That is kind of my point. He didn't reach the pinnacle of his profession until 2006. Even then, the streets are littered with QB's that have won a single SB title. Yet his physical skills have been declining for the last couple of years. I obviously don't know his training schedule, but I would imagine that there isn't a statue of Manning outside the weight room.
Peyton Manning was MVP of the league last year, so I can't see how you can say his physical skills are declining.
If you equate "pinnacle of your profession" to winning the Super Bowl, I don't think that's entirely fair on a personal level as far as a player's ability goes, which is what I think we are talking about. I mean, there ARE 52 other players on the team. Like everyone always says, the QB gets too much credit when a team wins, and too much blame when a team loses. It's the nature of the position. It may be the most important position, but it isn't the only one. How much credit do you give Bill Belichick for winning those Super Bowls? How much credit do you give Adam Vinitieri? How much credit do you give the defense? And so on and so forth. I'm not taking anything away from Brady, but there is plenty of credit to spread around.
Manning has ALWAYS seen personal success at his position. I don't see him losing a step. MVP players are good, last time I checked. It's not like he's an old man, and if he is, then so is Brady, or he will be an old man next year. They are only about 16 months apart in age. Look at what Kurt Warner accomplished at age 38 last year. Manning's got 5 good years left in him
The streets are also littered with Hall of Fame QBs that never won a single Super Bowl. Winning a Super Bowl helps, but it's not the end-all indicator of ability.
Brady won 3 SB titles in his first 5 years. That smells pretty "pinnacle" to me. Yet his arm strength has improved nearly every year since. His throwing motion and ball rotation are huge improvements over 2001...and even over what he could do in 2004. His throws downfield used to have a wobble and his shorter passes would be slightly behind receivers (causing them to slow down and stop). In 2007, a full 3 years after the last SB, Brady was just playing at a different level than his competition. Even adding an MVP, a slew of records and major surgery, I still expect Brady to improve his game in the next couple of years.
If you look in the books, you won't see Brady's name as the winner of the Super Bowl anywhere, you'll see the New England Patriots as the winner, with Tom Brady as QB. Again, this is not taking anything away from Brady, but only an attempt to but it in proper perspective. Granted, Brady played a big part in getting them there and winning, but hardly the only part.
The thing about Brady's evolution as a QB is that he had a lot of room to grow. He used to dump the ball off quite a bit. The Patriots were absolutely fantastic setting up the screen. Brady had his monster year in 2007, but I don't think he'll just come in and pick up where he left off. Nobody should expect to repeat THAT. As you know, he's coming off a pretty serious injury and has missed and entire year. That will affect him to some degree, just how much we'll have to wait and see. Of course he'll be good, but don't assume he'll be league MVP good or that he'll improve on his 2007 season.
Manning is a nine time Pro Bowler and 3 time league MVP. You can minimalize these accomplishments if you want to, but you can't put them down. He's still not only at the height of his game, but the height of the position compared to anyone currently playing.
