Super quarterbacks

He is not the Manning we have grown accustom to watching light up the dome in Indianapolis. And by now it is more than evident he will never be the caliber quarterback of his big brother. But there is no longer any denying that Eli is very, very good.

In Super Bowl XLVI this Sunday, the youngest Manning brother will have an opportunity to do something Peyton has not -- hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy for a second time.

That is, if Eli and the red-hot Big Blue can surmount a New England squad led by the only quarterback of this generation to rival his brother in greatness -- Tom Brady.

But while Peyton and the Colts have fallen in 8 of 13 matchups with the Patriots, New York has compiled a 2-1 record against Brady's bunch with Eli at the helm.

The first of those back-to-back wins was in the legendary Super Bowl XLII in which the Giants crushed the Patriots hopes of a perfect season in the prime of Brady's career.

Then there was Week 9 earlier this season when Brady notched a go-ahead touchdown with 1:36 remaining. The perpetually stark raving calm Manning responded by engineering an 80-yard drive that ended with a game-winning score with 15 seconds left.

New England has not dropped a contest since, and at 34 years old, Brady knows he is running out of postseasons to bring home more hardware. Make no mistake about it, while he may play the part of the consummate team player, few things matter more to Tom Brady than his legacy. And that legacy is marked firmly by wins.  

No longer is Brady supported by the stellar Patriots defenses of years past, but New England's defensive front remains stout and its much-maligned secondary has shown notable improvements since the season's early going.

Offensively, Brady and the Patriots are equipped with Pro Bowl receiver Wes Welker and a stable of multi-threat weapons which will keep the Giants defense honest. Moreover, the 2010 draft armed the future Hall of Famer with a pair of field-stretching tight ends in Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski (Sunday will prove that the reports of his death have been greatly exaggerated).

Manning possesses plenty of weapons in his own right, including a trio of talented wideouts to whom he can spread the wealth and test the questionable Patriots secondary. (See Eli's 8-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio this postseason and Victor Cruz's 125-yard first half in the NFC Championship Game for details).

Manning is also backed by a defense which started on shaky ground. But that star-studded unit has since been the backbone for a Giants team which has reeled off wins in five-straight elimination games dating back to the regular season.

Super Bowl XLVI has the makings of another nail-biting showdown between these two storied franchises. So long as the great Tom Brady is behind center, it is difficult to call anyone but New England the favorite under the brightest lights in all of sports.

But should Brady leave any time left on the clock he will have a sideline seat from which to watch blue and white confetti rain from the rafters. Eli Manning will make sure of it.