Andrew Luck

But after Sunday’s shellacking at the hands of the New England Patriots, Luck still has plenty of room left to grow and develop. While his numbers have brought comparisons to all the aforementioned quarterbacks, he is still nowhere near the same caliber of player that each of those developed NFL stars is today. But five years from now, he will be.

Luck has had his fair share of rookie mistakes in his freshman season with the Colts, but so has every rookie quarterback in the NFL. Following Sunday’s game, Luck has thrown for 12 touchdowns and ran for five more. Those are great statistics for a first-year starting quarterback, especially for a team coming off a miserable season.

The downside, however, is the number of turnovers he’s had. Luck threw three picks on Sunday and fumbled once to drive his turnover total to 17 (12 INTs, five fumbles) through 11 games. With the good comes the bad, and that can be said about any player in any professional sports league. It’s the ability to minimize the bad that turns a good player into a great one

One such example of that statement is the former Colts star and current Broncos quarterback, Peyton Manning. The former first-round draft pick is well on his way to Canton, but he began his career as a struggling starter in Indianapolis. In his rookie season in 1998, Manning threw 28 TDs and 26 interceptions, and he also lost one fumble. The Colts were 3-13 that season. Indy is 6-4 and very much in the wild card hunt this year.

In both 1998 and 2012, the Colts played the New England Patriots. At that time, Drew Bledsoe was leading the charge in Foxboro, and the two sides were duking it out in the AFC East. In the Colts’ first of two matchups with New England in 1998 — Manning’s second NFL start — the Colts traveled to Foxboro in Week 2 to take on an 0-1 Patriots squad. Manning was 21-38 for 188 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions. The Pats won that game  29-6.

Coming off a bye heading into Week 9, the Colts hosted New England in their second matchup, and came up short once again, 21-16. Manning aired it out more in his second meeting against the Patriots, throwing 52 passes. He completed 30 of them for 272 yards, two TDs and two INTs. The Colts struggled in his rookie season, going 3-13.

If you look at Manning’s numbers against the Patriots in his rookie season, they aren’t all that impressive. In Luck’s first matchup with New England on Sunday, he threw for 338 yards, two touchdowns and had four turnovers. The 2012 version of the Patriots had much more offensive firepower than the 1998 version, but the defenses are similar. In that season, New England ranked 14th in total defense and 25th against the pass. In 2012, the Pats are 25th in the league in total defense, and 29th against the pass.

All of the statistics provide insight into a numerical comparison between Luck and Manning, and their rookie seasons seem to correlate in multiple facets of their game. One such area is each’s ability to read a defense and make changes at the line. Manning is often regarded as having one of the best football minds of any player, and Luck is developing those same tendencies over the course of this season.

Outside of the yards and touchdowns, Luck possesses a swagger about him that attracts fans across the country to his style of play. He’s a gamer — wanting to make the best out of every pass he throws. The more and more it’s looked at, Luck and Manning continue to share a similar career path.

Manning didn’t get his first career win until Week 5 of his rookie season. Luck won his second career start, and led the Colts on a last-minute drive to set up a game-winning Adam Vinatieri field goal.

Luck is a very talented young quarterback stepping into the shoes of one the best to ever play the game. It’s an almost unheard-of situation where a franchise can have two incredible signal-callers for over two decades. Call it a coincidence or whatever you wish, but it looks like Luck has everything to do with it.

Yes, Tom Brady led the Patriots to a comeback victory on Sunday over the hated Jets, but it marked the first time he had done so since the AFC title game last year against Baltimore (not counting the blowout comeback against the Bills). Most importantly, in the games since that win, the Patriots are 4-4 (4-3 in 2012, and their Super Bowl loss to the Giants).

Brady is 35 years old. The younger Manning brother is 31 and will turn 32 in January. The 3 1/2-year age gap between the two most recent Super Bowl quarterbacks speaks volumes to the accomplishments that Manning has had in his time in the NFL.

