Brady may not have the spectacular TD totals that Manning has put on the board, but he does perhaps the most important thing that a quarterback can do. He takes what the defense will give him and he won’t force the issue. He spreads the ball around to a myriad of receivers. Last year he threw TD passes to 12 different receivers, tying an NFL record.

Manning’s belief in his arm strength is almost arrogant as he will bypass the shorter route for the deeper pass if he sees a needle he can thread. While appearing cool under pressure, he has resorted to blaming teammates when things have gone wrong. Go back to last year’s loss to Pittsburgh. Manning had a less-than-flattering assessment of his offensive line’s performance when he returned to the locker room.

Here’s another line item on Manning’s resume: How about a 41-0 loss to the Jets in the 2002 playoffs. Manning was 14-of-31 for 137 yards with two interceptions. Brady has never completed less than 51 percent of his passes in any postseason game.

Brady has also done it with a much lesser supporting cast on the offensive side of the ball. Manning has had Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark and until this year Edgerrin James to ably assist him along with a huge and powerful offensive line.

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Throughout the Patriots three Super Bowl winning seasons, Brady has gotten it done with the likes of Troy Brown, Deion Branch, David Patten, Corey Dillon and Kevin Faulk. Dillon has been a star throughout his career, but the others have been role players who merely did a professional job. A quarterback who can get the most from average players in clutch situations has value far beyond what the statistics tell you.

The better comparison for Brady is with Hall of Famer Joe Montana, whom the Patriot quarterback grew up idolizing. Montana’s 49ers won four Super Bowl titles during his 14-year career and won two Super Bowl MVPs. Brady is midway through his seventh season and has two Super Bowl MVPs to go along with his three titles.

That one is almost even. But Brady is clearly ahead of the Indianapolis pitchman.