Manning or Brady vs Kaepernick or Wilson, Old School New School Super Bowl XLVIII

This is what NFL fans want: the best teams and QBs heading into the league championships fighting for a spot in the Super Bowl. And now we have it with a guarantee of a classic pocket passer vs a young and mobile superstar.

Peyton Manning vs Tom Brady is arguably the best QB match-up in league history. If Manning plays another season, he'll easily break Brett Favre's all-time touchdown record (in 3 fewer seasons), plus he could also break the passing yards record if he plays 2 more seasons. At age 37, he's having his best year ever in touchdowns, points and passer rating with one goal in mind.

Brady trails Manning in passing stats, but will likely retire with more head to head victories and Super Bowl rings among other accolades. If Brady wins this year's Lombardi Trophy, that would make 4 total and cement his name in the Greatest Ever conversations (even though he's already there, along with Peyton). Brady has a chance to make his 6th trip to the Super Bowl and win his 3rd SB MVP, and would be the only QB to make those claims.

Does the Colin Kaepernick vs Russell Wilson match-up pack the same punch? Not yet, but it has potential. The 49ers and Seahawks have teams that should be contenders for years to come. Both QBs have played 2 full seasons (not counting Kaep's back-up role to Alex Smith in 2011). Neither of these young QBs are poised to put up the career passing stats of Manning-Brady, but they will easily dwarf them in rushing stats in just a few years, assuming they stay healthy. (Hey, pocket passers get hurt too.) In the event that the Seahawks or 49ers win it all, Kaepernick or Wilson will also have a fair chance at more Super Bowl rings than Peyton Manning (as will little brother Eli).

What do I love most about Super Bowl XLVIII? Old school vs new school--pocket passers vs mobile QBs. Manning or Brady vs Kaepernick or Wilson is intriguing to say the least. If it's Wilson, we know he'll run some even if it's to create space to throw around a taller line. If it's Kaepernick, we hope he'll run, knowing on any play he could bust a move of any distance to the end zone. Manning probably won't run more than 10 yards if he has to, but he might throw 7 touchdowns. Brady won't run more than 5 yards, but if it's 1st and goal on the 1-yard line, expect the QB sneak at least two, maybe three times. That's happened. Forget the run with the old-timers, and watch the passing clinic of "Dilfer dimes" both of these future Hall Of Famers will conduct.
All of these teams hope to establish a running game with good reason. LeGarrette Blount, Marshawn Lynch, Frank Gore or Knowshon Moreno each could be the deciding factor in these final games, as could a long list of potential receivers.
Back to the old school-new school question. Can a running QB really make it in the league? Fran Tarkenton, John Elway and Warren Moon were all pretty mobile and had HOF careers, though they were not nearly as mobile as Kaepernick and Wilson. Michael Vick had the mobility and then some, but probably not quite the level of success these young QBs are striving for. RG3? We'll see. Kaepernick has a strong and accurate arm, so that should help immensely. Wilson is playing with poise and intelligence to match his athleticism, and a passer rating even higher than Manning-Brady.
How to pick a winning team this year? Obviously there are at least 100 other players who will have a say in Super Bowl XVIII. For some reason, it seems tough to get past the big 4.
Who's your pick to win it all?
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Super Bowl XLVI, Why Peyton Manning Won't Win Even Though He Already Has (Weirdest Pregame Ever)

Since Peyton Manning isn't playing in Super Bowl XLVI (46 for non-Romans) he certainly won't be throwing any touchdowns passes, holding the Vince Lombardi trophy or telling the masses in a million-dollar shot, I'm going to Disneyland. No, Manning won't be doing any of these things in 2012 because he isn't playing in the actual game.
Why do I feel the need to inform the media of this fact? And no disrespect to Peyton Manning; the only 4-time league MVP and future Hall-Of-Famer hasn't brought any of this attention on himself in a Favre-esque manner. Maybe because the major headline on ESPN today, two days before the biggest game of the season, is that Peyton Manning Has Been Medically Cleared To Play. Really, where's he going to play, during the halftime Lingerie Bowl?
It's a tad disturbing that more press coverage this week is focused on Peyton than many other aspects of the Super Bowl. And since they're talking about the great number 18 so persistently, we haven't heard much about other fascinating pregame stories like:

-Tom Brady being one of just two quarterbacks ever to reach 5 Super Bowls and having the chance to tie Joe Montana for winning 4 of them. Tom Brady is in the discussion for best QB of all time among a handful of other legends including two who played for the Colts. By the way, Tom Brady's biggest nemesis: Peyton Manning.

