Manning, Peyton - Denver Broncos Media Room

Dear Mr. Manning ...
By Laurie Lattimore-Volkmann
The Denver Post – Guest Commentary
February 6, 2014
I am not a sports reporter, not an NFL analyst, not a former player.
I've never studied film, and I've not catalogued all the best and worst moments in
football history.
I know the game of football well, though I still can't figure out why you can
challenge a first-down spot but not a pass interference call.
What I have done is played some seriously rugged flag football games, donned blue
and orange every Sunday from August to January for the past 43 years, sat
through some unbelievably frigid games at Mile High (once while 7 months
pregnant) and cheered for the Denver Broncos since before I can remember ...
even during the heart-crushing games.
I even named my beloved Black Lab after John Mobley (who I still believe is
responsible for saving the Broncos' victory in Super Bowl XXXII against the
Packers).
And most proudly, I am a mom of two little boys who adore their No.18 jerseys and
can't wait to find out "how Peyton Manning's team did?" every Monday morning.
So I am undeniably biased.
And it is because of my bias — and lack of NFL analysis experience — that makes
me far more qualified to talk about your legacy than any of those analysts, former
players, coaches and commentators (I'm looking at you, Mike Greenberg and Cris
Carter).
They operate in a world where urgency dictates everything, and controversy and
sensationalism make the headlines.
No, I am more qualified because I am a mom.
I actually understand — on the most basic level — what legacy truly means.
Legacy is something handed down that matters. It is something that matters to
young players and athletes and kids looking for mentors to help them find their
way.
You don't hand down Super Bowl trophies. You don't hand down NFL MVPs or
franchise records. And you don't hand down touchdowns, statistics or win-loss
records.
You hand down an example of work ethic, of courage to come back after a careerthreatening injury, of humility in victory and graciousness in defeat, and of
perspective on one's own accomplishments. That legacy matters, and that's why
yours is untarnished even — and especially — after Sunday's loss.
It matters that you're professional in the way you talk to reporters.
It matters that you give credit to others — coaches, teammates, mentors.
It matters that you don't give up in a bad game and keep fighting no matter the
odds.
It matters that you take time to write hand-written notes to fans and sign
autographs — even after crushing defeat.
It matters that you know the difference between being embarrassed by your team's
performance and just not being the best team on the field that day.
And it matters that you meticulously prepare to play the game ... and encourage
everyone around you to do the same.
I doubt you take stock in what those analysts say about your legacy (no doubt a
trait your father has clearly bestowed upon you and your brothers), but I want you
to know that this mom of two young boys who already recognize you're different
from the others, believes your legacy has never been stronger.
And I'm confident thousands of others agree with me.
Whether you win another game, your accomplishments in football are nothing short
of remarkable — alongside many other outstanding players. But it's your character
that sets you apart from so many of your predecessors and peers.
And that's a legacy that matters.
Laurie Lattimore-Volkmann is a journalism professor, blogger, mom and a Broncos
fan. A native of Colorado and a graduate of Rocky Mountain High School, she was
the Colorado Scholastic Press Association high school journalist of the year in 1988.
Manning Named Captain of AllFundamentals Team
By Brandon Moree
DenverBroncos.com
February 6, 2014
Quarterback Peyton Manning was named the captain of USA Football's AllFundamentals team.
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – The list of awards and accolades for Peyton Manning’s record
breaking season continues to grow. Most recently, Manning was named the
Offensive Captain on USA Football’s 2013 All-Fundamentals Team.
This is the fifth annual All-Fundamentals Team which is designed to honor 11
offensive and 11 defensive players as well as four special team players who “exhibit
exemplary football techniques for youth players to emulate.”
USA Football praised Manning’s ability to read defenses and his strong footwork.
Those fundamentals lead to one of the best seasons in the history of the NFL. The
Broncos set the record this regular season for the most points with 606. Manning
set new records in both passing yards and passing touchdowns and the Broncos
became the first team to have four players with at least 10 touchdowns
The All-Fundamentals team is assembled with the guidance of a five-person
committee that includes former players, coaches and analysts but Manning was
voted captain by fans throughout the month of January.
The defensive captain as selected by a fan vote was Buffalo defensive tackle Kyle
Williams and the special teams captain was Eagles long snapper Jon Dorenbos.
Each captain will receive and equipment grant of $3,000 to donate to the youth or
high school program of their choice.
According to USA Football, the official youth football development partner of the
Broncos and the NFL, about three million kids between the ages of six and 14 play
organized tackle football. USA Football has trained more than 100,000 coaches in
the effort to get younger players using fundamentals that both advance the player’s
safety and their performance.
Manning Named Most Valuable Player
By Mike Morris
DenverBroncos.com
February 1, 2014
Quarterback Peyton Manning was named NFL MVP after completing a recordbreaking campaign and leading the Broncos to Super Bowl XLVIII.
NEW YORK -- After posting a historic, record-breaking campaign in the regular
season, helping the Broncos score more points than any other team in NFL history,
and leading the Broncos to the Super Bowl, quarterback Peyton Manning has been
named the Most Valuable Player for the 2013 season.
Manning was also honored as the Offensive Player of the Year for his efforts this
season.
For the season, Manning set NFL records by throwing for 5,477 yards and 55
touchdowns – and helping the Broncos set their own league record by scoring 606
points in the regular season.
Manning also threw only 10 interceptions in the regular season and posted a
quarterback rating of 115.1 – the second-best mark of his career. He finished with
a quarterback rating of over 90.0 in all but one regular-season contest, and posted
a rating exceeding 140.0 in three different games (in wins over Baltimore in Week
1, Philadelphia in Week 4, and Oakland in Week 17).
He also threw for four-or-more touchdowns in nine different games, including tying
an NFL record with seven touchdown passes against the Ravens in the season
opener on Sept. 5.
Manning was also honored as the FedEx Air Player of the Year. With that award
comes a $25,000 donation in his name to the Junior Achievement chapters in
Denver.
The quarterback was named FedEx Air Player of the Week four times this season.
Manning was certainly at his best on the biggest stage of the Broncos’ season thus
far, completing 32-of-43 passes for 400 yards and a pair of touchdowns in Denver’s
26-16 win over New England in the AFC Championship Game on Jan. 19, helping
the Broncos advance to Super Bowl XLVIII.
“He’s been remarkable,” Head Coach John Fox said after the AFC Championship
Game. “It’s been unprecedented for what he did, even a year ago, to come off from
not playing, (a) very unusual injury that he was coming off of. To get to where he
finished a season ago and then to start where he left off, to have the kind of
season, not just today, but all season long that he’s had, to me is pretty
remarkable.”
“There’s not much you can say, Peyton is Peyton,” wide receiver Demaryius Thomas
added after that game.
With this, his fifth MVP award, Manning reset his own record for the most in NFL
history.
Super Bowl XLVIII's impact on Peyton
Manning's legacy
By Judy Battista
NFL.com
February 1, 2014
JERSEY CITY, N.J. -- The jerseys that have piled up in his locker this week -- all
with those polite but pointed notes from teammates "sign this for me" -- are just
another reminder to Peyton Manning that the light he says he sees at the end of the
tunnel of his career is blinding to everybody else, and that even those who know his
continued viability best are rushing to commemorate him nonetheless.
"All these hints about retirement," Manning said this week. "I feel like everybody's
trying to get rid of me."
Only the opponents. Still, there has been an unmistakable valedictory quality to
the Broncos' playoff run, and to this week in particular. Even if the end of
Manning's career does not come now -- he says it will not, win or lose Sunday -it looms so close on the horizon that the accounting of his place in history has
already begun. Manning has all but cringed each time his legacy has been discussed
this week, but there is little point in ignoring it, and there is little question he has
long been aware of it. He said this week he has been asked about his legacy since
he was 25 years old.
Even at 25, though, Manning was not playing like this. Manning did not merely
construct this year the best season any quarterback has had. He methodically
chipped away at each of the perceived demerits on his record, the ones that began
forming back when he was 25 and had time on his side. Each time he has seized
victory this season -- in breaking the most significant of quarterbacking records, on
very cold nights, over his eternal rivals Brady and Belichick, in the postseason
games that have often bedeviled him -- Manning has checked off another box that
had been a mark against him.
"The numbers are ungodly," John Elway said.
The last time Manning's stature was seriously discussed was four years ago, with a
different team, at a different time in his life. He had the Colts then, but not his
children or the faded scar on the back of his neck. It was simpler to measure
Manning at that Super Bowl. He had one of his routinely extraordinary seasons
despite the almost complete absence of a running game or experienced receivers.
His preparation was legendary -- at the time, his quarterbacks coach Frank Reich
said he and a few other confidants acted as Manning's research and development
team, with Manning texting ideas of plays he thought would be useful against the
upcoming opponent and then a few others looking for video proof to confirm or
refute his theories.
Manning said this week he is no longer as obsessive in his preparation; he is not a
robot, he memorably declared, preferring to put his children to bed instead of
watching another bit of preseason tape. But his command and control over the
offense -- which Dan Marino has said he has never seen another quarterback have
as much of -- has not waned. He still peppers his teammates with pop quizzes,
after all. And he still forces coaches to make unorthodox decisions in an attempt to
beat him. Then, it was the Saints' onside kick to steal a Super Bowl possession.
This year, it was Belichick allowing the Broncos to have the ball first in overtime,
but forcing Manning to throw into the wind.
Tony Dungy said Manning had dominated his era like nobody other than Otto
Graham, and that because championships are fickle, Manning's place in the
quarterbacking firmament should have been settled much earlier, when he won his
first in the 2006 season.
"If two championships will solidify that in peoples' minds, great," Dungy told me
before the Colts lost to the Saints in Super Bowl XLIV. "He's been as much of a
factor on this offense as any quarterback in the history of football."
In hindsight, that Super Bowl was a devilish turning point for Manning. The Colts
lost and Manning would never again win a postseason game with them. Then came
the neck surgery and the wrenching release, and Manning began what looked to be
a quiet receding from the loftiest echelon of the game. What he has done since has
surprised even those who have tracked him most closely, who worried that he
would never play again.
Manning admitted this week that he never felt entirely at home last year with the
Broncos, the unfamiliarity after being a Colt for so long making him feel like he was
just renting out the locker for a few months. But this season was a wonder.
Whatever physical limitations still exist after his neck injury, he will not say.
He joins in the joking about how ugly some of his passes look -- in truth his passes
have always wobbled -- noting that he has thrown for a lot of touchdowns and
yards with the wobbles. And if he is no longer the most aggressive player Reich has
ever seen -- Manning used to want to throw deep on every play, Reich said four
years ago - his passer rating on passes of at least 21 yards in the air is higher than
it was in 2009, even though he averages just four such throws per game. But he
and coordinator Adam Gase have quickly fallen into step -- Gase is such an
aggressive play-caller that Elway said he wished he could have played for him -and the amalgam of an offense they have constructed off the foundation Manning
brought with him from Indianapolis has compensated for whatever was lost to the
surgeon's knife.
"Somebody asked me to describe Peyton Manning," said Gil Brandt, who already
calls him the greatest regular-season quarterback of all time. "He's the Greg
Maddux of the NFL. He masks physical limitations with unmatched knowledge of
his position."
When the Broncos signed Manning nearly two years ago, Elway declared his goal
to make Manning the best quarterback to ever play the game. The subtext was
clear: Manning had to win at least another championship, and probably more, to
garner perhaps the only accolade that still eludes him.
The irony is how closely the Broncos team that Elway has constructed for Manning
mirrors the one with which Manning won his only title. Both teams had two running
backs combine for nearly 2,300 total yards. Both had offensive lines that allowed
the fewest sacks in the NFL. The Colts had six receivers with at least 30 receptions;
the Broncos are even more diverse, fielding seven receivers with at least 20. But,
perhaps most critically, both teams had defenses that, while in the bottom half of
the league during the regular season, improved dramatically in the postseason -each allowing a little more than 16 points per playoff game. Manning was the most
valuable player of that Super Bowl, but it was the five turnovers the defense forced
against the Bears that really changed the game.
Manning has been noticeably relaxed and reflective this postseason -- more so than
when he was younger and in this same spot -- offering unusual insight into his
private thoughts during and after his injury, and alluding, frequently, to the coming
end of his career. The only questions he has chosen to deflect have been about his
legacy. If the Broncos win on Sunday, it won't be a question any longer.
"What else do you talk about when you talk about Peyton Manning?" Elway
wondered.
We might finally find out.
Peyton Manning is MVP of NFL for record
fifth time
By Chris Wesseling
NFL.com
February 1, 2014
NEW YORK -- Even if he emerges victorious in Super Bowl XLVIII on Sunday,
Peyton Manning will not end the debate over the greatest quarterback in NFL
history.
After winning the 2013 Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player award at
Saturday's "NFL Honors" awards show, however, Manning should be the consensus
choice for greatest regular-season quarterback pro football has ever witnessed.
Manning now has won the award five times, the most of any player. Jim Brown,
Johnny Unitas and Brett Favre were three-time MVPs.
Although Manning was head and shoulders above the MVP field this season, he
failed to join Tom Brady (2010) as the only winner to be voted unanimously. One
wrong-headed member of The Associated Press opted to make the process about
himself rather than selecting the most deserving candidate.
By basic statistical measures, Manning generated the most productive season ever.
He set records with 55 touchdown passes and 5,477 yards through the air while
leading the Denver Broncos past the 2007 New England Patriots for most points in
NFL history.
Manning has compensated beautifully for waning arm strength by translating
opposing defenses before the snap, processing information in the pocket quicker
than any quarterback and consistently squeezing accurate passes into small
windows.
The difference between this year's campaign and last year's MVP loss to Adrian
Peterson was the addition of slot receiver Wes Welker and the emergence of
athletic tight end Julius Thomas.
Armed with a pick-your-poison attack capable of exploiting mismatches down the
field and underneath, Manning became a nightmare for defensive coordinators.
Even before the season started, it was evident that this offense would enter the
NFL's pantheon.
What we will remember most about Manning's 2013 season was the onslaught of
points he would throw at overwhelmed opponents to turn a tight game into a
laugher. Even when his offense was held in check for a significant portion of the
game, he repeatedly showed the ability to pull away with a flurry of touchdowns.
This was the year that Manning widened the gap for most MVP awards while setting
a slew of new single-season marks. Before long, he will own all of the major career
records as well.
Will those accomplishments propel him to the "greatest ever" perch? That will be
debated in bars, taprooms, taverns and podcast studios around the world.
Peyton Manning wins 2013 NFL Most
Valuable Player award
By Lorenzo Reyes
USA TODAY
February 1, 2014
NEW YORK — They may have been ducks, but they certainly were effective.
Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, who admitted earlier this week that
he was "proud" to throw wobbly passes, capped one of the greatest statistical
seasons in the history of the NFL with two of the league's top honors from the
Associated Press: Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of the Year.
Manning received 49 votes from a national panel of 50 media members for the MVP
award, beating out Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, who received one vote. The
award was announced Saturday at the 3rd Annual National Football League Honors,
held in Radio City Music Hall.
Manning broke the NFL's single-season passing records this year with 5,477 yards
and 55 touchdowns, previously held by Saints quarterback Drew Brees and Brady,
respectively.
"This is a very special award," Manning said through a recorded video message. "I
am extremely honored to have it presented by Joe Montana and Aaron Rodgers. I
am humbled by this recognition and grateful to my family, Pat Bowlen, John Elway,
John Fox and the entire Denver Bronco organization, and of course, my coaches
and my teammates."
Manning's 2013 MVP award is his NFL-record fifth, which is also two more than any
other player in the history of the game. Jim Brown, Johnny Unitas and Brett Favre
each won three MVP awards during their careers.
He also becomes the first player to win MVP awards for two different teams, after
his tenure with the Indianapolis Colts.
Manning can add to his trophy collection Sunday, when his Broncos face the Seattle
Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium.
Manning's father, Archie, and son, Marshall, were sent to accept the award.
Defensive Player of the Year
He was as consistent as any player in the NFL and helped lead the Carolina
Panthers to the NFL's second-best total defense, which allowed an average of 301.2
yards per game.
Because of that, linebacker Luke Kuechly won the Defensive Player of the Year
award after registering 156 tackles, four interceptions and two sacks.
Kuechly edged Seahawks defensive backs Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas and
Colts defensive end Robert Mathis.
"It's a great group of guys," Kuechly said. "Really, anybody could've gotten it, so
it's an honor to be up here now."
Coach of the Year
When a coach develops a mythical persona like "Riverboat" Ron Rivera did for the
Panthers, it's easier to give him the league's highest honor.
Rivera earned the Coach of the Year award, edging Andy Reid of the Chiefs, Bill
Belichick of the Patriots, Chip Kelly of the Eagles and Pete Carroll of the Seahawks.
"This is most certainly a nice award," Rivera said. "There are a lot of deserving
coaches in this league and to be singled out is certainly an honor. I'm fortunate that
there's a group of men that worked for me that are coaches and did a tremendous
job. … We've got a great group of players that are coachable and listen."
Rivera led the Panthers to a 12-4 regular-season record and the NFC South title.
Carolina earned a first-round bye in the playoffs, but fell to the San Francisco 49ers
23-10 in the divisional round.
Offensive Rookie of the Year
Green Bay Packers running back Eddie Lacy's rookie season wasn't without
difficulties, but according to the voting media, he was good enough to earn the
Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
"I just want to say I'm extremely excited right now," Lacy said. "This is definitely
one of the best moments of my life. I don't know what to say, I'm speechless."
Lacy beat out San Diego Chargers wide receiver and Cincinnati Bengals running
back Giovanni Bernard.
Although he battled concussion issues and other injuries, Lacy rushed for 1,178
yards and 11 touchdowns on 284 carries.
Defensive Rookie of the Year
New York Jets defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson said at the end of the season
that he was the NFL's top defensive rookie. The voting media agreed and tabbed
Richardson as the Defensive Rookie of the Year, beating out Buffalo Bills linebacker
Kiko Alonso and Arizona Cardinals cornerback Tyrann Mathieu.
Although Richardson believed he was the best rookie defender at the end of the
season, the award caught him off guard.
"I was surprised," Richardson said. "Kiko and Tyrann most definitely had great,
outstanding rookie years. It was a toss up to me, Kiko had a lot of tackles, Tyrann
made a lot of plays down the field during the stretch, but unfortunately he got hurt,
but most definitely, it was a tight race."
Richardson was a force in the middle of the defensive line, racking up 78 tackles,
3.5 sacks and one forced fumble last season.
Manning wins 5th MVP award and AP
offensive player
By Barry Wilner
The Associated Press
February 1, 2014
NEW YORK (AP) — Peyton Manning made his fifth MVP award a family affair.
Manning's record-setting season earned him The Associated Press NFL MVP award
Saturday night in a landslide. No other player has won more than three.
Denver's record-setting quarterback, who threw for 55 touchdowns and 5,477 yards
in leading the Broncos to the AFC's best record, earned 49 votes from a nationwide
panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the league. New England
quarterback Tom Brady got the other vote.
Manning won his other MVPs with Indianapolis in 2003, '04, '08 and '09. He also
was the runner-up last season to Adrian Peterson.
"I am humbled by this recognition and grateful to my family, (Broncos owner) Pat
Bowlen, John Elway, John Fox and the entire Denver Broncos organization, and of
course, my coaches and my teammates," Manning said in a prepared video
acceptance speech. He was not on hand as he gets ready for Sunday's Super Bowl
against Seattle.
"Now, I sent a couple of guys over there tonight to pick up the trophy on my
behalf: my father Archie and my son Marshall. Thank you very much and God bless
you."
Archie Manning, holding his grandson Marshall in his arms, accepted the award
from two more MVPs, Joe Montana and Aaron Rodgers.
Manning still trails several Hall of Famers for total MVPs in their sport. Wayne
Gretzky won nine NHL MVPs, Barry Bonds owns seven in baseball, and Kareem
Abdul-Jabbar won six in the NBA.
Manning also took the AP's Offensive Player of the Year award for the second time.
Elway accepted the Offensive Player award on Manning's behalf.
"I can say I have never seen a better year played by a quarterback than Peyton
Manning," said Elway, a Broncos executive who won the MVP award in 1987. "To
see what he did this year, it was truly amazing."
Manning received 33 votes for the offensive player honor. He also was runner-up
last year to Peterson for the award.
This time, running back LeSean McCoy of Philadelphia was second with 10 votes,
followed by Kansas City running back Jamaal Charles with four.
Carolina grabbed two major awards, with Ron Rivera winning AP NFL Coach of the
Year and linebacker Luke Kuechly voted top defensive player.
Rivera engineered the Panthers' turnaround from a 7-9 record to 12-4, the NFC
South title and a first-round playoff bye. Kuechly keyed a defense that allowed 241
points, less than every team except NFC champion Seattle.
"I had no idea," he said of adding the award to the top defensive rookie honors he
got last season. "You look at the list of guys: Robert Mathis, a sack master, a guy
that forced a lot of fumbles. And obviously, everybody knows about Richard
Sherman and Earl Thomas. Those guys are both studs."
Green Bay running back Eddie Lacy and Jets defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson
were the top rookies for 2013.
San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers took the Comeback Player of the Year award at
the NFL Honors show.
Rivera's fine work in his third season in charge in Carolina brought him 21½ votes.
That outdistanced Kansas City's Andy Reid, who got 13½ votes. In his first year
with the Chiefs, Reid took them from 2-14 to 11-5 and an AFC wild-card berth.
"I do feel a lot of pride because it has been a long journey, but it also was a part of
the process," Rivera said. "Just like us getting to where we are winning 12 games
was part of the process. We started, the team was 2-14 before I got there and we
went to 6-10 and then 7-9, and this year we broke through at 12-4. It was part of
the process of growing and developing."
Rivera is the second Panthers coach to win the award. Dom Capers was AP Coach of
the Year in 1996, Carolina's second season in the NFL.
All-Pro Kuechly received 19 votes, ahead of Indianapolis All-Pro linebacker Mathis,
who earned 11½.
Kuechly was credited with 96 tackles, four interceptions, two sacks, eight passes
defensed, and was a presence from sideline to sideline on the NFL's No. 2 unit.
A second-round pick (61st overall) from Alabama, Lacy was a key performer in the
Packers' offense, particularly when star quarterback Aaron Rodgers was sidelined
for seven games. He rushed for 1,178 yards on 284 carries (4.1 average), with 11
touchdowns. He also had 35 receptions.
That was good enough for 35 votes.
"I'm comfortable where I am, and my teammates believe in me, and they make me
feel comfortable, so I'm able to play the way I'm capable of playing," said Lacy,
who beat out San Diego wide receiver Keenan Allen, who received 12 votes.
Richardson, the 13th overall pick in April's draft on a selection acquired when New
York traded star cornerback Darrelle Revis to Tampa Bay, won a close race over
Buffalo linebacker Kiko Alonso. Richardson received 23 votes; Alonso, a secondround choice (46th overall), got 19.
Often double-teamed as the season wore on, Richardson made 42 tackles and had
3½ sacks. He clogged the running lanes so effectively that the Jets ranked third
against the run this season.
"I'm surprised," Richardson said of beating Alonso and Arizona safety Tyrann
Mathieu, who got two votes. "Kiko and Tyrann most definitely had outstanding
rookie years and it was a toss-up to me. Kiko made a lot of tackles and Tyrann
made a lot of plays down the field. Unfortunately he got hurt, but it was a tight
race."
Richardson joked about the possibility of winning both awards — he scored two
touchdowns as a fullback in goal-line situations.
"Eddie Lacy beat me out there," Richardson said. "He had a few more touchdowns
than I did."
Rivers led the Chargers to a wild-card playoff spot with four straight victories to
close out the schedule, giving them a 9-7 record. He led the league with a 69.5
completion rate and threw for 32 TDs against 11 interceptions.
He received 13 votes in balloting so widespread that 12 players got votes. He was
not at the awards show at Radio City Music Hall.
Chicago cornerback Charles Tillman won the Walter Payton Man of the Year award,
and accepted the honor with tears in his eyes.
"As a Chicago Bear, this award has a special meaning to me," Tillman said.
___
AP Sports Writer Dennis Waszak Jr. and Pro Football Writer Howard Fendrich
contributed to this story.
Brett Favre feels kinship with Manning:
'Peyton's the closest to me'
By Nate Davis
USA TODAY Sports
January 31, 2014
Brett Favre feels for Peyton Manning.
Are unprecedented passing numbers hollow without multiple Super Bowl rings
adorning your fist? Do you really belong in the same sentence with Joe Montana,
John Elway and Tom Brady? Does your legacy hang in the balance based on the
outcome of one game?
Manning has been hearing some version of these questions all week during the
hype-up to Super Bowl XLVIII.
Favre fielded similar queries on the back end of his 20-year NFL odyssey, which
concluded in 2010.
