Whitlock Puts Ben in His Top Three

[Third Rail]

I don't always agree with him, but Whitlock is one of my favorite sports writers and I think he hit this one on the head. Also, I love that he names Troy as an MVP candidate. It's about someone threw his name out there for that. It doesn't ALWAYS have to be a QB.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/t...eration-120610

Brady, not Manning, is era's best QB

For those of us who have long been skeptical of the national media’s premature and unjustified anointment of Peyton Manning as the greatest quarterback of all time, our day is here.


Sunday, Manning continued to show his age (34), tossing four interceptions, including two pick-6s, in the Colts’ 38-35 loss to the Cowboys. At 6-6, there’s a good chance Indy won’t make the playoffs. Manning is having his worst season in nine years (24 TDs, 15 INTs).

His apologists blame his poor play on injuries to Dallas Clark and Joseph Addai, a leaky offensive line and the lack of a consistent running game.

To his credit, Peyton Manning blames Peyton Manning.

“I threw four interceptions to guys who were covered, and the ball shouldn’t have been thrown,” Manning told Indy reporters after the game. “I’ve either got to throw it away or throw it to somebody else. That’s basic football. The quarterback’s job is to protect the ball, and I’m not following through on that.”

If the media didn’t overhype Manning, he might be one of my all-time favorite players. He’s a stand-up guy and a marvelous player. He’s just not the best QB of all time. He’s not the best QB of this era.

Tom Brady is.

Monday night, when the Jets and Patriots square off in a blockbuster matchup, Brady has a chance to take control of the MVP race and demonstrate the intangible that makes him a better quarterback than Manning.

Brady is fearless. Two years after the knee injury I thought would undermine his pocket toughness, Brady is back to being Brady, a courageous, unflappable pocket passer.

He’s thrown 23 touchdown passes and just four interceptions. He’s leading the league in passer rating. A victory Monday night, and the Patriots will tie the Falcons for the league’s best record (10-2).


When it comes to evaluating Brady, it’s always about more than statistics. There are no stats for courage and leadership. They’re like obscenity. You know them when you see them. Look at the smooth way Brady and Bill Belichick ushered locker-room cancer Randy Moss out of New England. That’s leadership.

Standing in the pocket and taking a hit rather than nervously throwing into coverage is leadership, too. Manning has always thrown more interceptions (and a higher percentage of INTs) than Brady because Manning has always gone to greater lengths to avoid contact.

Playoff teams are adept at hitting the opposing quarterback. That explains the dramatic difference between Brady’s and Manning’s playoff records and performances (Brady three Super Bowls and Manning one). Three-four, exotic zone-blitz defenses get inside Manning’s head. They make him think and panic.

Let me repeat: I do not dislike Peyton Manning. He’s one of the 10 best QBs of all time. What bothers me is people think he’s better than Tom Brady. It’s just not true.

In five years, Big Ben Roethlisberger might move ahead of Manning on my list. Regardless of what Roger Goodell does to NFL rules, football is always going to be a game defined by toughness. Did you watch Big Ben Sunday night?

The Ravens broke his nose in the first quarter and Big Ben never blinked. He never thought about coming out of the game. And down the stretch, against the meanest defense in football, Big Ben fought off Terrell Suggs and avoided a sack on one play and threw the game-winning TD pass two plays later.

There is no stat for playing with a broken nose. There is no stat for fighting off Suggs and throwing the ball away. If the league kept those stats, we know Roethlisberger and Brady would rank higher on the chart than Manning.

Maybe after Monday night, if Brady survives Rex Ryan’s punishing defense and the Patriots win, I’ll win some more converts. Maybe a second MVP award for Brady will help him close the Manning gap.


And, yes, as of right now, Brady deserves the MVP award more than Michael Vick.

I said “as of right now.”

