The primary measure of a quarterback’s greatness at any level, but particularly in the NFL has always been and always will be their ability to win games. This is an even more critical tool for assessment when the games being considered are “big games.” For NFL fans our age it is impossible to discuss winning quarterbacks without mentioning Tom Brady. Brady has made winning Superbowls a lifestyle choice; he already has three Superbowl rings a mere seven years into his young career.

Brady’s three Superbowl victories equal those of Troy Aikman tying him for third behind only Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw all-time. Manning has a paltry one Superbowl Ring just like Trent Dilfer. Brady is 91-26 all-time as a starter in the NFL giving him a win percentage of .850, the best in the NFL since the inception of the Superbowl for any quarterback with over 40 starts. Brady also quarterbacked the Patriots during their twenty-one game winning streak that set the NFL mark for most consecutive wins by a franchise. That’s right he has won nearly as many games in a row as he has lost total in his career. Furthermore, Brady is an otherworldly 12-2 in the playoffs in his career, including 10 straight wins to open his playoff career.

Brady has been an impressive quarterback in terms of passing statistics as well. The most obvious example would be his awe-inspiring touchdown pace this season. Through nine games Brady has tossed 33 touchdowns; meaning that he needs a mere 17 touchdowns over his last seven games. That is right, Tom Brady is on the brink of breaking Manning’s most impressive achievement to date. One has to wonder what possible claim Manning will have on Brady’s status as the best quarterback in the NFL when he has shattered all of Manning’s most cherished accomplishments with his fist (featuring two more Superbowl Rings than Manning as well I might add).

Brady is currently sporting a 131.8 quarterback rating on the year, which means it is probable that come week 17 he will be breaking Manning’s best single season mark for quarterback rating as well. So far this season Brady has put up video-game-like statistics at every turn, seriously undermining any argument that he was inherently inferior to Manning. Brady should not be punished for doing what Belichick requires of his players. Rather, Brady’s willingness to put personal accolades aside and play within his team’s game plan should be recognized and praised. This is particularly important to realize now that Brady has been given the opportunity to put up video-game-like statistics and he has.

Brady’s efficiency as a passer has allowed him to be exactly what the Patriots need, the best on-field game manager in the NFL. Brady rarely makes mistakes but still has the confidence to regularly make exceptional plays to win games. To start his career Brady threw 162 passes without an interception, setting the record for most passes to start a career without an interception. He is currently 27-5 in games with a margin of less than a touchdown including a 6-1 mark in such games during the playoffs. In addition, he is undefeated, 7-0, in games going into overtime. In his 117 games Brady has engineered 24 game winning drives including six such efforts in his 14 playoff appearances. In short, Brady deserves substantially more credit for many of the Patriot’s most widely famous wins. Without Tom Brady’s arm the leg of Adam Vinetari would have been hard pressed to gain such notoriety for clutch performances like Superbowl XXXVI.

Brady’s critics will say that Bill Belichick is the mastermind behind all of Brady’s achievements, but in reality Belichick was a very average coach before he teamed up with Brady. Belichick’s record with the Brady under center is now a sterling 91-26, standing in clear contrast to his losing record with as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns.

Right now the historical comparison for Brady is clear, he is on pace to become the next Joe Montana. The Superbowl wins make this comparison nearly unavoidable and frankly the fact that a very young Tom Brady witnessed “The Catch” in person only further mandates this comparison. This is obviously a favorable comparison for Brady fans, after all many consider Montana to be the greatest NFL quarterback to date.

Bearing all of this in mind how could anyone possibly believe in Manning’s superiority? The answer is simple, mass media. Most NFL fans out there see more of Manning in commercials for various products like DirecTV, ESPN’s Sportscenter, Sprint Nextel and Mastercard. Couple this with his family’s nobility like status in the NFL and misconceptions about his relative greatness are easy to conceptualize.

At the end of the day though, commercials do not decide who gets into Canton and thankfully the debate over the greatest quarterback ever will be far enough down the road that commercials will not play a role in that debate either, leaving us one clear choice.

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Here we are in our 20s, and our generation is still lacking its signature rivalry. Our parents were in their twenties for the epic trilogy between Ali and Frasier as well as the glorious days of Magic and Bird following the 1979 NCAA title game. Sure, we had Sosa-McGwire for a few summers in our youth, but with all the controversy about drugs, it would be sad if that is the sports rivalry we find ourselves incoherently telling to our grandchildren in another 50 years. Fortunately, help is on the way: Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. These two are going to be inducted into Canton someday as two of the greatest to ever take a snap in the NFL. Brady has a shot of surpassing Terry Bradshaw and John Elway in terms of winning championships and games. Manning has a good chance to exceed Dan Marino and Brett Favre in terms of statistical greatness.

But the differences between Brady and Manning will likely continue to fuel the lively debate surrounding these two “rivals.” Is Brady the greatest quarterback of the modern era because of his 3 Superbowl rings in 4 years? Or is it Manning, because of his NFL record forty-nine touchdown passes in a single season? Brady’s critics will claim that surely the Patriots defense and Bill Belichick should be given credit for the Patriots remarkable winning ways. Manning’s detractors will claim the Colts all-star offense featuring Reggie Wayne, Marvin Harrison, Brandon Stokley and until recently, Edgerrin James, has to be credited with much of Manning’s offensive proficiency.

A lot has also been made of the differences between Brady and Manning in terms of NFL pedigree. Brady sat on the bench his first two years at Michigan and was then selected in the sixth round of the NFL draft in 2000 by the Patriots. Brady did not become an NFL starter until Drew Bledsoe was injured in 2001. His path to NFL stardom could not differ more radically from Manning’s. Peyton Manning, along with his brother Eli Manning and his father Archie Manning have all been NFL quarterbacks. Peyton Manning attended Tennessee where he finished second in the Heisman balloting in 1997 and was then selected with the first overall pick by the Colts in 1998.

The hype surrounding Brady and Manning has gained momentum as the two have lead their teams to continued success. Last year’s regular season match up made the cover of Sports Illustrated, and the most recent game between the two was met with anticipation that is normally reserved for the playoffs. In terms of the all-time head-to-head meetings between the two Brady has bested Manning six times out of eight, with Manning getting his only wins in the two most recent meetings.

After watching last Sunday’s game on NBC, it seems clear that right now, Manning is the superior quarterback. Manning finished the game completing 20 of 36 passes for 326 yards with two scores and an interception. Brady on the other hand, completed 20 of 34 passes with four interceptions and no touchdowns.

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