Sports fans are the ultimate list makers. Lists are the primary form of debate, the need for which is ingrained in the DNA of every fan. We make lists about the toughest competitors, the best teams, and, especially, the greatest players.
When it comes to football, one list matters more than all the others: the Greatest Quarterback of All-Time.
Many experts would have you believe that Broncos’ signal-caller Peyton Manning needs a win in next week’s Super Bowl XLVIII to secure his place on that list. I’m going to channel my inner Lee Corso and say, in response, “Not so fast, my friends!”
Manning’s place in history is secure; he’s answered his doubters at every turn this postseason and it’s about time someone put the “Peyton can’t win the big game” narrative to rest.
The 37-year old Manning’s regular season exploits are well-documented, so I won’t bore you with a list of all of the records the 1998 No. 1 overall pick holds. Suffice it to say that he’s more decorated than a 5-star general.
The knock on Manning throughout his career, however, has been that he struggles in the playoffs. While he has had some early exits, the “not clutch” label that has somehow become attached to Peyton over the years has been far overblown.
So often in sports — as in life, but that’s a discussion for another time — we as fans become hung up on a player’s reputation. Once a player is labeled “clutch” or “not clutch” we focus on plays or games that follow those preconceived notions and too often overlook circumstances that would refute them. So it is with Mr. Manning — he’s been labeled as a choke-artist, and so we wait for him to fail, even though the stats say he’s had almost as much success in the playoffs as he’s had in the regular season.
According to Pro-Football-Reference.com, there are six quarterbacks that have played in 20 or more playoff games: Manning, Brett Favre, Joe Montana, John Elway, Tom Brady and Steve Young. Of that group of luminaries, Manning has the highest postseason completion percentage, highest amount of yards per game and the second-lowest interception rate. He only needs 116 yards to pass Brady for the most postseason yards ever, and he’s accomplished that much in three fewer games.
Stats aren’t everything, but, contrary to popular belief, Manning’s win-loss record in the playoffs is — if not spectacular — quite solid as well. With his two playoff wins this season, Manning now has a career playoff record of 11-11.
Since any discussion of the greatest quarterback of this generation revolves around Manning and Brady, let’s center the discussion on them. Four of Manning’s 22 postseason games came against his long-time rival. Despite Brady’s superior reputation in the postseason, Manning and Tom Terrific split those four matchups, including the 2006 AFC Championship in which Manning engineered an 18-point comeback, the largest in championship game history, to beat the former Michigan star.
In truth, any questions of Manning’s ability to perform in big games should have ended then and there. He beat supposedly the best big-game quarterback on earth in a conference championship game, throwing for 350 yards in the process, and then proceeded to add a Lombardi Trophy two weeks later for good measure.
That Lombardi Trophy is the other reason that Manning has nothing left to prove. That trophy says that he reached the pinnacle of his sport. He won a ring. He’s not Dan Marino, Dan Fouts or Fran Tarkenton, who never reached the top. I’ve never heard of another athlete who’s needed to win a second championship to validate their career.
It’s really a testament to Manning’s greatness; he’s so outstanding that he’s changed the requirements for excellence. At this point, any belittling of Manning’s career, regular season, postseason or otherwise is nitpicking and nothing more.
So, don’t listen to anyone who tells you Peyton needs to win Super Bowl XLVIII to cement his legacy. Would a win add yet another chapter to his greatness? Sure, but his legacy was cemented, caulked and dried a long time ago. He’ll go down as a member of the Mt. Rushmore of quarterbacks whether he wins or loses. If we’re making a list, he’s at the top of mine.
Dylan Sinn is a freelance contributor for CraveOnline Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSinn or “like” CraveOnline Sports on Facebook.
Photo Credit: Getty
