Tom Brady apparently still has one doubter in the debate over the best quarterback of all time, even after his record seventh Super Bowl victory in February.
That doubter is former NFL Pro Bowl defensive end and current FOX Sports personality Marcellus Wiley, who instead gives that distinction to Brady's longtime rival and recent Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Peyton Manning.
"I always say Tom Brady's the G.O.A.T. but because I just don’t want to argue, but if you ask me who’s the best quarterback of all time it’s Peyton Manning," Wiley said when discussing Manning's enshrinement over the weekend during Monday's episode ofSpeak for Yourself."It’s not even a conversation for me. I played against both guys and that's just my opinion. But, to save myself my voice, and my argument time and being in the barbershop all night, I just go with the flow and say 'Tom Brady,' because I understand that's the convenient argument and the simple one to make, it's easy.”
Wiley continued by noting he does get argumentative when Manning is overlooked in the "G.O.A.T." conversation, perhaps not as much about Brady, but for others surpassing Manning as the most widely debated otherwise.
The former Pro Bowl defensive end also acknowledged that Manning has "multiple championships" and a record five NFL regular-season MVPs.
"Why isn't he in the G.O.A.T. conversation? I understand if you don't want to make him the G.O.A.T. because you don't want to be in the barbershop all night, but for me, Peyton Manning, the best I ever played against on the field."
Many of Peyton Manning's most loyal fans would not only agree with Wiley's argument but haven't forgotten about the quarterback's rivalry with Brady.
That was made apparent when Manning thanked Brady during his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction speech on Sunday (August 8), which was met with thunderous boos from the fans who presumably made the trip to Canton specifically for the legendary former Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos quarterback.
“Speaking of rivals, my good friend Tom Brady is here tonight,” Manning said, as Brady smiled in response to the boos.
Manning joked that Brady would be a first-ballot Hall of Fame inductee in "2035" due to the 44-year-old's incredible longevity, when referencing how inductees were mandated to shorten their speeches, adding that Brady would "only have time to post his acceptance speech on his Instagram account."
Earlier this year, Manning joked that his mother, Olivia Manning, was responsible for Brady missing out on several extra Super Bowl championships.
“If it wasn’t for my mother, Olivia Manning, he’d have 11 of ’em,” Manning said of Brady's seven Super Bowl championships via ProFootballTalk while discussing Brady's next appearance on The Match, a golf event that saw the two compete against each other last year.
Manning defeated Brady's former team, the New England Patriots, during the AFC Championship en route to Super Bowl victories with the Colts (Super Bowl XLI) and Denver Broncos (Super Bowl 50).
His younger brother, Eli Manning, famously holds a 2-0 record against Brady in the Super Bowl, leading the New York Giants to victories in Super Bowls XLII and XLVI.
Peyton's Broncos also defeated the Patriots en route to a blowout loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII, but it seems he's assuming New England wouldn't have fared much better, otherwise he would have joked that his mother would've prevented Brady from 12 rings instead of 11.
Brady and Manning have long been regarded as the two best quarterbacks of their era and credited by many as the two best of all time.
Together, the two quarterbacks account for nine Super Bowl championships, seven Super Bowl MVPs, and eight regular-season MVPs since 2000.
That success created one of the NFL's best on-field rivalries, but the two have shared a friendship off the field, which has seemingly grown in recent years.
In February, Brady recorded 201 yards and three touchdowns on 21 of 29 passing in Super Bowl LV, winning a record fifth Super Bowl MVP Award, which surpassed his own previous record set in Super Bowl LI (2017).
Brady now owns a 7-3 record all-time in the NFL's biggest game and surpassed his own previous record for most Super Bowl wins by a quarterback (6) set in February 2019. The 43-year-old also broke his own record as the oldest quarterback to both start and win a Super Bowl also set in 2019.
The win was Tampa Bay's second Super Bowl victory in franchise history. The Buccaneers are also the only team in NFL history to both host and win a Super Bowl in their home stadium.
Colin Cowherd Decides Which Young NFL Quarterbacks He Would Pay NOW or Wait
Colin Cowherd Drops His NFL Wishlist For the 2021 Season
Doug Gottlieb Rips Kirk Cousins & Lamar Jackson For Refusing COVID Vaccine
Clay Travis Mocks the Media's False Claims of Rockies Fan Using 'N-Word'
Doug Gottlieb Blasts Simone Biles For Her 'Ridiculous' Comments in Tokyo
Why the Bengals Should Be Terrified About Joe Burrow's Knee this Season
Colin Cowherd Mocks Lakers Fans For Celebrating Team's Offseason Moves
Colin Cowherd on Lakers Moves: 'They Added a Bunch of Nonsense & Old Guys'
Why We Need to Stop Overrating the Career of Patrick Mahomes