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Their best asset: Stability

Brady and Manning have provided durability and victories

The football-watching world will focus its attention Sunday on Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning yet again.

They will meet for the 16th time as NFL quarterbacks and, has been the case so many times before, AFC superiority will be at stake. Manning’s Denver Broncos, who have the conference’s best record at 6-1, will visit Brady’s New England Patriots, who are next-best at 6-2.

But perhaps the most useful way to view Brady-Manning XVI is through the lens of the stability they have brought their teams. Brady and Manning vying with one another to reach the Super Bowl is such a familiar sight in large part because they have given their franchises such durability, productivity and reliability at the sport’s most important position that their teams continually find themselves in the AFC’s lead pack. Meanwhile, so many competitors have been reshuffling constantly under center, searching for an elusive answer.

Since 2002, Brady’s first full season as the Patriots’ starter, New England has had two starting quarterbacks: Brady and Matt Cassel – who filled in during the 2008 season after Brady suffered a season-ending knee injury in the opener.

Manning, unlike Brady, has switched teams, moving from Indianapolis to Denver after the Colts released him following the 2011 season, which he missed entirely after undergoing a series of neck surgeries. So, the stability provided by Manning has been spread over two teams, but it is no less striking. Since Manning’s rookie season in 1998, his teams have had four different starting quarterbacks: Manning and the Colts’ starting trio in 2011 of Kerry Collins, Dan Orlovsky and Curtis Painter.

Contrast that with, say, the Washington Redskins. They have had 13 different quarterbacks start games in the 13 seasons from 2002 to today. The list mostly is inglorious: John Beck, Mark Brunell, Jason Campbell, Todd Collins, Kirk Cousins, Robert Griffin III, Rex Grossman, Tim Hasselbeck, Shane Matthews, Colt McCoy, Donovan McNabb, Patrick Ramsey and Danny Wuerffel.

The New York Jets have had 10 different starters at quarterback over the same span: Brooks Bollinger, Quincy Carter, Kellen Clemens, Brett Favre, Greg McElroy, Chad Pennington, Mark Sanchez, Geno Smith, Vinny Testaverde and Michael Vick.

Two of the Patriots’ three AFC East rivals already have benched young quarterbacks this season. The Jets sat down Smith this week in favor of Vick. The Buffalo Bills previously benched EJ Manuel in favor of Kyle Orton. The Dolphins, who finally have settled in around Ryan Tannehill, started 15 different quarterbacks between 2002 and Tannehill’s first start.

That instability certainly isn’t exclusive to the AFC East either. The Browns – they of the 69-130 record since 2002 – have started 17 different quarterbacks. The Raiders – 64-135 over that same span - have seen 18 different quarterbacks start under center, an NFL high.

Is it any wonder that these teams have spent their time chasing Brady and Manning?

“Teams that have younger quarterbacks, they don’t command that respect,” said former Packers wide receiver Antonio Freeman, who played with Favre in Green Bay. “They can’t demand that same respect. A lot of that comes with maturity. You’re not going to see that from Geno Smith. You’re not going to see that from EJ Manuel. They’re not in position to command that respect. If you’re a receiver and you want the ball from a guy like that (Brady or Manning), you’re gonna fall in line. You’re gonna do what you’re supposed to do. You’re gonna do your job.”

A team quarterbacked by Brady or Manning has represented the AFC in eight of the last 13 Super Bowls. They have a good chance to make it nine for 14 this season.

“(The consistency of Brady and Manning has) gotten jobs for a lot of coaches and executives,” said Vinny Cerrato, a former front office executive with the Redskins and San Francisco 49ers. “And it’s gotten a lot of coaches and executives into the Hall of Fame.”

Both quarterbacks have managed to remain injury-free, other than the single lost season for each.

“These guys, they don’t get hit a bunch,” Freeman said. “When they do get hit and when they do have to move around, they’re a different quarterback. So, I think you have to look at their offensive line. Look at the line that Peyton had in Indianapolis. Then, you’re also talking about guys who make quick decisions. When you have that knowledge, you have a feel for what’s going on. You have that veteran leadership, and the younger guys follow suit.”

It doesn’t hurt, of course, that Brady and Manning continue to play at a Hall of Fame level even now, with Brady at age 37 and Manning at 38. Brady has 18 touchdown passes, two interceptions and a 104.7 passer rating this season. Manning has 22 touchdown passes, three interceptions and a league-leading passer rating of 119 this season.

“I’m pretty self-motivated,” Brady said when asked during a midweek news conference about his rivalry with Manning. “He’s always been someone I really look up to and studied and admired. He is older than me and has more playing experience than me. So, maybe when I’m his age, I’ll be, you know, playing as well as that.”

It was only about a month ago that Brady’s ability to keep playing at his customary high level was being questioned widely after he was removed from an ugly Monday night loss at Kansas City in favor of rookie backup Jimmy Garoppolo. His on-field reply? He has thrown 14 touchdown passes and no interceptions over the last four games.

Manning said this week that the early-season questioning of Brady’s skills was misguided.

“I’ve always wanted to meet ‘they,’ and I’ve always wanted to meet ‘sources,’ because they seem to say a lot,” Manning said in a conference call with Boston-area reporters. “I’m not speaking for Tom. But my guess is he didn’t give ‘they’ or those people a lot of credibility. As far as me, I’m my own biggest critic. I’m always trying to correct my mistakes and take my coaching. You get graded every game and kind of get graded every practice, and you’re always looking to improve.”

Manning won his fifth league MVP award last season and beat Brady and the Patriots in the AFC title game en route to a Super Bowl loss to the Seattle Seahawks. But Brady leads in career Super Bowl appearances, 5 to 3, and career Super Bowl triumphs, 3 to 1. He also has won 10 of the 15 matchups with Manning, including eight of 11 during the regular season.

“It’s a really important week for our team,” Brady said. “All of us on offense have to bring our best, because we know we’re playing against one of the best offenses in the league. Peyton has been a phenomenal player, so consistent and durable for a long period of time. ... It’s a great matchup.”

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