It's Denver Broncos vs. New England Patriots week, which means endless Peyton Manning and Tom Brady comparisons. The first sure-to-be-overhyped-and-overanalyzed nugget comes from Brady, who told CSN New England that he'll take his offensive weapons over Manning's.
Tom Brady prefers his offensive weapons to Peyton Manning’s
Most would argue that Manning has the better offense around him, but Brady disagrees.
Kevin C. Cox
“I love the guys that I play with,” Brady said. “I wouldn’t change any of them for anybody. The group that I’ve been lucky enough to play with -- and I’ve had some great ones over the years. As a quarterback, you work all offseason with the group of guys and you develop a chemistry and a camaraderie with each other, and it’s great when it all pays off.”
So let’s get to overanalyzing.
Brady and the Pats
Most objective observers would disagree. While Brady continues to make the most of a somewhat mismatched receiving corps, Manning's offense is loaded with playmakers. Demaryius Thomas is one of the league's true elite No. 1 wide receivers, Emmanuel Sanders has filled in seamlessly on the other side and Julius Thomas is tied for the NFL lead in touchdowns. And we still haven't mentioned Brady's old running mate, Wes Welker, who's been slowed by injuries and an early-season suspension.
Outside of Rob Gronkowski -- who has bounced back from injury to post 558 yards and seven touchdowns -- Brady doesn't have the same kind of explosiveness around him. Julian Edelman is a reliable slot receiver and Brandon LaFell has been surprisingly effective, but they're second-rate next to Manning's targets.
Both quarterbacks are dealing with injuries to their starting running backs -- the Patriots' Stevan Ridley is done for the season with an ACL tear and the Broncos' Montee Ball is temporarily sidelined with a groin injury. But the Broncos likely have the advantage in backups as well: so far, Ronnie Hillman has been more effective than Shane Vereen.
Manning is averaging 48 more passing yards and almost a touchdown more per game than Brady, and the offensive tools at his disposal are no small factor in that. But Brady will get the chance to prove the value of his teammates on Sunday in New England.
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