Brady vs. Manning: One last time

Oct 11, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) takes the field as sunbeams cut across the field during the game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 11, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) takes the field as sunbeams cut across the field during the game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports /
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In the spring of 1998, the world was an entirely different place, yet so very the same.

There were the early stages of the Internet, yet nobody could imagine the places it would yet go. Twitter and Facebook seemed a lifetime away, while cell phones were just starting to become mainstream. Satellite television was beginning to invade American families, breaking apart the idea of dinner around the table. From now on, the table would be an increasingly growing screen beaming pictures from faraway lands.

Yet, the similarities from 18 years ago strike at the core of who we are. The world was still reeling from the beginning of the Kosovo War, a conflict that began in the poor country of Yugoslavia with a brutal massacre. Unabomber Theodore Kaczynski was pleading guilty to his murders, all while the United States was still recovering from the Oklahoma City bombing of only a few years earlier.

In the sports realm, there would be two men stepping into the breach of the National Football League, hoping to one day cement their legacies as greats. Ryan Leaf, a collegiate star at Washington State University, was perceived as one of the finest passers to come into the NFL since John Elway. The other man was Peyton Manning, a kid with the pedigree of his father, Archie, and with all the talent a scout could dream of.

The two appeared to be perfection personified in a quarterback.

Two years later, the NFL Draft would see no such superstars at quarterback. Most believed that Chad Pennington would be the top signal-caller coming into the league, with a bunch of relative question marks to follow. As history has shown, one of those question marks would become perhaps the greatest player in NFL history.

Tom Brady was famously taken with the 199th-overall selection in the sixth round by the New England Patriots. Brady was the fourth quarterback on the depth chart when he entered his first training camp in 2000, but was impressive enough for head coach Bill Belichick to keep all four in a stunning personnel decision. By 2001, Brady would become the primary backup to star quarterback Drew Bledsoe.

Enter Mo Lewis. Exit Bledsoe. Begin dynasty.

Since Week 2 of the 2001 season, Brady has been at the controls of maybe the finest craft ever produced in professional football. The only man who can compare to Brady is Manning, the opposite of him in every fashion. Brady is subdued off the field and private, yet intensely vocal and passionate on it. Manning loves the camera and the limelight when he’s outside the white lines, but is understated and rarely shows emotions on the gridiron.

Despite playing only one season in the same division as starters and being wildly different quarterbacks, these two titans will always be intertwined. Neither can have their career discussed without the other emerging in the fray.

On Sunday, Brady and Manning will square off for the last time. It is quite possible this is the last occasion they will ever meet, and certainly the last meaningful instance. This, is finally it.

In 18 years at the controls for the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos, Manning has started in 266 games and thrown for an NFL-record 71,940 yards. The future Hall of Famer has tossed an also NFL-best 539 touchdowns against 251 interceptions. For all intents and purposes, Manning is the greatest regular-season quarterback to ever walk the Earth, yet his legacy is unfulfilling.

Manning has reached the Super Bowl on three occasions, each time being favored. The four-time NFL MVP walked away with only one title, more than Dan Marino and Warren Moon but not enough to satisfy the national public who feels a career such as his should have more hardware attached to it. Manning has made the playoffs in 15 seasons, and been one-and-done nine times. In 25 contests, he has launched 38 touchdowns against 24 interceptions.

Brady has been leading the Patriots for 16 seasons, and has reached his 10th conference championship game. New England has made the playoffs each year he has been a starter except 2002, and only lost its first postseason contest twice, coming in 2009 and 2010. In the regular season, Brady’s numbers pale in comparison to Manning’s on many levels. He has 58,028 passing yards and 428 touchdowns, albeit with a much better total of 150 interceptions.

There is also this nugget: Brady has been nothing short of historic since the start of 2007, when New England traded for Wes Welker and Randy Moss. Since then, Brady has heaved 281 touchdowns despite being out for 15 games in 2008 with a torn ACL. If you exclude that year, Brady is averaging 35 scoring throws per year, compared to a grand total of 72 interceptions, or nine thefts per season.

In the playoffs, Brady has tossed 55 touchdowns and 26 interceptions in 30 games. Last year, Brady became the first quarterback to start in six Super Bowls, and is one win away from pushing that total to seven.

