Comments on Ed The Sports Fan: Win or lose...Peyton Manning Is NOT the greatest Q...

Enjoyed the read. You covered all the bases in thi...

2010-02-07T12:51:49.789-05:00

Enjoyed the read. You covered all the bases in this particular piece, as well as any article I've read which respectfully rebukes the notion that Peyton Manning is the greatest QB to ever play the game.

When I hear anyone say this (with a straight face, at that), it leaves me saddened. Being a football fan I always imagined that pro football would remain sacred towards the quick fast in a hurry microwaved society of today. Baseball and basketball, in so many ways, have fallen victim to this, but football had always been about hard work, imho.

Manning is a great QB, exactly, one of the greatest ever, though hardly THE greatest.

Well said.

Peyton wins he goes in with Elway, Jim Kelly, Bret...

2010-02-06T20:40:16.437-05:00

Peyton wins he goes in with Elway, Jim Kelly, Brett Farve and Dan Marino. Great teams, just either win against soft teams or choke when competition comes.

Peyton would be second best in both Generation (Brady hands down) and franchise (Johnny U. That dude could play).

Feel u brother and really like the article, but I ...

2010-02-05T17:50:21.736-05:00

Feel u brother and really like the article, but I gotta disagree. Sometimes the obvious answer just is the right answer.

Reason #1 - kinda agree with you here. Never thought about it but they may very well be the Braves. However, as that relates to the current matter of the greatest of all time, well...I'm not sure it does. Peyton easily has 5-6 solid years left. The team's legacy isn't quite wrapped up just yet.

Reason #2 - your quote about Peyton being statistically better for longer is true and the stats you chose didn't really disprove that. Take away Tom Brady's 2007 super season and take that statline away with is. Now, I know you just can't "take away" someone's stats like that but we're talking about the GOAT, and he isn't defined by one season. In a few years, this conversation, much like the LeBron v Kobe one (guess which side I'm on there), won't be relevant. Even if Peyton trends down from his ridiculous pace, he'll get the records for TDs and yards among others. Maybe a couple more years if Favre keeps ruining our lives with his presence. I'm not going to predict more Super Bowls but that's not out of the question. 3 rings vs 1....it's not that simple.

Reason #3 - Comparing eras like this is tricky business. Sure the defenses were dirty but at the same time, no d-lineman then ran a 4.5 40. Unitas played against thugs, Peyton plays against the greatest athletes known to man. I'll call that a scratch. As for stats, yes Johnny U averaged about 13 games/year. So he played about 81% of the games that Peyton played per season. Let's observe 81% of Peyton's stats:

Unitas - 40,239 yds, Manning(adjusted) - 40,500
Unitas - 290 TDs, Manning(adjusted) - 296
Unitas - 78.2 rating, Manning - 95.2
*Note - I hate QB rating.
Unitas - 253 INT, Manning(adjusted) - 147

I could go on here, but my point is proven.

Finally, how the heck is Terry Bradshaw in the upper echelon of QBs?!?!? We must only be looking at rings here. TB was the Trent Dilfer of the 70's Steelers teams. 51.9% compl, 27,900 yds in 13 seasons, 1:1 TD/INT ratio, 70.9 rating....this guy's name doesn't belong on this webpage.

JaMarcus Russell is offended his name wasn't m...

2010-02-05T14:56:53.920-05:00

JaMarcus Russell is offended his name wasn't mentioned.

How do you have Bradshaw as the top tier of all ti...

2010-02-05T14:22:56.507-05:00

How do you have Bradshaw as the top tier of all time QBs? Damn near every person on that team was a Hall Of Famer. Bradshaw goes down a tier. How the hell is Favre in that tier, he has one ring too and can't finish when it matters.

Kick-ass article although I am one of the blind pr...

2010-02-05T12:31:33.878-05:00

Kick-ass article although I am one of the blind praisers of the Peyton experience I feel you on Unitas 100% - love the analogy of Chuck Taylors with spikes. I think with Peyton the reason that people latch on so fast and want to give him that title is 100% based on swagger. Dude has a swagger and a poise on the field that convinces casual football fans that he is the man. Not many QBs have that, not even golden boy Brady, so I think we will hear him being called the greatest up until he retires, regardless of the ring count and hardcore stats.

