Peyton Manning and Drew Brees - a Question of Legacy

Here we are, a week or so after the Super Bowl, and the word "legacy" keeps cropping up with regard to Peyton Manning.

Can we please take a break?

First of all, Manning is still crafting his legacy. He's not done playing yet, not even close. We have no idea what the next few years of his career will look like.

On one hand, he might continue to be the brightest light that this franchise has had since Johnny Unitas wore a crew cut. On the other, age might finally begin to become a factor and he becomes just another guy. He might win three more Super Bowls. He may never go to the Super Bowl again. We don't know yet.

Think about it: Dan Marino went to the Super Bowl in his second season. Anyone trying to forecast his legacy at that point might have assumed that he'd be back again, and they'd have been dead wrong.

What about John Elway? At one point in his career, his "legacy" was similar to the legacies of Fran Tarkenton or Jim Kelly. He was on the wrong end of three historic Super Bowl blowouts. He was a prolific regular season guy who couldn't get it done when it mattered most. Then he wins consecutive Super Bowls in his last two seasons and he's remembered as one of the best of the best.

While the championship argument has some validity, we must also be very careful not to use it as the ultimate ruler. After all, both Ben Roethlisberger and Jim McMahon have two Super Bowl rings, and I would still take Kurt Warner and his lone victory over either of them. Eli Manning has one championship ring, but Philip Rivers is a superior quarterback. Jim Plunkett has two championships with the Raiders and he's not even the franchise's best QB (that would be Kenny "The Snake" Stabler).

Besides, if championships are to be final arbiter, then the argument for the greatest quarterback has already been settled, and its not even close. Bart Starr's Packers made the playoffs six times. He won the NFL championship three times. Then, when the leagues merged, he won the first two Super Bowls. That's five titles in six playoff appearances.

No one remembers Starr in their barstool arguments, but my point is this: we can't predict a legacy in the middle of its forging.

In San Diego, Drew Brees was good, even pretty good. If we'd tried to forecast his legacy after his first Pro Bowl season, we might have figured him for an eventual Super Bowl appearance, but we'd have put him behind Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Ben Roethlisberger, without question.

In New Orleans, Brees has been better than everyone in the league for the last four seasons. He's thrown more passes for more yards and more TDs than any other starter during that period. With this Super Bowl championship on his resume, Brees has forced himself into the argument for the league's best QB right now. Let's not forget that Brees won this title while beating three former Super Bowl champions in Kurt Warner, Brett Favre, and finally Peyton Manning. Let's not forget that the Saints have experienced a renaissance unlike anything in their franchise's long and sad history, and that said renaissance coincided with Brees' arrival to the Crescent City.

So what do we make of Drew Brees?

Who knows?

At one point, Daunte Culpepper looked like the greatest QB in NFL history. Now he looks like he's eaten a couple of the greatest QBs in NFL history. Michael Vick was going to change the way modern QB was played. Brian Bosworth was going to terrorize NFL offenses for years. Tony Mandarich was going to be the greatest O-lineman since Forrest Gregg. Sebastian Janikowski was going to make 70 yard field goals routinely. Devin Hester went from being the greatest punt and kick returner in NFL history to being an undersized receiver with bad hands and average speed. Bill Belichick was the dumbest coach in the NFL when he was at Cleveland, and a punchline as the H.C. of the N.Y.J.

Things changed.

Why don't we wait until Manning is retired and offering his expertise on some sports channel before figuring out his place among the all-time greats?