Before digging into the nitty-gritty of the statistics, let's look back at how it all began. Manning was taken No. 1 in the 2004 NFL Draft. He was originally supposed to play in San Diego, but some fancy finagling led him to East Rutherford. In his first season with the Giants, Manning was groomed under Kurt Warner (remember him as a Giant?) and had his first career fourth-quarter comeback and game-winning drive in Week 17 against the Cowboys. In that game, he threw for three touchdowns and a meager 144 yards to lead the G-Men to victory.

The following season, Manning was named the starter and led New York to an NFC East crown before a shellacking in the first round of the postseason.

Brady, in his first season, led the Patriots to a Super Bowl title and five game-winning drives in 2001, including two in the postseason.

Right now, if you're keeping score, it's Brady 5-1 over Manning.

But since Manning's first Super Bowl win at the expense of New England's perfection, the tides have turned. In 2007 and 2011, both years that the Giants defeated the Pats in heartbreaking fashion, Manning engineered 12 fourth-quarter comebacks, including those on football's biggest stage. Brady had six comebacks in those two seasons.

At age 31, Manning has 23 fourth-quarter comebacks and 27 game-winning drives. At the same age — the beginning of the 2008 season, which was completely lost due to injury — Brady had 20 comebacks and 28 game-winning drives. Injury notwithstanding, those numbers are startlingly close.

Brady still holds the advantage in Super Bowl titles, MVP awards and overall statistical dominance — his best season was the record-breaking 2007 campaign (4,806 yards, 50 TD, 8 INT), while Manning's was in 2011 (4,933 yards, 29, TD 16 INT) — but in times where it counts, Manning leads the scoreboard at his age compared to Brady. And he's 2-0 against Tommy and the Pats in the Super Bowl.

Why is this important at this point and time? Because Manning and Brady both led game-winning comeback drives Sunday, and the speculation that Brady has lost his clutch touch came to a cold stop. Manning hasn't been subject to as much talk of not being a clutch performer, but neither was Brady four years ago.

Could we be witnessing the same rise and subsequent demise in Manning four years from now that Brady has been subject to in the first six weeks of the NFL season? Outside of one Super Bowl title — and that could quite possibly come this season — the statistics in close games between T.B. and Eli are almost identical.

Manning has the Giants atop the NFC East, where they're poised to make another deep postseason run. Brady has the Pats back in the top spot in their division, but almost by default. The comparison between the two quarterbacks is more than justified — it's borderline scary how closely the two resemble each other.

Brady has more personal hardware, but Manning has taken a team to new heights while still having plenty of years left in the prime of his career. It's not out of the question to think Manning could win an MVP or two, but his personal statistics would have to increase well beyond the average of 25 TDs and 10-plus interceptions.

Brady isn't ready to hang up the cleats anytime soon, and his performances late in games seem to have a taken a turn for the better, but the mantra that Manning is a clutch performer is growing almost every week. He's transformed from a game manager to a game-changer, along the same lines as Brady in his heyday.

While this debate can continue until both quarterbacks retire from football and the stats can be permanently inscribed in the history books, Brady has been surpassed by the younger Manning.

He could use a string of big wins — including another Super Bowl title — to cement himself as the greatest of all-time when it matters most.

Yes, he's batting a miniscule .083 in the 2012 playoffs, and comes in at .268 in his eleven appearances in October baseball. But when teammate Raul Ibanez pinch-hit for Rodriguez and went on to hit game-tying and then game-winning home runs against the Orioles on Wednesday, A-Rod was one of the first players out of the dugout to congratulate him.

Kobe Bryant, on the other hand, is recognized as one of the best postseason performers in any sport. Besides his five NBA championships and two Finals MVP awards, his playoff statistics are just as impressive. He's averaged 25.6 points per game when it has mattered most, and he has hit numerous clutch shots over the course of his career. Bryant has also never been shy when it comes to butting heads with teammates or coaches.

Following Rodriguez's benching in Wednesday night's game, Bryant voiced his disagreement with manager Joe Girardi's decision, worrying that the decision would affect the Yankees' team chemistry in a negative manner. (Yes, this is Kobe Bryant we're talking about here, so it's hard to consider him to be a reputable source to talk about team chemistry.)

