Good point. That’s why it’s difficult to say one guy is it....but Manning, in my opinion, lacks big game talent. If I was picking a QB, in his prime, for my team, it would not be Manning.
The big problem I see with Peyton is actually his OCs. So much gets made of Peyton being so smart and calling his own plays and being almost a coach, but when the games get big coaching matters more and more. And his coaches never seem to push him in the right direction, they always seem comfortable letting Peyton be Peyton. You can see that in his SB loss to The Saints, anybody that’s ever watched Peyton knows he loves to throw to the left flat when the blitz comes from that side, you’ll see him do it 2 or 3 times a game... including the interception NO ran back for the TD that effectively won the game. Because they had 2 weeks to watch tape and lure him into that play with a fake blitz on that side the had the LB drop to cover Peyton’s favorite spot. Good coaches would have spent the 2 weeks telling Peyton not to do that pass because everybody knows he loves it and Gregg Williams will have a plan for it. But Peyton’s coaches never seem to want to control him like that.
With many of the great QB’s, you have a key WR that has a lot to do with the success of the offense, and the team. Imagine Montana without Rice, Bradshaw without Swann or Stallworth? Manning had Marvin Harrison for years, and put up some big numbers. Brady seems to be able to do good with just about any receiver.