"I kind of laugh at that really," Favre told USA TODAY Sports. "I heard the same
thing in my career.
"Statistically speaking, if you're middle of the road and won a lot of Super Bowls, it
does a lot for you. But not as much if you win (just) one (Super Bowl) and put up
big numbers."
Purely based on the stat sheet, no quarterbacks have been more prolific than Favre
and Manning, who rank first and second, respectively, all time for passing
touchdowns, yards, attempts and completions. Only Manning has more MVP awards
— he'll likely receive his fifth Saturday night — than Favre's three.
But longevity is a double-edged sword. Both passers are merely 1-1 in their Super
Bowl appearances. If the Denver Broncos lose Sunday to the Seattle Seahawks,
Manning will endure his 12th career playoff defeat and assume sole ownership of a
far less desirable mark he currently shares with Favre, who was 13-11 in his
postseason career.
"I know how hard it is to compete for that long. Peyton's the closest to me in that
respect. It's tough to be good year in and year out, and week in and week out for
that matter. I think it's foolish to say his legacy will be affected at all."
Favre also bridled at the fact that wins and losses go on quarterbacks' records and
are so easily referenced in defining them.
Including playoffs, Manning is now associated with 178 NFL victories, second only
to Favre's 199.
"I was fortunate to be part of a lot of winners, but it had nothing to do with me and
everything to do with the team," Favre said. "It takes a team to win, and it takes a
team to lose. Obviously, you have a hand in it — obviously Peyton's hand is a little
bit bigger."
Favre looks back on his own career — his lone Super Bowl win came with the 1996
Green Bay Packers — with "no regrets whatsoever" and isn't bothered that, despite
his numerous records, he's rarely included with Manning, Brady, Montana and few
others when debate arises as to who the greatest quarterback in history is.
"I exceeded every dream possible. I never dreamed of having every passing
statistic or winning three MVPs. I dreamed of being a New Orleans Saint or a Dallas
Cowboy," says Favre, a Mississippi native.
"I didn't do that, but I got to play against them and play for 20 years. It was way
more than I ever dreamed of. If people don't mention me in the top tier, well, what
matters is what I think and what players that played with me think."
Favre will be sharing more of his thoughts Sunday on NFL Network's Super Bowl
GameDay pre-game show, though he says he's still not ready to embrace a routine
media gig.
"It's not a big deal, maybe an hour," said Favre. "I really like those (NFL Network)
guys — Mooch (Steve Mariucci, Favre's former QB coach in Green Bay), Warren
(Sapp), Deion (Sanders), Rich (Eisen).
"I really don't like to be in crowds much anymore, and thankfully they set up the
satellite feed (to Favre's property in Mississippi).
"I don't see me being a week-to-week TV guy. But if that ever changes, it helps to
stay somewhat active."
And Favre knows doing the TV thing requires an opinion, so how about a Super
Bowl prediction?
"I feel like most people," he says, "Denver's gonna be hard to beat. There's a
question in my mind how many points they can actually score against the
Seahawks, I just don't know if Seattle can score enough to support that defense."
Manning still has strong fan base in
Indianapolis
By MICHAEL MAROT
Associated Press
January 31, 2014
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Peyton Manning still tugs on the heartstrings of Indianapolis
football fans.
Friends and former teammates are happy he's made it back to the NFL's biggest
stage, and the general public is excited to see if No. 18 can win a second Super
Bowl ring this weekend, too.
Many in this town just wished this incredible season had come in Colts blue rather
than Broncos orange.
"I think as fans of Peyton, people hoped he would stay with the same team and
finish it out," said Jeff Saturday, Manning's longtime center. "But that wasn't
possible. Peyton wanted to still play. The Colts released him and that happens in
our business. As a player, you have to move on to the next team and he's done
what he's supposed to do."
He's continued to win at a record-breaking rate.
Many in Indy never doubted Manning would continue to play at this high level — if
he could get healthy.
But after missing the entire 2011 season to recover from a damaged nerve in his
neck and facing a salary cap dilemma, Colts owner Jim Irsay made the toughest
decision of his career — cutting ties with Manning and using the No. 1 draft pick to
begin anew. Immediate reactions in Indy were mixed when Irsay tearfully tried to
explain he wanted Manning to have another shot at the Super Bowl before his
career ended, while the Colts were attempting to remain a Super Bowl contender
for the next decade with a completely new cast.
So far, so good.
Since drafting Andrew Luck, the Colts have posted back-to-back 11-win seasons
and reached the playoffs twice.
Manning, meanwhile, has posted two straight 13-win seasons, just completed
perhaps the greatest regular season by any quarterback in league history and will
make his third Super Bowl start Sunday in New York.
Indy fans aren't surprised by Manning's success, especially after watching him turn
this basketball bastion into a football-friendly town.
"I think everyone is pulling for him," said Joe Gray, a 59-year-old Colts season
ticket holder who was impressed by the standing ovation Manning got when he
returned to Lucas Oil Stadium in October. "I'm not saying I don't like Luck, I just
wish Peyton was still here."
Gray finds himself in a crowded group.
Even longtime friends, such as Saturday and former linebacker Gary Brackett,
acknowledge it was tough to see Manning leave, though they're happy to see him
playing well.
Some Indy football fans say they cheer for Manning first and the Colts second,
which may explain why so many orange No. 18 jerseys — or some variation of
them — have been seen around town the last two years. Manning has remained
close to the community, too, returning each of the last two springs to host
fundraisers for the children's hospital that bears his name. On Sunday, the Peyton
Manning Children's Hospital at St.Vincent is even planning a Super Bowl viewing
party for patients and their families.
"We are fortunate to partner with a selfless individual who has given his time and
resources off the field for the betterment of children and our overall community,"
said Vince Caponi, executive chairman of the hospital's board. "Peyton has the
highest respect for our health ministry, and values his time spent with its pediatric
patients."
But to those who know Manning best, this goes far deeper than rooting for an exteammate.
"My career is over, so now I can sit back and cheer for the guys I respect and he's
definitely on top of that list," said Brackett, who served as Indy's defensive captain
while Manning was the offensive captain.
Saturday concurs.
"He's a friend, so I'm always pulling for him that way. But to see a guy coming back
from all the neck surgeries he's had, at 37, going to another team, going to a Super
Bowl, it's fun to watch," Saturday said. "Peyton Manning was everything you'd want
our of a franchise quarterback while he was in Indy. He won the way you wanted to
win. It was exactly what you wanted out of a franchise quarterback."
Helton still in awe of Manning, his former
teammate
By Tracy Ringolsby
MLB.com
January 31, 2014
Todd Helton always felt his future was in baseball.
As a junior at the University of Tennessee, where he was listed No. 1 on the depth
chart at quarterback, Helton's belief was confirmed.
That's when freshman Peyton Manning arrived.
"The first time I saw him throw," Helton said of the moment when he knew his
professional future was on a baseball diamond, not a gridiron. "He was special."
Two decades later, nothing has changed. Manning is still special, and Helton is still
impressed.
Helton's 17-year big league career with the Rockies came to an end last
September, when the left-handed-hitting first baseman announced his retirement.
Manning's career, however, is still going strong.
After spending his first 14 years in the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts, Manning has
revived his career, following two neck surgeries, with the Denver Broncos. And on
Sunday, Manning, who won a Super Bowl with Indianapolis in 2006, will be behind
center in the Broncos' first Super Bowl appearance in 15 years.
Helton? He will be in the stands, unconcerned about the weather, admittedly pulling
for Manning and the Broncos in their showdown with the Seattle Seahawks.
"It's one thing that may not happen again," said Helton. "The Broncos in the Super
Bowl in New York City and [my] buddy's the quarterback. I don't know about [the
forecast for] cold. I'm used to hunting. I'll be the guy up there [in the stands] with
the camouflage on."
Helton's allegiance is no secret.
"I am very excited for Peyton," said Helton. "I'm excited for everybody on the
team. It's a great time to be a Denver Broncos fan. The whole city is excited and
looking forward to the Super Bowl. I just hope they keep playing the way they have
been."
There is no way to camouflage the relationship Helton and Manning have developed
over the years. Manning regularly visited Helton at Coors Field when Manning was
with the Colts, and he has done so more often since joining the Broncos.
Helton and the Rockies are one of the key reasons that Manning has been able to
prolong his career after undergoing the two neck operations following the 2010
season. In the spring of '11, with the NFL in a lockout, which prevented Manning
from having access to the Colts' trainers and facilities, Helton arranged for Manning
to use the Rockies' facilities at Coors Field under the direction of trainer Keith
Dugger.
There were anxious moments. When Manning and Helton first started to throw a
football, Manning's initial tosses couldn't cover 10 feet. Manning said he had to
learn to throw "all over again."
The Colts may have decided it was time for Manning to call it quits after the 2011
season, but Manning was eventually signed by the Broncos and has been reborn.
An All-Pro in both seasons with Denver, he led the NFL with 5,477 yards this
season, and his 115.1 quarterback ranking was second-best in the NFL.
It's been an impressive comeback.
Helton, however, isn't surprised.
"If he only had a one-percent chance that it could be done, I'd have bet on him
because of how much he wanted it," said Helton. "What you know about Peyton is
he is going to do all the little things to get better. He isn't going to shortchange
himself. He never has. It's why he's been a winner everywhere he's been.
"I would have never guessed he would have one of the best years ever for a
quarterback, but the fact he could come back and take his team to an upper level
isn't a surprise. It is what makes him great. "
Helton got an early glimpse at the greatness. When he hurt his knee during his
junior year at Tennessee, it was Manning who got the call to take over the starting
job, and he never gave it up -- not in college and not in the NFL.
Helton knows firsthand about the challenge of an elite athlete facing a careerthreatening injury. In his final years with the Rockies, Helton battled back
problems, which resulted in surgery. He had to deal with the fact that he could still
be an asset to the Rockies, even if he couldn't do things he did at an earlier point in
his career.
"Your body does have limitations," said Helton. "You have to be patient with it.
That's the hardest thing everybody deals with. Your mind tells you that you are OK,
but you have to give your body time to heal.
"That's the frustrating part that any athlete goes through trying to recover from a
big surgery."
Manning has pushed the frustrations aside.
He has made it back in a big way.
Peyton Manning enters Super Bowl with
new perspective on career
By Michael Rosenberg
SI.com
February 1, 2014
NEW YORK -- Peyton Manning is back in the Super Bowl, playing as well as he ever
has. But he is not quite the same. Let Tony Dungy explain.
Dungy coached Manning in the meat of his career, the glory years in Indianapolis.
On Saturdays, Dungy would let the players' spouses and children watch practice.
Most players appreciated it, but most players are not competitive piranhas like
Peyton Manning.
"Peyton would always come to me," Dungy said, "and say, 'We need to change this.
We need to have the kids stay in the cafeteria. We need to concentrate on
Saturdays. It's our last practice before we're playing.' I'd always say 'Yeah, I
understand that. But this is a special routine."
Last year, before Manning's first game in Denver, Dungy talked to the Broncos'
Brandon Stokley, his former receiver with the Colts. And Stokley told him Manning
looked like the Peyton they knew in Indy, but something odd had happened.
Manning had asked Broncos coach John Fox to open Saturday practices to the
players' families.
***
On the eve of his third Super Bowl, at the end of his 16th season, what makes
Peyton Manning a great football player? There are many ways to answer that. Here
is one: He is a master at disguising what matters and what doesn't.
This is how he fools defenders, creates openings, and leads his team down the field.
He does it in many ways. Before the Colts played the Steelers in 2005, Manning
told Dungy, "I know I'm going to get these guys." Assistant coach Bruce Arians had
left Indy for Pittsburgh, and Manning knew Arians would share his famous pre-snap
hand signals with the Steelers. So on the first play of the game, Manning signaled
for a run. Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor bit.
But of course, on this day, the signal did not mean what Taylor thought it meant.
Manning hit Marvin Harrison for an 80-yard touchdown.
After Dungy retired, he watched Manning play the New England Patriots. In the first
quarter, Manning called "Storm!" at the line: Running play. The Patriots stopped it.
Dungy was confused. Why did he call for a run against that formation?
Dungy got his answer later in the game. Manning called "storm" again. The Patriots
went to stop the run again. But of course, Manning had changed the meaning of
"storm." He hit Dallas Clark for a long completion.
The smartest baseball hitters set up a pitcher; they will swing and miss at a pitch
so they get the same pitch later in the game. You don't see that much in football,
but Manning had done it. The first "storm" play was a setup. Stopping the Colts for
a short gain did not mean what the Patriots thought it meant.
Sometimes Manning will change his signals or pre-snap cadence between drives.
Other times, he will have words that mean players should disregard other words,
essentially turning them into dummy calls.
Everybody knows Manning watches a lot of film. But did you know that he watches
the network broadcasts (or asks the backup to do it), so he can find out which of
his words were audible to viewers -- and to his next opponent? He climbs inside his
opponents' heads and watches them try to get inside his.
"He just goes way beyond what the normal person would," Dungy said.
And this brings us to "Omaha," the word that has America buzzing in these playoffs.
What does "Omaha" mean? Consider these two answers:
Manning: "Well, Omaha, it's a run play. But it could be a pass play, or a play-action
pass, depending on a couple of things: the wind, which way we're going, the
quarter, and the jerseys that we're wearing."
Dungy: "Omaha means a lot of things. Right now he seems to be using it for the
snap count. Unless he tells them he is not using it for the snap count."
Manning was joking, and Dungy was serious. But the answers are awfully similar,
aren't they?
***
In 2011, Manning received two lessons in what matters and what doesn't. Dungy
said they both changed Manning profoundly. The first lesson was that Manning had
to miss the football season because of a neck injury. The other event occurred in
April 2011, when twins Marshall and Mosley were born.
The two events are unrelated, but their effects on Manning are intertwined.
Manning had been at the center of the NFL orbit for so long, and he discovered the
league kept spinning without him. He had also been the center of his own life for so
long, and as any decent parent will tell you, that changes when you have kids.
Dungy said Manning's attitude now is: "Yeah, we want to win, but if we don't win,
I'm still going home to those two kids, and we're still going to have fun. I don't
know if you play better, but you put it in perspective."
It is often said that people don't change. But of course we all do, day by day, over
time. For all those years in Indianapolis, Manning had been a model employee. He
was a perennial MVP candidate, an ideal leader, responsive to his coaches, active in
charity work, great with the media. He had helped the Colts win a Super Bowl and
build a new stadium. And in the end, what did it get him? Cut.
Colts owner Jim Irsay, meanwhile, was in a strange place: He could transition from
one franchise quarterback to another (Andrew Luck), the dream of every owner.
But he risked being seen as a jerk for it. After all, who the hell cuts Peyton
Manning?
Irsay's father, Bob Irsay, had been painted as the worst kind of owner. He had
famously pulled the Colts out of Baltimore in the middle of the night, then rewarded
Indianapolis with years of bad football. Jim took over and showed everybody how
much he cared. He insisted that Dungy's father travel with the team. He built
relationships that went beyond business. He and Manning had become very close.
And now, because Luck was available and Manning's future was uncertain, Irsay
risked being portrayed as just another callous owner.
Ultimately, everybody did the right thing, and nobody enjoyed it.
"It was stressful," Dungy said. "I talked to (Jim) two or three times during the
course of it, in trying to figure out what to do. He kept coming back to: 'As much as
I love Peyton, as close as we are, I just have to do what's best for the franchise
down the road.'
"Does that make you a commodity? Does that make you just part of the office
furniture? That's hard to say. In Jim's mind, I know he is more than that."
When Manning chose a new team, he knew one thing: He could not possibly
replicate what he had in Indianapolis -- or what he thought he had. The second act
of his career would always be overshadowed by the first. He is the Broncos'
quarterback, but he remains Indianapolis's icon.
The one thing he can replicate is the game itself. It is his challenge, his puzzle, the
thing that drives and thrills him. He has used new pieces -- Demaryius Thomas
instead of Marvin Harrison, Eric Decker instead of Reggie Wayne, Julius Thomas
instead of Clark -- to put the puzzle together.
Dungy said Manning looks the same to him on the field. But it is easy to imagine
that Manning sees the game more clearly because of his lessons in what matters
and what doesn't.
***
Peyton Manning keeps changing, a little bit every day, like we all do. He went from
wanting to ban kids from Saturday practices to wanting them there. Someday, he
will decide he would rather be with the kids than practicing. Dungy believes that is
when he will retire.
"When the twins get a little older and he wants to go to whatever it is, whether it's
play practice or performance, or Pee Wee baseball, or whatever it ends up being,
he'll say, 'I know I should be training, working doing something, watching film, but
I have a desire to do this,'" Dungy said. "That's when he'll step away."
And when he steps away ... well, we have made it this deep into a Peyton Manning
column without using the word "legacy." Hey, I'm trying to be like Peyton here.
Everything is by design.
Manning said this week that he doesn't care about his legacy. He added: "I'm not
100 percent sure what the word even means." It is easy to dismiss this as a pat
answer. But Dungy insists: "He never really cared about that."
If Manning is healthy next year, he will break Brett Favre's record for touchdown
passes. The year after that, he should pass Favre for all-time passing yards. But
Dungy points out that in 2004, Manning threw a then-record 49 touchdown passes
but barely played in the final game, because the Colts had clinched their seed. A
few more touchdown passes would have made his record harder to break, but
Manning didn't care.
We see Manning's crazy stats and TV commercials and Tom Brady comparisons and
even his postseason record, and we are just like those defensive players. We can't
separate what matters from what doesn't.
But this matters: A yellow note pad. After every Colts season, Manning brought a
yellow pad to a meeting with Dungy. On it, he listed the ways he and the Colts
could be better. He asked Dungy to hold him to his list.
A few weeks after the Broncos lost to Baltimore in last year's playoffs, Manning told
Dungy he was already excited for the 2013 season, because he knew he was
healthy, could take a hit, and had the weapons he needed. He put up the best
numbers of his career, an MVP season, and he may win another Super Bowl. All of
those things matter to Manning. But they are not what matters most.
Dungy said Manning is driven by "Chasing, in his mind, perfection: This is what the
quarterback should do. Can I play the perfect game? Can I have the perfect
practice? Can I be the absolutely best I can be out here? And if I do it, can I do it
tomorrow?"
That is his legacy.
Numbers aren't the full Book of Manning
By Jeff Legwold
ESPN.com
February 1, 2014
NEW YORK -- Manny Ramirez is a quiet, thoughtful guy, a get-it-done player who
like many of the Denver Broncos offensive linemen would prefer to be seen rather
than heard much of the time.
But the center who snaps the ball to Peyton Manning play after play, day after day,
week after week, was asked this week what Manning does to reward his offensive
linemen.
Ramirez didn’t hesitate before he simply said:
“He throws touchdowns.’’
Oh, yes, he has thrown some touchdowns this season, a season that has one more
game when Manning and the Broncos take the field Sunday in Super Bowl XLVIII.
But Manning has rewarded his offensive line, the Broncos receivers, defense,
coaches, front-office staff and legions of ardent followers plenty over the past five
months with a staggering total of touchdowns this season.
His all-out invasion of the single-season pages of the league’s record book made
Manning an easy selection as the both the league’s Offensive Player of the Year and
Most Valuable Player at the NFL Honors Awards show Saturday night at Radio City
Music Hall.
Both awards were chosen by a nationwide panel for the Associated Press. It was
Manning’s fifth league MVP award -- he already held the record with four -- and his
second Offensive Player of the Year award. Broncos executive vice president of
football operations John Elway, a Hall of Famer and the NFL’s MVP in 1987,
accepted the Offensive Player of the Year award for Manning while Manning's
father, Archie, and son, Marshall, accepted the MVP award.
That’s because Manning was otherwise indisposed Saturday night as the Broncos
were putting the final touches on their game plan for Sunday’s title game against
the Seattle Seahawks. A Super Bowl win Sunday would take Manning from having
the greatest regular season in league history to what would be the greatest season
overall.
Manning set single-season league records with 5,477 yards passing and 55
touchdowns over the course of the Broncos’ 16 regular-season games. Manning tied
a single-game record with seven touchdown passes in the season opener against
the Baltimore Ravens and had nine games with at least four touchdown passes to
go with 12 300-yard passing games.
Tight end Julius Thomas called it “Madden football,’’ and cornerback Champ Bailey
has described it all, “ridiculous sometimes, just taking the game to a place nobody
knows.’’
This is most of what Elway had hoped for when he lured Manning to Denver as a
stunned free agent recuperating from spinal fusion surgery. Elway looked Manning
in the eyes and promised to do “everything in my power’’ for Manning to close out
his career the way Elway did, with Super Bowl wins in each of Elway's final two
seasons in the league.
For his part Elway wanted a player to shake the sensibilities of the entire
organization, a player so good, so accomplished, the player’s arrival would create
“that mindset that you could win a world championship.’’ To get the proverbial guy
who raises all the boats.
“Absolutely. I mean, that's the reason you get a guy like that on your team -- to
give you chances to win games like this,’’ Bailey said. “He's the best to ever do it. I
haven't played against a better quarterback, so I'm just glad he's part of our
organization now because he definitely has a big part of why we're here, and I love
him to death.’’
Manning was a Hall of Famer in waiting before he arrived in Denver. His place in
Canton was largely assured had he never thrown another pass after he missed the
2011 season. It’s why so many questions about his “legacy’’ being based on
Sunday’s result actually resided on the border between silly and insane. His legacy
is that he was a Hall of Famer before Sunday’s game and, without question or
hesitation, will be one after.
But what he has really done is add a chapter of remarkable grit to his story.
Quarterbacks with as many throws for touchdowns as Manning has over his career
are largely considered to be finesse players, Alpha dogs who are the center of a
team’s universe.
But Manning rolled up his sleeves, dug in and rebuilt himself from the ground up.
Rebuilt himself from a place where he couldn’t even prop himself up with his right
arm following his fourth neck surgery, let alone throw a pass that would be worthy
of an NFL game.
He has done it with toughness, drive and some old-school heavy lifting.
Manning has shown himself to be driven and willing to put the dirt under his
fingernails to get back to where he is now. To believe in himself, to believe in the
tiny day-to-day gains that marked his recovery. And where it led him to was to the
here and now, where he is a player with a second lease on football life, already
looking to play beyond Sunday’s Super Bowl.
So, while the numbers say his 2013 season was unprecedented, unheard of and
more than a little unbelievable, the numbers don’t tell the most amazing part of the
story.
“Beyond everything he’s done this season what he’s done just to get back on the
field and play is amazing,’’ Broncos coach John Fox said. “It’s amazing,
unprecedented and remarkable. Just remarkable. I thought what he did last year
was amazing, but then he had this season, he just keeps showing us more. He's
shown us what he has inside him, who he is.’’
Peyton Manning wins record 5th MVP
Award
By Mike Klis
The Denver Post
February 1, 2014
NEW YORK — Peyton Manning made his first pass on the MVP award before the rest
of the NFL could start.
The Broncos opened the NFL season at home on a Thursday night, Sept. 5 against
the defending champion Baltimore Ravens. Manning tied a record with 7 touchdown
passes.
In an already marvelous 16-year career, Manning kept on chucking like never
before. He threw 20 touchdown passes before his first interception.
"Unfortunately, we probably got his momentum going," Baltimore coach John
Harbaugh said during the red-carpet ceremony prior to the NFL Honors show. "We
didn't play well in the back end. We played better after that but that's what Peyton
does, he finds where to attack a defense. (Tom) Brady does it to an extent but
nobody does it like Peyton, nobody attacks a defense better than Peyton Manning."
The final maneuver by the Broncos' quarterback was to accept his record fifth MVP
via videotape. An appointment with the Broncos' Super Bowl on Sunday against the
Seattle Seahawks earned Manning an excused absence from the NFL Honors
program at Radio City Music Hall.
"This is a very special award," Manning said. "I am extremely honored to have it
presented by Joe Montana and Aaron Rodgers. I am humbled by this recognition
and grateful to my family, Pat Bowlen, John Elway, John Fox and the entire Denver
Bronco organization. And of course, my coaches and my teammates."
Manning then sent word for his dad, Archie, and son Marshall to accept the award.
He received 49 of the 50 votes.
"I'd say a no-brainer right there," said New York Jets coach Rex Ryan. "I'm just
happy I never had to go against him this year. I've been beat by him several times.
It was good to get a break."
"I'm up for the honor of MVP but I'm not touching him," said Kansas City running
back Jamaal Charles.
Manning was also named Offensive Players of the Year. His boss, football operations
executive John Elway, accepted that honor on Manning's behalf.
Broncos running back Knowshon Moreno was nominated for Comeback Player of the
Year but the award went to quarterback Philip Rivers of the rival San Diego
Chargers.
