Rex Ryan: Peyton Manning Studies More, Has Less Coaching Help than Tom Brady

One of the great sports bar debates of our era involves the top quarterbacks in football: Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning. Pats fans of course go with Brady all day, while Colts (and Saints) fans will argue they prefer Peyton. Most people either prefer one to the other, or oscillate in the debate based on who’s having the better season. I’ve always put stats aside and said I prefer Brady, with his incredible 2007 and 2010 seasons proving the case. If you ask Rex Ryan for his pick, it’s obviously Peyton Manning.

The bloviating Jets coach took time out of his busy foot rubbing schedule to explain why Peyton is better than Tom:

“Nobody studies like [Manning]. I know [Tom] Brady thinks he does and all that stuff,” Ryan said. “I think there’s probably a little more help from [Bill] Belichick with Brady than there is with Peyton Manning.”
…
“He’s not just a coach on the field,” Ryan said. “You give the coaching community too much credit. This guy is one of the best quarterbacks in the history of the game, and he’s one of the smartest guys. And it’s not just a coach dialing up plays. He dials his own plays.”

Rex was answering a question about how gifted Peyton is and introduced the Brady comparison without prompting. That’s sure to tick off Patriots fans who watched Tom light up the Jets for 326 yards and four touchdowns in a 45-3 butt-whipping week 13. I suppose it’s not surprising to hear Rex knock Tom; the two got into it before the season started after Tom said he hated the Jets and Rex responded saying the feeling was mutual.

Now that the stakes have been raised, I know I’m not alone in hoping that a Patriots-Jets playoff game comes up. All we need is a Jets upset of the Colts to see it happen. Can Rex take care of business first?