But while Kobe and Rodriguez might not have comparable playoff resumes, Bryant could in fact take a page from A-Rod's playoff handbook when it comes to dealing with controversy.

On Thursday, a report surfaced of Bryant ripping some of his former teammates, in particular Smush Parker. He called Parker "the worst" of his teammates during the 2005-06 season, when the Lakers were knocked out of the playoffs in the first round.

"I almost won an MVP with Smush Parker and Kwame Brown on my team," Kobe said. "I was shooting 45 times a game. What was I supposed to do? Pass it to Chris Mihm or Kwame Brown?"

Ouch.

In contrast, on Wednesday night, Rodriguez was all smiles after his team's victory in Game 3 of the ALDS. The key word in that sentence, of course, is "team."

Regardless of whether or not he means it, A-Rod accepting his position on the Yankees and serving as an overpaid cheerleader for the three most important innings of the game is noteworthy. In his postgame interview, he acknowledged that he probably wouldn't have acted as positively earlier in his career, but the older, wiser Rodriguez knows that it was best for his team to win.

While Bryant may be right in his criticism of his former teammates, it's still something he should know not to say in the media.

The two "friends" appear to have very different ideas of the concept of team and chemistry. Rodriguez is doing whatever he can for his team to help them advance in the playoffs — well, except for hit — even taking a seat for a 40-year-old guy making a fraction of his salary. Bryant is openly tearing apart former teammates, and hasn't been afraid to badmouth current ones, as he did following the Lakers Game 4 loss against the Thunder in the 2012 playoffs.

A-Rod is receiving criticism from every angle, even getting some from Donald Trump, suggesting he get benched or cut.

Yet statistics be damned, Rodriguez is saying all the right things –
whether he means them or not. Bryant, meanwhile, isn't afraid to speak
his mind, but at a cost of burning nearly every bridge he has with many
past and present teammates.

For the future, Bryant ought to stop worrying about other team's chemistries. After all, he's making enough trouble with his own.

While the rest of the sporting world celebrates over the new deal signed by the owners and the NFLRA, let us not forget the chaos that ensued in the first three weeks of the 2012 season. Missed calls, player injuries, inconsistent flags and longer games were far too commonplace for a professional organization like the NFL. The damage done in three weeks went beyond the imagination of anybody with an opinion on professional football. As a result, the credibility of the league has taken a serious hit that will take years to repair.

In regards to the best commissioner, Selig has charged ahead as the best of the “Big Four” because of the MLB’s ability to stay out of the lockout discussions that have plagued the other three leagues in the last two years. The last lockout in the MLB was in 1994, when the players went on strike and resulted in the loss of the entire postseason.

That was nearly 20 years ago.

While there have been speed bumps along the way, the MLB and its players association have set aside their differences, and got the players on the field for full seasons — which fans care most about.

While the MLB has succeeded in that sense, it’s far from perfect. Umpires still make mistakes, but none anywhere near as glaring and as frequent as we saw in the NFL, and its still a far cry from the officiating in the NBA.

The PED scandal still has a glaring undertone in baseball. But, harder drug testing and higher suspensions have limited the spotlight of steroids, and the sport seems to be separating itself from the “juiced” era of years past.

The NBA, and David Stern, for the moment, would have to rank second in terms of league credibility. For reference, though, if this were a statistical analysis, the drop off from the MLB to NBA would be significant.

A lockout almost cost basketball fans all of the 2011-2012 season, but it was settled when players began losing paychecks. And everyone was thrilled to see Lebron James and the Miami Heat raise the Larry O’Brien trophy at the finals. Ok so maybe not on that aspect of it, but at least there was basketball.

Officiating in the NBA is always under scrutiny, and rightfully so.

“Everyone who loves pro basketball assumes it’s a little fixed,” said Chuck Klosterman in regards to officiating in the NBA. And, looking at some calls in years past, its hard to not agree.

Coming in after the NBA is Roger Goodell and the NFL. It’s hard to believe how after only three weeks of a season, the credibility of a league could take such a dramatic fall. When officials that couldn’t work in the lingerie football league are calling games on the highest stage, there is a big problem on your hands.