Manning is the third Broncos player to win the MVP award, joining John Elway
(1987) and Terrell Davis (1998). The Broncos quarterback wound up with 55
touchdown passes, 10 percent more the previous record of 50 set by Tom Brady in
2007, and 5,477 yards, breaking the previous record set by Drew Brees in 2011 by
1 yard.
He led the Broncos to a 13-3 record that tied for the NFL's best record with Seattle.
It was, simply, the best single-season by a quarterback in NFL history.
"It was the best I've seen anybody play the position," said former linebacker LaVar
Arrington. "But there are rule changes so when I say he's as good as I've seen, he's
as good as I've seen with the rules in place. But, still, you've got to do it."
At the awards show, the MVP award drew the least suspense.
"Who else is challenging him?" said former Manning teammate Robert Mathis of the
Indianapolis Colts.
The vote wasn't close, but it wasn't unanimous, either. The lone dissenter, Jim
Miller of Sirius XM NFL radio, cast his vote for New England's Brady.
"Congratulations to Peyton for winning his fifth MVP award," said Miller, who posted
an 11-2 record with the Chicago Bears in 2001. "I'm confident in my vote. As
someone who played the position, I felt Brady was on par with what Adrian
Peterson did last year."
Manning nearly won the MVP award last season, his first with the Broncos, but
finished second after a late-season surge by Peterson pushed the running back past
the coveted 2,000-yard rushing milestone and his Minnesota Vikings into the
playoffs.
This year, it was Manning who had the historic season. It was his fifth MVP award in
a league where no other player has won more than three (Jim Brown, Johnny
Unitas, Brett Favre).
"I think he's getting better," said Kurt Warner, a former two-time MVP. "I think it
was a blessing in disguise going through what he went through."
Four neck injuries made Manning better? Warner said missing the entire 2011
season and getting released by Indianapolis forced Manning to start from the
beginning with the most rudimentary of quarterback fundamentals.
"I think there's always times when people say you can't do it anymore," Warner
said. "Sometimes those setbacks force you to focus a little bit harder. When you
talk to him about things he did during rehab -- simulating games, going through
every throw, making all those reads -- those are things you don't do when you're
healthy."
From QB to pitchman, what you see is
what you get with Peyton Manning
By Erik Brady and Brent Schrotenboer
USA TODAY Sports
January 31, 2014
NEW YORK — Peyton Manning has much to gain by winning Sunday's Super Bowl.
He can cap off the greatest season any NFL quarterback has had. He can cement
his place in history as one of the game's all-time greats. And he can match baby
brother Eli at family reunions, each with a pair of gaudy rings.
What he probably can't win is more fans. Almost everyone already likes him.
"Well, I've read some things," his father, Archie, tells USA TODAY Sports, laughing.
"I've Googled some things and read some choice comments from people."
Manning, 37, is the nation's top-ranked endorser among active NFL players,
according to the Celebrity DBI, which tracks more than 3,000 celebrities and found
that 86% of those surveyed are aware of him — and 90% of those like him.
Manning isn't just a quarterback. He's Peyton Inc. — a living, breathing
conglomerate with a surgically repaired neck who makes $12 million annually in
endorsements, according to Forbes, on top of his five-year, $96 million deal with
the Denver Broncos. He is a pitchman for an array of products, including DirecTV,
Papa John's, Gatorade and Buick.
Or, as satirist Stephen Colbert puts it: "Many of my commercial breaks will feature
Peyton Manning eating or driving things."
"Some people can be critical of that; Peyton gets so many," says Archie, an NFL
quarterback from 1971-84. "He does a decent job for people, because he gets
invited by a lot of different people, a lot of different companies."
Jordan Schlachter knows why. The executive vice president/sports for The
Marketing Arm, which polls weekly for its Celebrity DBI, calls Manning "one of the
most popular, trustworthy, well-known celebrities in this country, and that's not
just athletes. I'm not going to say everybody, but almost everybody likes him. You
don't find a lot of Peyton Manning haters out there."
Marlene Morris Towns, teaching professor of marketing at Georgetown University's
McDonough School of Business, says even casual NFL fans like her know Manning
and like him.
"Peyton Manning is one of those players, personalities that I think really transcends
football," Towns says. "He's become a figure in popular culture, aside from purely
marketing."
He passed a pop-culture test years ago when hosting Saturday Night Live. NBC
aired clips of the show Thursday in prime time, a reminder of the goofball sense of
humor that makes him the sort of pitchman who can laugh at himself and make
viewers laugh.
His name also came up in talk-show host David Letterman's monologue this week:
"He had to stay out of football a year because he injured his neck. Nobody seemed
to know when he was going to recover, ever play again. Could he run, could he
pass, could he do anything? Could he shout Omaha? Nobody knew."
The joke depends on viewers knowing that Manning shouted Omaha at the line of
scrimmage 75 times in his last two games. When USA TODAY Sports asked,
Manning didn't dismiss the idea of endorsing Omaha Steaks — and the beef
company wants to talk about it after the Super Bowl.
QUICK ON HIS FEET
At the circus of media day, Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Brett Keisel acted as a
fake reporter for NFL sponsor Head & Shoulders, asking players if hair would be a
factor Sunday.
"It's always a factor in my opinion," Manning deadpanned. "Everybody keeps
talking about the weather, but I think hair is probably the key component, and
probably not enough people are talking about it."
That's Manning: funny on cue and good corporate salesman. In a similar incident,
actor Hank Azaria appeared on behalf of the league's network and asked: "Are you
aware that Bud Light is the official beer of sorority girls and overweight dads?"
Manning played right along: "I didn't realize that. I know it's the official beer of the
Manning household growing up."
He also knows it's the official beer of the NFL, and he said it was part of the
postgame ritual when Archie played for the New Orleans Saints. "My dad enjoyed a
good, cold Bud Light during many a Sunday night after Saints games," Manning
said. "He often needed a couple to kind of get him through the pounding he just
went through. So I guess my dad has taught me a number of things, and one of
them is Bud Light is probably the preferred beer choice in our family."
Manning's place in the first family of football is part of his appeal. Remember, for
instance, the SportsCenter ad some years back when Archie and Olivia Manning are
getting a tour of ESPN with their sons and Eli gives Peyton a wet finger in the ear
and Peyton playfully kicks Eli in the rear as Archie stares them down.
More recently Manning stars with Eli in a music-video-style spoof for DirecTV —
"Football on the phone," they croon — that includes a cameo for Archie. How about
a sequel?
"I don't know about that," Archie says. "That thing got a lot of hits. But I told them
that wasn't my best moment. We sure did have fun. I love doing things with my
kids."
Schlachter doesn't worry about Manning saturation.
"I don't think so, because he comes off as very genuine," Schlachter says. "In Papa
John's ads he comes off as just another pizza-eating guy who likes to throw the
football around. It's only when it feels phony that it comes off as overexposed."
TV Manning and QB Manning are no different, says Broncos defensive tackle
Terrance Knighton.
"The guy that you see on TV is Peyton," he says. "That's just him. That's the good
thing. I'm pretty sure it makes it easier for him to do commercials and things like
that because he's being himself."
Manning can be goofy in TV commercials. "The guy that you see on TV is Peyton,"
teammate Terrence Knighton says.(Photo: Sprint)
YOU GET WHAT YOU SEE
Towns says fans love a comeback story, and Manning's return from four surgical
neck procedures to record-breaker is an irresistible one. Schlachter says that
because Manning has won just one Super Bowl despite so many great regular
seasons that many fans outside of Seattle are rooting for him.
A win Sunday means Manning can chow down on Wheaties, yet another
endorsement, every morning until training camp, and no one will dare call it the
breakfast of division champions.
"He's not just well-known and well-liked and well-respected," Towns says of why
companies call. "He's relatively safe. You get a sense of him as a real guy. Married,
father of twins, philanthropist, Christian. But he doesn't wear it on his sleeve, so it
doesn't overshadow his performance."
Broncos tight end Julius Thomas thinks he knows the secret of Manning's success.
"I think the commercials let people see a little bit how we see him," Thomas says.
"Because he's funny. He's laughing. He's making jokes, and that's how he is around
us. He's just a regular guy."
That's just the sort of praise that's music to Archie's ears.
"You often hear Peyton talking about someone else being a good teammate," Archie
says. "I think Peyton takes pride in being a good teammate. But that means doing
things right. For a quarterback, there's a lot of responsibility there. He tries to go
about things the right way.
"You know, he's not perfect. There are hiccups along the way. But that's life. All in
all, I think he tries to do the right thing."
Contributing: Jim Corbett and Gary Mihoces.
Manning Draws Inspiration from Family
By Gray Caldwell
DenverBroncos.com
January 29, 2014
JERSEY CITY, N.J. -- One by one, Peyton Manning checked milestones on his road
to recovery off his list.
Offseason conditioning. Padded practices. Preseason games. The regular-season
opener. A division title. A No. 1 seed.
“I was truly taking things slowly, kind of phase by phase,” Manning said. “Nobody
could give me a real timetable or prediction as far as physical recovery.”
With a neck injury forcing the quarterback to miss the entire 2011 season, Manning
spent 20 months between meaningful football games. He wasn't allowed to walk as
part of his rehab until October 2011. He first began throwing two months later.
"I remember one year ago I was in a hospital bed watching opening day, so there’s
a little reminder there of how far I’ve come," Manning said in 2012. "Certainly I
have had those checkpoints along the way, reminders of where I was a year ago."
Fast forward another year, and Manning’s checklist is almost complete.
He’s back to his MVP form – he set new single-season records for passing yards
(5,477) and passing touchdowns (55) in 2013 -- and he's four days away from his
third Super Bowl appearance.
So the 16th-year veteran said he has taken some time to reflect on those
accomplishments amidst all the preparation for the big game.
"Yeah, there's no question that in a week like this you do get reflective at times,"
Manning said.
Most of that reflection comes from the time he has been able to spend with his
family this week. The quarterback said he visited with brother Eli Manning on
Tuesday and met his niece -- who was born just before the start of training camp -for the first time.
His brother Cooper arrives in New York on Thursday, and Peyton joked that "New
York will know it when he arrives."
It's that relationship with Cooper that helped Manning find peace when he his NFL
future was up in the air before the 2012 season.
"My brother Cooper dealt with neck surgeries and injuries as a high school and
college player and had to give up football," Peyton said. "That made a big impact on
my life. I remember at the time when Cooper got injured that they sort of did a
little test on me and Eli. I would've been a junior in high school, Eli probably would
have been a sixth grader or something. They said that our necks weren't pictureperfect, didn't look ideal, but we were still stable enough to keep playing football.
Cooper had to give up playing football. In some ways when I had my neck
problems, I kind of thought maybe I've been on borrowed time this entire time,
that I was kind of fortunate to have 20 years of health to play football. So if that
was going to be the end of it because of a neck injury, I really, believe it or not,
had a peace about it."
But in a check-up with his doctor around the time Eli's New York Giants were set to
play the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl, the doctor told Peyton, "Your neck
is secure. I'd let you play Super Bowl Sunday. If you were my own son, I'd let you
play."
"As soon as the doctor told me that, that was the end of it for me on the neck
discussion," Peyton said. "Now it was simply a matter of performance. Could I get
my strength back to play quarterback at the level that I thought a team deserved
to have played?"
He's done that, and more.
But one thing has never changed -- he's playing for Cooper.
"Cooper, he's been to all these Super Bowls that I've played in, that Eli's played in.
Nobody pulls harder for me and Eli that Cooper, and I honestly feel that way,"
Peyton said. "I think people got to see a little bit of his story on that documentary
on my dad about what he went through from and injury standpoint, neck injury. It
wasn't his decision, just the cards didn’t play out for him. He had to stop playing
football. When you grow up in a football family where your dad is an NFL
quarterback, that's not an easy card to deal with. He handled it with an
unbelievable attitude. I always say he went on to become a social legend at Ole
Miss, if that makes any sense to anybody. He's doing great in his life. So I'm proud
of him. But yeah, I've always felt I've kind of been playing football for Cooper, kind
of letting him play some of his football through me. I've tried, ever since he was
injured a long time ago, I've always carried that with me."
Now he and the Broncos hope he can carry that through one more win this season.
Peyton Manning has found balance — and
more success with Broncos
Denver quarterback Peyton Manning says he was at peace in 2011 when a neck
injury almost forced him out of football. When he came back, with Denver, he had a
fresh perspective on the game and life.
By Jerry Brewer
Seattle Times
January 29, 2014
JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Three years ago, with his neck ailing and his football career in
jeopardy, Peyton Manning found himself in an unfamiliar place.
“I was at peace,” Manning said. “If that was going to be the end of it because of a
neck injury, I really, believe it or not, had a peace about it.”
Sometimes, you have to descend to ascend.
Manning had been a quarterbacking machine for most of his life, locked inside his
ambition, a prisoner to the high maintenance of greatness. For a player who has
achieved so much, a Hall of Famer seemingly out of the womb, the demand always
increases for Manning, and he fueled much of it with his insatiable pursuit of
perfection.
He is the quintessential quarterback in both his play and his burden. No one has
ever worn the position better. No one has been praised more for his team’s
success. And no one has been criticized more for his postseason shortcomings.
But in 2011, when a neck injury that required four surgeries in a two-year span
forced him out of the game, Manning had to face something about himself: He’s
just a normal dude.
And once he realized his mortality, he turned into an even greater superhero.
Manning has a scar that looks like a zipper on his neck. He can’t throw with great
velocity anymore, and his passes wobble more than ever. After his injury, the
Indianapolis Colts let him go in favor of drafting Andrew Luck, and Manning, a
creature of habit, was forced to find a new home with the Denver Broncos.
Yet he still had the greatest individual regular season ever for a quarterback: 5,477
passing yards and 55 touchdowns, both records, while commanding the highestscoring offense in NFL history. And he can balance accomplishment and perspective
now.
Manning’s older brother, Cooper, was forced to retire from football because of a
neck issue that could be problematic for all the Manning boys.
“In some ways, when I had my neck problems, I thought maybe I had been on
borrowed time this entire time,” Peyton Manning said. “I was fortunate to have 20
years of health to play football.”
From age 15 to 35, Manning never missed a game because of injury. During his
year away from football and the grueling process to return to strength, Manning
found the proper place for the game. It’s his passion. It’s his job. But it’s not his
life. He’s still a perfectionist, but he’s not obsessed with perfection.
On Tuesday night of this Manning Legacy Bowl week, the quarterback played uncle.
For the first time, he met his 8-month-old niece, Lucy, the daughter of his two-time
Super Bowl winning quarterback brother, Eli. He beamed while talking about a rare
opportunity for family time during Super Bowl preparations.
“I am not a robot,” Manning says when asked how he’s changed. “Maybe, at one
time, I was as a younger player. I might have been. I’ve changed my preparation
routine in these later years. There are a lot of things that have changed for me
since that injury. Enjoying the new team and having kids has a lot to do with that.
“There was a time when I would come home from practice, and I would stay up
until 1, 1:30 in the morning because I had to watch all four of their exhibition
games that night. I thought that if I didn’t watch all four of those games, the world
might come to an end the next day. I felt like I had to do it. I didn’t need to sleep
as much, and I was a younger player. My preparation has changed. I come home,
and I love spending time with the kids and putting them to bed. I don’t stay up as
late. I need to get my rest more. Maybe I was a robot early on. Now, maybe I am a
little more human.”
He acts human, but on the field, he still performs like something created to destroy
defenses everywhere. He still scrambles at the line of scrimmage, calling audibles
and barking orders like a mad man. Only Manning could turn his constant yelling of
“Omaha!” into an international fascination.
How did a fused neck make Manning even better? His mind, not his body, has
always been his most potent weapon. That mind is more agile than ever.
“Sometimes, he even changes the defensive plays if he wants,” Denver linebacker
Danny Trevathan joked.
Manning is having too much fun to retire. If you once thought the game was
wearing him down, that no longer seems to be the case. He doesn’t get as visibly
frustrated as he used to during games. He’s more in the moment than he has ever
been.
But even if this isn’t the end for Manning, Sunday represents a seminal game in his
career. It’s a historic matchup of the league’s best offense and its best defense. The
Seahawks, who specialize in tormenting quarterbacks and their passing games,
provide the greatest challenge of Manning’s career.
“Seattle, this is the best secondary he’s going to face,” Hall of Fame quarterback
Troy Aikman said.
If Manning flops on this stage, the criticism will surface again. He’ll be reminded
that he has won just one Super Bowl. Some will consider his record-setting regular
season nothing more than proof than he’s the best quarterback ever — until he gets
to the postseason.
If Manning excels, he’ll earn more Greatest-of-All-Time votes.
But don’t bother Manning with that legacy talk this week. He has a niece to hug.
And a life, a full life, to enjoy.
QB vs. QB
Comparing the Super Bowl signal callers (regular season stats)
Manning
Wilson
37
Age
25
1st
Drafted
75th
240
NFL games
32
64,964
Passing yards
6,475
491
Touchdown passes
52
697
Rushing yards
1,028
Reflective Peyton Manning enjoying
'uncle time' with Eli's new daughter
By Jim Corbett
USA TODAY Sports
January 29, 2014
JERSEY CITY — Peyton Manning was relaxed and reflective Wednesday, cherishing
the support of brothers Cooper and Eli and the opportunity to play in a third Super
Bowl in this, the second act of his historic career.
Sixteen months removed from spinal fusion surgery, the Denver Broncos
quarterback shared How he plays for his older brother, Cooper, whose promising
football career was ended by spinal stenosis his freshman year at the University of
Mississippi.
Manning also was appreciative of Tuesday night's dinner with younger brother Eli
and his wife, Abby, that afforded him the chance to meet their second daughter, 6month-old Lucy.
Manning noted the chance to talk football with his two-time Super Bowl-winning
New York Giants confidante in the run-up to Sunday's Super Bowl XLVIII showdown
against the Seattle Seahawks.
"In a week like this, I do get reflective at times," Manning said. "I had a chance to
be with Eli last night. Cooper came to both playoff games. He wouldn't miss those
for the world. He gets in town tomorrow. And I'm sure New York will know it.
"I do think about Cooper. He's been to all these Super Bowls that I and Eli have
played in. Nobody pulls harder for me or Eli than Cooper."
The 37-year-old quarterback is proud to carry on the football dreams of his older
brother, a trader with a prominent New Orleans energy firm who was Peyton's goto receiver at Isidore Newman School and earned himself a scholarship to Ole Miss
before his playing career was ended by the narrowing of his spinal column.
The injury that changed Cooper Manning's life trajectory was an emotional chapter
recounted in ESPN's recent The Book of Manning documentary.
VIDEO: Peyton says Super Bowl is all about the journey
"Many people got to see a little bit of his story on that documentary about my dad
on what he went through with that neck injury," Peyton Manning said. "It wasn't his
decision that caused him to stop playing football. To grow up in a football family
where your dad is an NFL quarterback, it's not an easy card to deal with. And he
handled it with an unbelievable attitude."
Manning added: "I've always felt I was playing football for Cooper and kind of let
him play some of his football through me. Ever since he was injured a long time
ago, I've always kind of carried that with me."
So much so that Manning chose jersey No. 18 to honor Cooper's high school
number.
Before heading to Wednesday's outdoor padded practice at the New York Jets'
training complex in Florham Park, N.J., Manning noted how special it was to catch
up with Eli.
"We have a close relationship," Manning said. "We don't see each other much
because of our similar schedules — three or four times a year maybe.
"I got to meet my niece, Lucy, who was born right before training camp. And I had
some good uncle time with her.
"Eli and I talked a lot of football when we talk during the season. Who we're
playing, who they're playing. ... I enjoy talking to current quarterbacks in general
and to have one you're related to, it's pretty neat."
And now Peyton has a chance to follow in Eli's footsteps considering how his
younger brother won his second Super Bowl at Lucas Oil Stadium, "The House that
Peyton Built" given Peyton's impact on Indianapolis, where the building now stands.
"That is a pretty unique and ironic situation that Eli played in a Super Bowl in
Indianapolis, and that the Broncos have a chance to play in the one in New York,"
Manning said.
"At 37 years old, and in my 16th season, especially in a week like this, I think it's
healthy to take some time to reflect and smell the roses."
Peyton and Eli have dinner, baby is focus
By TOM CANAVAN
Associated Press
January 29, 2014
NEW YORK (AP) — Eli Manning and big brother, Peyton, had a chance to spend a
few hours together and the main topic of conversation wasn't the upcoming Super
Bowl.
Instead of going over how Peyton and the Denver Broncos might attack the Seattle
Seahawks' stingy defense for Sunday's game at MetLife Stadium, the focus for the
two quarterbacks was the newest member of Eli's family, 7-month-old Lucy.
When Peyton arrived at Eli's home in Hoboken, N.J., on Tuesday night, he got to
meet and hold his niece for the first time. Eli didn't make him change any diapers.
His biggest contribution might have been that he didn't prepare the chicken dinner.
He certainly didn't want any responsibility in case Peyton got sick for the NFL
championship game, which is being played in Eli's home stadium.
I think people assume, your brother, you're around all the time," Eli said
Wednesday after making a promotional appearance for Purina. "We don't get the
holidays, Thanksgiving. You don't get Christmas to go visit family and everyone is
together. He's in Denver, not real close. We don't get to be around and see each
other's families often. It was exciting. He wanted to come meet Lucy and got to
meet her for the first time."
Peyton didn't have to wait long to hold Lucy. Eli, who has led the New York Giants
to two Super Bowls, handed her off to the 37-year-old Peyton almost as soon as he
walked in the door.
"She was fine," said Eli, who also has almost 3-year-old, Ava. "She didn't mind
being held by anybody and he kind of held her for a while."
Peyton also ran around a little with Ava, and the two built a fort, Eli said.
The menu for dinner was standard: chicken, salad, green beans, potatoes.
"I thought I would give him something healthy," Eli said.
If there was any discussion of football, Eli indicated it was brief.
"At those moments you don't want to talk about that," Eli said. "If he wanted to
bring it up I was going to let him bring it up. After that, we just kind of talked about
what went on media day and kind of talked about different things that have
happened. I hadn't seen him. I got to see him a little bit after the (AFC)
championship game and before that for 10 minutes when he played back here in
September."
Given the forecast for temperatures in the upper 30s and no precipitation predicted
for Sunday, Eli said there was no insider tip he could give his brother about playing
in the stadium.
"It's a fair playing ground," said Eli, who added the only advice he gave his brother
was about the Giants' sideline, which is the side the Broncos will have.
Eli and his family will attend the Super Bowl, marking the third time Eli has seen his
brother play in the game. The others were in 2007 and '10, a win against the Bears
and a loss to the Saints, respectively. Both games were in Miami.
This will be the first Super Bowl in an outdoor stadium in a cold-weather city.
Ironically, Peyton has seen Eli play in two Super Bowls, the second in Indianapolis
in 2011, in the stadium that was Peyton's home field.
Eli admits he gets nervous watching his brother play, but not as nervous as his
quarterback father, Archie, "who will be biting his fingernails."
"If you are playing, you are prepared and you are out there and can have an effect
on the game," Eli said. "When you are watching, you can't help. You can't do
anything. You feel like you want to be out there to do something to make it go right
but you have to sit there and let it happen."
Manning is looking forward to next season. After posting a 7-9 record and missing
the playoffs for the fourth time in five years, coach Tom Coughlin shook up his
offensive staff. He hired Ben McAdoo to be his offensive coordinator after Kevin
Gilbride retired, fired two long-time assistants and either hired or reassigned men
so that Pat Flaherty is the only major assistant on the unit not moving.
"I am interested to see what our offense is going to be," Manning said. "This is
really the first time going into an offseason and not knowing exactly what you are
doing. You might have little changes here and there, but we are going to have a
new offense. I have to learn that. I am not worried about that, but it will be a little
extra work, trying to learn how to call things."
The concept of a West Coast offense doesn't scare the longtime Giant. He said it's a
timing offense and he is comfortable with that.
Kiszla: Peyton Manning gets more human
as he ages
By Mark Kiszla
The Denver Post
January 30, 2014
JERSEY CITY, N.J. — OK, let's bury the No. 1 myth about Peyton Manning. He is the
NFL's brainiac quarterback. But not 24/7. Behind the very serious and demanding
frown of Manning Face, there's a regular guy who drinks beer and never misses an
episode of "Boardwalk Empire." Honest.
"I am not a robot," Manning said Wednesday.
Really? C'mon, now.
Does he expect us to believe Manning 2.0 is made of flesh and blood rather than
computer circuitry?
A natural-born grinder so obsessed with asking one more question that Archie
Manning long ago dubbed his middle son "The Riddler," the 37-year-old leader of
the Broncos goes home after NFL games to watch video.
But the video Peyton Manning watches is not what you might think. On Sunday
night, Manning turns off football and tunes in Nucky Thompson.
