by Janet Trieschman

Created on: November 11, 2008

History must have been set with Super Bowl 42. Have two brother quarterbacks ever won back-to-back Super Bowl seasons? My research hasn't found any. The Manning brothers, Payton and Eli, have many similarities both on and off the football field; they are brothers after all.

The obvious comparison of size and weight given their sibling relationship doesn't come surprising. Peyton is four years older than Eli. Peyton is one inch taller and about five pounds heavier according to statistics. Both were born in New Orleans and attended Isidore Newman High School.

Having both sons play professional football and in the same position seems to be a bit of a blessing. They are both sons of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning. While they obviously have good genes for the position and a life long training camp, it still to seems to me a bit more than fate. Given their history, I wouldn't doubt them being football players, probably not even professional ball players. More than fate steps in when I start to consider them playing the same position and both being equally successful in their rolls.

Let's compare those roles. Peyton has been playing football professionally for ten years winning the Super Bowl in his ninth with the Indianapolis Colts. Eli has been playing professional ball for four years and won the Super Bowl in his fourth year with the New York Giants. Comparing their statistics from each winning year, Peyton had more touchdowns with 31 while Eli had 23. Eli had more interceptions at 20 to Peyton's 9. Surprisingly low for Peyton since there seems to be a bit of a discussion whirling around him in regards to how many interceptions he throws in a game. When you look at the statistics, it doesn't seem to be that many at least not enough to warrant the discussions. Total yards passing for Peyton were 4,397 in 2006, his winning season and 3,336 for Eli in his 2007-winning season.

To recap, Peyton's winning season consisted of more touchdowns than Eli's, fewer interceptions and more yards passing. Another interesting comparison is within Peyton's game itself. Looking at his winning season of 2006 and the most recent 2007 season. Both seasons proved the same results with 31 touchdowns. 2007 had almost double the interceptions with 14 compared to 2006's 9. Total yards passing are similar with 2007 being a bit less as 4,040 compared to 2006's season at 4,397. Comparing these figures to Eli's winning season; Peyton still had more touchdowns, fewer interceptions and more total yards passing.

Both brothers appear in commercial endorsements while Peyton's appearances outnumber Eli's. They have appeared together, actually with their entire family and Eli has begun to appear solo in his own commercials. Which I am sure will continue after his recent win.

Both brothers were named Most Valuable Player in the year they won the Super Bowl. But their most valuable work might be seen through their dedication to charities. Both brothers give back to their communities and are very active in fundraising. Peyton has his own foundation the Peyback Foundation that helps disadvantaged kids in Louisiana, Tennessee and Indiana. In 2007 Peyton had a hospital renamed after him. St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis renamed its Children's Hospital to Peyton Manning Children's Hospital at St. Vincent. Similarly, Eli also has commitments to the medical field with a five-year commitment to help raise funds to build a state of the art clinic in Mississippi called the Eli Manning Children's Clinics.

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