Vick is an incredible story. His 467 rushing yards and six rushing TDs add a dimension to his candidacy that Brady can’t match. But Vick hasn’t played enough and the Eagles are 8-4. I’m open to changing my mind over the last month of the season.

Right now it’s Brady, followed by Vick and Pittsburgh safety Troy Polamalu.

In terms of best QB of this era, it’s Brady, followed by Manning and Roethlisberger. I’m not open to changing my mind about that.

[Merchant]

Good read..

Personally, I think the top 5 of this era have been...

1. Brady
2. Manning
3. Roethlisberger
4. Favre
5. Brees

[#1LambertFan]

Originally Posted by Merchant

Good read..

Personally, I think the top 5 of this era have been...

1. Brady
2. Manning
3. Roethlisberger
4. Favre
5. Brees

But still you gotta consider the talent that surrounds him. The Patsies always have a prolific offense held by an incredible O-line and very good receivers. Brady is excellent but I still couldnt ever dream of comparing him to Marino. I do agree with your list though given all things.

[MattsMe]

1. Brett Favre
2. Brett Favre
3. Brett Favre
4. Brett Favre
5. Brett Favre's penis.

[tony hipchest]

[MattsMe]

I read another interesting Whitlock article today.

In the fourth quarter of the same game, with the Colts trailing by nine points, Philly’s Trent Cole beat Indy’s left tackle and executed the perfect tomahawk-chop sack/strip on fourth-and-18. Game over.

Not quite.

A ref flagged Cole for unnecessary roughness. Cole’s hand hit the back of Manning’s helmet as he chopped down on the ****ed football. The penalty gave Indy a first down. The Colts scored a touchdown, cutting Philly’s lead to 26-24.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/n...hitlock-110810

So tell me, how is that play somehow worse than Ben getting hit in the ****ing face hard enough to break his nose?


I guess we can at least take a little comfort in knowing that this bullshit isn't going unnoticed. Don't expect it to change though.

[MDSteel15]

1. Brady
2. Roethlisberger
3. Warner
4. P.Manning
5. Favre

[GMU Steeler]

Ben's detractors talk about how he lucked by going to the Steelers but they never mention that he held his own as a 22 year old rookie. Yeah he didn't have to throw as much back then but I remember his rookie season. One of his most impressive passing games was a win against the Patriots who were on a huge winning streak at the time and the next week he led the team to a victory of the Eagles who were also undefeated. Both those two teams played in the SB that year. Yeah Ben will never be Manning or Brady but you know what that's fine with me. He's tougher and has more heart than both of them. It's not just playing with the broken nose and hurt foot like he did last night but other things like playing a week following an appendicomy. believe me I've had one of those and it was one of the worst experiences of my life. And he's one of the best clutch QBs in the game if not the best.

[LukesDad88]

Originally Posted by #1LambertFan

But still you gotta consider the talent that surrounds him. The Patsies always have a prolific offense held by an incredible O-line and very good receivers. Brady is excellent but I still couldnt ever dream of comparing him to Marino. I do agree with your list though given all things.

A HS backup can look brilliant if he knows the coverages and the rush package before each snap.

Just sayin.

[Third Rail]

Originally Posted by GMU Steeler

Ben's detractors talk about how he lucked by going to the Steelers but they never mention that he held his own as a 22 year old rookie. Yeah he didn't have to throw as much back then but I remember his rookie season. One of his most impressive passing games was a win against the Patriots who were on a huge winning streak at the time and the next week he led the team to a victory of the Eagles who were also undefeated. Both those two teams played in the SB that year. Yeah Ben will never be Manning or Brady but you know what that's fine with me. He's tougher and has more heart than both of them. It's not just playing with the broken nose and hurt foot like he did last night but other things like playing a week following an appendicomy. believe me I've had one of those and it was one of the worst experiences of my life. And he's one of the best clutch QBs in the game if not the best.

Quoted for truth. I think Ben would still get back in to play if he had a gunshot wound. The guy is tough as nails.