NFL Truths: Don't believe Brady-Manning hype

Dear Readers of The Truth: Your boy is a little off his square. Oh, I've written a fantastic column, better than anything you'll get anywhere else on the Net or in print. But I think PG is plotting to destroy me! It's what I get for talking smack on Rick Pitino and Steve Phillips. Sorry for sharing. I had to get that off my chest. Sincerely, Jason 10. Television's corrosive influence on the sports world can be seen in the destructive Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning rivalry. Brady vs. Manning is inorganic, a ratings-producing TV creation. It's not Bird vs. Magic or Chamberlain vs. Russell. Football, with all its variables — three platoons, offense, defense and special teams — does not lend itself to individual rivalries, particularly of men who never take the field at the same time. Television wants you to believe Sunday night's Patriots-Colts clash is Frazier-Ali, a Thrilla in all Vanilla. The truth is, the Brady-Manning framing is just a convenient excuse for Mike Lupica and Mitch Albom to stare into camera one on the set of "The Sports Reporters" and pretend they watched more than the highlights. Brady vs. Manning is a TV prop. I say that because we made it through the 1990s without pitting John Elway, Dan Marino, Steve Young, Jim Kelly, Troy Aikman and Warren Moon in steel-cage death matches. Six quarterbacks shared the same era and built Hall of Fame resumes without having their careers defined, diminished or debated based on the success of their QB peers. I don't mind choosing sides. I chose Magic over Bird. I wanted Hagler to whip Leonard. And, yes, I'll admit it, I rooted for Stringer to take out Avon. I just hate this Brady-Manning discussion. I feel like I'm being forced to take a side in an inappropriate debate. For me, it's the equivalent of Suzy Kolber vs. Erin Andrews. It would be an honor and a privilege for either to work my sideline. That's why I'm so reluctant to reveal my preference. Is it worth offending one, when there's the possibility of being assigned two sideline reporters? No. In explaining why Brady (Kolber) is far superior to Manning (Andrews) — something I've done previously — I risk creating the impression I have little respect for Manning, which isn't true. I like Manning and appreciate the way he prepares to play the game. I don't enjoy tearing him down to prove my point about Brady. Plus, I bore of the statistical debate between Brady and Manning. Brady has more rings. Manning has bigger numbers. Brady's Patriots are 7-3 against Manning's Colts. Football isn't a game of numbers. It's not baseball. Football is a game evaluated with your eyes, a game in which intangibles such as toughness matter more than 40 speed. Before his knee injury, Brady was tougher in the pocket than Manning. Brady's courage in the pocket permeated the entire Patriots football team, and that gave New England an advantage in the critical moments of tight playoff games. This season I've seen Manning fall to the ground at the hint of pass-rush pressure. He's Indy's most valuable commodity, and he's probably coached to avoid contact. This year we've seen Brady beg the refs for roughing-the-passer calls and look a lot less comfortable with defenders at his feet. Brady and Manning have a lot more in common this season than previous years. I'm going to watch Sunday's game focused not on how Brady and Manning compare to each other but how they stack up against Brees and Favre. The NFC QBs look like the Super Bowl threats to me. 9. Many people missed the point of my Brett Favre-Ted Thompson column last week. The column wasn't about Favre being better than Aaron Rodgers, which Favre is. The column was about Thompson's inability to build a complete football team around a quarterback who is ready to win now. Rodgers isn't the problem at Green Bay. He's capable of winning games. But Rodgers is a victim of the same Thompson-led incompetence that marred Favre's final years in Green Bay. The Packers' loss to the previously winless Buccaneers should've cleared up all confusion about Thompson's competency to build a football team. He can't do it. His legacy in Green Bay will be running Favre out of town. 8. Andy Reid is the most frustrating coach in all of football. I had no problem with Reid booting a 52-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter of Philly's 20-16 loss to the Cowboys. It was 4th-and-11 and the three points put the Eagles in position to win the game with a TD. My problem with Reid was the eight-play, 30-yard drive that set up the field goal. The drive took 3:37 off the clock and left just 4:27 to play. Given that the Eagles were down to one timeout when the drive started, I wanted Philly to call plays at a quicker pace in an attempt to extend the game and create a second offensive possession if necessary. The Eagles had two eight-play, 30-yard drives in the fourth quarter. Dallas eliminated Philly's big plays and Reid had no counter. The Eagles are 4-13-1 in their last 18 games decided by seven or fewer points. The reason is Reid is a poor strategist. Yes, I'm letting Donovan McNabb off the hook. But I've watched too many Philly games and seen Reid make bad clock-management and run-game decisions repeatedly. If I could talk with Reid during games, he'd be the Bill Belichick of this era.