To chill out, the brainiac quarterback religiously watches "Boardwalk Empire," the
HBO drama that stars Steve Buscemi as the Prohibition era kingpin of Atlantic City,
N.J.
"I was a 'Sopranos' guy. I loved 'The Sopranos.' I was devastated when that screen
went blank. I liked the ending, personally. But it was a tough moment, because I
knew the series was over," said Manning, who likes to veg in front of the television
as much as any red-blooded American. "Sunday night is my night to watch a show
... So when 'Boardwalk' came out, that was big for me."
In Super Bowl XLVIII, Manning can win his second NFL championship and stake a
claim as the best quarterback in league history. When Manning came to Denver
after being fired by the Indianapolis Colts, all he wanted was this opportunity. Well,
to quote Nucky Thompson: "This is America, ain't it? Who the (expletive) is
stopping you?"
It might sound odd, but if the Broncos win the game, one of the celebratory toasts
should be raised to Nucky Thompson.
Why? It was a pain in the neck, but Manning finally has discovered how to get out
of his own way late in his brilliant NFL career. Yes, Manning still works harder and
burns brighter than the sun. But he also has learned to relax. Manning can be a
couch potato, without feeling guilty. And that's a good thing.
We tend to draw our sports heroes in crayon to make it easy to distinguish heroes
from villains. The quick sketch of Manning is: quarterback as automaton. You've
read the comic book version. Manning is harder to solve than Chinese algebra
during the regular season, then melts down in the playoffs. He's a perfectionist too
uptight for his own good.
Manning acknowledges: That's the robot he used to be.
"There was a time when I would come home from practice and I would stay up until
1 to 1:30 in the morning, because I had to watch all four of (an upcoming foe's)
preseason games that night. I thought that if I didn't watch all four of those games,
the world might come to an end the next day. I felt like I had to do it. I didn't need
to sleep as much, and I was a younger player," said Manning, who became the
father of twins slightly less than a year before he joined the Broncos in 2012. "My
preparation has changed. I come home after practice, and I love spending time
with the kids and putting them to bed. I don't stay up as late. I need to get my rest
more. Maybe I was a robot early on. I think now maybe I am a little more human."
As long as he had to relearn how to throw a spiral again before joining the Broncos,
Manning figured: Why let the reinvention end with his playing style? Manning dialed
back the intensity and dialed up the absurdity in his personality. It wasn't a big
stretch. The teacher's pet always had a mischievous alter ego; teammates well
know Manning is an unrepentant practical joker.
"No one's more intense than Peyton when we're in a team meeting or at practice.
But nobody's more of a prankster when we're done working," Denver tight end
Jacob Tamme said. "I shouldn't tell you this, because Peyton will get mad at me if I
let the word get out. But I will give you a clue: If he offers you sunscreen on the
golf course, don't take it. When you put it on your body, it will not protect you from
the sun. It will actually make you feel as if your body is on fire."
Maybe the real kick of watching Manning this season has been observing a very
buttoned-down quarterback let down his hair a little, before male pattern baldness
begins in earnest. During the course of his most remarkable MVP season, Manning
has committed some very un-Manning like acts. He told doubters to stick it where
the sun don't shine. He insisted more interest in wrapping his mouth around a cold
brew than contemplating how many throws were left in his arm before retirement.
"At 37 years old, and in my 16th season, especially in a week like this, I think it's
healthy to take some time to reflect and smell the roses," said Manning, sitting on a
cruise ship in the Hudson River, doing one more Super Bowl interview while
allowing himself to think: Man, this has been one strange and wonderful trip.
"The legacy question keeps popping up, and I guess I had a little more time to
think about it. If I had my choice what my legacy would be, it would be I played my
butt off for every team I ever played on, I was a really good teammate and I did
everything I could to win. Whatever else comes along in that time is fine with me."
A great paradox of the human condition is how a man's strength can also be his
weakness. If anything, maybe the young and earnest Manning cared too much
about football. He pressed too hard.
Long ago, he mastered the quarterback's art.
But the secret of being Manning is an insatiable desire to expand his knowledge.
At age 37, before his legs give out and he must take a seat on the porch, Manning
is learning to dance as if nobody's watching.
Most Valuable Player: Peyton Manning
stands out above the rest
NFL.com
January 27, 2014
The night before Super Bowl XLVIII, the NFL will salute its best players and plays
from the 2013 season with "NFL Honors," a star-studded football and entertainment
event hosted by Alec Baldwin at Radio City Music Hall in New York. Here's all the
coverage information:
» Friday, Jan. 31 at 7 p.m. ET on NFL Network: NFL Honors Preview Special
» Saturday, Feb. 1 at 7 p.m. ET on NFL Network: NFL Honors Red Carpet Special
» Saturday, Feb. 1 at 8 p.m. ET on FOX: 3rd Annual NFL Honors
One of the awards that will be presented on Saturday night is that for 2013's Most
Valuable Player. Who gets your vote for NFL MVP?
Judy Battista NFL.com
Peyton Manning's transcendent season just can't be touched
I tried to think outside the box here. For about six seconds. Come on: Peyton
Manning is obviously the MVP, and I can't seriously think of anybody else in the
conversation.
Manning had the best season any quarterback has ever had, and incredibly, I think
he might even be underappreciated right now. It's remarkable enough to set the
touchdown and yardage records. To do it at 37 is crazy. To do it at 37, on his
second team, after undergoing four surgeries for an injury that might have ended
his career, is transcendent.
Adam Schein NFL.com
As an AP voter, I cast my ballot for the obvious choice
You can't overthink this. And, as one of the 50 voters for The Associated Press' NFL
awards, I didn't. There is only one choice, and it is Peyton Manning. He carried the
Broncos, masking areas of deficiency. Peyton put together the single greatest
season ever at the quarterback position.
Steve Wyche NFL.com
LeSean McCoy was spectacular, but this is Peyton Manning's award
I don't think there is any way around it: Peyton Manning is the no-brainer pick
here. He was nothing short of spectacular, all season long. Plus, you can tell his
teammates don't want to make mistakes because they know if they don't, he'll lead
them to wins.
Shady McCoy should get some consideration here: 1,607 rushing yards, 539
receiving yards, 11 total touchdowns. That is sick production, but still way short of
Manning.
Charley Casserly NFL Network
Peyton's staggering numbers -- and Denver's overall success -- make this an easy
decision
I know there are a number of terrific candidates, but you don't want to outthink
yourself on this one. When a QB piles up 55 touchdown passes and 5,477 yards
while headlining the highest-scoring offense in league history and leading the team
to an NFL-best 13 wins, how could he not be the season's most valuable player?
Peyton Manning is my choice.
Adam Rank NFL.com
Don't overlook the amazing job Tom Brady did with an underwhelming surrounding
cast
Peyton Manning is the winner here, but Tom Brady at least deserves your
consideration. Given that Brady lost the majority of his targets from 2012 to 2013,
it's nearly a football miracle the Patriots had a winning record, much less earned
the No. 2 seed in the AFC. While Manning had Demaryius Thomas, Eric Decker, Wes
Welker and Julius Thomas, Brady threw to a motley crew of undersized and/or
undrafted players.
If you swap Manning and Brady, the Broncos still finish 13-3. I'm not sure the
Patriots would be a .500 team without Brady. Heck, I would vote for Brady straight
up for MVP.
Elliot Harrison NFL.com
Manning covered up Denver's flaws throughout the season
It has to be Peyton Manning. Whether or not it's the boring answer, it is the correct
answer.
Manning has posted what is arguably his best statistical season to date, setting
numerous records in the process. Yet, going a step beyond that, what is perhaps
most impressive about Manning's season is the fact that he was never the reason
the Broncos lost and almost always the reason they won. Think about it: Denver's
defense struggled with injuries and allowed far too many big plays this season
(particularly in the passing game).
Manning was the great elixir, and despite his being in Denver just two years, it's
tough to imagine where the organization would be without him.
Jason Smith NFL.com
Nick Foles turned the Eagles' season around, sparking a division title
We always like to say, "Take so-and-so away from the team and where would they
be?" And usually, we have to just project. But with Nick Foles, we know.
When Michael Vick was the quarterback, Philadelphia struggled to a 1-3 record out
of the gate. Foles comes to the rescue and throws 27 touchdowns with just two
interceptions, leading Philadelphia to the NFC East title. Two picks. That's AaronRodgers-in-his-best-season type of production. In 10 of the final 12 games, Foles'
passer rating was over 100. (The two sub-100 games? 1) When he suffered a
concussion against the Cowboys, and 2) when he played in a foot of snow against
the Lions.)
Peyton Manning will get all the love, but Foles is really special.
Ian Rapoport NFL Network
Greatest offensive season ever? Yeah, probably worthy of some hardware
The greatest offensive season the game has ever seen earns Peyton Manning the
MVP award. But it's not just the eye-popping numbers for Manning. It's that he was
so valuable to the other parts of the team.
Star left tackle Ryan Clady missed almost the entire season, yet Manning's quick
release and smarts allowed him to be sacked just 18 times. And his prowess helped
make up for a defense that suffered numerous losses, playing without Von Miller
and Champ Bailey for much of the season.
World’s eyes are on Peyton
By Steve Serby
NY Post
January 26, 2014
SUPER BOWL, NEW YORK — Here is the word from an excited Peyton Manning
shortly after touching down on the deck of the Cornucopia Majesty in Jersey City:
Brrrrrring it on!
Brrrrrring on the Super Bowl!
Brrrrrring on the Seahawks!
“I needed to face different circumstances with my new surroundings, with my new
physical state, and so, in two years I feel like we’ve seen a lot as far as on-the-field
situations, weather, crowd noise, you name it, with this team … and so I do feel
comfortable,” Manning said.
So Brrrrrring on Peyton Manning, the protagonist of Super Bowl XLVIII, the face of
the NFL, making what could be his last stand in a Super Bowl, on legs that will soon
be 38 years old, but a heart that loves the game too much to ride off into the
sunset, here now in our town, in Little Brother Eli’s stadium on a frozen Sunday
night.
Peyton Manning has been here for the Manning Bowl, but never the Super Bowl,
because no one has. He never wanted to play here, never wanted to be Broadway
Peyton. Darling of Madison Avenue, yes. Broadway, no.
But over these next six days, between now and Super Bowl XLVIII, Peyton Manning
will be the biggest fish in the biggest pond possible whether he likes it or not,
because he is no ordinary Joe, and nothing Little Brother Eli will tell him can
prepare him for the bright lights that are both a blessing because of his celebrity,
and a curse if they make him blink and distract him from his obsession with winning
his second ring and acclaim in many circles as The Greatest, a Mann Among Men
among quarterbacks.
He won his Super Bowl in Miami, lost one four years ago in Miami, and now he
stalks that treasured Lombardi Trophy here, in the worst place for a creature of
habit and football monk to execute his legendary preparation — The City That
Never Sleeps.
Where every minute answering the incessant questions about his legacy, about his
brother, about his father, about his remarkable comeback from four neck surgeries,
will be precious time away from plotting how to dissect the formidable Seahawks
defense, from dialing in on how to beat Richard Sherman and prevent any
outrageous Super Sunday rant from him. “They are as good as advertised,”
Manning said.
The Road to MetLife Stadium and Super Bowl XLVIII is only a few miles away now
for Peyton Manning, but first he must navigate his way past a pothole that for him
is a necessary evil:
More media than he has ever encountered in a TMZ-Twitter-Facebook world gone
mad, in the media capital of the world.
For a control freak like Manning, this horde is the elephant — or elephants — in the
room, capable of trampling on his laser-focus preparation for the best secondary he
has ever faced in his storied career.
Against the backdrop of the Weather Channel going all in on our polar vortex
concerns, it is Peyton Manning more than anyone who must weather the storm.
“I certainly hope it’s not a problem,” Manning said while photographers kept
shuttering away. “I know it’s part of the requirements when you play in a Super
Bowl, it’s part of the honor that you get to play on this game, and there are
requirements that come along with it. There’s three days of media requirements as
opposed to one day during a normal game week, and that’s part of it.
“At the same time, you got to find time to get your preparation and your film study
done. I thought we had an excellent week of practice last week, we look to continue
that this week here in New York-New Jersey. I think we’ll be able to do that.”
Peyton has already used Eli, a 23-0 loser last month to the Seahawks, as a
resource.
“He told me he couldn’t help me much with Seattle,” Peyton deadpanned. “It wasn’t
one of the Giants’ better days, and so he said, ‘Don’t ask me for a whole lot of help
there.’ Eli and I have talked about playing in this stadium. I feel it was helpful to
play in this stadium this season — it was the first time I had a chance to play in
that stadium. At least you kind of know the surroundings a little bit. … I’ve talked to
him a number of times these past couple of weeks. He’s excited for me, and I’ve
always really appreciated his help and support.”
This won’t be Peyton’s Last Hurrah, though.
“I know there have been a number of players that have walked away as champions,
and I’m sure that’s a great feeling for those people — John Elway, Ray Lewis did it
last year, Michael Strahan. In talking to Ray Lewis and probably to John Elway, they
couldn’t play anymore, that was all they had to give,” Manning said. “They truly left
it all out there. I’ve certainly had a career change two years ago with my [neck]
injury, with changing teams. I had no plans coming into this season beyond this
year. I still enjoy playing football. I feel a little better than I thought I would at this
point, coming off that surgery. I think when you still enjoy the preparation and the
work part of it, I think you probably still ought to be doing that.
“I think as soon as I stop enjoying it, if I can’t produce, if I can’t help the team,
that’s when I’ll stop playing. If that’s next year, maybe it is. But I certainly want to
continue to keep playing.”
Brrrrrring it on!
Peyton Manning halts retirement talk for
Super Bowl
By Jarrett Bell
USA TODAY Sports
January 26, 2014
JERSEY CITY, N.J. - Peyton Manning arrived in the Greater Big Apple on Sunday for
the chance to pad his legacy in Super Bowl XLVIII. One of his first pieces of
business — and he looked the part, with his conservative gray suit accented by blue
— was to set the record straight about what he does not envision this big game will
be.
Manning did not come to town to ride off into the sunset.
Or to get swept away by a blizzard, either.
He does not see this as a grand farewell.
In a nice way, the Denver Broncos star suggested saving that narrative for another
time.
"I know there have been a number of players who have walked away as
champions," Manning said aboard the Cornucopia Majesty, a cruise ship that the
Broncos will use for press conferences this week.
"I'm sure that's a great feeling for those people. John Elway. Ray Lewis did it last
year. Michael Strahan. In talking to Ray Lewis and talking to John Elway, they
couldn't play anymore. That was all they had to give. They truly left it all out
there."
Manning had four surgical neck procedures, missed a season, had to find a new
team — and just produced the greatest season by a quarterback in NFL history.
It took so much to get back here and he's hot. And he still loves getting into
Caveman mode, relentlessly breaking down the videotape and turning over every
stone as part of the preparation.
This is not the time to give that up. This is not some broken down has-been
hanging on.
Said Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey, "You'd think after a season like this, he'd
want to play 10 more years."
Yet people wonder. Manning is 37. He has nothing to prove, perhaps, beyond
whether he can rack up more championships and MVP trophies to go with his place
among the all-time greats.
Lewis understands. A year ago, he was a lot like Manning, the biggest name on the
biggest stage in sports. Unlike Manning, though, Lewis knew that he was on his last
legs as an iconic linebacker as the Baltimore Ravens hit New Orleans.
That realization, nor leaving with a Super Bowl victory, didn't make it any easier for
Lewis.
"Even when you know that it's it, you really don't want to let it go," Lewis told USA
TODAY Sports on Sunday night.
Lewis can see both sides of it, when it comes to Manning.
"If he can keep playing, he should play," Lewis said. "But there's no shame in going
out on top."
Lewis said that he has talked about retirement with Manning on multiple occasions
over the past year or so, most strikingly during an extended conversation that went
for roughly a half hour after the quarterback came over to see Lewis in the locker
room after the Ravens upset the Broncos in the AFC divisional playoffs last January.
He indeed remembers telling Manning that he pretty much had two games left on
his last ride. And as Manning discussed it on Sunday, he dutifully took mental notes
about the internal process.
Yet Lewis also recognizes a key difference.
"At my position, linebacker, it is so physically punishing," Lewis said. "There are
only so many hits that your body can absorb. At quarterback, you're at a position
where you have a better chance of taking fewer hits."
If Manning can guide his Broncos past the Seattle Seahawks in the classic matchup
pitting the NFL's best offense vs. its best defense, he will match Lewis, Elway and
Strahan with two Super Bowl victories.
In any event, it's so notable that if Manning wins on Sunday, his case would include
the distinction of becoming the first quarterback ever to win two Super Bowls with
two different franchises.
He's also healthy, with much of the strength in his arm that was sapped by the
nerve issues attached to his neck, restored well enough to pass for 55 TDs and
5,477 yards during the regular season.
"I feel a little better than I thought I would at this point," Manning said, referring to
the post-surgery stage of his life.
At this point, that's making the decision of whether it's time to contemplate
retirement so much easier — assuming that he escapes Sunday's tilt in one piece.
But the other key component is the fire for his pressure-packed job.
"As soon as I stop enjoying it, when I can't produce, if I can't help the team, that's
when I'll stop playing," Manning said. "If that's next year, maybe it is, but I
certainly want to continue to keep playing."
If Manning wins on Sunday and doesn't ride off into the sunset amid a shower of
confetti, Lewis chuckles when imagining the quarterback's mindset.
"If he came back next year after winning it all, what's he going to do?" Lewis said.
"He's going to try to win it again."
One way or another, there's so much to be said for going out on your own terms.
Peyton wants to keep playing
By Jeff Legwold
ESPN.com
January 26, 2014
JERSEY CITY, N.J. -- In what was likely the most expansive answer to the inevitable
questions about his future, Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning said
Sunday he "certainly" wanted to play beyond the result of next Sunday's Super
Bowl XLVIII.
Since the postseason has started, Manning has used phrases like "light at the end
of the tunnel" about his playing career and made references to his career being in
the homestretch. But when asked, just after the Broncos' arrival Sunday night,
Manning said he planned on playing in the 2014 season.
"I certainly had a career change two years ago with my injury, with changing teams
so I truly have been a one-year-at-a-time basis, so I really have no plans beyond
this game," Manning said. "I had no plans coming into this season beyond this year,
I think that's kind a healthy way to approach your career at this stage.
"I still enjoy playing football, I feel a little better than I thought I would at this point
coming off that surgery. I still enjoy the preparation part of it, the work part of it.
Everybody enjoys the game, everybody's excited to play in a Super Bowl, but I
think when you still enjoy the preparation, the work part of it, I think you still ought
to be doing that.
"I think as soon as I stop enjoying it, if I can't do this, if I can't help the team,
that's when I stop playing. If that's next year and maybe it is, but I certainly want
to continue to keep playing."
That is the premise Broncos team officials have been operating off of as well. The
Broncos believe Manning's status for 2014 will not depend on whether he wins next
weekend's Super Bowl or not. It will depend on what a medical exam, the same
kind of exam Manning had following the 2012 season, on his surgically repaired
neck shows in the coming weeks.
If doctors give Manning the thumbs up, he will play in 2014. Manning has always
said if the doctors told him, even during his recovery following spinal fusion
surgery, he shouldn't play, that he would walk away from the game knowing, "it's
been a good run."
Last week, Broncos executive vice president of football operations John Elway was
asked if he expected Manning back in 2014. Elway said he still believed Manning
was "young and he's playing well."
"He doesn't talk about that kind of stuff," Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey said
Sunday. "Whether it's his last [game] or his first of many more, I don't really care
right now. All I'm worried about is this week. ... I never got any indication he was
talking about retiring. You would think after a season like this he'd play 10 more
years. But we all know that's not going to happen. I'm sure he'll hang 'em up when
it's time."
Manning set NFL single-season records this season with 5,477 passing yards and 55
touchdowns as the Broncos set a single-season record with 606 points. He's 26-6 in
regular-season starts with Denver, with two division titles and the Broncos' first
Super Bowl appearance since Elway's last season behind center in 1998.
The Broncos signed Manning to a five-year, $96 million deal that runs through the
2016 season in March of 2012. In May 2013, the Broncos purchased insurance to
cover the team in the event Manning did not play in the 2014 season due to an
injury suffered during the 2013 season that wasn't related to his surgically repaired
neck.
The Broncos added the policy after Manning passed a postseason exam on his neck
in early 2013. That 2013 exam kicked in a $20 million guaranteed salary for 2013
and a $20 million guaranteed salary for 2014, to go with some salary advances
along the way. The insurance policy is for the 2014 season and covers the team for
$10 million of that salary if Manning does not play in 2014 because of a non-neck
injury he suffered at some point in the 2013 season or postseason.
Manning was also asked Sunday about the idea of going out as a champion in the
event the Broncos won the Super Bowl.
"I know there is a number of players that have walked away as champions,"
Manning said. "I'm sure that's a great feeling for those people, John Elway, Ray
Lewis did it last year, Micheal Strahan. In talking to Ray Lewis and in talking to
John Elway, they couldn't play any more, that was all they had to give. They truly
left it all out there."
Information from ESPN.com Jets reporter Rich Cimini was used in this report.
If the glove fits, Peyton is wearing it
By The Associated Press
January 26, 2014
Chances are Peyton Manning will be like most of the fans in the stands at MetLife
Stadium and will wear gloves at the Super Bowl.
That shouldn't be a cause for concern for Denver Broncos fans. He actually plays
better with the sticky-feeling orange-and-gray glove on his right hand than he does
barehanded.
Manning never wore a glove in Indianapolis but in his two years in Denver he's
worn one on either his throwing hand or on both hands 13 times. He has a passer
rating of 111.9 in those games.
Barehanded, his QB rating is 108.7.
It's not just a cold-weather option, as many people think, either.
The glove is actually a concession to the altered feel of his grip after spinal fusion
surgery in 2011 affected the nerve that travels into his right triceps.
He's worn the glove the last four games, when the temperatures at kickoff have
been 58 at Houston, 70 at Oakland, 41 at home against San Diego, and 63 last
Sunday in Denver against New England.
"I've experimented with them throughout my career, even when I was in Indy,"
Manning said earlier this season. "I never just quite found a pair that I liked, so I
finally found a pair that I liked."
Broncos equipment manager Chris Valenti and his assistant Mike Harrington
"researched and gave me some options," Manning said. "Found a pair that I liked."
Good thing, too.
Manning has thrown for 33 TDs and five interceptions, including the playoffs, with
the glove on his throwing hand in 10 games this season. The Broncos went 8-2 in
those games, when he averaged 27 completions in 41 throws for 332 yards with
3.1 TDs and 0.8 interceptions.
BACK TO THE MEADOWLANDS: When they made the trip to the East Coast in
December, the last thing anyone in the Seahawks' locker room wanted to talk about
was them playing a late-season game at the site of the Super Bowl.
Once they knocked off San Francisco to win the NFC title, coach Pete Carroll and his
players were willing to admit there is some advantage to being familiar with the
surroundings they are about to enter.
"I always like using those illustrations on where we have been there before and
we've done that. We just try to hold back on that at the time, thinking it was too
presumptuous, but we're fortunate now," Carroll said. "We'll be in the same hotel,
we've been in that locker room, we've played well at that stadium, so hopefully
we'll utilize that some. It's just about being comfortable."
Seattle used the same hotel for its trip to play the Giants on Dec. 15 as the NFC
team hotel for the Super Bowl. This will also be the Seahawks' third time playing at
MetLife Stadium in the past three seasons. Seattle beat the Giants 36-25 in 2011
and then shut them out 23-0 last month.
But it's beyond just knowing the stadium and the team hotel that has helped
prepare some of Seattle's players for the Super Bowl. Russell Wilson purposely
went to last year's big game in New Orleans, with studying a priority. He wanted to
see all of the hoopla so if Wilson ever got there the magnitude wouldn't be a shock
to him.
"I watched the whole game and watched the pregame and all that last year at the
Super Bowl and I really wanted to get a feel for it," Wilson said. "Just in case we
were here and I believed that we would be, and sure enough, we are."
So is Denver, which played at MetLife Stadium in September, beating the Giants.
MILITARY MEN: Fans of the Broncos and Seahawks are winners, too.
Their fans' military appreciation efforts won rewards for their local military
communities from USAA, an official NFL sponsor. Both Denver and Seattle were
among five NFL teams to earn those rewards as part of USAA's "Million Fan Salute,"
a season-long military appreciation program. Also earning rewards were fans of the
Packers, Buccaneers and Vikings.
Past rewards have included athletic field refurbishment, athletic equipment and
support for fitness programs.
The benefiting military organizations will be announced at a later date.
On Sunday night, the NFL announced that Vikings defensive end Jared Allen and
Ravens coach John Harbaugh were finalists for the NFL Salute to Service award.
