I would take Payton back, but I think his resume is better than McCarthy’s, because I don’t think his situations were as ready-made as MMs.
I think we’ve come to where we are disagreeing and I think that’s the drop-it, fair is fair conclusion we both need.
Brees was special. I get weird about legacy debates - so I would say you can’t overtake Brady for the goat debate because the resume is too overwhelming. Right behind him with resume, needs to be Brees - the 2nd most yards and THE most accurate.
But, I don’t necessarily think stats speak to talent. The only guys I’ve seen that made me question the possibility of their throws and their consistency, while also protecting the ball and not just winging it (gtfo Favre), are Mahomes and Rodgers.
All of this feeds into my overarching point of view. Brees was phenomenally talented and when paired with elite coaching, he’s now #2 on the 🐐 scale. Mahomes with Reid will eventually pass Brady IMO. Rodgers will fade into the middle top 10 or beyond, even though in my eyes - IF he had a Payton/Reid, Mahomes wouldn’t be chasing Tom Brady. I attribute Rodgers’ lack of legacy to McCarthy not being on par with the the better HCs.