While Tom Brady is widely considered to be the greatest NFL quarterback of all time, Von Miller argued that one of his former Denver Broncos teammates deserves that title. The Washington Commanders’ future Hall of Fame pass rusher recently shared his thoughts when it comes to the quarterback GOAT debate.
“Obviously, there’s gonna be a debate between Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, who was the best,” Miller recently said on the Glory Daze Podcast. “For me, it’ll always be Peyton Manning. He changed the quarterback position [in terms of] changing the play. He wasn’t scrambling or doing none of that stuff. He did it all with his arm, and it was beautiful, man.”
While controversial, Miller’s opinion has some merit to it. Manning, after all, is the only player in NFL history to win league MVP five times. His 5,477 passing yards and 55 touchdown passes in 2013 remain single-season records. Manning was also the first starting quarterback to win Super Bowls with multiple franchises, doing so first with the Colts in 2006 before he teamed up with Miller in 2015 to help the Broncos win Super Bowl 50 in what was the final game of his Hall of Fame career.
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In terms of head-to-head matchups, Brady’s teams posted an 11-6 record against Manning-led teams. Manning, however, was 3-1 against Brady in AFC Championship games. He won both of his AFC title game matchups against Brady during his years with the Broncos. Miller played a big role in Manning’s final win over Brady in the 2015 AFC title game as he filled the stat sheet with 2.5 sacks, an interception, five tackles (including two for loss), a pass breakup and four quarterback hits.
When comparing the two quarterbacks, championships and longevity are the biggest differences. Brady won a record seven Super Bowls, while Manning won two of his four trips to the big game. A neck injury forced Manning to retire before his 40th birthday, whereas Brady won his final two Super Bowls after turning 40.
One advantage Manning has is his impact on the quarterback position in terms of pre-snap. Manning, because of his obsessive study habits, brought a keen understanding of opposing defenses, which led him to routinely change the play at the line of scrimmage. He traditionally broke the huddle with two or more other options in terms of play calls. While rare at the time, those actions have now become almost commonplace in the NFL.
In a lot of ways, the Manning-Brady debate is similar to the famous golf rivalry between Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer. Like Brady, Nicklaus won a record-setting number of championships and enjoyed a historically long prime. Manning, like Palmer, made an impact on his sport that is second to none.
Outside of the debate, Miller shared another Manning trait that led to him having a deep respect for his former teammate.
“He’s so humble,” Miller said. “He knew every single guy in the facility, whether it was the janitors, all the coaches. He had a personal relationship with everybody. He was truly the first person in the building. Whenever you pulled up, you’d see his Buick because he had the Buick deal. I had a fundraiser event for Von’s Vision, he was there. He was all about his guys, all about his teammates.”