I think Gotti just said that to instill confidence in his troops. Sure Gotti had balls but he was far from fearless if you go by certain accounts. In the balls department, I think it's always been hard to outdo the Gambinos, but brains? Hands down the Genovese with all their old-timers and hardly no rats. It's safe to agree though that during Carlo's reign, the two families were probably inseperable in terms of power. In my view the Genovese were always the true Cosa Nostra gangsters.