The one thing that I want Peyton winning more-so than getting closer to earning that stupid "goat" title (that commentators love so much) is to finally calm down the Favre fiasco. Maybe if Peyton gets ring #2 it will be a Peyton/Brady meme going instead of the old man thing again, it got soooo OLD this year hearing about the man and that damn "Favre cam".

If you ask Peyton he would beg differently though, nobody wants the analysts and commentators on their nuts for a whole season because they set the bar way too high for any human being to live up to. Just ask Favre. SMH - Go Colts!

I think if Peyton aka "the sheriff" wins...

2010-02-05T12:19:48.461-05:00

I think if Peyton aka "the sheriff" wins on Sunday he will be the greatest QB of this era. I think Tom Brady claim as greatest QB of this era is bogus New England won all their Super Bowl by three points on the strength of their kicker Adam Vinteri. He also had his record breaking season ended by the Giants in the Super Bowl. Its hard to give him that title as G.O.A.T because he played in a era different from Elway, Marino, Joe Cool, and Bradshaw. But i will give him the title as smartest QB of all time just based on how he picks apart different defenses each year. Cant wait to see the game on Sunday.

Agree with Stank. Peyton isnt the best QB of all t...

2010-02-05T12:00:07.737-05:00

Agree with Stank. Peyton isnt the best QB of all time and wont ever be unless he's able to become the best of his era. Tom Brady is still in that argument. I have NO idea why you think Brees isnt already elite. Did you leave Roethelisberger off on purpose? I think his game-winning drive at the end of the last Super Bowl enters him in at least the 2nd tier.

Also, Kurt Warner BELONGS in that top tier.

Prediction: My heart says the Saints will crush the Colts and turn this into a laugher by halftime. My head says they only win by 10.

Forgot this part, overall, I have to agree win or ...

2010-02-05T11:21:08.214-05:00

Forgot this part, overall, I have to agree win or lose Peyton is not the greatest of all time. If forced to choose, I would prolly go with Unitas or Marino.

I'm onboard with a lot of what you say here, b...

2010-02-05T11:18:11.113-05:00

I'm onboard with a lot of what you say here, but I don't think you can simply put up number of championships as the deciding factor. For instance, just because Warner and Peyton each won one, they are on equal plains? Sorry, but Peyton is ahead of Warner in my book. Aikman too. Just by watching them and seeing what they do and had to do. Peyton has had more responsibility in his era than any other QB, calling his own plays, running no-huddle, all that stuff.

Though I do agree he's behind Brady all time, slightly, and he's definitely not vaulting past Montana, Elway, Unitas right now.

Oh, and by the way … how many rings does Brett Favre have? I believe that's one. So you kind of go against your own argument there when you say Peyton isn't on the same level as Favre. How? He's approaching all those marks Favre set, and if memory serves me correctly, Favre hasn't exactly lit the world on fire in the playoffs either. In fact, you can remember plenty of times he's ended his season with an interception. All I'm saying is, he's been to two Super Bowls and won one. Peyton now has been to two and is 1-for-1 thus far, with a chance to go for his second. Definitely on equal plain with Favre. Definitely.

I hope the Saints win.

This right here "There's still an upper e...

2010-02-05T11:15:26.714-05:00

This right here "There's still an upper echelon of all-time great QBs that he has to get up to. Unitas, Bradshaw, Elway, Montana, Favre, and Tom Brady. "

Since when did Favre and Elway hit all time great status? Lorenzo still has as many rings as Peyton, 1. The only names I'll even concede are Unitas and (partially) Montana. Young kinda kills Montana's bonafides.

I respect everyone else's game but not sure if they hit that upper echelon yet. I mean I would throw Warren Moon up there before Bradshaw even with Moon having no rings. Moon would own every passing record in existence if GMs had had the foresight to draft him, and he did it with run-and-shoot which means he had no real blitz protection.

Then this right here. "Drew Brees, into the same tier of QBs with him." will get you in trouble.

Brees is elite but I don't think he's on Peyton's level. I feel like Peyton is the Kobe of football. Each are consumed by their respective sport. You don't see either out and kickin it in the off season. All bidness all the time.