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Are there really 20 players better than Tom Brady? 11.05.10 at 3:34 pm ET
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FOXBORO — In the this day and age of immediate analysis and opinion, the mere mention of trying to rank the top 100 players in NFL history generates endless hours of discussion and debate.

Putting together a series interviewing players and coaches and having special “presenters” of each player is brilliant. Enter NFL Films.

The top 10 was announced on Thursday night and there was no Tom Brady (No. 21) but rather Peyton Manning ranked No. 8. Every Patriots fan will tell you the difference. Three titles for Brady, two Super Bowl MVPs, four Super Bowl appearances, the greatest single statistical season for a quarterback in NFL history (2007), an undefeated regular season and the second-best postseason record (14-4) in NFL history.

But Manning was rated 13 places higher with one Super Bowl title and a slew of offensive records since his breakthrough in 1999. Perhaps the strongest mark in Manning’s column is the remarkable run of winning regular seasons – at least 12 wins in seven straight seasons entering this year – with five already in 2010.

But Manning 8th, Brett Favre 20th and Brady 21st? Really? Bill Belichick offered the following perspective:

“Well when you get into the Hall of Fame conversations, what’s the criteria? Is it an outstanding season? Is it the longevity of the career? Is it a stat thing, which a lot of times it is versus what some players do that aren’t in stats. They are hitting values. Just how do you want to measure it? Probably all those 20 guys, you can probably take more than that and make a case for a lot of them. It just depends on what your criteria is, which I don’t even know what it was.”

All of which begs the following: What would be Belichick’s criteria?

“I don’t really have any criteria. I appreciate all of them and all their different roles. But to me, what difference does it make? Whether the guy is first or third or fourth, they’re all pretty special. In all honestly, I’ve spent a lot more time thinking about the Browns, trying to get ready for Cleveland. I think it’s a great thing that NFL Films did; I really do.”

Belichick made a presentation for the Top 100 but it wasn’t on Brady. It was on a player that played one year with Belichick’s late father – Slingin’ Sammy Baugh.

“I enjoyed the Sammy Baugh piece, that opportunity,” Belichick said. “You could put Sammy Baugh at the top of the list if you want to. Where can you find somebody that did what he did as well as he did it, in all three phases of the game? But that was a different era. It’s not really apples to apples. It’s a player in one era compared to a player in another era – it’s just not the same. But, I like Sammy’s style: quiet, under the radar, just went out there and did it, didn’t make a big deal about it and did it again.”

There were three defensive players and seven offensive. Manning was the only active player and there was one set of teammates, Jerry Rice (No. 1) and Joe Montana (No. 4.). Jim Brown was No. 2 and Lawrence Taylor was No. 3.

Belichick spoke very fondly of his personal relationship with Brown and praised Rice but said his perspective on both is very different.

“I definitely learned a lot from [Brown],” Belichick said. “Jerry Rice is kind of the opposite of that. I don’t really have any kind of relationship with Jerry other than playing against him. Obviously, he was a great player, great receiver on an offensive that was very productive.”

Before shutting down the “Greatest Show on Turf” and beating the 2001 St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI, one of Belichick’s greatest feats was scheming against Rice and Montana as the Giants defensive coordinator to win the NFC title in 1990 on the way to an improbable Super Bowl XXV championship.

“We had great battles with them,” Belichick said. “The 49ers and Jerry, they had some plays and some games against us that I am sure they are happy about and we had plenty against them that we did well in. It was a great competitive rivalry between the two teams, and Jerry Rice and Lawrence Taylor are probably two of the real – I mean, there were a lot of great players on both those teams, don’t get me wrong – but those were really two of the great players of that era that matched up on respective sides of the ball and added a lot of excitement to the game and the matchup.”

Jim Brown vs. Jerry Rice for honor of the greatest of all time or GOAT as Jon Gruden calls Rice.

“Two great players,” Belichick said. “I don’t even know who all the other ones are, but I am sure you can make a case for a lot of guys, but [there is] no doubt those two were pretty special.”