Allen makes homes accessible for veterans who return from war with debilitating
injuries through his Homes for Wounded Warriors Foundation.
Harbaugh has taken part in the annual NFL-USO coaches' tour of the Middle East
and helped institute Military Appreciation Day, an annual event during Ravens
training camp.
USAA provides insurance, banking, investment and retirement products and
services to 10 million members of the U.S. military and their families.
NO BLACKOUT GUARANTEED: The NFL can't be 100 percent certain there won't be
a repeat next Sunday of the blackout that disrupted last year's Super Bowl in New
Orleans. But such a 34-minute interruption, or anything like it, could be totally
avoided in the future with LED lighting.
In fact, a company named Ephesus Lighting, has designed the first such lighting for
outdoor stadiums; the lights already are used in a dozen indoor arenas in North
America, including War Memorial Arena in Syracuse, N.Y. The home of the AHL's
Syracuse Crunch became the first sports arena in the United States to be lit by LED
lighting.
War Memorial Arena experienced an 87 percent decrease in energy costs during the
last year by using those lights. And light levels at the venue increased from an
average of 105 foot-candles to 217 foot-candles — more than double 13 percent of
so of the cost.
"Everyone learned the shortcomings of the antiquated metal halide lighting at the
Super Bowl last year," says Mike Lorenz, COO of Ephesus Lighting. "The electrical
problems at the Superdome were resolved quickly, but it took more than 20
minutes for the lights to warm up and be turned back on. Had the Superdome been
equipped with our LED lights, they would have been back on with the flick of a
switch."
With LED lighting becoming more common at hockey and basketball arenas, Lorenz
says Ephesus has "set our sights on NFL, college football and MLB stadiums.
"There is real interest in us solving the many problems they are experiencing with
their current lighting systems," he says. "We expect that by this time next year, an
NFL, MLB or major college sports team will be playing in a stadium lit by Ephesus
LED lights "
SUPER MENU: Looking for some food with a Super Bowl, uh, flavor.
Foley's NY Pub and Restaurant might have what you want.
Perhaps Peyton's Pork Po'Boy. Or Richard Sherman's Big Mouth Burger.
Maybe Marshawn Lynch's Beastly Bangers & Mash, or Wes Welker's Wings.
"We always like to put a fun twist on our big game menus," says Shaun Clancy,
owner of the Manhattan restaurant. "With so many fans in town to support their
respective cities, we wanted to offer a selection that represents Denver and Seattle.
The rule at Foley's is to root for your team, not against the other guy's team."
So fill your face, Broncos fans, with Knowshon Marino's Nachos, washed down by
the Orange Crush Cocktail.
And Seahawks followers can get Pete Carroll's Quesadilla accompanied by Russell
Wilson's Hustle & Bustle (sparkling espresso and vodka).
___
AP Pro Football Writers Barry Wilner and Arnie Stapleton, and Sports Writer Tim
Booth contributed to this story.
Manning's route to Super Bowl 2014
involved 'routine' but career-saving
surgery
By Amy Ellis Nutt
Star-Ledger
January 25, 2014
First there was the pinched nerve, then the herniated disc, then the re-herniated
disc. All required surgery. But two weeks after the last, when Peyton Manning still
couldn’t grip a football in his right hand, he had little choice. On Sept. 8, 2011, one
of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history underwent one more surgery, his fourth
in just 18 months. It was also the most serious: anterior cervical discectomy and
fusion, or ACDF.
Most spine doctors, such as Rick Sasso from Indianapolis, who was not involved in
Manning’s operation, called the procedure “routine” and said it was often performed
as a same-day surgery.
“Most out-patients go home about four hours after the operation is done,” Sasso
told USA Today at the time.
But when the patient is not only a professional football player but a quarterback,
the operation is a watershed moment. Success, and Manning would be able to
resume his Hall of Fame career, perhaps contend for another Super Bowl
championship. Failure, and he’d be done, out of the game, the pain in his neck and
numbness in his right arm essentially incurable.
For the “single level anterior fusion” Manning underwent in 2011, surgeons made a
1- to 2-inch horizontal incision in the front of his neck, carefully moving away
muscle, retracting the esophagus, the trachea and the carotid artery, cutting
through a membranous sheath that covers the cervical spine and finally exposing
the crushed disc.
There are seven cervical vertebrae extending from the base of the skull to the top
of the chest. The damaged disc in Manning’s neck was located between the C6 and
C7 vertebrae, at the bottom of the neck. Using scissor-like instruments and high
speed drills, surgeons removed the disc fragments between the two vertebrae and
grafted a piece of Manning’s hip bone into the empty space between the vertebrae.
A titanium “bridge” spanning the disc stabilized the spine.
For Manning, it wasn’t so much the pain or even the fusion of the vertebrae that
concerned him as much as it was the reaction of the spinal nerve and the
numbness in his right triceps that radiated down into his middle finger. Squeezed
and strangled for years, would the nerve regenerate? Would he ever be able to grip
a football again and throw it as he once did, spinning spirals 30-40-50 yards down
the field into the waiting arms of a wide receiver?
“If any other part of your body has some weakness, you go, ‘Well, I can probably
manage,’ௗ” Manning told the Washington Post last year. “But when you’re a
quarterback and it’s your right hand, you’re certainly concerned as far as being able
to do your job.”
A 2010 Northwestern University study of NFL players who sustained herniated discs
and underwent surgery found that 38 of 53 were able to return and play. When
nerves are involved, as they were in Manning’s case, it’s much more difficult to
predict outcomes, say experts, because the degree of nerve regeneration can vary
widely. Manning has been able to come all the way back, but even non-athletes
often face less-than-complete recovery.
Three years after one man’s cervical surgery on the same disc and vertebrae as
Manning, he wrote on a Neurotalk website:
“I am no better, the pain in my arms hands legs and feet are excruciating. I have
been off work a lot since my operation. … I wake up everyday and it feels like my
skin is too tight for the rest of my body, the nerve pain that shoots up and down
my arms and legs is as bad now as it was way back then.”
Paige: Peyton Manning becomes best QB
ever if he wins Super Bowl
By Woody Paige
The Denver Post
January 26, 2014
With a victory in the Super Bowl, Peyton no longer is The Manning Who Would Be
King.
Crown him.
Peyton's Peak will be a mile high.
Move over, Pike. Say it's so, Joe. Accept it, Dan, Brett & Bart, Tom & Terry, Slingin'
Sammy and Automatic Otto and John Elway and Johnny Unitas.
If Manning and the Broncos win, No. 18, all things considered, will be the No. 1
quarterback in the history of the NFL.
The argument should end.
Five months ago, during training camp, I point-blank asked Manning to respond to
the characterization that he could be the greatest regular-season quarterback of all
time. Even though he chuckled, he knew the assertion wasn't a compliment.
"Everyone can have an opinion," he said with a rare hint of defiance. "I have my
own."
I then asked about his legacy. As he always does after winning a coin toss, Peyton
deferred.
A few days later, Peyton began the most spectacular regular season a quarterback
has produced.
The "regular season" scarlet imprint can be removed forever next Sunday with a
victory in the Super Bowl.
It has been debated, discussed, declared, and determined, by most, that Manning
couldn't be the king.
Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw own four Super Bowl title rings. Tom Brady had
the advantage in Super Bowls and in games played against Manning, and he broke
Peyton's touchdown record. Brett Favre had the most victories; Dan Marino had the
arm; John Elway had the comebacks, the natural talent and the two Super Bowl
titles; Johnny Unitas had the legend. Peyton's younger brother had two
championships.
So, how could Peyton Manning be the best and above the rest?
In the NBA, Bill Russell finished with the most championships. Was he the greatest?
No. Michael Jordan is the king ... because he is.
Wayne Gretzky was nicknamed "The Great One." Was he the greatest? Yes, we all
know that Gretzky was the king ... because he is.
What about baseball? Barry Bonds has been dismissed from the discussion of
greatest ever because of suspected use of performance-enhancing drugs. Hank
Aaron hit more home runs, legitimately, than anybody else. Babe Ruth saved the
game from ruin, made baseball the national pastime and won four World Series.
Ted Williams was the game's pre-eminent hitter. Joe was DiMaggio. But, if you do
the eye examination, although he didn't have the numbers or the titles, Willie Mays
was the king ... because he is.
So, in football, Jim Brown was the paramount running back, and Jerry Rice was the
premier wide receiver. But quarterback is the most important position in sports.
Here's what Manning has accomplished:
At age 37, after recovering from four neck surgeries (and a risky surgical procedure
he doesn't talk about), and after coming to a new team and a new town, he has
won 28 of 35 games ... and set every season passing record in the league's annals.
He will earn an unparalleled fifth NFL MVP award this week. He has been selected to
more Pro Bowls (13) than any other quarterback. He has won the second-most
games of any quarterback in league history. In 13 of 15 seasons he has been to the
postseason, won division titles and finished with double-digit victories. He has the
highest number of game-winning drives. He holds or shares 55 regular-season and
postseason records. He is the smartest quarterback and the hardest-working man
in football.
He is, alas, 1-1 in Super Bowls.
Because of Peyton, and for the first time since Father Flanagan opened Boys Town
in 1917, Omaha is famous.
But, even more significant, Manning has dramatically changed and improved the
NFL.
His visionary version of the no-huddle, high-octane, hurry-up-and-wait offense has
forced and fostered altered philosophies of coaches, defenses and quarterbacks in
professional, college and high school football. Watch how Brady points at a middle
linebacker. See a college quarterback back away from the line and audible to
another play. See a high school quarterback try to emulate Peyton. Laugh when the
Chargers jump offside five times in a playoff game because of Manning's hard
count, and contemplate how defenses disguise and switch schemes. No other
quarterback has influenced the game as much as Manning does.
He won't win the most postseason games and Super Bowls. He probably won't pass
Favre in victories. He never had the strongest arm, or the most mobility.
But, you know what? Beat Seattle, and he will be King Peyton The First.
Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, Willie Mays and Peyton Manning belong on sports'
Mount Rushmore ... because they are the four kings.
Read more: Paige: Peyton Manning becomes best QB ever if he wins Super Bowl The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/paige/ci_24993699/woody-paigepeyton-manning-becomes-best-qb-ever#ixzz2rVXo3o9g
Read The Denver Post's Terms of Use of its content:
http://www.denverpost.com/termsofuse
Follow us: @Denverpost on Twitter | Denverpost on Facebook
Julius Thomas and Peyton Manning:
Super Sunday's odd couple
By Jeff Darlington
NFL.com
January 30, 2014
JERSEY CITY, N.J. -- Up 14-0 early in the third quarter, one of Peyton Manning's
newest weapons had a little hiccup. Tight end Julius Thomas jumped before the
snap -- committing a costly-in-the-moment false start on third-and-6.
As referees blew the play dead, halting the Denver Broncos' divisional playoff game
against the San Diego Chargers, the national television broadcast picked up another
bit of sound:
"(Bleeping) Julius!" Manning was heard saying.
Yes, even after Thomas provided Manning with an unsuspecting 12 touchdowns and
a Pro Bowl performance this season, manufactured seemingly out of thin air, the
quarterback continues to keep a very close eye on (Bleeping) Julius.
It is perhaps the most intriguing relationship in Super Bowl XLVIII, possibly the
most incredible juxtaposition between two players who have relied on one another
to reach this point: a master of his craft and a novice of this sport.
This is Mozart teaching a middle-school music class. This is Jack Nicklaus giving golf
lessons at the local municipal. This is, well, perhaps the greatest quarterback ever
to set foot on the field training a player who is just four years removed from a
college basketball career.
"Peyton has said it before -- sometimes he needs to remind himself that I haven't
been doing this very long," Thomas told NFL.com on Wednesday. "But by no means
does he let me off the hook for anything. I'm just a guy who has to be there longer,
who has to spend a little more time in the classroom preparing."
Consider Thomas' fascinating (and recent) career arc: He played four seasons
of basketball at Portland State, waiting until his final year at the school to
even give football a shot. The experiment worked well enough for the Broncos
to take him in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL Draft, but injuries held him
back when Manning first arrived.
"I remember the first time throwing to him, his size jumps out to you,"
Manning said. "This is a 6-5 tight end with broad shoulders, and he could really run.
But next thing you know, he gets injured.
"I only got to see a couple of throwing sessions with him, but what I saw early on I
was impressed with. It was exciting to get him back this year, and he has just
bought in."
It wasn't until Manning's tutelage took over that Thomas' ascent truly began. And
the ascent -- which included two touchdowns and 110 receiving yards in a startling
season-opening performance -- was a ridiculously rapid one.
"There's nobody in the NFL who is learning as much as I am every single day,"
Thomas said.
The credit, of course, shouldn't all be bestowed on Manning. Thomas is an
intelligent man, clearly a student of the game (albeit a new one), and his physical
gifts seemingly allow him to compensate for any lack of knowledge. Given his rare
combination of height and speed, he realizes sometimes it's best not to think that
much at all.
"When you have the ball in your hands, there's no coaching that -- that's what
you've had since birth," Thomas said. "My coaches always say, 'Don't overthink it.
Just go out there and play.' If you want to set yourself apart, you've got to make
plays.
"I think athletic savviness is probably innate, something somebody is born with. It's
the ability to be a good athlete. But as far as football savviness, it just comes with
time."
That football savviness is undoubtedly coming. Thomas estimates that he only
spends about 20 percent of his plays in a traditional tight end alignment with his
hand in the dirt. On the other 80 percent, he's being utilized in a variety of roles,
whether in the slot or out wide mimicking a receiver like Demaryius Thomas.
It is this versatility that creates some considerable challenges for opposing
defenses. If a team chooses to defend him in zone coverage, he can often wind up
drawing a defensive back who lacks the size to cover him. And if a team switches to
man coverage, it must decide who to put against him.
"We never know how they're going to adjust to us," Thomas said. "Every time I line
up ... sometimes it's a corner, a safety, a linebacker. We just want to change it up
and give different looks."
Changing it up means learning a tremendous amount in a short span. Coupled
with the high expectations of Manning, it's been a daunting few years. Thomas
said formal sit-down tutorials with Manning are rare; the quarterback's tutelage is
instead a nonstop process.
The Broncos' offensive system essentially requires every player to understand every
position on the field, which means Thomas not only has to learn how to be an NFL
tight end, but also grasp the assignments of, for instance, the running backs.
"I have no problem saying we have one of the most complex offenses, one of the
most difficult to learn," Thomas said. "We do so many things. Would it have been
easier to learn a different system first? Maybe. But I appreciate this system."
Just imagine Thomas' potential once he has far more football experience. As he said
Wednesday, in reference to a chapter of Malcolm Gladwell's "Outliers," he is far
from logging the 10,000 hours necessary to master any craft. And yet, as he
prepares for the NFL's biggest stage, he is being called upon to be a key
contributor.
Thomas has the potential to become a truly special player in the league for a long
time. But before he gets there, he'll first try to help his tutor secure his own legacy
with another Super Bowl ring.
After all, if it wasn't for Manning, this career arc might have been quite different for
(Bleeping) Julius.
"Every day, I see how much (Manning) prepares," Thomas said. "I see the little
things that he does to make sure he's on top of his game. I try to recreate that in
my preparation.
"I always say, if anybody can have the attention to detail that Peyton has, in
whatever they do in life, you're going to have a great chance to be successful."
Broncos boss John Elway keeps ultra
competitive Peyton Manning on his toes
By Dan Wetzel
Yahoo Sports
January 29, 2014
NEW YORK – Peyton Manning was talking this week at Super Bowl media day about
preparation. He is famously maniacal about it, of course. Motivation has never been
much of a concern for the Denver Broncos quarterback.
Still, 16 years into an NFL career, at age 37, with multiple neck surgeries in the
past, young children at home and myriad business and spokesman duties, it's
natural to slack a little, tempting to think he has it figured out.
"Maybe I was a robot early on," Manning said. "Now, maybe I am a little more
human."
Yet if there is one thing that stops him from slipping, Manning said, it's his respect
for the man who brought him to Denver after the Indianapolis Colts cut him in
2012. Peyton Manning works for John Elway, who became the franchise's executive
vice president of football operations a year earlier.
The two communicate and operate on a level of quarterback excellence that few
men alive can match. If anyone can match Manning's skill level, it's Elway. And if
anyone can exceed Manning's competitive fire, it's the man who delivered Denver
its first of two Super Bowl titles courtesy of an iconic, helicopter spin that delivered
a critical first down.
So if there is a chance to cheat the process, even a little, well, Elway is one of the
few people who can first recognize it and second call Peyton out on it, although his
presence alone does that.
"I don't think John Elway wants a player focused on [things other than football],"
Manning said.
The Broncos will seek a third Super Bowl title Sunday against the Seattle
Seahawks. The first two were won in the late 1990s with Elway at QB. He'd remain
a legend in Colorado even if he didn't become the team's brain trust and made the
moves that rejuvenated the franchise of late.
"He might be kind of the most popular guy in our city," Broncos coach John Fox
said.
There's no maybe about it. It's tough to be more popular than Peyton Manning right
now. Elway does it. His personnel decisions (including ending the Tim Tebow
experiment), his eye for talent and his decision to hire Fox have all led the Broncos
here. Nothing, however, was bigger than winning the recruiting battle for Manning,
who also had the Arizona Cardinals, Tennessee Titans and others after him.
There is more though. Elway cuts an impressive presence around the franchise, one
that commands respect from players and without saying a word gets even the most
driven to drive a little harder.
"It's pretty cool to see him walk around there," linebacker Wesley Woodyard said.
"He's right there in the back scene. We always notice him there."
Elway is 53 yet in many ways the Broncos are still about him. Nowhere is that more
obvious than his relationship with Manning, where they can talk legend to legend
and the respect runs almost as peers.
"I think that relationship definitely [helps]," Elway said. "I would [have] liked to
have somebody that had been in the position running an organization when I was
playing quarterback too that had the same mindset. I have never really talked to
him about exactly why he chose Denver, but I have a feeling that that was part of
the decision."
Manning said it certainly was. He wasn't coming back from neck surgery and risking
both more serious injury and the potential humiliation of not being up to his old
form just for the fun of it. He was already rich and famous. He already had a Super
Bowl. He was already headed to the Hall of Fame.
A second act was about winning another championship. And that's it. Elway
presented both the know how and the competitiveness that Manning craves. He
wasn't working in the Broncos front office just for kicks – he needed neither the
money nor the attention. Elway was there to win also and Manning, who was
stunned to get released by the Colts and was looking for not just a team but a
home that shared his mindset.
"You can only pick one team to go play for," Manning said. "It reminded me of
college somewhat, that you would like to play for a lot of teams. Go play for this
team for a year, maybe give this team four or five games and bounce around. It's
not the way it works; you have to pick a team."
He chose Denver. He also chose Elway.
"We tried to show him what the Denver Broncos are about, about what our staff
was about, what we had to offer, the ability for us to be able to blend our offense to
what he's used to doing, and also the young guys we had on the roster but also
what the Rocky Mountain region was all about." Elway said. "So I felt really good
about our story, and I'm glad that he saw it the same way."
Elway was always a take-charge player, selling out on runs, risking injury for an
extra yard, daring to make the impossible throw to win games. He was all in.
Mentally nothing has changed and that has rubbed off on everyone.
"I think John Elway would still be playing football if he could physically," Manning
said.
Elway found running the operation fills the competitive void, although the nerves,
particularly during games, can be worse. "I'm getting better with letting the control
go and knowing that there's nothing I can do."
He sees no difference though in wanting to win this Super Bowl as any of the ones
where he was under center. There is no wistfulness at getting back on the field.
These are his Broncos. This would feel just as much his title. Maybe, in some ways,
even more.
"It'd be just as important," Elway said. "I think that to be a part of that and to be
on that was a part of putting this whole thing together would be something that's
very important and something I'd like to do.
"It's different. Obviously, playing is a lot more physical and much tougher that way,
but I think that in my position now it's kind of trying to stay two steps ahead and
make decisions on what we have to do in the future. Hopefully they're the right
ones."
He said that with the same cool, confidence that defined him as a player – the
knowledge that preparation would pay off, both by him and the new/old
quarterback he built this around.
Bond between Peyton Manning, John
Elway runs deeper than you think
By Don Banks
SI.com
January 28, 2014
NEWARK, N.J. -- With apologies to Richard Sherman and the weather, both of
which seemingly inspire endless discussion and debate, there's one topic that
captivates me above all others about Super Bowl XLVIII: The numerous and
intriguing parallels that link the quarterbacking careers of Peyton Manning and John
Elway, unquestionably the two most illustrious names that have anything to do with
this game.
Stand back for a moment and consider the fascinating symmetry that has fallen
into place over the span of time for the Denver Broncos' record-breaking passer of
today and yesteryear, as the current starter and equally famous chief football
decision-maker prepare together for their return to the game's grandest stage. I'm
starting to think there's something at work here on the karmic level that might be a
bit further down the road than first realized, and it has plenty of possible impact on
Sunday's outcome.
The more you look into their shared history, and how much they've walked in each
other's shoes, the more there is to chew on. Especially when the subject is latecareer Super Bowl trips and pushing back against the perception of not being able
to "win the big one.'' Can anybody relate quite as well to the pressures and
potential of this week's opportunity than Manning and Elway, who both already own
a place in the NFL's pantheon?
The multifaceted connections between them extend probably much further than
even most of us have realized. To wit:
• Of course, Elway and Manning were both drafted first overall in the NFL, 15 years
apart, by the same organization: the Colts. Elway never played for them, forcing a
trade to Denver in 1983, which was the Colts' last season in Baltimore. But Manning
spent 14 years with the Colts in Indianapolis, putting that NFL city on the map,
before joining Denver in 2012.
So if you're scoring at home, that means both Elway and Manning have been the
property of just two NFL teams, the Colts and Broncos. On Sunday against Seattle,
Manning has a chance to become just the second Denver quarterback to win a
Super Bowl, joining Elway, the two-time champion.
• Elway won his second Super Bowl ring in his 16th NFL season. Manning is going
for his second Super Bowl ring in his 16th NFL season, having earned his first with
the 2006 Colts.
• At 38 and seven-plus months, Elway was the oldest starting quarterback in Super
Bowl history when he won game MVP honors in Denver's Super Bowl XXXIII
conquest of Atlanta in January 1999. At 37 and 10-plus months, Manning will be
the second-oldest starting quarterback in Super Bowl history. The two stars briefly
co-existed in the NFL firmament, with Elway's final season of 1998 representing
Manning's rookie year.
• In Elway's last two seasons in the league, 1997-98, the Broncos went 26-6 in the
regular season and won back-to-back Super Bowls, a fairy tale ending for the
Denver icon. In Manning's first two regular seasons as a Bronco, Denver has posted
that exact same 26-6 record and is now back in the Super Bowl for the first time
since Elway's 1998 swan song.
• Both men have well eclipsed the fame of the successful football fathers who
raised them in the game, with Jack Elway's career as a college coach and Archie
Manning's collegiate and pro quarterbacking career having been just the warm-up
act for their ultra-famous sons. But you can't tell either one of their stories without
Jack or Archie being at the center of it.
• And finally there's this, a little esoteric, but you'll forgive me for taking the
comparison down to the Super Bowl-driven details: Elway in 1997 won his first ring
against a historic NFC Central foe in the Packers, then came back the next season
and beat a team (Atlanta) led by a three-time veteran NFL head coach in Dan
Reeves (Broncos, Giants and Falcons). Manning? His first ring came at the expense
of a historic NFC North (same division, new name) rival in the Bears in 2006, and
now he and his Broncos face a Seattle team led by a three-time veteran NFL head
coach in Pete Carroll (Jets, Patriots and Seahawks).
I expected to dazzle Elway with all these career congruities when I put them to him
just before the Broncos' Super Bowl Media Day session began on Tuesday, but the
old quarterback called an audible on me and had one of his own lined up.
"Here's another great funny thing, and this isn't on your list,'' said Elway, standing
in the bowels of Newark's Prudential Center, where the NFL conducted its Media
Day for this first outdoor, cold-weather Super Bowl. "You know on the Chinese
calendar, it's the year of the horse, right? Well, we were both Colts and Broncos.
We're horse-related.''
Actually, when it comes to Super Bowls, Elway wore more of the goat horns early in
his career, helping a somewhat overachieving Denver team reach three Super
Bowls in his first seven seasons, only to lose all of them in blowout fashion. The
career-capping back-to-back rings completely changed the narrative, of course, just
as it no doubt will for Manning if he captures a second Super Bowl win in three
tries, following the Colts' 2009 upset loss to New Orleans.
Elway extinguished the can't-win-the-big-one label forever with his twin titles, and
Manning now has the same opportunity to erase a stigma that has fairly or unfairly
followed him to some degree since his stellar collegiate career at Tennessee.
