For any NFL fan and good sports debater, the game of Compare And Contrast, Legendary Quarterbacks Edition is impossible to resist. Why would you want to?
Brady had the better coach and, at least in his early years, the superior defense. Manning generally had superior offensive weapons and took up a larger share of the salary cap. Brady won more. Manning won more recently.
That’s why the usual review of various programs from the NFL studios on Sunday morning seemed so unusual and a little shocking, too. For the first time in memory – at least during the seasons in which Brady and Manning were both healthy – the perception of the iconic quarterbacks of their time differed.
The abbreviated conclusions: Manning is still thriving. Brady? His Patriots would perhaps have nothing left but vapors.
There’s nothing wrong with praising Manning at any time. But it especially applied Sunday, when his quest for his 500th career touchdown pass — a milestone reached just over 10 minutes after the Broncos’ victory over the Cardinals — provided an opportunity to apply context and color to his remarkable career.
ESPN’s Bill Polian, who as Colts general manager drafted Manning in 1998, delivered an insightful video retrospective on the quarterback’s career.
Admittedly, though, those who remember him punching his fist angrily in the press box during Colts-Patriots games a decade ago have a right to be perplexed by his transformation into a mild-mannered television essayist.
But the topic of the day was Brady. The Patriots put on one of their most hideous performances of the Belichick/Brady era Monday night in a 41-14 loss to the Chiefs, and Brady was a culprit rather than a victim. He’s been the talk of the town in the build-up to Sunday night’s showdown with the Bengals, and not at all in the usual way.
Chris Mortensen reported on “Sunday NFL Countdown” that there is something of a divide between Brady and the Patriots brain trust.
While any inside information regarding the Patriots should be accompanied by healthy skepticism – very little news gets around that they don’t want to divulge – Mortensen’s dispatch certainly fits the current perception.
“Sources say Brady is uncomfortable with personnel and coaching changes,” Mortensen said. “The aftermath led to tension between Brady and the coaching staff.”
Other parts of his report were vague, in a Sherlock manner. “Others close to the team now believe that when the Patriots used that second-round pick (in 2014) on Jimmy Garropolo, they were actually choosing Brady’s successor,” Mortensen said.
Well, of course you hope so. He’s a high draft pick. And Brady isn’t playing forever, although, according to CBS’ Jason LaCanfora, he keeps telling his friends he wants to play until he’s 40, which is as close to forever as the NFL gets. The buzzed hypothesis in LaCanfora’s report is that Brady’s eternal quest may have to continue with another franchise.
“Tom Brady has no plans to slow down,” LaCanfora said. “He continues to tell his friends that he thinks he can play into his 40s. He just turned 37. He has three years left on his contract beyond this year, worth a total of $24 million. So, at a time when his frustration is growing with the lack of talent around him, it’s fair to wonder if he would make another team-friendly deal in New England? If the Patriots went into rebuild mode, it’s worth noting that his current contract would slide easily into any team’s payroll and salary cap structure.
Brady made rumors of the Patriots’ demise seem ridiculously premature in Sunday night’s 43-17 victory. And after the match, he said: “I love all these guys, my coaches, and I never had any tension with them, to be honest. It’s a shame that certain things are said and brought up, especially because they don’t come from me.”
Of course, there’s a chance Brady wears another uniform one day.
Of the NFL’s top 10 all-time leaders in passing yards, only three have played for just one team: Dan Marino, John Elway and, so far, Brady. Brett Favre played for four – you forgot about the Falcons, right? Johnny Unitas was a Charger, Joe Montana a Chief, Joe Namath a Ram. It happens.
But if and until the shocking day arrives, the one-team career remains a rare difference between Brady and Manning, whose 500th TD pass was his 101st with the Broncos since joining the Colts before the 2012 season.
