Manning vs. Brees: Which QB Has the Edge?

By Aidan Yarborough

The Indianapolis Colts will face the New Orleans Saints in Super Bowl XLIV.  Both teams bring two terrific quarterbacks to Miami.  How good are the Colts’ Peyton Manning and the Saints’ Drew Brees?

Manning won the NFL’s MVP award this season.  Brees finished second in the voting.  That’s pretty good if you ask me!  Which team has the edge, though, and, more importantly, will that edge be of a big enough significance to determine which team covers against the spread?

The spread on the game is currently at Colts -5 ½ in the sportsbook.

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Super Bowl Quarterbacks:  Peyton Manning and Drew Brees

Indianapolis Colts’ Peyton Manning

Besides winning his 4th NFL MVP Award in 2009, Manning also threw for 33 touchdowns and 4500 yards.  He only threw 16 picks and finished up the regular season with a QB rating of 99.9.

In the Colts AFC Divisional Playoff Game against the Baltimore Ravens, Manning threw for 246 yards and 2 touchdowns.  Because of a pick, Manning’s QB rating ended up at 87.9.  He completed 68.2% of his passes in that game.  The Colts won 20 to 3.  In the AFC Championship Game Manning threw for 377 yards and 3 touchdowns.  He completed over 66% of his passes for a 123.6 QB rating.

Manning’s most impressive quality is his ability to manage a game.  He knows when to speed things up on the field and when to slow them down.  He also calls audibles better than any quarterback in the history of the NFL.  His timing with receivers Pierre Garcon, Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark is from another planet.

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Some believe that Manning is the best quarterback to ever play in the NFL.  Another Super Bowl ring would convince any doubters out there that he is.

There are only two significant weaknesses in Manning’s game.  First, he’s virtually immobile.  The man can step up in the pocket but his lateral movement is atrocious.  Second, Manning can be goaded into throwing the errant pass here and there.  During a three game stretch in the regular season, in Week’s 11 through 13, Manning threw 6 interceptions.  He threw 2 interceptions each against Denver and Jacksonville.  He threw 1 official pick against Baltimore and 2 more that were called back due to penalties.

Still, the positives about Peyton far, far outweigh the negatives.

New Orleans Saints’ Drew Brees

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If Peyton Manning hadn’t won the MVP this season, then the award would have gone to Drew Brees.  That’s how good the Saints’ QB was during the regular season.  Not only did Brees finish 2nd in MVP voting, he broke a significant QB record by completing 70.6% of his passes.  Simply put, Brees was as astounding in 2009 as he had been in 2006, 2007, and 2008.

Brees threw for 4388 yards and 34 touchdowns this season.  He only tossed 11 picks.  The terrific year led to a QB rating of 109.6.  It was tops in the NFL.  In the Saints’ victory over the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC Divisional Round, Brees threw for 247 yards and 3 touchdowns.  He completed 71.9% of his passes for a 125.4 QB rating.  In the NFC Championship Game, Brees threw for 197 yards and 3 touchdowns.  He completed 54.8% of his passes for a 106.5 QB rating.

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In three games Brees has thrown 7 touchdown passes and no interceptions.  He didn’t throw a single interception during the Saints’ two playoff victories. 

But as good as the stats look, there are weaknesses in Drew Brees’ game.  First, Brees is only 6 feet tall.  He has issues looking over defensive lineman who can stand up the Saints’ offensive lineman.  Brees’ passes can get knocked down or tipped at the line of scrimmage.  Second, Brees can get down on himself when things aren’t gong well.  Because he is the unquestioned leader of the New Orleans Saints’, Brees takes it upon himself when the team performs badly.  He takes it so hard at times that he ends up performing badly.

But Brees’ leadership skills might be the single most important reason for the Saints’ success this season.  His troops would follow him into the depths of Hell if he asked them to.

Edge:  Indianapolis Colts

As good as Drew Brees is, Peyton has won 4 MVP’s and a Super Bowl in 2006.  The man is a machine and is simply better than Brees.

Significant Edge in Regards to the Spread?

Nope.  Sure, Peyton is the better quarterback in this matchup but his edge over Drew Brees isn’t significant enough for gambler’s to use the quarterback position as the deciding factor to bet on the Colts.  The betting line is 5 ½.  That’s a big number to give Drew Brees.

The edge in the quarterback position goes to the Colts but it’s not a big enough edge for me to say, “Bet the Colts because of Peyton.”

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