Staubach, Marino, and Manning, oh my!
Most of this post emerged as an email response to the classic QB debate: does Brady and Manning compare to Montana and Marino. A friend of mine likes to compare Manning to Roger Staubach. Staubach's passer rating record does relate to Manning, though I still think style of play connects closer to Marino (deep ball, powerful arm, gazillion passing yards). Here's why I would never compare Staubach to Manning: Career TD to Interception Ration, Staubach 153-109 over 12 seasons (about 13 TD's a season); Manning 269-189. Peyton Manning has never thrown fewer than 26 TD's in a season. Staubach made it to 26 only once. Marino's ratio? 420-252. Until the last few years of his career, Marino was automatic for 25 TD's a season (and is the only QB besides Peyton to throw for more than 40 in a season--Marino did it twice).
What separates Marino and Manning, besides the obvious SB victory, is that Dan never learned to take what a defense gave him and never believed he needed a running game. When Peyton handed the ball off to beat the Pats at the end of the
AFC championship game, that was a revealing moment showing how much he had matured. I think the KC game was an even better example--after three picks on "Marino" type plays (deep post plays that make for great highlight TD's but
risky INTs, see also Brett Farve), Peyton quietly threw for 22 of 25 and moved the chains with short passes and dumps to the flat. He never would have done that two years ago--in those games, the more frustrated he became, the more he
tried to force the big play. Now he is a truly dangerous QB, and in my humble opinion, the 3rd greatest of all time (Montana, Brady, Manning, Elway, Marino). That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
I am simply stunned that the Bears are this committed to a young QB who shows absolutely no ability to read a zone defense. None. Throws the ball to defenders who are staring at him. Great against man-to-man, useless against a zone (the
deep interception in the fourth quarter was the best proof of this--the receiver had beaten the man coverage, but Rex looked oblivious that there was a strong safety on the field. D'oh). I don't know what Brian Griese did to piss off Lovie Smith, but it must have been bad. Real bad.
What separates Marino and Manning, besides the obvious SB victory, is that Dan never learned to take what a defense gave him and never believed he needed a running game. When Peyton handed the ball off to beat the Pats at the end of the
AFC championship game, that was a revealing moment showing how much he had matured. I think the KC game was an even better example--after three picks on "Marino" type plays (deep post plays that make for great highlight TD's but
risky INTs, see also Brett Farve), Peyton quietly threw for 22 of 25 and moved the chains with short passes and dumps to the flat. He never would have done that two years ago--in those games, the more frustrated he became, the more he
tried to force the big play. Now he is a truly dangerous QB, and in my humble opinion, the 3rd greatest of all time (Montana, Brady, Manning, Elway, Marino). That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
I am simply stunned that the Bears are this committed to a young QB who shows absolutely no ability to read a zone defense. None. Throws the ball to defenders who are staring at him. Great against man-to-man, useless against a zone (the
deep interception in the fourth quarter was the best proof of this--the receiver had beaten the man coverage, but Rex looked oblivious that there was a strong safety on the field. D'oh). I don't know what Brian Griese did to piss off Lovie Smith, but it must have been bad. Real bad.
posted by Insignificant Wrangler at 9:11 AM
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