Netflix aired "The Greatest Roast of All Time: Tom Brady" on Sunday, May 5th.
And while most of the roasts were targeted at Brady, he chose to take aim at Indianapolis Colts legend Peyton Manning.
Brady's choice to make this joke isn't all that surprising. The two are known to have a great friendship, so there was no malice behind these words. And Brady is viewed by most people at this point as the "Greatest QB of all time," so many will probably agree that Manning lives in Brady's shadow. But I must admit I see things differently than most on this topic.
Brady Vs. Manning
Stats:
Brady: 89,214 passing yards, 649 passing touchdowns, 212 interceptions, 335 games
Manning: 71,940 passing yards, 539 passing touchdowns, 251 interceptions, 266 games
Brady easily has the better career numbers and took care of the ball at a much higher rate than Manning by finishing with 39 fewer interceptions despite playing in 69 more games. But those 69 extra games for sure help pad Brady's career yards and touchdown numbers. That is over four seasons worth of games and a difference of 17,273 yards and 110 touchdowns between the two. If we divide those numbers by four, Manning would have needed to average 4,319 yards and 28 touchdowns a year to surpass Brady in those two categories. He passed for over 4,319 yards eight times in his career and threw for 28 or more touchdowns 11 times.
Accolades:
Brady:
Super Bowls: 7
Super Bowl MVPs: 5
All Pro seasons: 6
MVPs: 3
Manning:
Super Bowls: 2
Super Bowl MVPs: 1
All Pro seasons: 10
MVPs: 5
This is an area I think isn't talked about enough when comparing the two QBs. Brady obviously dominates the Super Bowl area of this stat, but the All-Pros and MVP side should matter even more when comparing individual players. Manning was named an All-Pro QB 10 times during his career to Bradys 6, a stat that shows how often both finished seasons viewed as one of the top two QBs in the NFL. Manning earned the MVP award five times in his career, an award meant to be given to the single best player in the NFL for that season.
In the end, I believe Brady is the "Most Successful quarterback of all time," but in terms of playing quarterback, Manning was more dominant. And while Brady may be right that in the minds of most, Manning lives in Brady's shadow, I, for one, will always view Manning as the better overall quarterback and one of the most dominant players the NFL has ever seen.
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