Combine the officiating problem with the ongoing lawsuits against the league from former and current players, and the NFL is in big-time trouble. When an ever-growing contingent of your retired players are suing the league for hiding information on head injuries and their effects after retirement, you have a PR nightmare. Regardless of what your stance is on the lawsuit, it still doesn’t look good for Goodell when the the entire players association is against you.

Creeping on to the list — only because there is only one other league on the continent —  is the NHL. But, because there isn’t currently a season scheduled because of yet another lockout, Gary Bettman‘s league has zero credibility. Two lockouts in eight years? Might as well wave a white flag. While new talks are scheduled and the issue can hopefully be resolved, it will take more than a contract and some hand-shaking for fans to put their faith back into the NHL.

For each of the commissioners, take a hard look in the mirror. Is your league doing all it can to put the best product out there? The MLB is the closest to a perfect product currently, and it’s absolutely far from it. But the NBA, NFL and MLB are light years away from providing their fans with a high-end, credible league.

Until then, asking what league is the most credible is a clown question, bro.

While the MVP race in the American League is down to a two-man race, the de facto MVP of pitching is filled with plenty of deserving candidates. With the Rays, Angels and Tigers all fighting for their playoff lives in the final week of the season, David Price, Jered Weaver and Justin Verlander all have one, maybe two starts left to solidify their Cy Young résumé — and more importantly, help their teams get into the postseason.

The big three in the American League have pulled away from their counterparts, but there is still one dark horse candidate out there who hasn't received much attention. But that will come at the end.

Since his debut for the Rays in the 2008, Price has become one of the game's most electrifying starters. The southpaw consistently throws in the mid-90's, and has offspeed stuff that can strike fear even the most threatening of hitters. And, in 2012, with the Rays battling until game 162 again, Price has all but single-handedly kept his team in the postseason conversation. He's now tied for the league lead with 18 wins, and he lowered his league-leading ERA to 2.56 with a 13-strikeout gem against the Red Sox on Tuesday. His 1.10 WHIP also puts him in a tie for third in the AL.

Out west, Weaver threw his name out early for Cy Young contention with his no-hitter against the Twins in May. Overall though, Weaver has proved to be the most consistent starter all year, tied for the league lead with 19 wins, as compared to only four losses. He's thrown fewer innings than either of the other two starting pitcher contenders for the award, and as a result, his strikeout numbers are down. However, those aren't necessarily as big of a factor as WHIP and ERA, where he ranks first and third, respectively.

How can the Cy Young debate not include the reigning MVP?  Verlander is still as dominant of a pitcher as he was in 2011, but the stats don't stack up as nicely compared to the absurd numbers he posted a year ago (24-5, 2.40 ERA, 250 K's, 251 IP). Instead, he's still orchestrated a solid season, further solidifying himself as the game's best pitcher. Verlander leads the AL in innings pitched, and has an ERA under 3.00. With how dominant Price and Weaver have been, though, it's unlikely the Detroit stud will be taking away the hardware this year.

Dark horse alert! Quick, name the pitcher who is second in the AL in saves with 44, has an ERA under one, and holds opposing hitters to a batting average of .165. That would be the Rays' Fernando Rodney, who is another viable Cy Young candidate who doesn't get noticed because of the market he plays in. But looking at it from a statistical perspective (which it should be) Rodney's numbers compare to almost nobody in the AL. His 0.68 ERA is absurd. He has converted 45 of 47 save opportunities, has a WHIP of 0.77 and a strikeouts per nine ratio of 8.83 — these numbers are mind boggling. While purists struggle thinking about giving the award to a closer — it's only been done seven times in the 56 year history of the Cy Young, and not since Eric Gagne won in 2003 — Rodney deserves some serious consideration.

At age 45, Blue Jays infielder Omar Vizquel passed the Babe for 41st place on MLB's all-time hit list, with No. 2,874 on Wednesday night against the Yankees.