That would be yet another tie that binds these two NFL greats, one already in the
Hall of Fame and the other headed there as soon as he's eligible for the gold blazer.
Perhaps the most meaningful tie of all.
"I remember meeting Peyton as I was on my way out and he was on his way in,''
Elway said. "But a lot of people don't know that when I was younger, my dad
always talked about Archie Manning. I still remember him talking about the player
Archie Manning was, and what he did playing at Ole Miss. My dad always said he
thought Archie should have won the Heisman Trophy the year Jim Plunkett won it
[in 1970]. For years, Archie Manning had been a big hero of my dad, and because
of that he became my hero.
"Years later, when I was coming out of Stanford, I was getting recruited by I think
IMG, one of the big agencies. We were interviewing agents, and Archie Manning
came to my house representing IMG, and he came down to San Jose State when
my dad was coaching there at the time. My dad had so much respect for him as a
player. So it's kind of funny how it's come full circle, with me and Peyton together
now in Denver.''
I don't think it's any coincidence that Peyton Manning gravitated toward Denver and
Elway when he was deciding his playing fate in that eventful spring of 2012. How
many people can really speak the language and understand the thinking of the Hall
of Fame-caliber franchise quarterback? Manning saw offensive talent on hand and a
franchise with a long and rich history, but it must have been reassuring to know
that Elway, a fellow member of a small and select fraternity, was in charge.
"I think it mattered, but we never really sat down and talked about why he picked
Denver,'' Elway said. "I guess I didn't ask because I thought it was the right place
for him anyway. The one thing I felt, I just tried to put myself in his shoes. What
would I want to see when I was visiting these different teams, and how I would
want them to react to me?
"I wouldn't want them to act desperate. I'd want them to act like, 'Hey, if you come
here, great, if you don't, we're going to be OK, too. But we sure want you here.'
I've never been a guy who likes to get the hard sell, so I just wanted to stay away
from that and show him what we have. I know if I was in his shoes, I would have
loved to have a guy who was a quarterback running the team. Just knowing that
guy has been through what you've been through and seen what you've seen.
There's definitely a connection there.''
From all indications, one potential parallel between Elway and Manning, perhaps the
most obvious, will go unformed. Elway retired in that blaze of glory, going out on
top twice-over after winning his second ring. Manning has made it clear this week,
win or lose on Sunday, he's not near ready to walk away. And how can you blame
him? After missing 2011 with his four neck surgeries, then rewriting the NFL record
book with his passing arm this season, Manning sees no need to follow Elway's lead
on the retirement front.
"And he shouldn't, the way he's playing,'' Elway said. "He should get the chance to
play until he's ready to walk away on his terms, not anyone else's. Just like I got
to. I can't speak for him, but with what we've accomplished in the past two years -and he's done it -- to get where we've gotten and as quickly as we have, I think it's
a good fit. Put it that way. To have that respect and connection with Peyton that I
have has been a tremendous help.''
It's an easy case to make this week in New York/New Jersey. Manning and Elway
and the symmetry and intersection of their legendary careers is as intriguing as this
Super Bowl gets. No matter how the weather, or even Richard Sherman, may howl
come gameday.
Peyton Manning eyes Super Bowl title
with 2nd team
By Howard Fendrich
Associated Press
January 25, 2014
For all the NFL records Peyton Manning owns — and there are plenty — he is one
victory away from the one accomplishment that eventually might define his legacy
more than any other.
If Manning's Denver Broncos beat the Seattle Seahawks next weekend, he would
become the first starting quarterback to win Super Bowl titles with two franchises.
Manning is already a larger-than-life figure in Indianapolis, of course, widely
credited with turning a basketball town into a football town by making the Colts
truly matter. He led them to two NFL championship games, winning in 2007, losing
in 2010.
And now Manning, at the age of 37, two years removed from sitting out an entire
season after a series of neck operations, has a chance to forever stamp himself as a
figure of similar importance in Denver, too. As it is, he already has joined Craig
Morton and Kurt Warner as the only QBs to lead two clubs to the Super Bowl,
although they didn't win with both.
"If he can win this game, he definitely will be an icon in two cities," said Morton,
who was in Denver for six of his 18 NFL seasons. "Well, he probably already is. But
... there's so much focus on the Super Bowl. If you win, you're in granite. If you
lose, you're in the mud."
Spoken from experience.
Morton went 0-2 as a Super Bowl starter, losing with the Dallas Cowboys in 1971,
then the Broncos in 1978. Warner went 1-2, winning with the St. Louis Rams in
2000, then losing with them in 2002, before losing with the Arizona Cardinals in
2009.
There are similarities.
Morton eventually lost his starting job in Dallas, spent some time with bad New
York Giants teams, then rebuilt his career in Denver. Warner eventually lost his
starting job in St. Louis, spent some time with the Giants (before being replaced by
Manning's younger brother, Eli), then rebuilt his career in Arizona.
"Everybody thought I was done. They thought I couldn't play anymore. So to get
back to that level and go back to the Super Bowl is a great accomplishment,"
Warner said. "It's cool to have Peyton there, after there were all the questions
about his health. Similar to me, he was let go and sent off to greener pastures. He's
such a special player anyway, but here's an opportunity to put some icing on that
cake and separate himself from all the other great quarterbacks."
The older Manning was let go by the Colts after missing all of 2011, then wooed by
champion-QB-turned-executive John Elway to Denver, where No. 18 quickly
resumed his year-in, year-out excellence. Manning's offense set a passel of league
records this season, including his individual passing standards of 55 touchdowns
and 5,477 yards, which is why he's expected to land a fifth NFL MVP award, adding
to yet another mark he already holds.
And while Manning is not the sort to wax on about his standing in the game or his
status in Denver, he did reflect a bit on the journey he's been on.
"I had never switched teams before. I had no idea how long it would take to form
some chemistry offensively, to get comfortable with the culture," said Manning,
who threw for 400 yards in the AFC championship game victory over the New
England Patriots.
"I talked to some other players that had changed teams, and I think it depends on
the individual, how you mesh with your new teammates, how comfortable you are
in your new surroundings," he said.
It's rare for a player at any position to transition well enough from one team to
another to help both win a championship.
Manning, the only member of the active rosters of the Broncos or Seahawks who's
won a Super Bowl previously, can become only the 15th starting player to win titles
with two teams, according to STATS.
"It's a real challenge to go to a different location, different group of guys. A
completely new adjustment," said Bart Oates, a center on championship clubs with
the New York Giants in 1987 and 1991, and the San Francisco 49ers in 1994.
"People will remember Peyton in Denver, no matter what. But if you bring them a
championship, they'll love Peyton. That's immortalized," Oates added. "They
celebrate championships every year. They don't celebrate runners-up."
Manning Brothers' Bond Helps Super
Bowl Prep
By Gray Caldwell
DenverBroncos.com
January 23, 2014
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- At the AFC Championship Game, Eli Manning surprised his
brother Peyton with a visit to the locker room postgame.
"Two years ago, we didn’t think Peyton was coming to San Francisco for the (NFC)
Championship Game and he showed up," Archie Manning said after the Broncos'
win last Sunday. "He just showed up with some Indy guys and didn’t tell us, didn’t
tell Eli anything. So Eli kind of did that today, too."
The relationship between the two Super Bowl-winning brothers was in the spotlight
earlier this season when the Broncos and Giants squared off at MetLife Stadium in
Week 2.
That was Peyton Manning's first time in the stadium where Super Bowl XLVIII will
be held.
But he'll have plenty of knowledge of the venue courtesy of his brother.
"I might have a few things for him, but I don’t want to reveal that because I don’t
want to give that to Russell Wilson," Eli Manning said on a conference call. "Any tips
wind-wise, I will tell him in private."
"The old stadium definitely did have a specific end zone and corner you really did
not want to throw into if it was going to be a windy night," he explained. "I know
it’s going to be cold. I obviously don’t know what the wind conditions are right now,
but if it is one of those windy days, there are a few little things that you can give,
but it’s definitely not as bad as the old stadium."
Eli, whose Giants played the Seattle Seahawks in Week 15, said he would also
share with Peyton anything he gleaned from his battle with the Broncos' Super Bowl
opponent.
"I’ll obviously give any information that I have to him, in our preparation, our game
plan, just kind of different things I saw watching film and different tips," he said. "I
will try to give him everything that I can give him to make his preparation better,
any tips or things that I saw. If he has any questions, I’d be happy to answer them
and help out in any way."
The bond between the brothers has been obvious this week.
Eli said he's been trying to help Peyton deal with ticket requests and other logistics
in advance of the big game so that his older brother can focus on the game itself.
"I think I’ve been helpful to him and he’s been helpful to me the past two that I’ve
played in and he’s helped me out again this year," Peyton said. "You certainly
appreciate that.”
Peyton said the brothers have bounced "a lot of ideas off of each other these past
10 years" as they prepare for games.
The one next Sunday just happens to be a little different than just another game.
"It’s not like watching any other football game. If I’m watching two other teams,
I’m kind of casually watching and don’t really care who wins or loses. Here, it’s a
little bit more nerve-wracking," said Eli, who made it clear he's rooting for his
brother and the Broncos. "I don’t get nervous playing football games, I get nervous
watching my brother play and I guess because I’ve been doing this for a long time
and you kind of know key moments and key plays. Obviously we’ll be rooting hard
and I’m excited for him, watching these last two playoff games and playing well and
hopefully he can continue to do that. You know what it means to win championships
and how hard he’s worked.
"I’m obviously very proud of him and I’m hoping he can go out there and play well
and the whole team, the Broncos, can play well and get a win."
With Brother in Big Game, Eli Manning
Plays Concierge
By Bill Pennington
New York Times
January 23, 2014
What do two N.F.L. quarterbacks who happen to be brothers talk about when one of
them is playing in the Super Bowl at the other’s home stadium?
Home-field tactics? The wind? The turf? Where to park? Which shower head in the
locker room has the hottest water?
Don’t be silly.
They talk tickets. As in, how many can you get me?
Eli Manning told his brother Peyton he would help him in any way needed as Peyton
prepared to play in Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium on Feb. 2.
Perhaps Peyton wanted to visit some New York City museums? Or the opera?
Certainly, Eli could arrange for a dinner reservation or two.
No, the chief request was tickets.
“He had a number for me,” Eli said Thursday of Peyton’s ticket request. “And I hit
it. Unless he’s got a few more surprises, I’m O.K.”
So unless Peyton screams “Omaha” and calls an audible demanding 15 more
tickets, Eli has done his job.
There is a lot of pressure and anxiety when it comes to the Super Bowl. Some of it
even involves the playing of the game. But long before Peyton Manning’s Denver
Broncos face the Seattle Seahawks, there is the ticket grab.
“Helping him with the tickets will take some of the stress off him,” Eli Manning said
in a conference call with reporters. “It takes some of the burden off him.”
The Mannings are not first-time contestants in this pregame contest. Eli has played
in two Super Bowls. This will be Peyton’s third.
In 2012, Eli played in a Super Bowl at what was then Peyton’s home stadium in
Indianapolis. The brothers have learned that what matters is keeping family and
friends happy — because everyone from your fourth-grade teacher to your favorite
barista comes out of the woodwork during the Super Bowl buildup.
Each needs only one ticket. Unless two are available. Or four.
Meanwhile, a ticket in the upper deck was selling for about $2,500 online Thursday.
“Having been through this before,” Eli said, “you want to get this done this week
and get it done as early as possible. You want everything to be solved for you
before you get to the city where you’re playing.”
Eli thinks he is on track. Once Peyton is in town — the Broncos are staying in Jersey
City and conducting interviews with the news media on a cruise ship docked next to
their hotel — Eli might give his brother some tips that pertain to the game, he said.
Eli played Denver’s opponent, the Seahawks, in December. And Eli has thrown
hundreds of passes in MetLife Stadium.
“I can give him any information I have about Seattle; I’ll be happy to give him
some tips,” Eli said.
That conversation may not exactly be a game changer. The Giants were trounced
by the Seahawks, 23-0. After the game, Giants Coach Tom Coughlin called the
Giants’ offensive effort “pathetic.”
So while that talk might be brief, Eli said he would be able to help with the
vicissitudes of playing inside MetLife.
“I might have a few things,” he said. “There is some local knowledge.”
Eli declined to elaborate on any of that insight because, he said, he did not want his
tips to help Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson.
“I’ll tell Peyton in private,” Eli said.
Otherwise, Eli seemed to be focused on playing the good host and helpful little
brother. He insisted that Peyton, who has won one Super Bowl and lost one, did not
need a second Super Bowl victory to cement his legacy as one of the best
quarterbacks in N.F.L. history.
“He’s already created his own legacy,” Eli said. “He’s set records and been on a lot
of playoff teams. I don’t think it’s something he’s worried about.
“There will always be arguments about who’s the best, and if you’re in that
argument, you’ve already created your legacy. But he’s not thinking about that.
He’s competitive. He’s trying to win the game.”
Eli, who has played more than 75 regular-season games in New Jersey, said the
only football game he had attended in the state as a spectator was on Jan. 4, 2003,
when Peyton’s Indianapolis Colts visited the old Giants Stadium to play the Jets in a
first-round playoff game.
“Besides that,” he said, “this will be the only time I’ll be in the seats watching.”
Eli will be hoping for a more enjoyable result than the last time. The Jets shut out
Peyton’s Colts, 41-0.
“It’s a little nerve-racking,” Eli said of rooting for his brother. “I don’t get nervous
playing in football games. I do get nervous watching my brother play.”
But he will apparently have some peace of mind. At least the ticket situation is
settled.
Peyton keeps his team focused in long
run-up to Bowl
By Steve Serby
New York Post
January 23, 2014
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Peyton Manning stood under a warm sun, his game face
already on 10 days before what could be the crowning moment of his Hall of Fame
football life at MetLife Stadium.
The press conference lasted a mere 6¹/₂ minutes, undoubtedly on his orders,
because there is no time to waste, not now, not two months from his 38th birthday,
not with Richard Sherman and the Seahawks standing between him and that
treasured Lombardi Trophy.
He had warned his teammates about the media locusts that will ambush them
Sunday upon the Broncos’ arrival, then grabbed his team by the throat with his
field general command and showed them up close and personal how you go about
trying to win a Super Bowl. A game he lost IV years ago. A game he has won only
once, VIII long years ago.
“He’s so passionate about the game, the way he’s out there, you’d think it was
game day tomorrow,” receiver Andre Caldwell said.
“He keeps his game face on when he’s out there on the field, he’s always ready to
go, so it’s no different from Week 1.”
Even in the meeting rooms, the legendary Manning laser focus was on full display.
“He demanded things on the practice field that the starting quarterback should
demand, and he led the offense through a Wednesday — I know it’s Thursday —
but a Wednesday practice like it should be. I thought he was his normal self, he
showed up … and went to work today,” backup quarterback Brock Osweiler said.
Manning gave the impression he had spent the past two off days browsing the
marijuana joints around town. Talk about blowing smoke!
“Still kind of going through the preparation,” Manning said, “still trying to get to
know ’em at this point, but from what I’ve seen so far it’s certainly an excellent
defense.”
If anyone can detail the horrors of the Seahawks defense to him, it is kid brother
Eli, and naturally, Peyton plans on picking his brain.
“Give him two weeks to prepare for a team, you know he’s going to know
everything about the other team, and he’s not going to be fooled,” Caldwell said.
Manning was tight-lipped when asked what his message to his teammates had been
about what to expect once they arrive in New York-New Jersey.
“What I told ’em was probably what I told them in the team meeting, and probably
not to tell at the press conference,” Manning said.
In other words, none of your business!
“The main thing was don’t try to change your routine … do the same thing you did
throughout the season,” receiver Demaryius Thomas said.
“We’re not there to party. When you’re not playing in the Super Bowl, you’re there
to party,” linebacker Shaun Phillips said. “When you’re playing in the Super Bowl,
it’s a business trip, and that’s the main thing that we talked about.
“He just said, ‘Enjoy it. But you’ll be much more happier winning the game as
opposed to losing the game. Losing the game, you’re the ultimate low. When you
win the game you’re the ultimate high.’ ”
“Just because it’s a Super Bowl, it’s still a football game,” Caldwell said.
It’s a football game Manning wondered if he’d ever get back to following four neck
fusion surgeries. Eye on the prize already.
“Some of those Indianapolis teams that he was on, they weren’t the most talented
teams, but Peyton just does a hell of a job of making everybody around him
better,” Phillips said, “because he makes sure he prepares not only for himself but
for the guy next to him.”
Phillips, asked if he was tired of hearing about how good the Seahawks defense is,
said: “No, no, no. We enjoy hearing about how good their defense is. Less pressure
for us, more pressure for them. Which is OK, it’s going to come down to a defensive
game, most Super Bowls do, so we’re looking forward to it.”
No one more than the quarterback.
“The Super Bowl is always special, no matter where it is played,” Manning said. “For
a lot of our players, it is their first time playing in one. So I think the fact that it is
in New York is certainly going to be special, but it is a big deal because we worked
so hard to get to this point. Two teams that have worked hard and have really laid
it on the line all season long to be here. This is why you work hard all offseason —
for this opportunity. There is no question it is a big deal and it is very special to be
playing in this game.”
Eli Manning proud of, jealous of, nervous
for Peyton Manning at Super Bowl XLVIII
By Tom Rock
Newsday
January 23, 2014
RENTON, Wash. - Eli Manning pictured himself playing in Super Bowl XLVIII, not
being the official ticket wrangler for another starting quarterback.
But pressed into such action by his brother Peyton, taking that burden off the
Broncos' starting quarterback so he can focus on football schemes and not family
seating arrangements, Eli Manning is proud of the work he's done. After a season of
disappointments and missed goals, the Giants quarterback seemed pleased that he
has been able to reach this one final benchmark of the 2013 season.
"He's asked for a number for me to try to get," Eli said, "and I hit that number.
Unless he has a few surprises, I'm in good shape right now."
For the third time in his life, Eli will watch his older brother play in a game he
himself desperately wishes he could be a part of. And this time he'll do so from the
stands of his own building, MetLife Stadium, when the Broncos play the Seahawks
on Feb. 2.
"I am proud of Peyton,'' he said, "and if I'm not going to be playing in the game,
he's the one I'd like to be playing in it."
Still, he admitted to a hint of envy while riding in the sidecar of Peyton's motorcade
toward a championship.
"Going through a championship game like last week and seeing that excitement and
seeing the crowd . . . it definitely lights a little fire under you to get back to that
scenario," Eli said. "You miss that. Having been there before and knowing that
feeling, you do get jealous of that feeling and that excitement that goes along with
it. But that was probably [being] more jealous of that atmosphere. It makes you
want to get back to that situation, get back to working and get your mind doing
whatever I have to do to get the Giants back to the championship games and get
back to Super Bowls."
That won't stop him from doing anything he can to help the Broncos. Besides the
ticket brokering, Eli likely will share some advice on facing the Seahawks -- he and
the Giants faced them last month in a 23-0 loss -- and playing at MetLife Stadium.
He said he has some tips on dealing with the notorious wind but will not share them
publicly for fear that Russell Wilson might pick up on them.
The brothers expect to spend some time together early next week when the
Broncos arrive in New Jersey, but by midweek, Peyton will turn his attention to
winning a second Super Bowl. If he does, it could cement his legacy as the greatest
quarterback of all time, but Eli said Peyton isn't focused on that.
"I think Peyton, he's already created his own legacy," Eli said. "There will always be
arguments about who is the greatest and who is the best. I think if you're in that
argument, if you're one of the names thrown around in there, I think you've
already created a pretty good legacy."
Eli said he obviously is rooting hard for the Broncos but declined to give a prediction
or guess on the final score. One thing he did seem sure of, though, is that watching
Super Bowl XLVIII will be more of a strain on him than playing in it.
"I don't get nervous in football games," he said. "I get nervous watching my
brother play."
Eli excited about new 'O.'For the first time since he was a rookie, Eli Manning will
have to learn a new offense. "In a way, it will be exciting,'' he said of having a new
offensive coordinator, Ben McAdoo, for the 2014 season. "You have to come in and
you have to learn some new things. Obviously, what the changes will be -- if it will
be completely changed with the terminology and formations or if we'll keep some of
those things and bring in all of his concepts -- I don't know if the coaches have all
figured that out yet as well.''
Manning spoke with McAdoo via phone before he was hired.
"I was very impressed with him and his offensive mindset,'' Manning said. "I'm
excited about what he'll bring to the Giants. I look forward to getting into some
meetings, getting with him and seeing what I need to do better and how I can
learn.''
Peyton Manning, Eli bring brotherly bond
to Super Bowl week
By Judy Battista
NFL.com
January 23, 2014
The Mannings have developed an extraordinary family routine for Super Bowls, in
that any family that actually has the need for a routine surrounding the Super Bowl
is extraordinary.
Two years ago, when the New York Giants were preparing to face the New
England Patriots in Indianapolis for Super Bowl XLVI, Peyton Manning played the
delighted host, submerging his own concerns about his injured neck and his
fraying relationship with the Colts to become a ticket procurer and restaurantreservation purveyor for his brother. This week, with the Denver Broncos getting
ready to take on the Seattle Seahawks in East Rutherford, N.J., for Super Bowl
XLVIII, it is Eli's turn. In the moments after Denver secured its spot in the game
last Sunday, Eli stood beside Peyton in the Broncos' locker room, warning that
Super Bowl week is chaos, a reminder that Peyton surely did not need.
The routine was reestablished. Whichever brother is not in the game is in charge of
removing as many of the ancillary concerns as possible from the one playing. And
so this week, Peyton and Eli have traded text messages, Peyton telling Eli the
number of tickets he would need -- a number that, Eli said Thursday, he has hit,
scrounging them up mostly from teammates.
"He was very helpful in dealing with family and friends and taking that burden off
me," Eli said on Thursday. "We've learned in playing a few of these. You try to get
all that stuff done this week."
They've played in a few of these, all right. Counting the upcoming game, the
Manning brothers will have appeared in a total of five Super Bowls -- three for
Peyton, two for Eli, with Eli holding, for at least 10 more days, the edge in victories.
Until Peyton's injury and subsequent wrenching departure from Indianapolis, the
Mannings had remarkably parallel careers, enjoying an uncommon stability that
Peyton, two years ago, was convinced was the reason for their shared success: The
brothers had had little coaching turnover to wade through, with each enjoying an
uninterrupted run with a key coach (Tom Moore for Peyton, Kevin Gilbride for Eli) to
that point in their careers.
All of that has changed now. After a disastrous Giants season, Eli is preparing for a
new offense installed by recently hired offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo. And
Peyton, two years removed from extolling the virtues of working only with Moore, is
prepping for the big game with his second team.
If there has been envy from Peyton over Eli's Super Bowl success -- which is often
used to underscore Peyton's own mixed postseason record -- it is not apparent. The
brothers, separated in age by five years, have grown closer as adults because of
their shared career, and they are strikingly noncompetitive with each other. They
have dreaded the occasional games over the years in which their teams have faced
off.
Two years ago, Peyton was so concerned about karma that, after watching the
Giants win their wild-card game while lifting weights at the Colts' facility, he
returned there for the divisional round. When the Giants won that, Peyton was
afraid to tell his little brother that he would not return to Indy's weight room for the
NFC Championship Game against the San Francisco 49ers, so instead he essentially
snuck into Candlestick Park, making his own travel and ticket arrangements.
Peyton no longer watches Eli's games on television after -- years ago -- finding
himself standing on a hotel bed, screaming at the television after a referee's blown
call, all hours before his own game even kicked off.
"I'd feel like I'd already played a game and I hadn't even gotten to our locker room
yet," Peyton said just before that Giants Super Bowl for a story in The New York
Times. "I'm thinking, 'Peyton, it is not healthy to be all worked up before a game.' "
Eli said that he usually watches games with no rooting interest and he does not get
nervous before he plays in his own games. But on Thursday, Eli said watching
Peyton play is nerve-racking, adding that he's not envious of his brother -- though
he finds his own sense of ambition stoked a bit.
"I am proud of Peyton, and if I'm not going to be playing the game, he's who I'd
want to be playing," Eli said. "And so I think going to a championship game like
last week and kind of just being in that excitement and seeing the crowd and
seeing the coaches after that game, it definitely adds a little fire under you to get
back to that scenario. You miss that and, having been there before and knowing
that feeling, you get jealous of that feeling and that excitement and everything
going along with it."
Not that the brothers watch games the way normal people do, anyway. Peyton,
perhaps the greatest student of the game ever to play, usually watches the
defense, and because he missed the entire 2011 season, he was able to offer Eli
some tips on what he had seen going into that NFC title match in San Francisco -discussing, it turned out, the defense the 49ers ended up running on Eli's
touchdown pass to Mario Manningham in the fourth quarter.
