"Gather round, children. Tonight's story is unlike any you have heard in my 'NFL History Before Bedtime' series. Tis a story of pride, accomplishment, and respect."
I quit writing right after this first part. I was going to do a cutesy thing about an old man reading the story of Brady-Manning to some kids, and a child asking at the very end, "So...it's just like last night's story of Montana-Marino, only if Montana had slightly better stats and Marino had better toys and one championship?", followed by something stupid and nihilistic about how this is all just radio and TV fodder, and how too many extenuating circumstances cloud the debate, and why we care so much about two guys who are never on the field at the same time except to shake hands.
Then my classes got canceled and I did this:
BREAKING DOWN THE RIVALRY
Criteria: A "great game" is what it says--great. Efficient, masterful orchestration of the offense; above-average statistics (achieved in the flow-of-the-game); and no team-killing mistakes (with no more than one interception, unless a fantastic game-winning drive is involved). The player was game-planned against by professional coaches and players, yet no defensive scheme or tactic could stop them. (Note: The player's team cannot be blown out if they play a "great game".)
A "decent game" is a performance just good enough to keep your team in the game; running a run-oriented offense efficiently; "managing the game"; nothing spectacular; or so-so statistics (or fantastic statistics with just maybe one too many mistakes, or fantastic statistics that don't necessarily translate to points on the board).
A "bad game" is if a player with even a half-decent performance played instead, the game would perhaps have a different outcome; horrible statistics; a player "shits the bed"; in extreme cases, "Jake Delhomme-esque".
A "defining drive" is when the player leads his team on a game-winning drive (usually in the fourth quarter or overtime).
A "choke job" is when the player has an opportunity to lead his team on a game-winning or game-tying drive (always in the fourth quarter or overtime) and fails to do so, via a stupid decision, costly mistake, or poor performance.
Sept. 30, 2001 -- Pats 44, Colts 13
Obviously, a laugher for New England.
MANNING
20-34, 196 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT, 1 rushing TD
BRADY
13-23, 168 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT
HERO
Um, Mark Rypien? He got into the game late for Indy and went 5-7 for 57 yards.
GOAT
Manning. Out of his three interceptions, two were returned for touchdowns.
RECORD
1-0 New England
QB COMPARISON
0 Great Games for Manning, 0 Great Games for Brady
0 Decent Games for Manning, 1 Decent Games for Brady
1 Bad Games for Manning, 0 Bad Games for Brady
0 Defining Drives for Manning, 0 Defining Drives for Brady
0 Choke Jobs for Manning, 0 Choke Jobs for Brady
Stats - Manning (59% COMPLETION PERCENTAGE, 196 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT, 1 RTD); Brady (57% COMPLETION PERCENTAGE, 168 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT, 0 RTD)
Oct. 21, 2001 -- Pats 38, Colts 17
Ah, the days when they were in the same division and played twice a year.
MANNING
22-34, 335 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT
BRADY
16-20, 202 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT
HERO
Brady. Stellar performance.
GOAT
None.
RECORD
2-0 New England
QB COMPARISON
0 Great Games for Manning, 1 Great Games for Brady
1 Decent Games for Manning, 1 Decent Games for Brady
1 Bad Games for Manning, 0 Bad Games for Brady
0 Defining Drives for Manning, 0 Defining Drives for Brady
0 Choke Jobs for Manning, 0 Choke Jobs for Brady
Stats - Manning (67% COMPLETION PERCENTAGE, 531 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT, 1 RTD); Brady (67% COMPLETION PERCENTAGE, 370 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT, 0 RTD)
Nov. 30, 2003 -- Pats 38, Colts 34
Willie McGinest and Bethel Johnson won this game for the Pats.
MANNING
29-48, 278 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT
BRADY
26-35, 236 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
HERO
McGinest/Johnson. Willie's faked injury stalling tactic/goal line stand was a heads-up sequence, and Johnson's kick returns were huge.
GOAT
The Colts goal-line offensive play-calling.
RECORD
3-0 New England
QB COMPARISON
1 Great Games for Manning, 1 Great Games for Brady
1 Decent Games for Manning, 2 Decent Games for Brady
1 Bad Games for Manning, 0 Bad Games for Brady
0 Defining Drives for Manning, 0 Defining Drives for Brady
0 Choke Jobs for Manning, 0 Choke Jobs for Brady
Stats - Manning (67% COMPLETION PERCENTAGE, 809 yards, 6 TD, 4 INT, 1 RTD); Brady (71% COMPLETION PERCENTAGE, 606 yards, 5 TD, 2 INT, 0 RTD)
(Note: This one was tough. While Brady completed a ridiculous 74% of his passes and won the game, his average yards per attempt was only seven, and he had two interceptions. Decent is an understatement, but great is a little too strong.)
Jan. 18, 2004 (Playoffs) -- Pats 24, Colts 14
Brady wins with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line.
