Winning Isn’t Everything

Peyton Manning is the greatest quarterback in NFL history, and in my mind it isn’t even close. To test this theory, let’s start with his numbers. The numbers that he has put up in his first 13 seasons are unmatched by Marino or Favre, the two former greatest statistical QBs. Whether or not he plays long enough to surpass Brett Favre’s totals is irrelevant, for my money Manning is statistically the best. Barring injury (and he hasn’t missed a game in his career) Manning will become second in TD, yards, and completions next season. In two seasons he will trail only Farve in wins. Statistically there shouldn’t even be an argument.

The next test I use is the “eye” test. When you watch the games, does the player dominate? No player has controlled the 2000’s like Manning. The Patriots are the team of the decade but Manning is the player of the decade. The Patriots started the 2000’s dominating Manning and making him look ordinary. As much as I like Dungy, he was no match for Belichick. It took several seasons, but Manning was able to overcome the Patriots in what has become the NFL’s biggest non-division rivalry. Most would agree that the Colts had surpassed the Patriots before injuries took every offensive weapon Manning had, aside from Reggie Wayne. With all that Peyton still carried the Colts to another division title and the playoffs.

Test #3 is the replacement test. If you were to replace Manning with an above average quarterback, how would the Colts perform? Donavan McNabb is a borderline Hall of Famer (though he didn’t show it this year). If he were the QB of the Colts, I believe the Colts would have won about half the games they have under Manning. Replace him with Brady, another all-time great, and I believe they would win 75% as much as with Manning. Conversely, if you put Manning on the Patriots they wouldn’t miss a beat. They still win three Super Bowls and they are the team of the decade.

If not Manning, then who? The biggest knock on Manning is his lack of post-season success. The name most often uttered is Joe Montana (though Brady is moving up the list). In basketball, baseball, or hockey, 2 or 3 great players can win you a championship. Jordan and Pippen carried the Bulls. Three pitchers carried the San Francisco Giants to a title in 2010. Crosby, Malkin, and Fleury have already won a championship and will have the Penguins competing for championship(s) for years to come. Football is the ultimate team sport. Having two to three great players doesn’t guarantee a championship. It doesn’t even guarantee the championship game. Montana with the 1980’s 49ers, led a great team. Though the West Coast offense got the entire buzz, the 49ers defense in the 80’s consistently ranked in the top third of the league. Jerry Rice was just voted the best player in the history of the NFL and Welsh is a top 5 coach all-time. A similar story can be told when discussing the Patriots of 2000’s. Most rank Belichick as either 1 or 2 in NFL coaching. Brady has been great in the playoffs without great offensive weapons, but his defense has been almost as good, and the O-line has been masterful. Give Manning either of those advantages and you would see his post season wins increase.

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TheGapMan