Manning's play this year

Now I'm going to compare Manning's current season to the previous seasons of an anonymous "QB B"

Completion %:  Manning 64.2%.  QB B has never finished a season with a completion % above 64%

Yards: Peyton is on pace for 4133 yards. QB B has only one 3800+ yard season before this year and threw for 4110 yards that year, less than Peyton's current pace.

TDs: Manning 27 in 13 games  QB B has thrown for less TDs in 4 of his last 6 full seasons, the other two he threw for 28TDs

INTs: Manning 13   QB B has three 14 INT seasons,
his other 3 he threw 12

Yards per attempt   Manning 7.9  QB B's best season is 7.8  and has 7.2Y/A for his career.

If this season for Peyton means he is an ordinary Quarterback then "QB B" was clearly a below average player over the last six years.

I really hope your joking..your post is actually pretty funny.."Brady:  Yikes, Coach, I've never had to score a touchdown to win a big game.  I think were in trouble.  This is the first time when I've had to try to score a TD or we lose the game."  That is quite funny since Brady has won 25 (TWENTY FIVE) games when the score was tied or the Pats were trailing in the 4th quarter...Sooo big games or not ( which by the way is kinda stupid and talking like a "homer") since every game is considered a "big" game by the players -- I would assume every player wants to win every week..I bet the Colts considered the games against the Chargers and the Pats this year pretty "big". I blame nothing on the caliber of the Pats receivers..Brady has won three Super Bowls with a mix and match of great defense and Medocre receivers...any wide receiver in the NFL has to be half way decent to be on the field anyway.The Pats lost last year because Indy was the better team. Their defense was younger and quicker and the Pats defense couldn't stop one of the most prolific offenses in the NFL history. Manning is a great quarterback and he has always had Harrison to catch his passes, that takes nothing away from Manning..he'd find a way to win just like he is this season no matter who is the receiver. Brady is similar, he has always had Troy Brown ( a good veteran receiver) to catch his passes , if not Brown then someone else -- P.S. I am in no way comparing Harrison and Brown, just pointing out two receivers who have "helped the QBs along the way. Brady has found ways to win big games, as Manning has. I think that players are as good as the team around them.  Look at Favre's resurgence for proof of that, wasn't he going to retire last yr??? The same mantra the Colts and the fans take on today is the same mantra the Pats took on for years before Kraft did some early xmas shopping -- the disrespect, underestimating, "this is the week" they lose or get exposed card.  It's great for football, it makes the games some of the best ever played, and it makes for some great trash talking. Keep up the good work here and I'll keep reading.

The Pats and the Colts take a fundamentally different approach to how they stock their teams. The Pats, up until very recently, have been a defensive run-oriented team. That means you need a good, veteran defense, a good running game, and WRs that are just good enough to keep the other team honest. The Colts have been predicated on an offensive pass-oriented team. They need playmakers at the skill positions, excellent protection, and a defense that can keep the other team from scoring.

The two philosophies are pretty much completely opposite. The Colts have to place much more stock in the draft than the Patriots do, because whiffing on a first round pick would be disastrous. Moreover, they rely on the later rounds for so many of their starters, even very late round picks can become critical. The Patriots use the draft to bring in future talent. They rely more on free agency and trades to bring in veteran players, and rely on clubhouse chemistry to keep it all together.

Moreover, you can't use the "Brady has never had Colts-caliber WRs" argument, because neither of them had anything to do with it. Marvin was there before Peyton was, and the Pats have always had a revolving door at WR. You build a team based on your philosophy, and on your available pool of talent. Franchise WRs are like franchise QBs and RBs: if they hit the market, there's usually a reason.

have been very cordial and enjoyable to interact with on here as of late. It's probably easier to do while they are so dominant (though someone should explain that to Bill) than after coming short like last year. Probably the hostilities we're used to experiencing from them were bitter lashbacks from that experience. Now they can enjoy things again and be kind from the top.

Who knows why, but they have removed some of the bitter edge in me by their objectivity lately, even at times when some of us have lacked it. Of course, I've long stopped reading bogus forums like PatsPulpit, so that probaly helps.

Bottom line, I understand how they feel now. Winning it all does not quench the thirst. You want it more than ever. That's why that playoff loss hurt them so much last year. There's no way anyone says," We've won enough lately, so that's okay. We're glad they get their turn now."

The proof lies with us. Most Colts fans I know, including me, wanted to win badly and were heartsick by the shortcomings. We hated the Patriots beating us, but respected the fact that they were a great team. Now that we've beaten them more lately, particularly the playoffs last year, we dislike them more than ever and hate the losses more than ever. Winning never satisfies, does it?

We will go down in history as the two greatest teams of this era, with the two greatest coaches and the two greatest QBs. What a great rivalry!