I’m gonna go out on a limb here.
No, actually — it’s not a limb. In fact – here, I’ll just say it: Peyton Manning is the best quarterback ever.
Period. ‘Nuf said.
Yeah, I know — it always seems like the current players are the best. And, yeah, let’s not forget the greats:. To name a few: Namath, Bradshaw, Unitas, Marino. I know about all those guys. I do. And they were all great. Led their teams to victories — Super Bowls even.
But have you ever seen a QB lead a team to as many come-from-behind victories as Manning? And not just come-from-behind victories, but dramatic ones. Games with 21-point deficits. Games where the team was WAY down in the FOURTH QUARTER.
Now, of course, you’re thinking, well, why did the dude let his team get behind that much to begin with? But I dismiss this line of argument. Because what counts is the end result. And when so many players would give up, Manning seems to thrive when he’s behind with little time on the clock. And if he’s way behind, well — that’s fixable.
Remember that playoff game against New England when the Colts were down by three touchdowns? Can you imagine being down 21 points to the PATRIOTS? And then calmly dismantling their defense slowly but surely until victory has been secured?
Yeah, Tom Brady is good. He’s real good. Sometimes he’s MVP good. But he’s no P. Manning. When the Colts were down against Miami tonight with three minutes left, I thought: “It’s over.” But not for the Colts — for the Dolphins. Because as long as Manning has the ball late, odds are he’s going to do something.
How often can you be that sure of a guy?
