Football season concludes but the discussion only begins.
First, I'm not engaged in the "best ever" narrative. Yes, Tom Brady has his four Super Bowl wins, three Super Bowl MVPs, and he's done it in the free agency, salary cap era. Some argue that he had the Belichick advantage, which totally forgets the historical contribution of Bill Walsh as both a coach and offensive innovator, and the brilliance of Chuck Noll.
Does the Montana-Brady debate really matter? We're not talking Ruth and Aaron versus steroid-addled sluggers. On the other hand, Brady has largely closed out the Brady-Manning debate. Sure, you have some teammate loyalists like Von Miller who insist that Manning is better, but the final arbiter of that discussion is Brady's dominance in the post-season. Forget about the fact that most of Manning's career was spent in the comfort of domes or that he was surrounded with superior receivers, when crunch time has come, Manning has far too often failed, with last year's Super Bowl performance a 'tail between the legs' embarrassment.
Meanwhile, Billy Madison, er, Johnny "College Football" Manziel goes to rehab. Apparently, it's a special Billy Madison like rehab, designed to help you grow up and become a better person, a better friend, and a better teammate. Up to this time, Manziel went to the "Five Minute Leadership" course, and left early. Everyone has their demons, and we can't know whether substance abuse is the cause or simply a symptom of the Manziel's extended adolescence. The problem for Browns fans is that you can't separate the athletic component from the emotional, psychological, and 'spiritual' (if you like) needs imposed on NFL quarterbacks. Sports fans will embrace effort and performance, but heretofore as a professional, Manziel has been Bozo not Romo, more Vince Young than Steve Young.
