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Who's the man? Two great NFL QBs face off

Favre has the experience to prevail, but Manning may prove unstoppable

By Reggie Hayes of The News-Sentinel

Forget Bush and Kerry for five minutes. Here's a real choice:

 

You have one game to win and a choice of two quarterbacks to do the job. Who do you want running your team, Peyton Manning or Brett Favre?

 

Do you favor flash or grit? Do you prefer the perfect textbook pass or the off-balance, arm-strength sling? Do you lean toward ketchup or mustard, chocolate or strawberry, Ginger or Mary Ann?

 

It's that kind of problem. Two quality choices. No wrong answer.

 

Still, for the sake of this argument, you have to pick one.

 

Your choice is predictable, if you're a Colts or Packers fan. You won't budge. However, Manning and Favre are more similar than their fans might believe.

 

Those fans will be entrenched this weekend, when Manning's Indianapolis Colts play Favre's Green Bay Packers at 3:15 p.m. Sunday at the RCA Dome in Indy. It marks only the second time Manning and Favre have met on the football field.

 

"I've always admired the way he competed and the way he played the game," Manning said. "I think that's the way you play quarterback. You play as hard as you possibly can, and you leave it all out there on the field. He definitely does that. I'd like to think that I do that."

 

Go through every possible measure of a quarterback. Manning and Favre can barely be separated.

 

Favre is in his 14th season, Manning his seventh. From a statistical standpoint, if you doubled Manning's numbers (passing yardage, touchdowns, interceptions), they'd be so close to Favre's figures it's within the plus-or-minus margin of error we see in daily political polls.

 

Favre has 46,041 yards passing, Manning 25,395.

 

Favre has 348 touchdowns, Manning 171.

 

Favre has 211 interceptions, Manning 111.

 

The longest active streak of consecutive games started at quarterback is 191, by Favre. The second-longest streak is 98, by Manning.

 

"Both of these guys show up for every game, which is important," Colts coach Tony Dungy said. "They're both extremely smart. You're not going to rattle them. They're both franchise quarterbacks."

 

Favre has the edge in winning percentage at .659 (126-65), and has a Super Bowl ring. Manning's winning percentage took a big hit with his 3-13 rookie season and is at .562 overall (54-42). Toss out that rough start and he's .637 (51-29) since.

 

This is in many ways a golden era for NFL quarterbacks. Many teams not only have good quarterbacks, but great ones. Start with Tom Brady, Steve McNair, Donovan McNabb, Daunte Culpepper, and Michael Vick, include savvy veterans such as Vinny Testaverde and Trent Green, segue into the younger guys, such as Chad Pennington and Carson Palmer and imagine the possibilities of the rookies, including one named Manning.

 

But the case can be made that Peyton Manning and Brett Favre are the best, and the fact they'll be on the same field Sunday adds to the fun of the question.

 

Who would you choose?

 

In their only previous meeting, in 2000, Manning threw three touchdown passes to erase a 19-0 Packers' lead, only to have Favre pull out a 26-24 win.

 

They might never meet again. The next regularly scheduled Colts-Packers game is in 2008, when Favre will be almost 39 years old.

 

Picking one is more a matter of personal preference than clear-cut choice.

 

Manning is the more classic passer, with his pretty deep passes to Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne and his surgical strikes to various other receivers and backs. He adjusts continuously at the offensive line, whether barking real audibles or attempting to confuse the defense. He sees the plays develop in his mind's eye as he surveys the situation.

 

Favre is the ultimate survivor, a man who makes scores out of would-be sacks, and who can spot the unlikeliest receiver while on the run.

 

Favre's ability to wriggle out of the most precarious positions is legendary.

 

"He's probably the best improviser in the league, in terms of making plays happen out of nowhere," Dungy said.

 

Both quarterbacks have a knack for comebacks. Favre has staged 30 in his career, Manning 17. Again, there's that statistic link.

 

What we must do, in this fantasy general manager's role, is go with our instincts. Who do you want running the offense with the game on the line? Again, there's no wrong answer.

 

I'll take Manning for three reasons:

 

1. Age. He's in his prime. Favre's best years were 1995 to 1997, three straight MVP seasons. He was 28 in 1997. Manning is 28 this season. Favre will be 35 next month. Not too old, by any means. But aging.

 

2. Hunger. Manning has more to prove. I would never question Favre's drive. He's one of the sport's most determined players. But he's already proved where he stands in history.

 

3. Groove. Last season was Manning's finest, with 29 touchdowns to only 10 interceptions. He's 4-to-1 in two games this season, picking up where he left off. Favre has 34 touchdowns to 23 interceptions through last season and two games in 2004. Solid, but not his peak.

 

Manning doesn't get some of the credit he deserves as a clutch quarterback because he hasn't "won the big one." That's true if the Super Bowl is the only big game that counts. (He does have some trouble with the Patriots and their goal-line defense shield. Watch next time.) His play at Kansas City in the 2003 playoffs, as big a game as any not involving the Patriots, was near flawless.

 

The best part of this Manning-Favre debate is that it's here to enjoy. We have our one game. We have our two quarterbacks.

 

Unless they meet again later in the Super Bowl, Manning vs. Favre will be settled on Sunday. For once, but - knowing the nature of their fans - not for all.

 

This column is the commentary of the writer and does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of The News-Sentinel. "Ask Reggie" can be found under sports at www.news-sentinel.com. E-mail Reggie Hayes at rhayes@news-sentinel.com

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