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7. Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson is reshaping his image and leaving me no room to criticize him for his annoying antics. I actually like most of the stuff he's doing this year. Trust me, I've wanted to light him up for bojangling. But the stuff he's doing this year — sending the Ravens deodorant and bribing a replay official — seems good natured, harmless and nondistracting. Of course, the Bengals are winning this year, so maybe that's the difference. Whatever the cause, I'm enjoying Ochocinco. He shut me up. 6. Despite the loss to the Bengals and falling to 4-4, I'm still refusing to jump ship on the Baltimore Ravens. Baltimore's four losses are to Cincinnati twice, New England and Minnesota. Those three teams are a combined 19-5 and three of the four losses are on the road. With two games left on the schedule against Pittsburgh and a home game against Indy, it's difficult to imagine the Ravens backing into the playoffs. But if the Ravens sneak into the playoffs, they will be the wild-card opponent no team wants to see. 5. I'm thrilled that Houston safety Bernard Pollard is shaking the "bust" and "uncoachable" labels handed to him by the Chiefs' new general-manager and head-coach regime. Pollard had two picks in Houston's tough loss to the Colts, and he's been credited with being the driving force in the Texans' revitalized defense. Scott Pioli and Todd Haley tried to destroy Pollard's reputation because Pollard didn't take to Haley's "scream, cuss and belittle" coaching style. Pioli and Haley took over in Kansas City apparently determined to prove that every player they inherited from Carl Peterson and Herm Edwards was a worthless idiot. Pollard got cut to make room for Mike Brown, the former Chicago star. Thanks to injury and age, Brown has been an embarrassment at safety for the Chiefs. He can no longer run or tackle. He was involved in two embarrassing Jacksonville TDs over the weekend. The Cowboys torched him earlier in the season. Meanwhile, Pollard has been a solid starter in Houston. Pollard told me this week that Herm Edwards had to call the Texans and other franchises and assure them that the knock on Pollard being spread by Pioli and Haley was false. 4. In an attempt to re-enter the league, Larry Johnson is going to say all the right things and not mean any of it. Johnson is done. He can't control his mood swings. Worse, he's not a complete running back. He refuses to block. He's never been able to make defenders miss. His 416-carry 2006 season ruined his career. His agent keeps bluffing that numerous NFL teams are interested in Johnson's services. I don't see it.

3. The addition of John Saunders and Trent Dilfer to "The Blitz" has made ESPN's NFL postgame studio show No. 2 behind TNT's "Inside the NBA." "The Blitz" isn't competition for "Inside the NBA." But "The Blitz" has separated itself from the other studio shows. I've loved Chris Berman and Tom Jackson for years. They have great rapport, chemistry and charisma. Saunders and Dilfer are giving "The Blitz" a sense of humor and personality. Dilfer gives Jackson someone to debate football. Saunders gives Berman someone to kid and share the highlight burden. I wish they could add live satellite interviews. Watching Barkley and Kenny Smith interact with the current players is enjoyable. Jackson and Dilfer might shine in that role, too. 2. Is it just me, or is this college football season boring? Wasn't it just last year that a top-10 team got beat every Thursday? Wasn't it just last year that there was a great game every single weekend? Now it seems like there's an officiating controversy every single weekend. Am I just bitter that my Ball State Cardinals have gone from undefeated BCS spoiler to 1-8 embarrassment thanks to the "leadership" of Stan Parrish? 1. If the Carolina Panthers had a mediocre quarterback, the Saints would be a one-loss football team. Honestly, "60 Minutes" should do an investigation on how Jake Delhomme got a contract extension. Bernie Madoff has a right to be pissed. He goes to jail for fraud while Delhomme walks the street a free man. You can e-mail Jason at BallState0@aol.com or find him on Facebook at facebook.com/jasonwhitlock.