-Eli Manning setting all kinds of Giants team playoff records including a stellar 7-1 win/loss when it matters the most and having the opportunity to earn his 2nd Super Bowl MVP, something very few players have achieved. After losing 4 straight regular season games, including to the 49ers and Packers (two teams the Giants had to overcome on the road in the playoffs), the Giants QB has led the team to 5 consecutive must-win games to reach the grand finale. By the way, Eli Manning's biggest nemesis: big brother Peyton.

-the Indianapolis Colts and their home turf at Lucas Oil Stadium are the first time hosts for Super Bowl 46 after finishing the regular season tied for their worst record in history with just 2 wins and 14 losses. The Colts booby prize for stinking up the field: the 2012 first round draft pick everyone's talking about as a once-in-a-generation quarterback, a guy like Peyton Manning who happens to be named Luck, Andrew Luck. The Colts are enduring a highly publicized decision over resigning their franchise quarterback who missed the entire season with neck surgeries and is due a $28 million signing bonus (if they decide to keep Peyton).  But is there room for two franchise QBs in the state of Indiana? If they release Manning, what kind of message does that send to the fans of the player who put the Colts back on the map? Decisions, decisions, decisions. By the way, at this point the Colts' and Luck's biggest nemesis might unfortunately be Peyton Manning.
Also notice how the media is hardly covering:

-Rob Gronkowski's ankle or Ahmad Bradshaw's broken foot, two impact players who could dramatically affect the outcome of this game. True, the media is covering the injuries but not to the degree you might expect. Remember how every moment leading up to Super Bowl 39 was filled with banter about Terrell Owens, who was listed day-to-day with a badly sprained ankle yet still caught 9 passes for a behemoth 122 yards and arguably should have been the MVP of the game even though the Eagles lost? Yeah, they're not giving it the same hype because it's all about Peyton.

-Watching ESPN Sport Center last night, I saw a new record since training camp began where the media actually went 47 minutes without talking about Tim Tebow--until Skip Bayless screwed it all up. Man, does that guy talk about anyone else? Sorry Skip, this year's Super Bowl is all about Peyton Manning, Tim Tebow's current nemesis.

-Gisele Bundchen, aka Tom Brady's wife, hasn't been getting near the press I was hoping she would. Oh well, at least I can plug her here. Let's just not start any gossip about Gisele and you-know-who.

Did you know there's an over-under bet on how many times the Super Bowl producers will call for a shot of Peyton Manning to be aired? I think it's around 5 times, and I recommend all gamblers to bet the farm on the over. We should see Peyton's mug a minimum of 8 times in this Super Bowl. Not too shabby for a guy who isn't playing, but how many emotions do you expect to see written in the lines of his face? That's my over-under bet.
The real question the media is avoiding, the one that dives to root level for the entire twisted Super Bowl mess in a very weird way is this--deep deep down inside, who would Peyton Manning rather see win the game: Tom or Eli? There's an obvious and politically correct answer, which is to report you're cheering for baby-brother Eli against your arch-football-foe Tom, but is it really that cut and dry? Boys will be boys, and what made the Manning brothers so incredibly successful is likely an established family competition of always attempting to beat each other in anything and everything, from Monopoly to Super Bowl wins for the ultimate bragging rights.
Sorry to break it to you, Peyton; even though any outcome of this game might feel like a loss at some psychological level, the irony is that you've already won both the game of it all and the MVP, Most Valuable Person during Super Bowl XLVI.

What are your thoughts?

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Home Page of author Jason Matthews.

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