Why does this number matter? Because all but two retired men (Pete Rose, Rafael Palmeiro) ahead of Vizquel are currently in the Hall of Fame. Craig Biggio and Derek Jeter are also ahead of him, but they will both be elected to the Hall in their first opportunities. And whenever Vizquel retires, he should be too.

Nearly playing to the quarter century mark is a feat within itself. But for Vizquel, he still contributes for the Blue Jays — just ask the Red Sox. Although he has only played in 56 games in 2012, he's suited up for Toronto in every infield position, and even played a game in the outfield. The greatest utility player of all-time? Maybe. The best defensive infielder ever — quite possibly.

While the hit total is impressive, Vizquel is more often known for his glove. From 1993-2001 Vizquel won nine consecutive Gold Glove Awards, playing for the Seattle Mariners and Cleveland Indians. During that time, the Venezuelan-born shortstop made 90 errors, all while playing an average of 158 games per season.

In 2000, Vizquel played in 156 games for the Indians. He had 648 defensive chances. Vizquel made three errors.

His career fielding percentage is .985, the second-highest ever by a shortstop. The only man ahead of Vizquel is current Colorado Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki.

Most would associate the greatest fielding shortstop to be Ozzie Smith. His career fielding percentage is seven points below Vizquel's, in Smith's 24 big-league seasons, he only committed a single-digit number of errors four times. Vizquel has done that 13 times.

Outside of his 11 Gold Gloves — he won two more with the Giants in 2005 and 2006 — Vizquel has showcased his speed on the basepaths. He's swiped 404 bases in his career, and while that number only gets him to No. 70 on that career-list, it's been his utility and overall effectiveness that should make him a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

The three-time All Star is only 126 hits away from 3,000, often considered the magic number for getting into the Baseball Hall of Fame. While at age 45 it may be hard for Vizquel to reach that number, it shouldn't matter.

In his prime, he was the best defensive shortstop in the game. If it hadn't been for the likes of Alex Rodriguez (02-03) and Derek Jeter (04-06), he could have won another two or three Gold Gloves, easily surpassing "The Wizard," who has 12.

He's been a class act throughout his career, a big plus when it comes time for the BBWAA to vote. Vizquel has stayed away from the steriod era scandals, another big perk when it becomes his first time on the ballot. If Vizquel calls it quits after 2012, or stays in the big leagues until he reaches 3,000 hits, he should be in the Hall of Fame on his first try.

If not, that's just the same type of robbery Vizquel has showcased over his career.

After missing all of last year due to injury, Manning hasn’t looked the same while suiting up in Denver. None was more evident than his three-interception performance against Matt Ryan and the Falcons on Monday night.

You have to go back to December of 2010 for the last time Manning threw three picks, also in a loss against the Cowboys. The last time he threw three interceptions in the first quarter? Go back even further to 2007 against the Chargers.

Because of how weak the AFC West is, it’s still likely that the Broncos will reach the playoffs, either winning the division or via the wild card. But it doesn’t look like it will be the same Manning who leads his team into the postseason.

Against the Falcons on Monday night, Manning had one of, if not the worst, quarter of his life. The three picks featured him locking into receivers far too early and trying to force passes. This is not the Manning we are accustomed to seeing. His happy feet in the pocket don’t let him get the most use out of his arm, and it resulted in several bad throws throughout the rest of the game.

Yes, he did settle down after the first horrendous 15 minutes, but it was too little, too late. The Broncos fell to 1-1, and Manning looks uneasy.

Is it a change of scenery that’s caused Manning to feel uncomfortable? Is it the new(ish) offensive system that after being out of football for a year is giving him problems? Whatever it is, the Broncos need to figure it out, and fast.

Their investment was on the Manning of old. Now it looks like its on an old Manning.

Arm strength is down, interceptions are up, and throws that Manning made in Indy aren’t finding the hands of his receivers. Expect to see more picks to come this weekend, as Manning and the Broncos take on Houston in Week 3. A rough season could see the beginning of the end for one of football’s best passers. Whether it’s the air up there or the neck, or something else, Manning doesn’t look the same.