"He's looking for the one player that I can get out of position" - Shannon Sharpe agrees that Peyton Manning was more difficult to prepare for than Tom Brady
The Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning rivalry was one for the ages during their time together in the NFL. They are arguably the two best signal-callers to ever play the position.
Former NFL linebacker Bart Scott recently restocked the flames of the rivalry with the following comments made on ESPN Radio:
"I'd much rather go against Tom Brady every day of the week than to go against Peyton Manning. I believe that's how everybody feels. In the heyday, you'd never have (players thinking), 'I'm so afraid of Tom Brady.' Peyton Manning gives you a total sense, a different level of anxiety. You sleep at night, like, 'Damn!' With Tom Brady, it was more about Bill Belichick, the entire team, the execution, and them having a game plan."
Shannon Sharpe, co-host of the FOX Sports show Undisputed, recently agreed with Scott on his take on the two legendary quarterbacks. Here's what Sharpe had to say:
"[Bart Scott] said that Tom Brady is a system quarterback and Peyton Manning is the system. He's not saying that Peyton Manning is a better quarterback. He said it's more difficult to prepare for him because Peyton is playing chess. He's looking for the one player that I can get out of position and take advantage of that. Tom is going to take the play that is given to him and he's going to make it work to absolute perfection."
.@BartScott57 talks about the difference between playing Tom Brady vs Peyton Manning:
"I'd rather play against Tom Brady every day of the week than go against Peyton Manning!" https://t.co/aq2ZVE3JuZ
The rivalry, at least in the eyes of many fans and NFL debaters, has now taken on a new life. TB12 holds an 11-6 edge in direct wins against Manning.
However, "The Sheriff" went 6-5 over TB12 for the last 11 head-to-head matchups.
Could Peyton Manning have won the same number of Super Bowls if he was the Patriots' QB instead of Tom Brady?
Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are in the NFL history books for multiple reasons. One is that they are the all-time quarterback-head coach duo with the most wins at 249.
Together, they captured six Super Bowl titles, and Brady clinched yet another with head coach Bruce Arians as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The recent comments from Bart Scott beg the question of whether Peyton Manning could have won less, more, or the same number of Super Bowl titles if he played for the New England Patriots instead of the seven-time Super Bowl champion?
Of course, this is purely hypothetical, but it is interesting to investigate. Team success is somewhat different than individual success.
Some are firmly entrenched in the belief that Tom Brady is a much better quarterback than Manning based solely on the number of Super Bowl wins.
The opposing argument, however, is that Manning did not have the caliber of head coach and defensive players that the Patriots had.
Manning has a record five NFL MVP awards and holds the record for the most passing yards in a season with 5,477 in 2013, which was just three years before his retirement.
Scott's argument was based not upon the better quarterback but the one most difficult to prepare for. The Sheriff was known for manipulating defenses with his ability to make adjustments at the line of scrimmage.
Despite their on-field rivalry, the two are friends and often take light-hearted jabs at each other, as Manning did during his Hall of Fame Enshrinement in Canton, Ohio.
: #PFHOF21 Enshrinement on @nflnetworkAnother classic Manning-Brady moment.
@TomBrady
📺: #PFHOF21 Enshrinement on @nflnetwork https://t.co/r03kVcEBhw
No matter which dog you have in this race, it's easy to recognize that both quarterbacks are a safe bet to win any game at any time.
If you use any of the quotes above, please credit ESPN Radio, Undisputed, and H/T Sportskeeda.