Tom Brady (NE) vs. Eli Manning (NYG)
2011 Stats
Tom Brady 66% comp pct, 5,235 yds, 39 TD, 12 INT
Eli Manning 61% comp pct, 4,933 yds, 29 TD, 16 INT
Tom Brady has been considered one of the NFL's elite Quarterbacks for the last decade. At the beginning of the season, Eli Manning was asked if he was in that same elite status. Eli replied yes and the talking head scoffed at the notion that Eli was elite. Well guess what? Eli Manning is on the verge of winning his 2nd Super Bowl title, which would make him 1 of 3 active QBs with multiple rings. But Tom Brady has 3 and is looking for his 4th, which would make him just 1 of 3 QBs in history with 4 rings. Of course Manning won his 1st Super Bowl over Tom Brady and the Patriots following the 2007 season. You can bet that Brady hasn't forgotten about that night. It should be fun to watch them duel again in the house that Manning built - albeit Eli's brother Peyton.
Tom Brady has been brilliant since the day he became New England's starting QB way back in 2001. This season was no different as he passed for the 2nd highest total amount of yards in NFL history. He also had better than a 3:1 TD to INT ratio. Brady was terrific, in tying another NFL record with 6 TD against Denver in the Divisional round. He struggled a bit with the Ravens last week, but still did enough to allow the Patriots the chance go to the Super Bowl. Simply put, Brady is on a short list of men who could be arguably the best QB in NFL history. A win in Super Bowl XLVI would give Tom Terrific the most postseason wins by any QB to ever play the game.
Eli Manning is finally stepping out of big brother's shadow. He has shown tremendous poise this year in passing for the most 4th Quarter TDs in the league and leading the Giants from 7-7 at one point to the Super Bowl. Eli's magnificence has gotten the Giants to this point. The Giants had to overcome a poor effort from their defense and and a non-existent running game throughout much of the season. That's where Eli helped save their playoff hopes. Now that the defense and the running game are performing well, the G-Men are as formidable as ever. From the start of this season, Eli has been on a mission to silence his critics. It resulted in him passing for almost 5,000 yards and 29 TD. He is definitely moving himself into that elite status. A win on February 5, would allow him to join Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger as the only active QBs with multiple rings. Notice that his older brother Peyton is mentioned in that category.
The way Eli has played this season, it would be easy for me to say that the Giants have the advantage at QB over most teams in the league. But not the one they are playing in Super Bowl XLVI. Truth be told, nobody has an advantage over the Patriots at this position. Tom Brady is without a doubt one of the all-time greats. As good as Eli has been, he is no Brady. New England certainly has an advantage at this position.
Advantage - New England
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