MANNING
23-47, 237 yards, 1 TD, 4 INT
BRADY
22-37, 237 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
HERO
Ty Law had three of Manning's four interceptions.
GOAT
Manning. Four interceptions in a playoff game is hard to swallow.
RECORD
4-0 New England
QB COMPARISON
1 Great Games for Manning, 2 Great Games for Brady
1 Decent Games for Manning, 2 Decent Games for Brady
2 Bad Games for Manning, 0 Bad Games for Brady
0 Defining Drives for Manning, 0 Defining Drives for Brady
1 Choke Jobs for Manning, 0 Choke Jobs for Brady
Stats - Manning (65% COMPLETION PERCENTAGE, 1,046 yards, 7 TD, 8 INT, 1 RTD); Brady (72% COMPLETION PERCENTAGE, 843 yards, 6 TD, 3 INT, 0 RTD)
Sept. 9, 2004 -- Pats 27, Colts 24
Red zone mistakes doom the Colts.
MANNING
16-29, 256 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
BRADY
26-38, 335 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT
HERO
Brady. He spread the ball around nicely to seven different receivers.
GOAT
Edgerrin James. Although he had 142 yards rushing, Edge fumbled twice in the red zone.
RECORD
5-0 New England
QB COMPARISON
1 Great Games for Manning, 3 Great Games for Brady
2 Decent Games for Manning, 2 Decent Games for Brady
2 Bad Games for Manning, 0 Bad Games for Brady
0 Defining Drives for Manning, 0 Defining Drives for Brady
1 Choke Jobs for Manning, 0 Choke Jobs for Brady
Stats - Manning (61% COMPLETION PERCENTAGE, 1,302 yards, 9 TD, 9 INT, 1 RTD); Brady (69% COMPLETION PERCENTAGE, 1,178 yards, 9 TD, 4 INT, 0 RTD)
Jan. 16, 2005 (Playoffs) -- Pats 20, Colts 3
A historic offensive season for the Colts ends with a whisper.
MANNING
27-42, 238 yards, 1 INT
BRADY
18-27, 144 yards, 1 TD, 1 rushing TD
HERO
Corey Dillon ran for 144 yards for the Pats, who seemed to have the ball the entire game.
GOAT
Dominic Rhodes. His stripped ball by Teddy Bruschi was symbolic for the game as a whole.
RECORD
6-0 New England
QB COMPARISON
1 Great Games for Manning, 3 Great Games for Brady
2 Decent Games for Manning, 3 Decent Games for Brady
3 Bad Games for Manning, 0 Bad Games for Brady
0 Defining Drives for Manning, 0 Defining Drives for Brady
1 Choke Jobs for Manning, 0 Choke Jobs for Brady
Stats - Manning (61% COMPLETION PERCENTAGE, 1,540 yards, 9 TD, 10 INT, 1 RTD); Brady (69% COMPLETION PERCENTAGE, 1,322 yards, 10 TD, 4 INT, 1 RTD)
Nov. 7, 2005 -- Colts 40, Pats 21
The first Colt victory in the Manning-Brady rivalry.
MANNING
28-37, 321 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT
BRADY
22-33, 265 yards, 3 TD
HERO
Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne combined for 18 receptions, 252 yards, and 3 TDs, while James ran for 104 yards with one TD.
GOAT
Doug Flutie. The Patriot backup was 3-7 for 20 yards.
RECORD
6-1 New England
QB COMPARISON
2 Great Games for Manning, 3 Great Games for Brady
2 Decent Games for Manning, 4 Decent Games for Brady
3 Bad Games for Manning, 0 Bad Games for Brady
0 Defining Drives for Manning, 0 Defining Drives for Brady
1 Choke Jobs for Manning, 0 Choke Jobs for Brady
Stats - Manning (63% COMPLETION PERCENTAGE, 1,861 yards, 12 TD, 11 INT, 1 RTD); Brady (68% COMPLETION PERCENTAGE, 1,587 yards, 13 TD, 4 INT, 1 RTD)
Nov. 5, 2006 -- Colts 27, Pats 20
Indy makes it two in a row.
MANNING
20-36, 326 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
BRADY
20-35, 201 yards, 4 INT
HERO
Marvin Harrison had two touchdowns, including a twirling one-hander which is in the running for Greatest Catch of All Time.
GOAT
Brady. While some of his interceptions were off the hands of his receivers (including the last drive) the dude still had four picks in a close game.
RECORD
6-2 New England
QB COMPARISON
3 Great Games for Manning, 3 Great Games for Brady
2 Decent Games for Manning, 4 Decent Games for Brady
3 Bad Games for Manning, 1 Bad Games for Brady
0 Defining Drives for Manning, 0 Defining Drives for Brady
1 Choke Jobs for Manning, 1 Choke Jobs for Brady
Stats - Manning (57% COMPLETION PERCENTAGE, 2,187 yards, 14 TD, 12 INT, 1 RTD); Brady (59% COMPLETION PERCENTAGE, 1,788 yards, 13 TD, 8 INT, 1 RTD)
Jan. 21, 2007 (Playoffs) -- Colts 38, Pats 34
The greatest conference finals comeback of all time.