The sharing of scouting reports, too, is part of the routine. The Giants played the
Seahawks this year, a 23-0 home loss Eli would probably sooner forget -- except
for the insight gained that he now plans to lend Peyton. And, of course, nobody
knows the vagaries of how the notoriously swirling winds of the Meadowlands -- not
as bad as in the old Giants Stadium, Eli said -- could affect playing conditions at
MetLife Stadium like Eli does.
"I might have a few things for him, but I don't want to reveal that because I don't
want to give that to Russell Wilson," Eli said. "Any tips, wind-wise, I will tell him in
private."
It was in a private throwing session back in New Orleans almost three years ago,
when Peyton was at his lowest physical state, before the surgeries led to the faded
scar that now maps his remarkable return, that Eli told Peyton he could see that he
could not complete his throwing motion. That was before it became obvious that
Peyton would have to leave Indianapolis, before Eli won his second Super Bowl -- in
a stadium that sported a towering picture of his brother on its façade. Only a few
weeks after Eli's triumph, with Peyton celebrating beside him, that picture came
down for good when his brother was released, setting in motion Peyton's stunning
return to the top of the game.
Much has been made of how capturing a Super Bowl championship with a second
team would enhance Peyton's legacy. That hardly seems necessary, in a family so
used to success that it has a well-worn plan for how to manage it.
"I think Peyton's already created his own legacy," Eli said. "He's played at a very
high level for a long period of time, and he's overcome injuries and obviously set
numerous records and been on a lot of playoff teams, playing in his third Super
Bowl. I don't think that's something that he's worried about. There will always be
arguments about who is the greatest, or who is the best. I think if you're in that
argument, if you're one of the names thrown around in there, I think you've
already created a pretty good legacy."
Manning Is on the Verge of the Sublime
By Bill Pennington
New York Times
January 20, 2014
DENVER — Peyton Manning may not need another Super Bowl victory to solidify his
place in football history, although his lingering detractors might suggest otherwise.
But if there is debate about whether Manning’s legacy could use a boost, there is no
doubt that a defeat of the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII will elevate him
to an unparalleled position in the game.
It might also grant him iconic status in two cities, something rarely achieved in the
N.F.L.
With a Broncos victory on Feb. 2 at MetLife Stadium, Manning would become the
first starting quarterback to win a Super Bowl with two teams. Only one other
quarterback, Kurt Warner, has even had the chance at such a double.
In Denver, Manning’s resurrection of the proud Broncos franchise had the populace
chanting and parading through the downtown streets well into Sunday night.
Gathering spots like the downtown 16th Street pedestrian mall were still packed
four hours after the Broncos’ rout of New England, with the congregation an
ebullient sea in Broncos orange garb. And although every man, woman and child
was not in fact wearing a No. 18 Manning jersey, it is probably safe to estimate that
at least 75 percent were.
Manning led the Broncos back to the Super Bowl after 15 long years as Denver
watched 17 other cities enjoy a place in America’s biggest sporting spectacle. And
Denver does not take missing out on the Super Bowl lightly.
It is one of the country’s most fervent N.F.L. towns, and the locals treat the
Broncos almost like a religion. No wonder the region considered itself in seventh
heaven as it awoke Monday in the glow of the Broncos’ seventh Super Bowl berth.
At the cynosure of the celebration this week is Manning, and Broncos fans are ready
to canonize him. Super Bowl XLVIII is not just another game for Manning’s legacy.
If Denver defeats Seattle, it would not be unreasonable to expect a Manning statue
outside Denver’s football stadium someday to go along with the one that will
probably be erected in Indianapolis.
When has that ever happened? Two statues in two cities?
And if you think that it is an exaggeration of Manning’s status in Denver, you
obviously did not see the front page of The Denver Post on Monday. The banner
headline in one-inch type screamed from newsstands up and down the Rocky
Mountain range. It read: “Perfect Peyton.”
So Manning plays his next game for more than another line of accomplishment on
his already thick and impressive résumé. He also will try to join the select club of
quarterbacks with multiple Super Bowl victories. His brother Eli has won two Super
Bowls as a starting quarterback. Only 10 others have won two or more.
When he takes the field against the Seahawks, it will be his third Super Bowl start.
Only six quarterbacks have more.
Perhaps all of this is why Manning had a smile on his face after Sunday’s game that
looked as if it would last until kickoff at MetLife.
Peyton Manning passed for 400 yards against the Patriots. Doug Pensinger/Getty
Images
“When I came to Denver, I didn’t know what might happen,” Manning said. “I had
never switched teams before. I didn’t know how long it would take to acclimate. I
didn’t know how it would go with new teammates, a new coaching staff and a new
city. I just had no certainty about any of those things.
“But we came together quickly and then had the disappointment of last season’s
playoff exit.”
If that loss roughly a year ago was a setback, Manning did not let it haunt him.Then
came Sunday’s A.F.C. showdown, with Tom Brady and Bill Belichick glaring across
the field, the boys from Foxborough who so often acted as kryptonite to Peyton’s
Superman act.
Manning is 37, and when in uniform, he wears a thick brace on his left knee and a
high-collared undershirt to cover the scars from multiple neck operations. He walks
with a subtle limp. He has played 16 years in the N.F.L. He is not the spry 30-yearold who won the Super Bowl after the 2006 season.
But mentally, he appears more fit than ever. On Sunday, he was manhandling a
bewildered Patriots defense from the start. Then New England lost its best
defensive back to injury. Manning feasted on the substitutes.
Belichick, usually so adept at midgame adjustments, did not come close to finding a
way to trump Manning this time. The Broncos gained 507 yards and took a 20-point
lead in the fourth quarter. The game was not even that close if you watched
closely.
And along the way, Manning did something else: He may have vanquished his
nemesis. It is getting hard to ignore that the Patriots, a remarkable beacon of
consistency, have not won a Super Bowl in nine years. Brady has lost his last two
A.F.C. championship games when facing Manning. Over all, the gifted Brady, who
will turn 37 before he starts his next game, has lost six of his last 10 playoff games.
Late Sunday afternoon, Brady slowly walked off the field here as confetti showered
the stadium and about 50,000 fans in No. 18 jerseys hugged and cheered. Manning
was going in the other direction, heading for the awards podium.
Brady’s golden place in football history is secure. Now Manning, at the crossroads of
the game’s history once again, reaches for an unprecedented achievement.
Sadly for him and Broncos fans, it is not the only possible outcome. With a loss to
Seattle, Denver would become the first franchise to lose five Super Bowls. No
pressure, Peyton.
Peyton Manning up to his usual
standards
By Julian Benbow
Boston Globe
January 20, 2014
DENVER — As a parent, every word of criticism ever aimed at Peyton Manning
pricked the skin of Archie Manning, too.
Peyton Manning’s statistical supremacy only holds over critics for so long.
Because of who he is and what he’s done over his 16 seasons, Manning is judged
differently.
He’s judged on the eight times he exited the playoffs after just one game.
They judge him on the Super Bowl he lost rather than the one in which he hoisted
the trophy.
They judge him based on the success of his greatest rival, rather than his own.
“I get tired of it,” Archie Manning said. “It’s no different if it was somebody else’s
son.”
Archie Manning quarterbacked in the NFL for 14 seasons without ever appearing in
a playoff game.
“What’s [Peyton] played in now, 24 postseason games?” he asked.
Sunday’s AFC Championship game against the Patriots was actually Manning’s 22d,
and all of the elements — including facing Tom Brady for a chance to reach the
Super Bowl — only heightened the scrutiny.
It was hard for a father to understand.
“He’s kind of being ridiculed and saying he can’t do this,” Archie said. “I played in
zero postseason games and I can tell you a bunch of guys in my era — old
quarterbacks, buddies of mine — they’d love to say they played in 24 postseason
games. So I get a little tired of it.”
Peyton Manning has long understood that it comes with being not just the face of a
franchise but the standard by which his position is measured.
“I think playing quarterback, there are certainly a number of things that come
along with it — being the starting quarterback of an NFL franchise,” Peyton said.
“You have to try to keep a level head after a win, after a loss, not get too high or
too low. That advice has served me well.”
With so much weight, Peyton Manning never looked so calm, as if he knew that the
Broncos’ 26-16 win would only silence people for so long.
“I think we will enjoy this and you definitely have to take time to savor the
moment,” Manning said. “I know I certainly will, being in my 16th season going to
my third Super Bowl. I know how hard it is to get there, it’s extremely difficult. You
do have to take a moment and enjoy the locker room with your teammates and
enjoy dinner tonight with your family and friends. I think it’s important to do that
and I will do that.”
With each pass Sunday, Manning quietly deconstructed the postseason label with
which he’s been tagged.
Compared with Manning’s 32-for-43, 400-yard, two-touchdown performance art
piece, everything about Tom Brady’s 24-for-38, 277-yard day seemed like a strain
— the throws that floated over his receivers like parasails, the methodical drives
that inevitably stalled around the red zone.
Manning, meanwhile, was putting on a passing seminar, and whenever Brady left
the field, Manning seemed to pick up where he left off.
Their handshake after the game was genuine.
“Tom congratulated me and wished me luck. I said I told him what a great player —
I’ve said to him a number of times — what a great player that I think that he is. He
was very classy in his conversation with me.”
The two stars generally shower each other with mutual respect but they know
perhaps better than anyone their respective levels of greatness, if only because
they’ve been constantly measured against one another.
“He’s certainly one of the best players to ever play,” Brady said.
In this season alone, Manning put together a handful of milestones. The recordtying seven touchdown passes he rained on the Baltimore Ravens on the season’s
opening night was the tone-setter. His 55 TD throws and 5,477 yards rewrote the
record books. The Broncos’ 606 points solidified them as the most high-powered
offense in NFL history.
“He’s been remarkable,” said coach John Fox. “It’s been unprecedented for what he
did. Even a year ago, to come off from not playing, [a] very unusual injury that he
was coming off of.
“To get to where he finished a season ago and then to start where he left off, to
have the kind of season, not just today, but all season long that he’s had, to me is
pretty remarkable. [We’re] reminded that there’s still one more game.”
Manning’s teammates realize they’re lining up next to a monument whenever they
take the field.
“He’s a great man off the field,” said rookie running back Montee Ball. “A great
leader and a great person to follow because he does everything right.”
Before Manning arrived, Demaryius Thomas was a young receiver with ultra-upside,
but two years into his career his numbers were below expectations.
In two seasons with Manning, Thomas has caught 186 passes for 2,864 yards and
24 touchdowns.
Manning locked in on Thomas 10 times Sunday, and Thomas had seven catches for
134 yards and a TD.
“I just want to thank him for coming to the Broncos first off, because he didn’t have
to come here,” Thomas said. “He helped my game, I think. I’m capable to go out
and play fast now. He teaches everybody everything he knows. It helps us as a
group and as an offense. To be able to go out and play fast, read coverage
different, he just helped my whole game.”
Manning became an instant standard-setter, not just on the offense but throughout
the organization.
“All week he demands perfection from the offense, the defense, special teams and
it trickles down,” said defensive lineman Terrance Knighton.
Manning’s path to the Hall of Fame is already paved in gold, but in a way it makes
watching him as a teammate an interesting balancing act.
On the one hand, Knighton said, you admire the real-time painting of a
masterpiece. On the other, as a defense, you don’t want to ruin it.
“It’s unbelievable,” Knighton said. “To go out there and basically play flawless, we
just knew on defense we had to go out there and play our part. I expected him to
go out there and play like that today.”
In a locker room soaked in sweat and celebration, Archie Manning stood near the
back, at the center of a small gathering of reporters.
In the middle of one of his thoughts, he pulled out his cellphone.
“My text count is 108,” he said.
The latest one was from Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton.
Archie Manning could run off all the names in the small fraternity of great
quarterbacks that constantly show their support for his son, and when he does, it
outweighs the criticism.
He said, “There’s a lot of guys out there that played the game that are friends of
mine and friends of Peyton that are proud of him.”
Peyton’s place
Peyton Manning is now 2-2 in the playoffs against Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the
Patriots. Manning’s numbers:
Game
Result
Com-Att
Yards
TD
Int.
2003 AFC Championship Patriots, 24-14
23-47
237
1
4
2004 Divisional
27-42
238
0
1
2006 AFC Championship Colts, 38-34
27-47
349
1
1
2013 AFC Championship Broncos, 26-16
32-43
400
2
0
Patriots, 20-3
Bob Kravitz: I'm rooting for Peyton
Manning (and why you should too)
By Bob Kravitz
Indianapolis Star
January 20, 2014
I was surprised Sunday early evening. Just two tweets on how Peyton Manning
should still be in Indianapolis. Just one e-mail on how Manning should have been
retained, how he would have taken the Colts to another Super Bowl. (Although it
was a good one, a writer comparing Jim Irsay with Boston Red Sox owner Harry
Frazee, who gave away Babe Ruth.)
I was surprised.
Because ... you get it.
Not all of you, mind you. Some are still convinced the Colts could have kept the old
gang together — Manning and Robert Mathis and Reggie Wayne and the rest — and
continued the glory era here in Indy.
But most of you get it.
Give yourselves a hand.
And give Manning a hand, a giant attaboy for playing flawlessly Sunday in the AFC
championship game victory over the New England Patriots.
It is almost impossible to understand how far back he’s come after four neck
surgeries. Unless you were there at the beginning, when he could barely throw a
football 10 yards to his old University of Tennessee friend Todd Helton, you can’t
fully comprehend just how hard Manning worked to return to his previous form.
There was a time, not so long ago, when Manning was coming to terms with the
possibility his career was finished.
But Manning being Manning, he worked through it, wrote one of the great
comeback stories of all time. The nerve regenerated. The arm strength came back
— for the most part anyway. And now he’s one Super Bowl victory away from being
remembered, forever, as one of the five greatest quarterbacks ever to play the
game — right there with Joe Montana, Tom Brady, John Elway and Johnny Unitas.
You mean he wouldn’t be the Greatest of All Time?
We can debate this until your tongues fatigue. This GOAT stuff is nothing more than
a media construction, a bar-room debate we all have. There are a lot of Indy locals
who believe Manning already is the GOAT, and there’s certainly an argument to be
made. I’m just one who believes that if all things are equal, Super Bowl victories
are the tie-breakers. Montana had four. Brady has three. Elway has two. Unitas had
one (and two pre-Super Bowl NFL championships).
Manning is on the doorstep.
And I’m happy as I can be for him.
Are you happy? Or is there a little discomfort, like watching an ex-wife remarrying a
suave, good-looking millionaire?
On a certain level, it feels like Manning should be doing this here in Indianapolis.
But it couldn’t have happened. There’s no way to twist the cap numbers around.
The Colts would not have been able to retain Mathis and Wayne (and maybe Dwight
Freeney) and would have been forced to rebuild with several aging players such as
Jeff Saturday and others.
The only way it could have worked — and this was a long-shot calculation the Colts
weren’t ready to consider — was to trade the rights to Andrew Luck for the entire
draft of, say, the Cleveland Browns. Then have an enormously successful draft, hit
on just about every pick, and hope the young players could help catapult Manning
to the Super Bowl.
Like I say, a long shot.
And a dumb move.
When March rolled around in 2012, nobody really knew what Manning had left in his
golden right arm. He has been very specific in talking about his comeback. Consider
the timeline. In March, when the Colts had to make a decision, he was not yet
throwing like an NFL quarterback. How do you invest a hefty portion of your salary
cap in a 30-something quarterback coming off four neck surgeries who may or may
not be ready to play at a high level again? How do you do that with Luck waiting in
the wings, poised to give you another 10-to-15 years of elite quarterbacking?
In my business, you root for the story, and in some cases, you root for people.
That’s why I’m going to watch the Super Bowl Feb. 2 and have a sincere rooting
interest, for a change. I want to watch Manning make Richard Sherman shut up for
a change.
During the interim period between the time the Colts’ 2012 season ended and the
time they let him go, Manning and I talked and emailed quite often. I was struck by
how peaceful he sounded, even though he knew he was on the cusp of either
retiring or leaving Indianapolis. I remember very specifically telling him, “You’re not
going to win a Super Bowl here. You can win a Super Bowl if you join the right
team.”
Manning painfully acknowledged that might be true, but he wanted desperately to
remain home, to stay with the team who drafted him. He is a big student of football
history, and knows how rare it is, even for the greatest players, to remain in the
same spot for the entirety of a career.
That’s why this is such a happy story, even for those of us in Indy.
Because Manning, the most admirable athlete I’ve ever known, is getting what he
deserves — a chance to win a second Super Bowl, a chance to reconfirm his
greatness both in the regular season and in the postseason.
And here in Indianapolis?
Bold prediction: Luck will have the Colts in the Super Bowl sometime in the next
five years, maybe sooner than that.
In the meantime, don your old No. 18 jersey on Feb. 2. Root for Manning the way
you rooted for Manning all those years in Indianapolis. I root for stories and I root
for people, and come Super Bowl Sunday, I’ll be right there with you, hoping
against hope that Manning gets to finish this story the way it should be finished.
I remember when the Broncos beat the Packers in the Super Bowl, and Denver
owner Pat Bowlen boomed, “This one’s for John (Elway).”
This time, I want to see confetti falling (along with snow) and Bowlen yelling, “This
one’s for Peyton.”
Lord knows, nobody deserves it more.
A Manning Reunion to Remember
By Mike Morris
DenverBroncos.com
January 19, 2014
DENVER -- On the eve of his brother’s dazzling performance in the Broncos’ 26-16
win over the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game, Cooper Manning texted
younger sibling Peyton with a simple, yet unmistakable piece of wisdom.
“When you know you don't have a ton of them left, you really kind of soak it up and
it sinks in,” Cooper said. “That was my advice to Peyton yesterday. I texted, 'Have
fun. Have fun tomorrow. This is what it's all about.'”
If Peyton’s performance against the Patriots was any indication, older brother’s
advice was well-heeded.
The Broncos quarterback completed 32 of 43 passes for 400 yards and a pair of
touchdowns on a radiant Sunday afternoon at Sports Authority Field at Mile High,
earning the third Super Bowl berth of his storied career – and doing it in a fashion
only befitting of Peyton’s immeasurable passion for football.
“It looked like he was having fun today," Cooper said.
Considering that less than two years ago – after missing the entire 2011 season
with a neck injury and undergoing several surgeries to repair the injury – there was
no shortage of uncertainty as to whether he would ever even play a down of
football again, there was a plenty of reason for Peyton to savor it.
Plenty of reason for Peyton, and plenty of reason for his father, Archie, and his
siblings, Cooper and Eli – all of whom were on hand for Peyton’s performance on
Sunday.
“We didn’t know. We didn’t know,” Archie said regarding the uncertainty of whether
Peyton would ever be able to return to football. “He was at peace with it and we
were at peace with it. Still, we just think it’s such a blessing that he’s been able to
come back and play. And that’s just part of it. Landing in a new town with a new
team and new players – for it to come to this is really special.”
Special for the Broncos – and special for the Mannings, who had a family reunion
for the books after Eli made a surprise trip to Denver for the game, returning the
favor after Peyton surprised Eli by attending the Giants’ win in the 2011 NFC
Championship Game.
“Cooper can’t go to all the games and, of course, Eli and Peyton – they don’t really
do that much,” Archie said. “But two years ago, we didn’t think Peyton was coming
to San Francisco for the (NFC) Championship Game and he showed up. Somebody
came and told me and said, ‘Peyton is down in Commissioner Goodell’s suite.’ He
just showed up with some Indy guys and didn’t tell us, didn’t tell Eli anything. So Eli
kind of did that today, too.”
Being there in person to support Peyton made the win perhaps even sweeter, but it
certainly didn’t make the road to get there on Sunday any easier for the Mannings
– particularly for Archie.
“My dad is the most nervous person in the whole stadium, no question,” Cooper
said, before joking, “But now he's the happiest. Before the game, I could ask my
dad, 'Dad, can I borrow a dime?' And he would punch me in the face. Now I can
probably hit him up for a Mercedes and he'd buy me two."
“I could have been,” Archie responded when asked if he was the most nervous
person in the stadium. “I pace a lot. I look for a lucky spot. I had to walk out of the
suite. I was down – out in the hall, there is nothing but radio. Getting ready for (the
Patriots’ fourth-quarter onside kick attempt), I realized I was in the same spot I
was last week for the onside kick and I said, ‘I’ve got to move.’ I’ve got to get out
of here, I can’t be in this spot.”
If there’s one person who didn’t appear nervous, however, it was Peyton – as the
quarterback helped the Broncos convert 21 first downs through the air and finish
the game with a 7-for-13 mark on third downs. And he did it wearing his love for
the game on his sleeve.
“Peyton still has a young kid in the front yard attitude about football,” Cooper said.
“I think people that love it, that's the way they are. That's the way he is."
Manning’s looseness during the game – and the week of preparation – even caused
his other brother to proffer that the 16-year pro is finally, well, coming of age.
"He's growing up, finally,” Cooper joked. “He's finally getting a little more mature.
I'm proud of him for that. He's been kind of an adolescent for his whole life. I'm
glad he's growing up."
Ultimately, was a special afternoon for father and sons – not just for the Mannings,
however, but for every parent of all 53 men on the Broncos roster.
“Obviously we’re proud of Peyton, but I’m just like all the other parents of the
Broncos,” Archie said. “We’re proud of our child – for going to a Super Bowl.”
And even after attending four previous Super Bowls between the careers of Peyton
and Eli, the significance of heading to number five was anything but downplayed by
Archie.
“I don’t know besides Peyton and (wide receiver) Wes (Welker) who else has been
there on this team. I can’t think if there is anybody else,” Archie said. “It’s special
now. It’s special for these guys. The city, of course, has experienced this before,
but it’s been a little while. It’s special – I’ve always admired the way that Bronco
fans love their team.”
It was a win that Broncos fans will surely cherish. And one that father advised son –
Cooper wasn’t the only one giving advice – to cherish as well.
“One of my favorite things to tell him is, ‘Enjoy the journey,’” Archie said. “I tell
him that all the time. Enjoy the journey. And it’s been a good journey. It’s been a
good journey. We’ve always got some highs, some lows and some hiccups. But it’s
been a good journey.”
That journey continues for Peyton – and for the Broncos – for one game more this
season. And, as the team prepares to embark on its final chapter two weeks from
now in New York, Archie briefly summarized his feelings – and the feelings of
Broncos fans everywhere – about what Peyton and the Broncos have
accomplished.
“Well,” he said. “Proud. Proud.”
Politi: Peyton Manning continues a long
journey back from neck surgery with
Super Bowl trip
By Steve Politi
Star-Ledger
January 19, 2014
DENVER – Archie Manning tried to protest. This was two years ago, before the
world expected a near-perfect performance like the one his son had just finished.
This was in an empty high school facility not far from his New Orleans home, but
light years from the AFC Championship Game.
“I have to go throw,” Peyton Manning told his father.
“I can’t catch!” Archie replied.
“You have to,” Peyton told him.
So the father did as he was told that day, catching about 15 passes from a
quarterback who had just been cleared to throw after career-threatening neck
surgery. Archie thought Peyton was throwing the ball well, but he had no idea if his
son would play another down in the NFL.
Nobody did then.
“When you’re his age and what he went through, we just tried to stay positive
along with him,” Archie Manning said. “He really had a good frame of mind of
working and trying it, and if it didn’t work, he was at peace.”
The father was taken back to that place on Sunday afternoon as he stood in a
jubilant Denver Broncos locker room. His middle son was a few feet away, having
just pulled off an AFC Championship T-shirt and cap to jump into the shower. His
other two boys, Cooper and Eli, were wandering around, soaking up another day for
the ages for their brother.
The performance had seemed so routine, and that might be the most remarkable
part about it. Peyton had completed 32 of 43 passes for 400 yards and two
touchdowns in a 26-16 victory over New England. He had run his offense to
perfection, killing the Patriots with long drives and smart audibles – one, in
particular, produced a game-changing 28-yard run for Knowshon Moreno – and
completely outplayed rival quarterback Tom Brady.
This simply looked like the best quarterback in professional football at the top of his
game, and given his historic regular season with 5,467 yards and 55 touchdowns, it
surprised no one.
Still: His family knew better. They knew how far he had come from the days after
the surgery when he barely could throw a spiral. They understood the doubt in his
mind, the uncertainty during a season away from football, and the real possibility
that Peyton had thrown his final pass.
So that empty high school facility, with a father and son, was a good place to begin
these two weeks of Super Bowl XLVIII hype. It is amazing enough to watch
Manning now, with a full complement of weapons, have the kind of day he did
against a Bill Belichick coached defense.
