Patriots vs. Broncos really means Brady vs. Manning

This past Sunday, New England sports fans got to watch with glee as Tom Brady and the Patriots laid the smack-down on Peyton Manning’s Denver Broncos. 

The match-ups between Brady and Manning have been anticipated by football fans year-in and year-out ever since they entered the league in the early 90s.

Analysts and fans will forever continue the debate over who is the greater quarterback.

AP Photo / Elise Amendola

Despite how easy it is to compare the similarities between the two most prolific passers in NFL history, I personally like to look at the differences between them.

When I look at Peyton Manning, I see a man who was built to be an NFL quarterback.

I see the son of an NFL legend.

I see a college standout who was taken number one overall in the 1998 NFL Draft. Peyton Manning was born to be an NFL legend and he has fulfilled that expectation and then some.

On the other side of the coin, we have Tom Brady.

When I look at Tom Brady, I see an underdog — a Cinderella story.

I see a man who should not have been able to accomplish what he has done in his football career.

I see an unimpressive skinny kid from the University of Michigan that was passed over by all 32 teams in the 2000 NFL Draft before finally being picked up with the 199th pick in the sixth round.

Every year when this match-up comes along all of the comparisons I hear are always the same.

I hear about Manning’s passing records. I hear about Brady’s Super Bowl rings.

For me, the one difference that separates the legacies of these two greats is the simple fact that throughout his career, Tom Brady has done so much more despite no expectations.

Anyone can sit down and argue that Manning has had better teammates or that Brady got lucky, but I think the best comparison goes deeper than just football.

I think it comes down to the men behind the face-masks.

They are both clearly some of the hardest working and smartest athletes to ever play the game, but Brady just seems to have a hunger to succeed that Manning doesn’t.

There is no doubt that Manning is outstanding, but I just don’t see the fire in his eyes like I do when I watch Brady go out and tear defenses apart.

Manning was expected to be a stud right out of college and he was. He has proved that he is one of the all-time greats countless times throughout his career.

He holds some of the most impressive passing records in the history of the NFL. He led his previous team, the Indianapolis Colts, to a Super Bowl championship in 2006. He has done exactly what he was expected to do.

Tom Brady is the guy that wasn’t supposed to succeed. Tom Brady had to prove that he had what it took to be a starting quarterback in this league. Brady is the ultimate example of a guy that puts in the hard work and that hard work pays off. When the opportunity presented itself for Brady to make a name for himself … He won the Super Bowl. He was thrown into a situation in which nobody expected him to do anything and he was able to prove himself to be a better quarterback than pro bowler Drew Bledsoe. Brady would go on to be the MVP of two out of his three Super Bowl victories.

That’s not bad for an unimpressive skinny kid out of the University of Michigan.

Jake Coughlin can be contacted at jcoughlin@keene-equinox.com