“Who is better, Brady or Manning?” According to the New York Daily News columnist and veteran author of THE CATCH and COACHING CONFIDENTIAL, "The argument has been going on for more than a decade in stadiums, living rooms, luxury boxes, sports bars, fantasy leagues, and wherever they have high-definition televisions."

In his latest book, Gary Myers chronicles the illustrious careers of Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, two of the most successful quarterbacks in NFL history (their combined career highlights include five Super Bowl championships, nine AFC championships and 24 Pro Bowl appearances) while tracing their special rivalry (through the 2014 season, the athletes had faced each other on the gridiron over 16 times with Brady leading 11-5), highlighting their dramatic match-ups (including the electric 2006 AFC championship game) and focusing on their mutual respect.  

Myers’ absorbing book opens with the two football icons’ first meeting in Massachusetts’s old Foxboro Stadium in 2001. Filling in for the injured starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe and with the Patriots season on the line, the rookie Brady is warming up on the field when he is greeted by the Indianapolis Colts four-year veteran, the amicable young phenom Manning, introducing himself with an extending hand. Myers notes, “The greatest rivalry in National Football League history began with a pregame introduction that was hardly necessary.” Brady remarks, “It was a very polite thing for [Peyton] to do, especially being on our field,” adding, “That really speaks to his character. He always does the right thing, says the right thing and acts the right way.” Myers reports that Manning adopted this Southern etiquette from his father, “Archie” Manning III.

"True fans of the game will appreciate Myers’ intimate insights into two extraordinary athletes’ unique professional lives, histories and journeys."

One of the most fascinating aspects of the book is this study and contrast of characters, especially the influence of quarterbacks’ families and their formative college years. Although Brady was the youngest quarterback to hold the Lombardi Trophy after leading the Patriots in a 20-17 victory over the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI, the path leading up to his first major championship win was checkered. “Brady had fought for every snap he received at the University of Michigan and had overcome the indignity of having 198 players, including 6 quarterbacks, taken ahead of him before the Patriots wrote his name on the draft card,” notes Myers. Wolverines coach Lloyd Carr had Brady standing on the sidelines until his fourth year, but the determined young athlete proved to be a model of leadership through his attitude, will to compete and hard work. In the final game of his college career, Brady led Michigan to a 35-34 win in an impressive overtime battle against Alabama in the 2000 Orange Bowl.

Given Manning’s strong football pedigree (father Archie was beloved at “Ole Miss” and was the New Orleans Saints 1971 draft pick, and brother Eli, the New York Giants quarterback, is a two-time Super Bowl champion), he naturally gravitated toward the leadership role in college. As the Tennessee Volunteers quarterback, Manning was an all-time leading passer with the Southeastern Conference record for career wins. Mature, with a personality commanding respect, and uber fit with a strong arm and great mobility, Manning was considered by Bill Polian, then Vice President of the Colts, to be “the sure thing, the best quarterback prospect since John Elway.”

In researching the athletes’ careers, Myers is thorough, interviewing central figures including coaches, administrators and players (from Tony Dungy, Bill Belichick and Rex Ryan to Scott Pioli, Drew Bledsoe and Phil Simms), covering the good, the bad and the ugly --- from the controversies (including Spygate and “one of the most bizarre controversies in the leagues’ ninety-five-year history,” Deflategate) to the season-ending injuries (Brady missed most of the 2008 season as a result of a torn ACL; Manning was sidelined in 2011 after spinal fusion surgery).

“Sports is all about great rivalries,” writes Myers, noting that the quarterback rivalry has raised the marketability of the National Football League, expanding annual revenues to $10 billion in 2014. BRADY VS. MANNING, however, presents more than the business side of the sport. True fans of the game will appreciate Myers’ intimate insights into two extraordinary athletes’ unique professional lives, histories and journeys.