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Originally Posted by Bearcat
Well, Brady's team was originally built around defense and special teams and was given a defense capable of holding the Rams to 17 points. There's no comparing 14-5 to 9-10 because even Matt Cassel went 11-5 as the starter of the Patriots.
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In 2007, besides playing their division opponents, the Patriots beat 4 division champs and a wild card team. The Patriots went 18-1 against a difficult schedule. The next year, against a very easy schedule, they went 11-5. Also, Matt Cassel won 10 games last year, for a different team, so you're not talking about Manning to Painter here.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bearcat
Yes, of course Brady has been more clutch, but I just think there's more to it... yeah, it's pretty damn impressive to do that against the Giants, like you said, or even the Rams when you're trying to slay Goliath. At the same time, he wasn't everything to those teams.
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No player is everything to his team. That's just as true of Manning as it is of Brady. Brady and Manning both have the freedom to audible, to call the protections at the line, to work with the coaches on the game plan and play selection, and everything else you'd expect top QBs to be doing in this era. What's different is that Manning runs a modified no-huddle and often makes the calls at the line instead of in the huddle.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bearcat
I think a big part of Manning's career has been being the one guy that carries the Colts... he's always put it solely on himself to win games since he hasn't often been able to rely on a running game or defense. That's obviously a flaw when you're the one calling the plays and end up pushing too hard and throwing a pick or taking a sack late in the game, and that's all some people choose to see. I look at that line against the Chargers and it's a little mind boggling.... 402 yards, 3 TDs, (with 50 yards of run support)... and they still managed to lose the game. I guess when you say "that's on Manning," you're right... so much of it has always been on Manning... and I'm not saying he's never gotten any support, but a big part of the 'choking' is the fact that the team wasn't ever built for the playoffs.
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The notion that it's been all Manning is one of the biggest myths perpetuated in NFL history. Manning has been surrounded with top shelf talent for his entire career. From Marshall Faulk, to Edgerrin James to Marvin Harrison, to Reggie Wayne, to Dallas Clark and others, he's been blessed with top shelf teammates, and the defense, while definitely the weaker side of the ball in general, has had players like Sanders, Mathis, Freeney, Bethea, etc...