INDIANAPOLIS Tom Brady has a chance to cement his place among the greatest quarterbacks of all time.

Eli Manning hasn't even been the most-talked about Manning this week.

The starting quarterbacks in Super Bowl XLVI are a study in contrasts. Brady is the sixth-round draft choice overlooked by 31 teams whose three Super Bowl titles with the New England Patriots assure him a spot in Canton.

Manning is the No. 1 overall pick with the quarterback pedigree as a member of one of football's most famous families.

Brady grew up in California, attending games at Candlestick Park when Joe Montana and Steve Young were collecting Super Bowl rings like trading cards.

Manning grew up in New Orleans, the youngest of three sons born to former New Orleans quarterback Archie Manning. Peyton Manning used to pin Eli on the ground and make him name all 12 schools in the SEC.

For all the talk about how dual-threat quarterbacks like Michael Vick and Cam Newton are changing the position, Brady and Eli Manning are prototypical drop-back passers praised for their poise in the pocket and ability to deliver in the clutch.

It should make for captivating theater Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium in the first rematch of Super Bowl MVP-winning quarterbacks.

"The match-up is tremendous. If you're going to put a couple of guy's names up in lights on the marquee, it's going to be Eli and Tom Brady," said NBC Sports' Al Michaels, who will call Sunday's game. "Brady is one of the greatest of all time. I never like to rank guys one through five or whatever, but no matter what happens on Sunday, you're having a conversation about one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. And Tom is very much in that conversation."

Brady would join Montana and Terry Bradshaw as the only quarterbacks with four Super Bowl rings with a win against the New York Giants. Brady's legacy is secure, regardless of Sunday's outcome.

"Honestly, I haven't really given much thought to any records or anything like that," Brady said. "For me and for our team, it's really about this one game and the challenges that the Giants present to us.

"I was a 49ers fan growing up, so Joe Montana and Steve Young were my two favorite players. It was always a special time for me to go out there - my parents had season tickets - and we'd go sit down in the end zone about 10 rows from the top of the stadium in Candlestick."

Manning has had the upper hand in the last two meetings with Brady. The Giants came from behind to knock off the unbeaten Patriots 17-14 in Super Bowl XLVII when Manning hit Plaxico Burress on a 13-yard touchdown pass with 35 seconds left.

Manning led another fourth-quarter comeback against New England in a 24-20 win at Gillette Stadium in November.

"He's a great quarterback. He's obviously a great leader. You hear the comments coming from their players, and obviously they respect him," Brady said. "He loves the game and he's played it at a high level for a long time. He's survived in that environment in New York, it's a tough place to play. He answers the critics. He never makes excuses. He goes out there and he plays very well."

Manning is playing in Indianapolis - dubbed "Peyton's Place" - under a cloud of speculation about whether his brother has played his last game with the Colts, or anyone, due to a neck condition that has been slow to improve following his third surgery.

Eli has handled the situation with class, patiently answering a week's worth of questions about Peyton's future.

"Since I've been watching football, I haven't seen anybody play at a higher level than he has," Eli said. "It has always been my goal to get to his level of football, to get to his level of play. That is something that I've worked on. I've watched him in situations and I'm just amazed on some of the throws and plays he's made in his career."

Stories of Brady's football intelligence almost have become stuff of legend. Offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien said the Patriots were preparing for Buffalo last season when Brady recalled a play that had worked against the Bills eight years earlier.

"It was a double move by a receiver that they hit and he felt like that was a similar play we could use in that game," O'Brien said. "Sure enough, right hash, home game, going toward the lighthouse. Look it up, 2002, and there was the play. He has a great memory and he's a very prepared guy and a great teammate."

Manning also is held up as a smart player, as well one who is cool under pressure. His 15 fourth-quarter comebacks in the regular season are the most in NFL history.

Critics used to question Manning's toughness. Not anymore.

After 25 interceptions in 2010, Manning stayed in the pocket and took sacks rather than throwing balls up for grabs. He was sacked six times in the NFC championship game at San Francisco.

"The San Francisco game was as good as you'll get in terms of a guy that was willing to hang in there and do whatever was necessary to give us a chance," Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride said. "I think he's really made marked improvement in terms of buying time."

So what would a second Super Bowl title mean to Manning? In typical fashion, Peyton's younger brother offered a low-key response when asked about the matchup with Brady.

"I'm not into making predictions. It's not my job to list quarterbacks," Manning said. "He's obviously a future Hall-of-Famer. He's had a tremendous career. It's his fifth Super Bowl, so that's amazing. This is a team game. ... Hopefully the Giants can be the better team on Sunday."