Read More: Brett Favre, Indianapolis Colts, Jerry Rice, Joe Montana Print  |  Bark It Up!  |  Digg It
  • Pissed out reader

    There’s no such thing as “begs the question”. Learn how to you the English language!

  • I’m not even a pats fan

    bradys not in the top 20 but mannings in the top 10? this list lost all credibility with that one it makes no sense. they want to put manning ahead because of stats and regular season wins?? who has 1st place for most touchdowns in a season and most wins?? better yet who had the best statistical season ever for a QB? if you want to put manning in the top 10 fine im not going to hate on the guy hes really good but if hes top 10 than brady is top 10

  • http://Enteryourwebsite... Trey

    No way Tom Brady should be ranked that low in the Top 100. The things that Tom Brady has been able to do throughout his career are amazing. Tom Brady has only played with 1 hall of fame receiver in his career so far (Randy Moss). Yet he still has very decent numbers throughout his career and is on pace to almost automatically pass Joe Montana’s numbers. Look at 2006. When Brady lost his number 1 receiver and was playing with number 2 receivers all year at best he took the Pats to the AFCCG. The next year when he finally got good receivers he had the best year a qb has ever had. The guy has 30 comebacks including 6 in the playoffs with a 14-4 playoff record! Compare that to Manning who is 9-9 in the playoffs including more interceptions than touchdowns the year he finally won! Also if you look at the numbers now at Brady’s pace he should finish in the top 10 in TD passes and yards. He is on pace to finish with most wins in regular season and playoffs. He has the highest win percentage a Top 6 passer rating highest TD to int ratio. That’s good for a qb who plays in a outdoor stadium in New England! Brady will get his respect 1 day.. Maybe after another trip to the SB people will appreciate his value!

  • MK

    yeah, i too want to give Peyton his due. He is a great quaterback and probably deserves the top 10 ranking but i think it atrocious that Tom wouldn’t be there as well. I mean i get why people are taken with Peyton, he is a difference maker on his team and is an incredible leader, etc with equally impressive stats in a number of categories. Peyton, this year is experiencing for the first time, what has been an ongoing reality for Tom…that is throwing to wide receivers and tight ends who are ok but not great.Even the most hardcore fans of both players have to admit that they are somewhat 1a and 1b in whatever order you prefer. Needless to say it is crazy to think that peyton would be 13 spots ahead. Terrible!

  • http://Enteryourwebsite... Trey

    I agree MK.. No way Peyton Manning should be 13 places ahead of Tom Brady! No way! Hopefully by the end of their careers people will be able to sort both of them out better.

  • JG

    Peyton has played longer and has had better averages per year, Brady will never pass Peyton is career numbers thats why Peyton is ahead of him. Oh yeah Peyton is a 4 time mvp and Brady isn’t.

    This isn’t about a single season, by the way Peyton’s ’04 was better than Brady’s 07(Peyton didnt play in the last two games but about 1 quarter total.)
    its about a career and focus on the individual player not his championship team…Brady didnt single-handedly win those SB’s he had a great def and 21 other guys contributed so sb’s cant really factor too much. Oh yeah Peyton has more 4th quarter comebacks as well…just saying.

  • Vincent

    LOL if you knew anything about football you’d clearly see the greatest winning percentage in the modern era, the greatest single season ever, 3 super bowls, 2 super bowl MVP’s, a league MVP, two winning streaks of over 18 games, the best playoff winning percentage and that’s just raw basic numbers, need we get into completion %, TD/INT ratio, and the only stat that matters Playoff performance vs Regular season performance, every one of those things belongs to Tom Brady and the last 3 Brady outperforms Manning in all of them, stop watching espn and watch the game of football and you’ll “Clearly” see what every coach and current player sees and that’s who’s better

  • JG

    every coach and current player? Mike Vick just called Peyton the greatest in the game…
    You don’t know football if you think a single player dictates playoff and sb wins

    stop being bitter that Peyton is better and move on….

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