OT: Who would you put on your sports Mt. Rushmore. This is harder than it sounds...

[the 'stache]

Originally Posted by EvilKing00

Manning was the whole team more often than not

Wait, I missed this before. Manning was the whole team more often than not??

Between 1999 and 2005, Manning had one of the dominant running backs in the NFL in the back in Edgerrin James. James ran for 1,553 yards in 1999, 1,709 yards in 2000 (leading the NFL both seasons), 1,259 yards in 2003, 1,548 yards in 2004, and 1,506 yards in 2005. He ran for 9,226 yards and 64 touchdowns in seven seasons, and would have easily cracked 10k yards if he had not missed 12 games in 2001 and 2002. He's probably a Hall of Famer, with 12,246 yards rushing, 80 TDs, 3,364 yards receiving and 11 TD.

Then there were his receivers. He had Marvin Harrison, a future Hall of Famer, for nearly his entire time in Indy. Between 1998 and 2008, Harrison caught 965 passes for 12,878 yards and 114 TD catches. Harrison made the Pro Bowl eight times, and was first team NFL All-Pro three times. And, starting in 2001, he also had Reggie Wayne. From 2004-2010, Wayne was a superstar for Manning, too. From 2001-2010, Wayne caught 787 passes for 10,748 yards and 69 TD. The duo combined for 2,172 receptions, 28,925 yards and 208 TD catches. Between them, they made 14 Pro Bowls, and were 4 times NFL All-Pro. Three Hall of Famers Manning had on offense with him for the vast majority of his career.

How many Hall of Famers were on offense for Brett Favre? Any? Sterling Sharpe would have been, but he was forced to retire in 1994, Favre's third season. He had some really good players-Robert Brooks had a huge season, and a second 1,000 yard season after blowing out his knee. Antonio Freeman made a Pro Bowl, and had a few 1,000 yard seasons. He had Donald Driver for the second half of his career. None of those guys are going to Canton. What about running backs? The best he had was Ahman Green, who became a star in Favre's ninth season. Before that, he had Edgar Bennett and a couple of good seasons from Dorsey Levens (one Pro Bowl appearance). None of these guys are all timers. Yet Favre won three MVP Awards, won a Super Bowl for the Packers, and broke most every passing record. Did Manning do more to make his team better than Favre? Food for thought.