It’s like picking between Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter. Who would you rather have – Peyton Manning or Tom Brady?

Would you rather have Manning, the highest-paid quarterback, and probably the best – but a guy who has yet to do it on the NFL’s biggest stage? Or do you want the Michigan man who puts up strong but not historic numbers while seemingly always finding another level of play in the clutch?

As Manning’s 7-0 Colts prepare to play Brady’s 6-1 Pats, NBC’s Cris Collinsworth was asked that question.

And the unthinkable almost happened.

The outspoken Collinsworth struggled to find words. He took a deep breath and needed a little prodding to produce an answer.

“I think today you would have to take Tom just because of what he has done in big games,” said Collinsworth, who will add NFL Network games on Thanksgiving to his NBC and HBO studio work.

“Believe me, this is a 51-49 vote for me,” Collinsworth added. “It is really close. If you take the two games that have ultimately sort of shaped their careers, [Brady has the edge.] “Brady in the Super Bowl – with sort of the chips down a little bit and a huge underdog in [2002 against the Rams] – won. Last year, Peyton Manning – and it clearly wasn’t all his fault, but there was enough there where they could have won the game at home against Pittsburgh – lost. That has to be the swing vote.” While Collinsworth takes Brady right now, he sees more similarities than differences between the two.

“I always think a team is based on: What does your greatest player do?” Collinsworth said. “The thing that has made these two franchises is their two great players are also the hardest-working guys. When Tom Brady says, ‘Let’s go throw the ball’ and it is a nice spring day and you want to go to the golf course and you know that Tom Brady has been lifting weights for two hours and now he wants to throw the ball for another two hours, you have no choice because that is your standard. It is the same thing with Peyton Manning. Peyton Manning is obsessed with the game.”

SUNDAY

Colts at Patriots

8:15 p.m., NBC See inside.