Round Table: NFL’s #1 Player

Which player deserves to be ranked #1 overall on the NFL Network’s player rankings?

Stephen: Even as a Patriots fan, I would have to say Tom Brady is the best player in the NFL. He possesses an unparalleled work ethic, a knack for clutch plays and tremendous leadership. These intangible qualities combined with his physical skills allow him to pick apart defenses year in and year out. With the game on the line, there’s no other quarterback I’d want with the ball in his hands than Tom Brady.

Rick:  The player that should be rated number one has to be Tom Brady. I would think Peyton Manning would be the number 2 player on that list. I always make this argument with people I know. Peyton Manning won a title with Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, and Dallas Clark who are three very good receivers. The year that Manning took Indy past the Pats, Tom Brady took a ragtag receiving core of Reche Caldwell and Jabar Gaffney to the AFC Championship Game and within 12 minutes of the Super Bowl. Brady has all the clutchness in the world, he can read defenses and he has great presence in the pocket, but the one thing that sets him apart from Manning is that he makes everyone else better. You ask people to name the receivers Brady had in the championship years and not a lot of people can do that. I disagree with Derrick Mason because even though the Pats did go 11-5 in 2008 without Tom, they ended up not making the playoffs.

Derek: I know that we’re going to look like a bunch of homers by all saying Brady, but the #1 ranking is his and his alone.  Despite the clear window for bias here, my answer to the question has nothing to do with my favorite team.  If you had asked me this question a year ago, I would have said Peyton Manning.  Manning and the Colts would have likely gone 16-0 if they had wanted to and he came this close to winning a second championship. However, that was then, and this is now. And right now, Tom Brady is coming off a season in which he was the first ever unanimous MVP winner.  He took a team of largely first and second year players to a 14-2 record.  He threw a measley five INT’s in 17 games. He was simply on another level this year.  Maybe next year I’ll be saying Manning again, or Aaron Rodgers, or some other player.  But until somebody knocks Tom Brady off his pedastal, anyone handing the #1 spot to anyone else is simply delusional or hating.

Trevor: There are only four quarterbacks in the history of the NFL with at least three Super Bowl wins, Brady is one of those four. Peyton Manning, Brady’s likely competitor for the number one spot on the NFL Network’s list, only has one Super Bowl win. Tom Brady has the second most playoff wins in playoff history (14). Peyton Manning has the second most playoff losses in playoff history (10). The ultimate measure of success for a quarterback is his ability to win, especially to win Super Bowls. There are very few quarterbacks in history who can match Brady in that regard, and no one comes close in today’s league. Tom Brady deserves to be ranked #1 on the NFL Network’s list for his winning ways.