Patriots fans,
A. Former Patriot Rodney Harrison stated on national TV (NBC) that Peyton is the best QB he has ever faced. He bluntly put Tom behind Peyton on the national spotlight.
B. Rodney Harrison - a Charger from '94 - '02 before joining New England for the start of the 2003 season. Brady was not a Patriot until the year 2000. There ⚡ IS A WINDOW ⚡ for Rodney's statement to be true, but, ....
C. Harrison's Chargers did not face Patriots in 2000. 2001 Patriots beat him 29-26 in OT. 2002 Rodney's Chargers beat the Patriots, 21-14.
.....TWO QUESTIONS, ...
Q 1. Circa 2001-'02 when Rodney defended against Tom Brady AS A CHARGER was Tom at-his-Brady-best in that aforementioned window of time? ~ Was Bledsoe at the helm?
Q 2. Do YOU agree with Rodney's statement?
*** ~ in those two meetings, one loss and one win, Tom and Drew were the QB.
source: Y! & NBC
Update:@ Spider Man, nice points you have offered. I think Peyton's opponents to-date, have been deplorable: Raiders, Eagles, and Giants are some of the worst defensive squads around. Ravens are borderline not postseason bound.
As for Harrison, had he been 'as great' as Rodney purports maybe Peyton would have won Super Bowl XLIV vs. Saints. Food for thought.
Answers & Comments
Verified answer
Q1) Well Tom Brady was nowhere near his best. His best statistical seasons went from 2007-2012. This is when the Patriots were relying on him more than the defense. A lot of people say they would rather have the 2001-2005 Brady because the Patriots had become a dynasty then, but Brady was way more talented later on in his career.
Q2) I don't agree with Rodney, but he isn't exactly wrong. Peyton Manning is easily one of the greatest quarterbacks of this generation. Joe Montana once called Tom Brady the greatest quarterback to ever play the game, and so did Dan Marino. But it's fair to say that Montana, Marino, Manning and Brady all have an argument for being the greatest ever. It's just weird to hear Rodney say it because he and Brady were teammates.
1) Tom Brady was at the helm, but I don't believe he was at his best. The Patriots as a team were at their best during those times, but that was as much the defense as it was the offense (in fact, it was more so). Brady himself probably was at his best when he had both Moss and Welker during the (almost) undefeated season.
2) I do agree, I've always believed that Peyton Manning was the better QB of the two, because for years he was forced to work with far less talent than Brady. The early Patriots teams that won the Super Bowls were dominant defensive units that just so happened to have a top QB leading them. Since losing that dominant defense, Brady is 0-2 in Super Bowls, which is a worse record than Manning's 1-1. An objective look at actual QB accomplishments has Peyton in the driver's seat in every respect. That's not to say that Brady isn't a great QB, he certainly is a first-ballot Hall of Famer. But given the same level of talent around them, I feel Manning will always do more with that talent.
Firstly, he can entitle with whatever he says or thinks.
Secondly, I agree that he faced Peyton during his prime.