Tom Brady has become Peyton Manning (great record, regular-season stats, but can't win the big one), while ironically Eli Manning has become the old Tom Brady (clutch, big-game QB, more modest stats).
While Peyton Manning's record of seven straight 12-win seasons from 2003-2009 is unlikely to be matched, and also bracketed by 10-win seasons, putting that streak at nine, the Patriots' win totals since 2001 are as follows: 11, 9, 14, 14, 10, 12, 16, 11, 10, 14, 13. Brady took over for Drew Bledsoe midseason in 2001, and missed all of 2008, but if you count the years during Manning's streak - 2003-2009, the Pats averaged 12.43 wins per year, despite Matt Cassel playing in 2008. Moreover, if you remove 2008 and add 2009-2011, they averaged 12.9 wins over the last eight years with Brady. Over the seven-year 12-win streak the Colts averaged 12.7 wins.
Wes Welker's drop (if you want to call it that) might very well have cost the Patriots the SB win and himself a spot in the Hall of Fame.
If Peyton Manning's arm strength doesn't come all the way back, we might be looking at Chad Pennington 2.0 next year.
Now that Peyton Manning missed a full season, and his career is in jeopardy, is anyone going to catch Brett Favre for the all-time yardage/TD records? Drew Brees has another 31,000-plus to go and is already 32. And Aaron Rodgers wasted too many years as Favre's backup.
If you were starting a franchise, which of these three QBs would you take: Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III or Matt Flynn?
The NFC is loaded at QB with only Washington, Arizona and Seattle not set on their starters next year. Tampa and San Francisco are marginally set. The other 11 teams: Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Eli Manning, Tony Romo, Matt Stafford, Michael Vick, Jay Cutler, Cam Newton, Matt Ryan, Christian Ponder and Sam Bradford.
Even the AFC has Brady, Philip Rivers, Ben Roethlisberger, Matt Schaub, Andy Dalton and Joe Flacco set in stone. Tim Tebow and Jake Locker have a chance to be franchise quarterbacks, too. Mark Sanchez, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Carson Palmer/Jason Campbell and Matt Cassel are also likely starters. That leaves only Miami (Matt Moore), Cleveland (Colt McCoy) and Jacksonville (Blaine Gabbert) as near locks to look elsewhere.
In a year where the lockout might have hurt rookie production, the 2011 class is instead looking like one of the great ones: Cam Newton, Von Miller, A.J. Green, Patrick Peterson, Julio Jones, Aldon Smith, Jake Locker, J.J. Watt, Christian Ponder, Ryan Kerrigan, Nate Solder, Phil Taylor, Andy Dalton, Titus Young, Torrey Smith, Greg Little, Randall Cobb, DeMarco Murray, Roy Helu, Kendall Hunter, Denarius Moore and T.J. Yates all made major impacts with many looking like future stars.
What an odd year Vernon Davis had with only one 75-yard game through week 16, then three straight 110-plus games in Week 17 and the playoffs when it didn't count for your fantasy team. Because of the playoffs, he'll likely be a top-five-ish TE next year after Rob Gronkowski, Jimmy Graham and maybe Aaron Hernandez/Jason Witten/Antonio Gates.
Tony Gonzalez last year was like Brett Favre in 2009 - owning all the all-time records and still putting distance between himself and active players chasing him like Jason Witten and Antonio Gates. (Witten had more yards, but Gonzalez more catches and TDs).
While Jerry Rice is out on an island with his receptions, receiving yards and TD records, it's almost easier to see an active player like Calvin Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald or A.J. Green breaking one of those than it is anyone breaking Emmitt Smith's rushing yardage record (18,355). Consider that Steven Jackson and Frank Gore with all the mileage they have are not even half way there. Among active players, Ray Rice (24), Maurice Jones-Drew (26) and Adrian Peterson (26) probably have the best chance, but it's almost impossible to see anyone holding up that long these days under the workloads that Smith used to receive. It's worth noting Barry Sanders would likely have surpassed Smith had he not retired early.
Eli Manning and Matthew Stafford threw for more yards this year than Peyton Manning, Joe Montana, Brett Favre, Kurt Warner or Dan Fouts ever did in any year of their careers.
The Giants won their fourth Super Bowl in the last 25 years, more than any franchise over that span. They're tied for fourth place in SB wins with the Packers. The Niners and Cowboys have five, while the Steelers have six. The NFC East has won 12 of the league's 46 SBs (5 Cowboys, 4 Giants, 3 Redskins), and have appeared in 20 (8 Cowboys, 5 Giants, 5 Redskins, 2 Eagles).