Yeah everyone’s saying Denver choked, etc. Denver got dominated. Give credit where credit is due. The Broncos did make a few mistakes, especially the safety, but mainly they just got rolled by a vastly superior team. Even the head coach admitted they ran into a buzz saw, that’s pretty much all there is to say about that.
Edit: Just saw the game was tied for the 3rd worst SB drubbing in history with a 35 point spread, ouch. Denver was involved in 3 out of the top 4, all on the losing side. Stop blaming Peyton, this is just what the Broncos do.
Many enjoy stepping on successful people as soon as they slip.
Peyton is the greatest I’ve seen in my lifetime. If I had to start a franchise and had the choice to draft any player in the last 20 years in their prime, I would draft Peyton. I’ll glady let others draft Big Ben just because “he has 2 SB rings”.
I think Manning did a mistake by choosing the Broncos instead of the 49ers. Broncos gave him the platform to put up record setting numbers, but the 49ers would have given him a better opportunity to win. With that defense and running game, all he had to do was become a game manager.
Most will probably agree that Peyton is the best QB of all-time to win a single SB. No one with any sense is going to argue that Roethlisberger is better.
But it’s those that argue he is the best of all-time that have it wrong. Frankly, I don’t even think he is the best QB of his own era (I’d take Brady over him in a heartbeat to win a big game).
Re: Former Traders Link: (quote function isn’t working correctly)
Relatively meaningless statistic. You can’t fault some of these quarterbacks for having a better team than Manning has had and not had the opportunity for as many 4th quarter comebacks. Maybe a better stat would be to somehow normalize that number with the opportunities for comebacks in the 4th quarter.
I disagree. Brady has had a better coach, better corporate culture, and better supporting cast than Peyton.
Look at what happened when Brady was out for a year. Pats won 11 games (but strangely, missed the playoffs).
Look at what happened when Peyton was out for a year. Colts lost 13 in a row, and might be the 4th worst team in NFL history (behind 08 Lions, 74 Bucs, and 89 Cowboys)
EDIT - and I don’t know if 74 Bucs and 89 Cowboys count. The Bucs were an expansion team and the Cowboys were trying to lose.
Better supporting cast??? When Peyton won, he had the luxury of being able to throw to any of Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark. Brady’s receivers during his SB run…Troy Brown, David Givens, David Patten. Neither team had much of a running game, but the difference at the WR position is very significant.
Better coach? I guess it’s debatable, but Tony Dungy was a great coach. I respect Bellichek, but I also think he’s a cheater, so I don’t particularly like him.
None of these arguments matter because everyone knows Manning had a terrible supporting cast and still managed to beat Brady head’s up (twice) - I mean David Tyree’s not even in the NFL anymore.
Brady hasn’t won the big game in 10 years. He is 8-8 in the playoffs since he started 10-0. He lost twice in the SB despite being the heavy favorite both times. He had 2 terrible games vs the Ravens at home in the playoffs ( January 2010 and 2013) and a horrible 1 and out home playoff game vs the Jets in January 2011. Does that not count?
Brady has been average at best in the playoffs since January 2005. During his prime: no magic, no greatness.
^Basically you’re saying that Brady set the bar so high by winning his first 3 Super Bowls that his recent playoff record is disappointing. So his playoff record is 18-8, that’s freaking amazing. It’s certainly better than Peyton, who is now below .500 in his career playoff record. That’s really my point, Brady over Peyton.
Brady gets penalized in a way b/c his greatest success was so early in his career.
^ That’s not my point. My point is that Brady has done zilch in a decade in the playoffs. I’m not comparing him to his first 4 years. If you take his last 10 years independently, he has been a below average playoff performer. Not good or great, but average.