I think people already made reference to this in a sense, but it's been a pet issue of mine for a long time.
How good a player is ==> that's one thing.
How well his teams do with him on their team ==> that's another thing.
And in the era of salary caps, the relationship between those two things
very often comes down to
SALARY.
Take the very best player who ever played football. Then pay him more than even he is worth, and watch him struggle as the team doesn't have enough $$$ to pay for good players to surround him with.
Brady is very good, and he's clearly underpaid. He has players around him who are also very good and underpaid. Result: unbelievably good team.
I think Manning is better than Brady, but he is paid a lot more. Add in Harrison's and Edgerrin's huge contracts, and Indy doesn't have enough $$$ left to put toward a solid defense etc. They got lucky this year with Reggie Wayne, an emerging star who wasn't paid nearly as much as the big 3. But if and when he demands way more $$$, Indy may not be able to afford him. Or if they do pay him what he's worth, their D will suffer even more.
I don't think Manning is a loser or a choker. He is losing in the pros because he doesn't have the guys around him. Take a pay cut, dude, and spread that $$ to get yourself a better defense.
I remember when Reggie White went to Green Bay for way less than he was worth, to play for a winner. It was a great day!

And they won with him. If they had paid him what he was worth, they wouldn't have made those two Super Bowls.
JMHO, fwiw....[/u]