Maybe not as good OL talent, but you pretended those guys didn’t have much talent around them at all, and they clearly did.
Ultimately, either the early in the career and playoff record is a standard that defines a career or it isn’t. You can’t just claim something as a standard when it suits you and then say it’s not a standard when it doesn’t.
and, realistically, the fortunes of Manning and the Colts didn’t change until he got Dungy as a head coach, and for Brees And the Saints until he got Payton. Who’s to say McCarthy may not bee a boost for Dak and the entire Cowboy team?