Marshall Faulk.
Indianapolis was abysmal.
However, with Manning under center, Indianapolis went from doormat to 13-3 and the No. 2 seed in the AFC in two seasons.
That year, Marvin Harrison caught 102 passes for 1,413 yards. A young Edgerrin James rushed for 1,709 yards, Manning cracked 4,000 yards, tossed 33 TDs and went to the first of his 14 Pro Bowls — most ever.
It was obvious Manning elevated the play of those around him and would carry that team on his shoulders for many years. “The Sheriff” was the only quarterback calling his own plays since the Bills’ Jim Kelly. Granted, Manning was provided two base plays by the coaching staff to choose from, unlike Kelly who often freelanced. But Manning would decide, audible or manipulate play intricacies before the snap and became famous for shouting “Omaha.”
The Colts struggled in the playoffs, generally because they were faced with superior competition at most positions except quarterback. Still, the Colts managed a pair of Super Bowl appearances and one world championship.
But here’s where it gets interesting when arguing for “THE” all-time best.
After losing an entire season to a neck injury, the Colts fell from division champs to 2-14, returning to the league’s worst record by merely losing one player. Their No. 4 total offense plummets to No. 29. Indy was in shambles without Manning.
This may be the key to understanding what separates Manning from his Hall of Fame brethren — impact with and without him.
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Bronco Legacy
In 2012, John Elway brings a mostly recovered Manning to a mediocre 8-8 Denver team that ended its post-season in a 45-10 massacre at the hands of the New England Patriots.
Arriving in the Mile High City was no clambake for Manning. The team lacked offensive Pro Bowl-caliber players. Their best players were on defense, Champ Bailey, Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil. And Dumervil exited soon after.
With Manning as their new field general, the turnaround was dramatic.
Manning inherited the 25th-ranked offense. In his first season, the Broncos stunned the football world by leaping to the No. 2 offense and No. 1 playoff seed.
Since 2012, Manning led Denver to the No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the playoffs each year with two Super Bowl appearances.
Even injured this season, the Broncos entered No. 1 in the AFC after some late-season heroics by The Sheriff.
Once again, Peyton, more so than other QBs of the modern era, elevated his team in terms of wins.
Manning vs Joe Montana
Unlike Manning, Joe “Cool” was a third-round draft choice in 1979. During his 15-year career with the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs he appeared in only eight Pro Bowls, but won four Super Bowls. Montana also inherited an abysmal program with the 49ers coming off a league-worst 2-14 season and ranking last in total offense.
The 49ers improved their offense to No. 16 during Montana’s rookie season, while he threw only 23 passes, backing up Steve DeBerg. In 1980, with Montana playing in 15 games, the team suffered a 6-10 campaign. In 1981, he entered the season as the team’s clear starter, going 13-3 and a Super Bowl victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. Montana would win four Championships from 1982 to 1990, leading the league in touchdowns twice. Montana ranks 16th all time in passing yards, 13th in touchdowns, and 11th in passer rating.
Other than the Super Bowl wins, Manning holds all statistical edges.
A look at the roster, and Hall of Fame level coaching by Bill Walsh, we find a 49ers team ripe with talent. The 1982 champs enjoyed the play of Pro Bowlers Montana, WR Dwight Clark, RG Randy Cross, FS Dwight Hicks and CB Ronnie Lott, as well as legends such as Jack “Hacksaw” Reynolds. By 1984, the roster would be fraught with Pro Bowlers and Hall of Famers, which would only get better.
Although Montana won more championships, he ranks lower in all categories to Manning, never called his plays, and was the recipient of a strong running game and defense year in and year out, unlike Manning.
The other telling item comes when Montana spends 1993 and 1994 in KC.
Joe would be in physically better condition than Manning was in Denver, yet the results were not similar.
The Chiefs were a contender that couldn’t get over the playoff hump when Montana arrived, with double digit wins during the previous three seasons. Montana bumped them only from 10-6 to 11-5 in 1993, winning the AFC West, but dropped to 9-7 the following season, KC’s worst record in five years, and losing the Wild Card game.
Montana won only one playoff game. In 1993, Kansas City’s offense dropped from 7th to 8th, while San Francisco ranked No. 1 with Steve Young running plays. In Montana’s final season, Kansas City’s offense declined again, falling to 14th. San Fran again held the top spot, and Manning in his final season, though injured, held on to a No. 1 playoff seed, though much credit goes to the No. 1 ranked defense.
Montana’s legend stems primarily from dramatic late-game heroics, which earned him the nickname “The Comeback Kid.” He was remarkable in big games such as the game-winning drive in his first Super Bowl against a seemingly superior Bengals team.
However, in terms of fourth quarter comebacks, Joe Montana ranks fifth with 31, while Manning, again, stands alone all time with 45 to his credit.
When you look at the QB value in terms of impact and statistics, Manning has a clear edge overall. Manning was like a rising tide lifting all boats when he arrived at both teams. Montana had little effect on a solid Chiefs team.
Manning vs Tom Brady
Brady was a sixth-round draft choice out of Michigan in 2000 and basically held a clipboard until starter Drew Bledsoe suffered an injury in Game 2 against the NY Jets in 2001.
New England was a lackluster 22nd-ranked Offense in 2000, and although they would win the final six games of the season and go on to win their first Super Bowl, the middling offense ranked 19th with Brady throwing a mere 2,843 yards, 18 touchdowns with 12 interceptions — pedestrian at best.
This season was also marred by the infamous Tuck Rule game and implications of Spygate.
With Brady as a 16-game starter in 2001, the Pats would drop to 9-7 and miss the playoffs with the 21st ranked offense. Brady’s numbers would increase to “average” by NFL standards in 2003 with 3,432 passing yards, 23 touchdown passes, and 13 interceptions, and a 17th-ranked offense. However, the team, now packed to the gills on defense would win its second Super Bowl.
Despite winning championships, Brady wouldn’t crack 4,000 yards until 2005, and wouldn’t elevate his game to elite status until 2007 with the addition of Randy Moss at wide receiver.
Comparatively, Brady didn’t have the immediate impact of a Manning or Montana.
Another telling statistic comes in 2008, when Brady suffers a season-ending knee injury in Game 1. His replacement, Matt Cassel, led New England to an 11-5 record. Although the team would lose tiebreakers to both the Dolphins and Ravens and find themselves out of the playoffs, Cassel threw for 3,693 yards, 21 TD passes and just 11 interceptions before proving to be a career journeyman.
With Brady out, New England had a winning season with a career backup QB and its offense dropped only to 8th. Whereas, when Manning went down with the Colts, the team collapsed.
Statically, Manning leads Brady in all meaningful categories, except Super Bowls, 4-2 vs 2-2.
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Coaching
Montana enjoyed revolutionary coaching under Bill Walsh and George Seifert. Brady has stability and innovation, cheating scandals aside, under Bill Belichick. Manning, on the other hand, worked for career underachievers such as Jim Mora, Jim Caldwell, John Fox, Gary Kubiak, with his only excellent head coach being Tony Dungy.
Manning has outperformed all others with far less.
That’s why he exits the game as only 5-time NFL MVP, and the greatest of all-time.
Statistical information courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com, ESPN.com and NFL.com.