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Originally Posted by FRPLG
Manning is the best at this in the game. If you want to take Brady based on winning percentage and some type of intangibles then no one can argue but if you think for one moment that Tom Brady is even close in terms of passing skills, preparation and game presence to Peyton Manning you are crazy. Manning knows his offense better than any QB since Montana in SF. He holds superior arm strength and his accuracy is the best in the league. His short comings actually work for him in that his lack of mobility probably forced him to become a better pocket passer. Put Manning in New England and they go undefeated for the last two years. Hell, probably three or four years.
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I'm not too sure about that. Not that I have doubts in Manning - he has absolute command of his offense, and is surrounded by some of the best skill players in the league. One intangible on his side is the dome, though. It's a lot easier to run the precise routes his offense demands when you are doing it on carpet.
His role in that offense is perfect. I believe he would be diminished in another system. The Joe Montana has been made that he was perfect for the West Coast Offense, and that was the key to his greatness. Would he have been among history's best in the "Run-and-Shoot", or a more traditional grind-it-out offense? Maybe, maybe not.
Most of the players in this league have athletic abilities that transcend what we can comprehend (not so fast, Brunell). The trick is either being in the system that highlights them, which Manning or Montana have had, or having a coaching staff that shapes his offense to the talents around him - a hallmark of Joe Gibbs in his first tenure with the Redskins. I'm hopeful that the improvement we've seen has been the result of three things:
- The players becoming comfortable with Coach Gibbs
- Coach Gibbs becoming comfortable with his players, and
- The adjustment to the speed and talent level of today's NFL.
Time will tell if I'm as smart as I think I am.