Tom Brady (New England) – Absolutely cements hi
s legacy as the greatest quarterback to ever play the game. Would have won more with less offensive talent surrounding him than potentially any other quarterback in Super Bowl history; Maroney’s a rookie, Dillon’s old and splits carries, and not one of the receivers ever had success in the NFL until this year. In fact, the Patriots did not have 1 Pro Bowler offensively, including even Brady. He would have led the Patriots to road victories over the #1 and #3 seeds. Would join Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw as only quarterbacks in history to win 4 Super Bowls. Would have a shot at winning his 3rd Super Bowl MVP (tying Montana for most ever).
Drew Brees (New Orleans) – Will go down as the greatest single free-agent acquisition in the history of the game. Will receive personal vindication for being let go by the Chargers. Can be an average-pretty good quarterback for the rest of his career and it won’t matter; Will never have to replicate his regular season performance/statistics again. Will not be fully appreciated and understood until several years down the line. The significance of his win will greatly depend on the eventual history of the Saints franchise and how the city of New Orleans develops. Given time, Brees can go down as the biggest hero and savior that ever played in the NFL.
Peyton Manning (Indianapolis) – There is no player in t
he NFL that would benefit more from winning the Super Bowl than Peyton Manning. Would absolutely validate all his regular season accomplishments and gaudy statistics. No longer could his entire body of work be marred by the trepidation of never having won in the clutch. In fact, how well or poorly Manning plays is wholly insignificant ironically. Should Manning continue his playoff awfulness (1TD/5INT in 2 games) and finish with 2 TDs and 10 INTs, it would be completely ignored. All that matters is that Peyton gets the ring. The proverbial monkey will have been lifted from his back, and all doubters will have been quieted.
Rex Grossman (Chicago) – Absolutely nothing. In time, his winning a ring will be forgotten. The backup will still be the favorite quarterback in what ever city he plays for the rest of his career. He is far too inconsistent to ever be free of criticism, regardless of having a Super Bowl notch on his belt. It probably will give him 3 more years before the Bears consider drafting another quarterback. Still, he could get a ring and still hear cries that Griese should be starting in mini-camp.