MANNING
27-47, 349 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 1 rushing TD
BRADY
21-34, 232 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
HERO
Too many to name, but we'll go with Manning. The Patriots simply had no answer in the second half.
GOAT
Reche Caldwell/Tom Brady. Although possessing the largest eyes in NFL history, Caldwell dropped two gimmes that might have sealed the deal for the Pats. Brady, on the other hand, was given the ball with a chance to win and threw a pick to Marlin Jackson.
Record
6-3 New England
QB COMPARISON
4 Great Games for Manning, 3 Great Games for Brady
2 Decent Games for Manning, 5 Decent Games for Brady
3 Bad Games for Manning, 1 Bad Games for Brady
1 Defining Drives for Manning, 0 Defining Drives for Brady
1 Choke Jobs for Manning, 2 Choke Jobs for Brady
Stats - Manning (62% COMPLETION PERCENTAGE, 2,536 yards, 15 TD, 13 INT, 2 RTD); Brady (67% COMPLETION PERCENTAGE, 2,020 yards, 14 TD, 9 INT, 1 RTD)
Nov. 4, 2007 -- Pats 24, Colts 20
The Pats stay unbeaten by realizing Randy Moss is much, much better than the shitty Tim Jennings.
MANNING
16-27, 225 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 1 rushing TD
BRADY
21-32, 255 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT
HERO
Randy Moss. The Pats scored two TDs in the fourth quarter to complete the comeback.
GOAT
Tim Jennings. Dude's shadow can't cover the sidewalk in the summertime.
RECORD
7-3 New England
QB COMPARISON
4 Great Games for Manning, 4 Great Games for Brady
3 Decent Games for Manning, 5 Decent Games for Brady
3 Bad Games for Manning, 1 Bad Games for Brady
1 Defining Drives for Manning, 1 Defining Drives for Brady
1 Choke Jobs for Manning, 2 Choke Jobs for Brady
Stats - Manning (62% COMPLETION PERCENTAGE, 2,761 yards, 16 TD, 14 INT, 2 RTD); Brady (66% COMPLETION PERCENTAGE, 2,275 yards, 17 TD, 11 INT, 1 RTD)
Nov. 2, 2008 -- NULL (Brady Injury)
Nov. 15, 2009 -- Colts 35, Pats 34
A comeback for the ages.
MANNING
28-44 yards, 327 yards, 4 TD, 2 INT
BRADY
29-42 yards, 375 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT
HERO
Manning. Another furious second half comeback.
GOAT
Bill Belichick. The 4th and 2 Heard Round the World.
RECORD
7-4 New England
QB COMPARISON
5 Great Games for Manning, 5 Great Games for Brady
3 Decent Games for Manning, 5 Decent Games for Brady
3 Bad Games for Manning, 1 Bad Games for Brady
2 Defining Drives for Manning, 1 Defining Drives for Brady
1 Choke Jobs for Manning, 3 Choke Jobs for Brady
Stats - Manning (61% COMPLETION PERCENTAGE, 3,088 yards, 20 TD, 16 INT, 2 RTD); Brady (66% COMPLETION PERCENTAGE, 2,650 yards, 20 TD, 12 INT, 1 RTD)
Nov. 21, 2010 -- Pats 31, Colts 28
Didn't feel this close until the end.
MANNING
38-52, 396 yards, 4 TD, 3 INT
BRADY
19-25, 186 yards, 2 TD
HERO
James Sanders. The defensive back came up with the deciding interception in the late seconds.
GOAT
Manning. Although he threw for 396 yards and 4 TDs, that last pick lost the Colts the game.
FINAL RECORD (as of this writing)
8-4 New England
FINAL QB COMPARISON (as of this writing)
5 Great Games for Manning, 5 Great Games for Brady
4 Decent Games for Manning, 6 Decent Games for Brady
3 Bad Games for Manning, 1 Bad Games for Brady
2 Defining Drives for Manning, 1 Defining Drives for Brady
2 Choke Jobs for Manning, 3 Choke Jobs for Brady
Stats - Manning (62% COMPLETION PERCENTAGE, 3,484 yards, 24 TD, 19 INT, 2 RTD); Brady (66% COMPLETION PERCENTAGE, 2,836 yards, 22 TD, 12 INT, 1 RTD)
WHAT THESE NUMBERS MEAN
First of all, is all this accurate? Many people might say Brady's performance last night should qualify as "great". Extenuating circumstances (like two different receivers dropping first downs in the fourth) came to play, and perhaps he should have. Other people, such as myself, would say, "Well, he really should have put the Colts away in the fourth quarter, and the Pats offense almost choked the game away", while an altogether different group might say, "Get a life, faggot." I tend to agree with the last group.
So really, what does all this mean? Um...
Isn't this just like last night's story of Montana vs. Marino?
