When Tom Brady takes the field against Peyton Manning today, the discussion about who’s the best will present itself for the umpteenth time.
Who’s No. 1? It’s a good argument on the field. It depends what you prefer — stats or rings. On cardboard, both are big, though Brady is definitely a pricier autograph simply because he doesn’t sign as much. Manning’s availability hurts values but helps collections. (Just like on the field, it’s a good debate of who’s better hobby-wise.)
Rewind the clock back 16 years, though, and it was obvious who the star was between these two. Manning had been the No. 1 overall pick a couple years before and walked into the NFL a star on cardboard after his time at Tennessee. And Brady? He wasn’t even in the discussions. He was just this guy from Michigan. >>>>>
The former Wolverine was so off-the-radar that it took a few years for this image to become Internet fodder. Brady’s cards took a bit of time to take off, too, but once he took over as the Patriots’ starter in 2001, NFL history was changed — just like his cardboard.
Brady’s journey is the more fascinating one to Buzz. Consider the list below showing the quarterbacks drafted ahead of Brady, who went 199th overall.
| 2000 NFL Draft quarterbacks | |||||
| Round | No. | Name | School | Team | |
| 1 | 18 | Chad Pennington | Marshall | New York Jets | |
| 3 | 65 | Giovanni Carmazzi | Hofstra | San Francisco 49ers | |
| 3 | 75 | Chris Redman | Louisville | Baltimore Ravens | |
| 5 | 163 | Tee Martin | Tennessee | Pittsburgh Steelers | |
| 6 | 168 | Marc Bulger | West Virginia | New Orleans Saints | |
| 6 | 183 | Spergon Wynn | Texas State | Cleveland Browns | |
| 6 | 199 | Tom Brady | Michigan | New England Patriots | |
| 6 | 202 | Todd Husak | Stanford | Washington Redskins | |
| 7 | 212 | Tim Rattay | Louisiana Tech | San Francisco 49ers | |
| 7 | 214 | Jarious Jackson | Notre Dame | Denver Broncos | |
| 7 | 234 | Joe Hamilton | Georgia Tech | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | |
Need a Chad Pennington certified autograph? You can get it for the price of a pack — or less. Giovanni Carmazzi? Under $1 with some hunting. Same goes for Chris Redman and Tee Martin. Need a Spergon Wynn? He never even signed a deal for a certified autograph — that’s how far off the radar he was and he was taken a half-round ahead of Brady. Pennington had some NFL success as did Marc Bulger, but, again, his auto also falls into the $3 or less club on the low end.
Meanwhile, a Brady certified autograph will cost you more than $300 on the low-end and most newer ones will cost you $500 or more. Manning can be had for about $75 for his older autos — again because he’s been a steady signer for card companies for years. His newer autos are signed in lower volume, so they can be pricey as well.
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