Is this Peyton’s swan song?
The 17th instalment of Brady vs. Manning could be final meeting of the two star QBs
DENVER — Should Peyton Manning lose the AFC Championship to the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots Sunday, he’ll likely shake Tom Brady’s hand, offer his friend some encouraging words, then walk into the sunset, disappearing into the tunnel of cavernous Sports Authority Field at Mile High.
All the while, the question looming over him will be: Have we just all witnessed Peyton’s final NFL game?
On the other hand, if Brady comes up short in his attempt to reach a second consecutive Super Bowl losing to Manning’s Broncos, he will almost assuredly get a comforting hug from supermodel wife Gisele Bündchen, then check his personal calendar to see if he’ll be shining up his golf clubs to take part in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am at the pristine Pebble Beach Golf Links.
All the while, the question hovering over him will be: Will Brady be even more motivated than ever — if that’s possible — to win that elusive fifth Super Bowl, his next chance coming in the 2016 season?
Talk about A Tale of Two Quarterbacks. Or, in this case, A Tale of Two Legacies.
In what is being billed as Brady Manning 17, the Mile High City could be the stage for the 17th and final chapter of this rivalry involving two future Hall of Fame quarterbacks. With Manning’s weakening arm and shoulder no longer allowing him to uncork his fastball, there is plenty of speculation a loss could mark the end of his outstanding career.
In that respect, given that he has the ugly wart of just one Super Bowl victory in his otherwise unparalleled body of work, Manning NEEDS to lead his team to victory Sunday to improve his legacy.
That certainly isn’t the case with Brady. Whether the Patriots Pretty Boy quarterback wins or loses Sunday will not, in any way, tarnish the fact Brady already has captured four Super Bowls, tying Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw as the only NFL players at that position to have accomplished that feat.
When it comes to legacies, Brady’s four glistening Super Bowl rings make his case. Case closed. A loss to the Broncos won’t change that.
Of course, when the final gun sounds, Brady, win or lose, won’t be thinking about history and his place in it. Instead, he’ll look over at No. 18 in the orange Broncos jersey and see a pal, a rival, a fierce competitor and one of the greatest to have ever taken a snap from centre.
“I think he’s an incredible player,” Brady said. “And anytime you face that calibre of player — there are a lot of great quarterbacks in the NFL (and) Peyton has been one of the best to ever play — you’ve got to be at your best. You can’t play anything less than your best and expect to win because he’s going to play well and he’s going to have that team playing well.”
With all the speculation concerning the possibility of this being the last encounter between these two warriors, how fitting it is to remember it was this same Peyton Manning who was the opposing quarterback when a young Brady, then just 24, made his first NFL start in Week 3 of the 2001 NFL season, stepping in for the injured Drew Bledsoe.
Prior to that game, Manning, then with the Indianapolis Colts, walked over and introduced himself. Truth be told, Brady obviously knew who Manning was at the time. But that was the class of Manning. Over the years, Brady has discovered a lot of other traits that have made Manning the special quarterback — and person — he is, on and off the field.
“There are a lot of things,” Brady said. “I think just his consistency, the durability, his ability to always seem to come through. He’s just been an incredible player and incredible leader for his team. There have been so many games as a team he’s been a part of that they’ve won.
“He’s a great passer. He’s so accurate, he throws it on time, he knows where everybody on the field is, offensively (and) defensively. He knows how to look defenders off, put the ball in the right location so his guys can catch and run with it. I think he’s just a great pocket passer and he’s incredibly accurate (and) throws on time.”
Come Sunday, Tom Brady won’t care he’s 11-5 all-time head-tohead with Manning. Nor will the fact he comes in 2-2 in his post-season career versus Manning-quarterbacked teams.
All he’ll be thinking about is the thrill of once again meeting arguably his most formidable rival. And beating him, of course.
“I think playing someone 17 times is pretty cool, especially someone as great as him,” Brady said.
Cool for Brady. Cool for Manning. And, should this be their final meeting, cool for all of us who have been privileged to watch it over the past 15-plus years, stats be damned.