Without a doubt the top two quarterbacks in the league. BOTH will make the Hall of Fame.
Manning does have the better stats and probably can out-throw Brady. But he DEFINITELY has always had the better receivers, and in general the better offense around him. The Colts are built around their offense, the Pats around their defense, yet Brady still manages to make the game about him.
DE, who gives a feck about draft picks? First round picks are always hyped up the arse and never really make as big an impact as all the pundits think. Don't go putting certain players on pedestals because of when they were drafted. Brady didn't go until one of the later rounds himself.
And as for the point about Manning running the offense generally on the fly (ie no-huddle, constant audibles and reading of the defense's formation), Brady can revert to that mode just as well and can succeed; it's all about pace and Brady is able to play at whatever it requires. The Colts can be devastating when they drive down the field the way they can; three 20 yard passes and they're in the red zone; it's very impressive and often effective, but if they are thrown off of their groove a little, they really fall flat. I seem to recall them being first and goal on the one yard line in the last seconds of a game against the pats a few years back; one td and they would win, yet they were turned down four plays in a row, and at home, quite pathetic. They have no running game either. Yes, I know they just beat us but I still value Brady at anytime. Manning is certainly capable of getting a ring though. The team around him is not quite as solid; ignoring their passing game, there isn't much EXCEPTIONAL about them. Manning is also sort of an uglier Beckham of the NFL; he has about 5000 new adverts a season, announcers and pundits are always looking to give him 2959439 compliments a game. If the media circus around him settled down, then maybe he wouldn't choke at every big game. The two times he's beaten the Pats have NOT been big games at all, despite the hype they received.
Brady is definitely my man. You can't argue with winning. Put it in football (english football that is) terms. If a side as talented as the Colts led by a player exceptional as Manning were never to win a damn thing, who would give a twat? Not I. Brady's got three rings and he's young and ready for more. Despite being a good-looking man with a nice hollywood girlfriend, he's really quite private and doesn't make any headlines except for his football. Manning's stats are exceptional, but most of this IS due to the team built around him, catered exactly to his talents. Keep in mind that game plans are drawn specifically to get him good stats. The Patriots rarely focus their strategy on giving Brady the chance to throw for a lot of yards and scores. They only do when the team they are playing can be exposed greatly by his game. This happened against the Vikings two weeks back (a poor pass defense was absolutely slaughtered by Brady and his no-name receiver squadron, despite us being able to attack them with an excellent one-two punch of running backs). The Colts would also destroy the Vikings, but they have no other weapons to turn to. Brady is the only big name on a rather unimpressive looking (keyword LOOKING) offense, yet he still wins constantly. Championships are championships; we can get back to this discussion when Manning's been to a Super Bowl (if he ever does get there) and then I'll re-consider. otherwise, feck him (and the colts, no other team in football that hasn't won shit gets such a good cock-sucking from the media).
