For the second chapter of the Peyton Manning comparison we'll be using a lot of pretty pictures and charts.  During the final weeks of the 2008-09 season some quarterbacks we evaluated previously made some significant modifications to their legacy.  Some were positive (Roethlisberger, Warner), some were not (Delhomme).  In addition to the stat variations from the previous evaluation, we've removed Mark Brunell from the Contemporaries category and replaced him with Eli Manning.  Although Brunell had more playoff starts, the lack of a Super Bowl appearance was a glaring discrepancy.  Plus, Eli just finished his 7^th playoff game, which means he meets the minimum requirement for our comparison. 

What we want to determine is whether or not it is a fact that Peyton Manning's play suffers in the postseason more than other quarterbacks.  The national media has harped on Manning's lack of clutch ability for years.  But does it have to be Manning who's underperforming or could it be his team?  We've put together five categories, some statistical and others record based, which demonstrate key qualities of QB play essential to winning championships.  Below is the total playoff and Super Bowl winning percentage for some of the best quarterbacks of all time and the best of Peyton Manning's contemporaries.  This has been the major knock against him in terms of media criticism.

PLAYOFF WINNING PERCENTAGE

(In games as starting quarterback)

Not much has changed here from our previous evaluation.  Roethlisberger and Warner swapped places in the Contemporaries category thanks to Big Ben's victory over Kurt in the Super Bowl.  Peyton doesn't fare well against either grouping, but keep in mind that he does own a championship which cannot be said for some of his contemporaries with higher winning percentages.

Below is the updated comparison of each quarterback's differential between regular season and playoff completion percentage.  Once again I will concede that completion percentage can be overrated and sometimes deceptive because it doesn't take into account the type of passes that offenses attempt.  However, the differential between regular season and postseason success can be tied to the variation of completion percentage.  If an offensive game plan is designed around the dependability of the QB's passing, and that varies too far from the expected results than the team will face more 3^rd and longs or be unable to stretch the field.  It is probably no coincidence that the top four in this Greats category all own 3 or more rings. 

COMPLETION PERCENTAGE DIFFERENTIAL FROM SEASON TO PLAYOFFS

The addition of Eli Manning adds a parallel between the Contemporaries and the Greats.  At the top of both categories is a quarterback whose regular season performance is atrocious for his era.  But when it came down to crunch time, Eli and Bradshaw showed the ability to step up their game and help their team move the ball with more efficiency.  Most QB's percentages drop in the postseason due to the increased quality of the opposition, with the notable exception of Bradshaw, E. Manning, Aikman, and McNabb.

Touchdown to Interception Ratio may not be considered an exact measure of a quarterback's effectiveness because there is generally no direct correlation between the two stats.  However the differential between regular season and playoff TD/INT Ratio is another statistic in which the Quarterbacks with 3 or more rings rise to the top of the Greats category.  It should be noted that Tom Brady slides down the rankings slightly due to his inhuman regular season totals.  Would it be as complicated as rocket science to make the assumption that postseason success is directly tied to maximizing scoring opportunities while minimizing turnovers?

TD/INT RATIO DIFFERENTIAL FROM SEASON TO PLAYOFFS

Repeatedly we have seen two themes arise in these categories.  The quarterbacks with the most championships either raise their game or keep it close to the same level in the postseason, and Peyton Manning struggles to live up to his brilliant regular seasons.  If we were to just examine his TD/INT Ratio or his Completion Percentage as compared to the other QB's he would be in the middle of the pack.  But his drastic shift between regular and postseason play does seem to undermine any notion of him being clutch.

Outside of stats, differentials, and overall records, there are a couple comparisons we can examine that will demonstrate the clutch ability of the quarterbacks in question.  Traditionally in football the most difficult victory in the playoffs is one that comes on the road.  In a hostile environment, in brutal December/January weather, with the crowd of a capacity stadium doing their best to create every distraction possible.  The fact that you're facing a team that's ranked higher than you only accentuates the difficulty.

PLAYOFF ROAD GAME WINNING PERCENTAGE

(games started)

Home field advantage really doesn't matter as much in Peyton Manning's era compared with those previous.  That is probably due to the new ranking system based on divisional winners.  Only three of the Greats have 50% or higher road winning percentages, while there are seven of Manning's Contemporaries with  equal or better records.  Roger Staubach's impressive playoff road record really demonstrates how dominant he was in an era when home field advantage meant something.  Is anyone else surprised that Manning has won as many road playoff games as Joe Montana?

Once a quarterback gets his team to the playoffs can they make it to the big game?  If we look at the percentage in which he's reached the Super Bowl after making the playoffs we can get a gage on how often he's bested the toughest teams in his conference.  It's a way to evaluate winning without looking at the total games, instead we focus on the ability to keep the team together throughout the postseason.

PERCENTAGE OF LEADING TEAM TO SUPER BOWL

(In postseasons as starting quarterback)

Is Peyton cursed by leading his team to the postseason too often?  Every category finds Manning failing to live up to his regular season legacy.  We're pretty close to direct evidence that Peyton really isn't clutch.  Below is a cumulative chart which is breaking down every category we've discussed so far.  We've included a Completion Percentage and TD/INT Ratio comparison in addition to the differentials.  Since there were 11 quarterbacks in each category we've used a 10-0 point system.  The best QB in each category gets 10, the worst gets 0.

Greatest QB's of Super Bowl Era
(minimum 15 playoff starts)

Peyton Manning vs. Contemporaries
(minimum 7 playoff starts)

AGGREGATE COMBINED RATINGS FOR PERFORMANCE IN POSTSEASON

Looks like your legacy's safe Dan.  Number 1.

Does Peyton Manning lack clutch ability in the playoffs?  It seems that way.  Luckily Peyton always has the championshipless Dan Marino to fall back on when people question the quality of his legacy.  If only he had anyone more appropriate than Brad Johnson to defend his marks versus his contemporaries.  Peyton will have more chances to improve his legacy unlike everyone but Brady in the Greats category.  More than likely some of the contemporaries will see their numbers drop as their careers wear on.  There is only one champion each year, that means eleven playoff teams go home empty handed.  Peyton has gone home without the trophy more times than most quarterbacks with his prowess.  Is he clutch?  No.  But he owns more rings than most of the sportswriters who question his legacy.  That's got to count for something.