All he has to do is overcome Manning once more. In the postseason, the two have split their four head-to-head battles, with Manning winning the last two.

Before the next NFL season begins in September, Brady will be 39 years old. Manning will be 40. While Brady will return for another championship run with the Patriots, Manning will either be on another team, unfathomably a free agent, or retired.

Denver needs to free up ample cap space to keep its young defenders and the quarterback of the future, Brock Osweiler. Currently, Manning is one the books for $21.5 million. Should general manager John Elway release Manning, he would save the Broncos a whopping $19 million. After watching Manning struggle all year to the tune of nine touchdowns against a league-high 17 interceptions, the decision is easy.

For Manning, he knows this is his final chance to reach a Super Bowl and win that elusive second ring. The Broncos are not of the caliber New England is, which is why the Patriots are favored by four points on the road. Still, Manning and his charges only need two more wins to reach the sport’s pinnacle, perhaps sending Manning out on the ultimate high note in the same way that Elway was.

Brady has a chance to add onto his sterling legacy. While some will point to SpyGate and DeflateGate to taint Brady’s achievements, the on-field accomplishments are undeniable. The California native who worshiped Joe Montana as a child has four championships and a pair of NFL MVP awards. With one more ring, Brady will become the first quarterback to ever win five titles, moving him past the likes of Terry Bradshaw and the aforementioned Montana.

In this 17th matchup between Manning and Brady, there has never been more on the line with finality looming in the immediate distance.

On Sunday, the Broncos and Patriots will take the field. There are Hall of Fame players on both sides, excluding the quarterbacks, but nobody will pay an ounce of mind to that. The story is Manning and Brady. It always has been.

Brady seems to always be in Manning’s way, an older brother who stands under the basketball hoop in the driveway and swats away that beautiful jumpshot that would have produced a beautiful swish. Manning no longer has the luxury of waiting until next year. He no longer has a strong arm or the leg strength to drive the ball, and is saddled with an inferior coach and team.

Yet, maybe that all sets up perfectly for Manning. For once, the computer is the underdog. Nobody believes in the machine anymore. It appears the old mechanisms need to be junked in favor of new, shiny parts. The recall has been issued, and America eagerly awaits the final act.

This is the fantastic setup for Manning to summon all of his powers and provide the football world with one last epic. For years, it was Manning with the record-breaking regular seasons and the weapons for miles. It was always Brady who came in as the white knight with the scrappy group from New England, even if that narrative was both overplayed and grossly exaggerated.

Despite winning two AFC championships in victories over Brady, it seems Manning has never truly shaken the shadow of a quarterback who was not good enough to consistently start at the University of Michigan. In 2013, Manning’s triumph over the Patriots was doused in water two weeks later, when he and the Broncos played awful in a 43-8 walloping in Super Bowl XLVIII against the Seattle Seahawks. The first time Manning reached the Super Bowl in 2006, he played brilliantly in the second half of the conference title game to vanquish Brady, but was otherwise pedestrian in that postseason run.

This time around, nobody will care how Manning plays. The narrative has already been written, with the history-makers simply waiting to pen the name of the winner and loser. At this point, nobody expects perfection or even average play from Manning. Should he and Denver advance, that will be the only story worth telling. The numbers will be white noise.

When the kickoff occurs, sit down and settle in. Regardless of who you root for, or your feelings on the duo, enjoy the moment.

This could be the last game Manning ever partakes in, and maybe the final time Brady ever reaches this juncture. While the latter seems impossible given Brady’s vast success, Father Time plays no favorites and at some point, he will come to collect.

Soon enough, Manning and Brady will be NFL ghosts. They will only serve as measuring sticks to a generation to come. The pair will be forever remembered and their matchups will be the stuff of legend, with legions of fans and journalists recounting the best of times. Whether Manning had a horseshoe or stallion adorning the sides of his helmet, the games always came with ample meaning.

When the clock is ticking down to the conclusion, soak it all in. Make sure to relish the final seconds of what is the greatest personal rivalry in professional sports history. Realize the gravitas of the moment and enjoy what has been a historic battle which is about to finally conclude.

In a matter of moments, NFL fans across the globe will then walk away from their television sets. The game over, the victor declared. There will be no more talk of next time.

All that will remain is the memory of what once was, and will never be again.