The Never-Ending Debate: Brady vs. Manning
When it comes to the NFL, there are few debates that are as heated and ongoing as the one between Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. Both quarterbacks have had incredibly successful careers and will go down in history as two of the best to ever play the game. But the question remains: who was truly the better quarterback?
The argument has been raging for years, with fans and experts alike weighing in on the topic. While Brady may have more Super Bowl wins and head-to-head victories over Manning, that doesn’t necessarily mean he was the better QB. In fact, one former NFL legend seems to think that Manning may have had the edge.
In a recent appearance on “STAT Sports with Rob Lepelstat,” Pro Football Hall of Famer Ray Lewis shared his thoughts on the debate. And it seems he may have cast his vote for Manning.
“I would say from a quarterback — from a student level of the game — he made me alter my game,” Lewis said of Manning. “He made me watch more film and that’s what I call the greatest quarterback, to me, me and his battle. Brady, of course, rings, but when you talk about just walking out there and seeing a man knowing that whoof, here we go again, Peyton Manning was rough.”
Lewis, who is considered one of the best defensive players in NFL history, played against both Brady and Manning in their prime. He spent his entire 17-year career with the Baltimore Ravens, facing off against the two quarterbacks for 12 and 15 years, respectively.
But it wasn’t just Manning’s on-field performance that impressed Lewis. He was also in awe of the quarterback’s attention to detail and his ability to read and understand the game.
“The attention to detail, the way that he studied film, the way that he understood the offensive scheme and every check that he needed to make, every coverage, he knew what was coming,” Lewis said. “As a defensive player, I used to ask coordinators, ‘Why don’t defensive players know it the way quarterbacks know it?’ So I wanted to learn it like that.”
In fact, Manning’s style was so influential that Lewis even wanted to emulate it in his own game.
“That’s pretty much the ultimate compliment: Manning was so good that he made Lewis want to change his own game for the better,” Lewis said.
But that’s not to say that Brady’s style wasn’t impressive as well. Lewis described playing against Brady as a game of chess, with the quarterback patiently waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
“Playing against Brady was just pure chess. It was just patience,” Lewis said. “He’s going to make you bored, bored, bored and then BOP, gotcha.”
Ultimately, Lewis made sure to point out that both Brady and Manning are two of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game. And as a former opponent, he knows firsthand just how legendary they truly are.
The Final Verdict
As Lewis’ final season in the NFL came to a close in 2012, he had the opportunity to face both Brady and Manning in the playoffs. His Ravens emerged victorious in both games, ultimately winning the Super Bowl against the San Francisco 49ers. And it seems fitting that Lewis, who faced off against both quarterbacks in the final stretch of his Hall of Fame career, has finally weighed in on the never-ending debate.
So who was the better quarterback? It’s a question that may never have a definitive answer. But one thing is for sure: both Brady and Manning will go down in history as two of the greatest to ever play the game, and their rivalry will continue to be a topic of debate for years to come.