With Peyton, not much amazes me any more. I had some doubts. I had some
worries, for sure, but he stayed strong and was determined to get back to play the
level he wanted to. He came back playing better than ever.'' — Eli Manning, Giants
quarterback
It is more so to remember how far back he had to climb, that he was a quarterback
without a team just two years ago. That the only receiver he could find was his
then 62-year-old father.
“With Peyton, not much amazes me any more,” his brother Eli said. “I had some
doubts. I had some worries, for sure, but he stayed strong and was determined to
get back to play the level he wanted to.
“He came back playing better than ever.”
The Giants quarterback had watched from a suite with the rest of the family, and
yes, he could appreciate the symmetry of it all. He had won his second
championship in Indianapolis, when Peyton was still the Colts quarterback, and now
Peyton would try to win No. 2 in his building.
That quest will be the biggest storyline for this game now. Manning has a chance to
enhance his legacy with a second championship, maybe once and for all ending the
criticism that a soon-to-be five-time MVP should have had a better track record
when the games matter the most.
Maybe that was the reason that Manning seemed like a man in a hurry after this
game. The confetti was still floating in the air when he sneaked off the dais during
the trophy presentation. Jim Nantz was still talking when he lifted up the rope and
ducked underneath, and after a couple of brief TV interviews, he ran toward the
tunnel to the locker room.
Cooper Manning had texted him earlier in the day, trying to help put the moment in
perspective for his brother and remind him that the journey was just as important
as the destination.
“When you know you don’t have a ton of them left, you really kind of soak them
up,” Cooper said. “That was my advice to Peyton yesterday. Have fun. Have fun (on
Sunday). That’s what this is all about.”
The text, Cooper said with a laugh, was ignored. If Peyton appreciates it more after
the long climb to get here, he isn’t letting on yet. He said he was happy for his
team, for the city, for the fans.
But everyone else seemed happiest for him, and that starts with the people closest
to him who worried a moment like this would never happen again. His father. His
brothers. His friends.
From throwing passes to his old man in an empty high school facility to racking up
400 yards in the AFC Championship Game. No matter how this story ends at
MetLife Stadium in two weeks, this was a day for them to cherish.
The Peyton Manning of old spurs a new
Denver Broncos feat
By Bill Plaschke
LA Times
January 19, 2014
DENVER — As the clock ticked to zeros amid a roaring sea of rattling orange,
Peyton Manning took off his helmet and ran away from the celebration.
Before even shaking his fist into the air, he shook hands with the defeated New
England Patriots.
As his Denver Broncos teammates danced into the raucous Sports Authority Field
locker room after a dominating 26-16 victory in the AFC championship game,
Manning walked quietly through the madhouse with the most unusual of posses.
He was accompanied by his two brothers. They hugged and posed for photos.
Peyton would not stand in the middle.
It was long after the quarterback's brilliant 400-yard game Sunday returned him to
his third Super Bowl that one could confirm this was really about Peyton Manning.
That moment finally occurred when he was sitting alone, facing his locker, shirtless.
Only then could one see the long scar running down the back of his neck.
Manning, 37, is back in the Super Bowl just two years after many thought he would
never be back in football. Manning is taking the Broncos to the biggest sporting
event in America just two years after being cut by the Indianapolis Colts after
missing a year because of neck surgery. Manning is headed for what could be not
only his most glorious football moment, but perhaps his last football moment, as he
may be forced to retire depending on a postseason neck exam.
It was an unseasonably warm afternoon chilled with such emotion that Manning's
close friend and tight end Jacob Tamme wept on the field, his father Archie teared
up in the locker room, and his teammates set the record for superlatives.
Said receiver Demaryius Thomas: "To do what he just did in a conference
championship game? Now, that's amazing."
Said defensive tackle Terrance Knighton: "All the years going against him, all he's
been through, he is just unbelievable."
Start spreading the news. The New York Super Bowl is Manning up.
"You do take a moment to realize that we've done something special," said Manning
later.
With the league's narrative dominated by the deeds of flashy young quarterbacks,
the NFL needs Manning's kind of special. Amid the coldest of Super Bowl settings,
the NFL needs his warmth in this game.
"He's probably not very hip," said Tamme. "But he loves to win."
Manning, in his 16th season, runs in the tiny, halting steps of a chicken. He throws
passes that frolic like a butterfly. In an era when quarterbacks kiss their biceps, he
doesn't really have any biceps. During a time when quarterbacks pose after
touchdowns, you often can't even find him after touchdowns. Manning was
physically notable Sunday only in that he wore one black glove on his right
throwing hand and was constantly adjusting the pads around his aching knees.
Oh yeah, and during his audible signals, he would shout out not only his trademark
"Omaha," but also the name of his son, Marshall.
His appearance was wonderfully old-fashioned, but his record in these types of
games was wholly unremarkable. Manning took the field with a 4-10 lifetime record
against the seemingly flawless Tom Brady, as well as a 10-11 playoff mark that
recently led a Denver newspaper to run his photo with a dark cloud over his head.
"To see what he's gone through, what happened makes me so happy for him," said
Tamme. "When it hit me, there were tears in my eyes."
It hit the Patriots early, when Manning bobbled a shotgun snap for three agonizing
seconds and still managed to grab the ball and hit Eric Decker for seven yards.
"I'm sure some people will have some fun with me tomorrow when we're watching
the game film of that particular play," he said.
AFC championship game: Peyton
Manning secures his legacy with
stunning performance
By Sally Jenkins
Washington Post
January 19, 2014
DENVER — He was zipper-necked and lax-armed compared to his youth, yet Peyton
Manning was never better. A 37-year-old with metal in his vertebrae won a trip
back to the Super Bowl, and as a mere byproduct he made fools of his doubters. If
their point was that he was weak-minded — that was the implication wasn’t it,
when they said Manning didn’t get enough done in big games? — he laid the
question to rest with a performance that was all head and welded-together
backbone.
For sheer quarterbacking command, for timing, recognition, disguise, and toughmindedness, how about 400 passing yards with a 74 percent completion rate, and
two touchdown drives that ate up more than seven minutes apiece. They prevented
the supposed epic confrontation, Manning and the record-setting Denver Broncos
against the more-decorated Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, from ever
materializing. Instead Manning flatly sidelined his rivals with a mechanistic
excellence that was life-sucking. The final score in their AFC championship game
was 26-16, and it was deceptive, because it didn’t indicate just how badly Manning
bled them all game long.
It also didn’t begin to suggest the unprecedentedness of the comeback: after his
fourth neck surgery two years ago, Manning’s arm was so weak from nerve damage
that he coudn’t make a dart stick in a cork board, and he didn’t know if he would
ever play again. Much less stand in a storm of confetti holding a trophy. Asked if he
thought he’d ever be in this position again, he said, “I can’t say that for sure. I was
truly taking things slowly, phase by phase. Nobody could give me a timetable for
recovery.”
It’s time to end the laughable argument about where Manning belongs among alltime greats, the charge that he is all statistics and not enough accomplishment, and
simply say that he is utterly alone, unique. Name another aging quarterback with a
crooked neck and a half-dead arm who is pugilist enough to set single-season NFL
records for most touchdowns and yards, and reach a third career Super Bowl.
“You have to savor the moment,” he said. “It’s my 16th season and my third Super
Bowl, and I know how hard it is to get there. .ௗ.ௗ. It’s hard to win, but I’m telling
you, it’s hard to get there.”
Suddenly, all the talk about Manning’s deficits in the historical department, the
comparisons of his one Super Bowl victory to Brady’s three, seem immaterial.
Guess what? Manning now holds a 2-1 edge over Brady in head-to-head AFC title
games, and he has an excellent crack at another Lombardi Trophy.
The pressure on Manning had mounted all week, as his accomplishments or lack
thereof were picked over by experts. “There was a lot of buildup, a lot of drama,”
said his elder brother, Cooper. On the night before the game, Cooper texted Peyton
to remind him to play the game for what it was, a game. Imagine he was 10 years
old again, he advised him. “Have fun,” Cooper said. “There’s no sense in not.”
It was easier said than done. By kickoff the steel and glass Sports Authority Field at
Mile High was vibrating. Shaped like a giant peaking wave, you feared the stadium
might break over the heads of the capacity crowd inside that swayed and roared,
virtually every one of the 77,110 in day-glo bright team jerseys. They stamped
their feet, shaking the struts of the stadium, with the rhythm of a locomotive over
railroad ties.
Somehow, in all of that, Manning put on an exhibition of executive cool. He used his
snap count to coax defenders into “tells,” giveaway twitches. He never
overreached, never got greedy, never tried to show up Brady, never overtly tried to
prove himself, or tried to prove any particular point for that matter.
It was a brutally physical game — linebackers goat-roped running backs, and
receivers and defensive backs tried to get purchase by grabbing each other’s
biceps, shoulders, and throats — yet Manning seemed strangely separate from this
action, tall and thin-hipped and immaculate-seeming under center, delivering the
ball quickly and adroitly stepping out of the way.
His receivers would cut a swath across the field, and Manning would throw a timed
rope, then stalk forward, get the offense arranged without huddling, and deliver
another clothesline pass. Then he’d stride forward again without pausing, never
altering the pace or length of his stride. In this way he put together a 15-play, 93yard operation that ate up almost half of the second quarter, finishing it with a neat
piece of play-action and a roll to the right for a one-yard strike to Jacob Tamme,
standing all alone in the center of the end zone with 7:50 left in the first half.
He opened the second half with another touchdown drive so inexorable it seemed
automated. This time the Broncos used up 7:08 as they moved 80 yards, Manning
finding Demaryius Thomas at the top of his jump with a three-yard scoring spiral.
Once again, the Broncos had eaten up almost half of a quarter.
With those two drives totaling more than 14 minutes, Manning literally shortened
the game. It was huge, all the difference. It meant Brady only got to play three
quarters, while Manning played four. By the time Brady got on the field in the
fourth quarter there was just 12:02 to go, and the Patriots trailed 23-3.
“He had a great day, he didn’t miss a beat, and he hasn’t missed a beat,” said
Broncos Executive Vice President John Elway, as he came out of the field tunnel.
“He just did it again. Now let’s get one more out of him and bring the Super Bowl
trophy home. That would be the real cherry on top.”
Peyton Manning's path to Super Bowl
XLVIII a story worth telling
By Judy Battista
NFL.com
January 19, 2014
DENVER -- It was less than 18 months ago, after a training camp practice on a
warm, late summer day, that Peyton Manning began a story.
"The perfect time to tell this story is after we win the Super Bowl this year," is how
he began that tale, about how a pass thrown in secret to his friend Todd Helton at
Coors Field nosedived into the ground. That was, technically, the first pass Manning
threw in Denver, while he was trying to avoid more surgery to repair his neck, while
he was locked out of Indianapolis as owners and players negotiated a new collective
bargaining agreement. This was long before he could have ever known that his
career would take a dramatic, wrenching detour toward the shadows of the
mountains.
The only thing off about that story was its timing. Because the perfect time to tell
it, it turns out, is now. Three years removed from a pass he was too embarrassed
to let anybody else see, less than two since his painful and surreal journey through
free agency -- at one point days after his release from the Colts, he told his father
Archie he did not want to make any more visits and was going home, forcing Archie
to ask where home was -- Manning is now on the cusp of tying his career in a
beautiful, neat bow.
On Sunday, playing perhaps the best postseason game of his career in the best
season of his life, Manning propelled the Broncos past his eternal nemesis, the New
England Patriots, 26-16 and into the Super Bowl. It will be Manning's third Super
Bowl appearance and his chance to finally satisfy those who suggest that for him to
be considered the greatest quarterback in history, he must win more than one
Lombardi Trophy.
But whether the Broncos win or lose Feb. 2 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, the
arrival at the game has been affirmation enough of Manning's remarkable career
renaissance, one whose outcome was so in doubt that when he completed his first
respectable pass in Denver's training camp, he took a video of the film with his
phone and texted it to those who had helped him. He did not know then if he would
ever approach another Super Bowl.
"Nobody could give me a real timetable or prediction as far as physical recovery,"
Manning said Sunday afternoon. "I had never switched teams before. I had no idea
how long it would take to form some chemistry offensively, to get comfortable with
the culture."
On that summer day, Manning had spent extra time working with wide receivers
Eric Decker and Demaryius Thomas to try to speed that acclimation process. On
Sunday against New England, Manning completed 32 of 43 passes for 400 yards
and two touchdowns, and he was not sacked in a game that largely turned on an
injury to Patriots cornerback Aqib Talib. The Patriots had been riddled by injury all
season, but this one was too much to bear at this critical moment. Talib was to
guard Thomas, and with the cornerback out -- ironically on a play in which former
Patriot Wes Welker collided with him in the middle of the field -- Thomas was
sprung loose, catching seven passes for 134 yards and one touchdown.
There was, as there has been with most things Manning this season, a perfect
symmetry about the outcome. Manning and Tom Brady are wound around each
other, their careers and legacies measured through the lens of their rivalry. Brady
has largely dominated it, and Manning said the Patriots have been so successful
that the AFC championship could be named for them.
But Manning has now won two of his three AFC title clashes versus New England.
The last time was in the 2006 AFC Championship Game, and two weeks later
Manning won his only Super Bowl. He lost one, too, to New Orleans in the 2009
season. But the Patriots have lost two Super Bowls in the intervening years, too,
losing both times to the New York Giants.
At the end of the 2011 season, the one Manning missed with his neck injury, he
snuck into the NFC Championship Game in San Francisco, not telling his brother Eli
that he would be there. On Sunday, Eli did the same for him, standing beside his
older brother as he dressed after the game, advising Coach John Fox to prepare the
team as if they will play next Sunday, because Super Bowl week is chaos.
Peyton Manning was already on to the next game by then, too, as he knotted his tie
and smoothed his hair. He wanted to know what Fox's plan for the week would be.
There is a feeling about Manning this year, a push and pull. He has said often that
he wants to enjoy the preparation and all the moments because he knows his
career is winding down. But that has also lent this season an undeniable urgency,
as he has sought, at once, to both revel in and maximize his time left as a player.
On Saturday, Manning's older brother Cooper sent Peyton a message: "'Hey, you've
come this far. Go ahead and pretend you're a 10-year-old playing in the front
yard.'" Cooper said. "That's what it looked like today. He would never admit to
having fun. That would be too laissez faire for him. But he still has that young kid in
the front yard attitude about him. I think it is a little special especially with the
clock ticking a little bit."
The clock ticks louder for Manning as each month passes, which explains why his
father admitted to being the most nervous person in the stadium Sunday. Archie
was so worried about good luck that when he realized he had paced his way into
standing in the same spot where he stood last week when the San Diego Chargers
recovered an onside kick -- just as the Patriots were likely to attempt one -- he
moved quickly to get away.
On Sunday, as he wrapped up his news conference, Peyton Manning said that he
tries hard not to get too high or too low. He has had reason to be both, of course,
since he has come back -- the high of being back in the league, the low of last
year's stunning playoff loss. But back on that summer day, Manning told me for a
story for The New York Times, what he hoped to do in his comeback.
"I'd like to be the player that everybody thinks they are used to seeing," Manning
said then.
He has, already, been better.
How Peyton Manning's journey to Super
Bowl XLVIII began with a throw to his
dad
By Dan Wetzel
Yahoo! Sports
January 19, 2014
DENVER – After the exorcism was done and a spot in the Super Bowl for the Denver
Broncos won, Archie Manning began telling a story.
This was from back in the early days of the Peyton Manning recovery process, back
about two years ago when his neck surgery was still fresh and his arm still weak
and no one knew if he'd ever play in the NFL again, let alone one day torch Bill
Belichick's Patriots for 400 yards and two touchdowns in the AFC championship
game.
This was when it all seemed so far away, when it was all so humbling. So Peyton
Manning made a request that he'd made, oh, maybe a thousand times before.
Maybe more.
He called his dad.
"He was recruiting me to go throw with me," Archie Manning said Sunday after
Denver's 26-16 victory.
Archie was once a great NFL quarterback. That was a long time ago, he noted. On
the day Peyton called and said he wanted him to be a receiver, Archie was 62 years
old and in no position, he figured, to snag passes from a pro QB.
"I said, 'I can't catch," Archie continued. "He said, 'You've got to. I just have to go
throw.' "
So this is how the comeback started. It is also how the original climb to football
greatness started.
A dad. A son. A game of catch. A dream of it all, somehow, someway, leading to
the Super Bowl.
Back when Peyton was just a kid, the passes back and forth would occur in the yard
of the Mannings' home in the Garden District of New Orleans. By the time Peyton
reached junior high, they'd go off to a bigger field. Archie eventually declared
himself too old to run all the routes in full, so they invented a game called "Tail In"
where he'd just make the final steps of a curl or an out, and Peyton would fire ball
after ball after ball at him.
"You couldn't count how many throws we had through the years," Archie said.
Peyton was no longer a little kid with big dreams, though. He was 35, an 11-time
Pro Bowler, a four-time MVP, a Super Bowl champ.
Yet everything else was the same. He was en route to getting cut from the
Indianapolis Colts, and he wanted back in the league, back to his potential, back to
afternoons like these, when he leads an offense up and down the field seemingly at
will.
Mostly, he just wanted to throw passes with his father. Maybe Archie was the most
conveniently available receiver. Or maybe there was a comfort level in bringing it
all back home.
Peyton reserved the indoor facility at his old high school in New Orleans, Isidore
Newman, and he didn't take no for an answer. Archie relented, but quickly called a
trainer he knew and told him to come over and bring his son – "somebody has to
catch these balls and it's not me."
Archie got to the field first, and Peyton was waiting and ready. "Tails In" was
recreated all these years later. Peyton threw maybe 15, 20, passes to Archie, just
like the old days. It turned out Peyton Manning's arm was still so weak that his dad
was good enough.
Archie tried to focus on the positive: "He threw OK," he recalled.
It doesn't mean there wasn't concern this was a doomed exercise. Everyone in the
Manning family felt it. Younger brother Eli long ago learned to never write Peyton
off, but … "I had some doubts. I had some worries, for sure." Older brother Cooper
just wasn't sure it was possible to get all the way back.
Even Peyton said he was flying blind. "Nobody could give me a real timetable or
prediction as far as physical recovery," he said, before noting there was still the
challenge of finding a new team capable of making a run at a championship … and
then meshing with his new teammates … and then the basic luck and pluck
required.
Archie just watched his son buckle down and work – eventually the trainer and a
more suitably youthful receiver arrived that day – and tried to remain positive.
"I just didn't know," Archie said. "Yeah, when you're his age, what he went
through, playing the quarterback position in this league, we just tried to stay
positive with him. He handled it so well. He had a good frame of mind, working and
trying, but if it didn't work, he was at peace so that was comforting to me and
[wife] Olivia."
Eventually, it all came together. Peyton's arm grew stronger. Passing sessions
began to include former teammates. They moved mostly to Duke University, where
Peyton's old offensive coordinator, David Cutcliffe, is the head coach. Peyton wound
up signing with Denver. Jacob Tamme, Manning's old target in Indy who followed
him here, recalls endless sessions at local Colorado high schools.
It was a battle, though. It was a haul. Even after Peyton returned to the NFL last
year, he still needed time for the physical development to continue. He was good,
but the season ended with the familiar pain of playoff failure.
This year, Peyton was better. He set all sorts of passing records and will almost
assuredly win his fifth MVP.
Yet, he still had to get past old rivals Bill Belichick and Tom Brady.
It's routine for members of the Manning family to play in huge football games –
high school, college, pro. This will be the family's fifth Super Bowl – and a potential
fourth title. Eli has two. Yet, this one is particularly special. Everyone knew what
Peyton overcame to get here. Everyone knew what those Patriots represented on
the other sideline. Everyone knew, as Cooper put it, "the clock's ticking a little bit."
So Archie and Olivia were there, of course, although Dad missed half the action
because he superstitiously paced the hallways outside the family's luxury box,
listening to the radio call. Cooper flew in with his children and tried to claim he was
only "standard nervous." Eli cut short a hunting trip in Mississippi to arrive without
telling Peyton he was even coming.
They all had to be here, whether it ended in celebration or crushing defeat. They all
knew this wasn't just another game.
What unfolded was an exorcism of sorts, Manning destroying Belichick's defense
and outplaying Brady. This was Peyton beating the guys who always beat him, this
time at their own game, in a big game.
"He played great," Brady said.
Peyton made the perfect calls. He made the tough throws. He completed 32 of 43
passes. The offense was forced to punt on its opening drive and then never needed
to again – scoring on every possession until it ended the game in victory formation.
It was a long road coming.
"It's hard to get to the Super Bowl," Peyton said "It's hard to win it, but I'm telling
you, it's hard to get there."
Back in a hallway of Sports Authority Field, the rest of the Mannings were
rummaging about, waiting for Peyton so they could go to dinner and toast this
triumph properly.
Cooper said he'd texted his younger brother on Saturday to remind him to just
relax.
"Pretend you're a 10-year-old playing in the front yard and have fun with it,"
Cooper said. "It's Peyton. He still has a young kid in the front yard."
Archie acknowledged the circular nature of the journey, how the game's best
quarterback saw his strength sapped and his skill stripped and reverted to that 10year-old. He was a son who went looking for his original receiver and the comfort
amidst the confusion that maybe only his dad could provide.
"A lot of memories from that time – whether he was going to play anymore," Archie
said. "That kind of makes it special."
Manning seizes moment, brings Broncos
to title brink
By Jarrett Bell
USA TODAY Sports
January 20, 2014
DENVER – You knew it was Peyton Manning's day on the Denver Broncos' third
snap.
That's when Manning nearly whiffed in snagging the third-and-2 shotgun snap. The
football slipped through his fingers, then he bobbled it bit more like a hot potato.
This had disaster written all over it. And maybe it if were 12 degrees at The Razor,
it might have resulted in a turnover to set up a quick-gift touchdown for the New
England Patriots.
But not here. Not now.
This was Manning's moment.
Rather than getting flustered, he made good on his second effort to clutch the
football, spun it around to feel the laces, then found Eric Decker in the right flat for
a 7-yard completion.
"It was a good snap," Manning explained after the 26-16 victory secured a trip to
Super Bowl XLVIII.
This is why people should not text while driving. Manning suspects that he took his
eye off the ball for a split-second as it came in, while he glanced for a pre-snap
read on safeties Devin McCourty and Steve Gregory.
"I know my quarterbacks coach will be proud of me," he added, referring to Gregg
Knapp. "I was able to go through my progressions and find an open receiver."
When things like that happen -- when a potential busted play early in the game is
turned into a positive -- it's surely an omen suggesting that the stars are aligned in
your favor.
Manning laughed at such a notion.
"It doesn't guarantee you anything," he said. "But I was smiling. It was a pretty
unique play. I'm sure some people will have some comments for me when we're
watching the game film."
The Broncos wound up punting on that opening drive, but the tone was set.
It was the only drive that Denver punted on all day. The Broncos scored on each of
their next six drives, which says something about the quarterback's zero-turnover
efficiency.
The film that Manning mentioned will also show that he was in an undeniable
rhythm when it mattered most. Like on two drives – one just before halftime, one
right after the break – that gave the Broncos a cushion, 20-3, that would not slip
away this time.
Exhale, Denver.
Manning picked Denver after a whirlwind free agent tour to win it all.
Now he's one step away.
Try this for a legacy: Manning will go to MetLife Stadium – brother Eli's home park
– with a chance to become the first quarterback in NFL history to win Super Bowls
with two different franchises.
Amid all the questions about whether he would choke, wilt at the sight of Tom
Brady and Bill Belichick, slip on a banana or stumble otherwise to add another
playoff disappointment to the ledger, Manning, 37, rocked Mile High like no one has
since John Elway.
Yeah, that Elway, now the Boss Bronco who took a chance on an aging quarterback
coming off multiple neck surgeries.
Manning passed for 400 yards and two touchdowns, and tied a conference
championship game record with 32 completions on 43 passes. The passer rating
measured at 118.4.
The satisfaction rating was off the charts.
"He went through a lot this year," said Wes Welker, the ex-Patriot who had reason
to gloat otherwise, given his acrimonious free agent departure from New England.
"The guy's our leader, and he showed it out there and played a hell of a game."
Never mind that he entered the game, down 10-4 in these head-to-head
encounters against Brady.
This was a new day.
For all of the anticipation of Manning-Brady XV – the rivalry in the same
stratosphere as Ali-Frazier, Magic-Bird and Letterman-Leno – the game didn't live
up to its hype.
Rather than a shootout of gunslingers, it was a coronation for Manning.
Brady, with his depleted supporting cast, never stood much of a chance this time.
The conditions surely seemed ripe for this. The Broncos earned the right to play at
home by capturing the No. 1 seed with the AFC's best record. But who knew it
would be 63 degrees at kickoff?
Bonus, Manning. Save the cold-weather debate for New York.
Another break came early in the second quarter when Welker collided with Aqib
Talib, New England's best cornerback. Talib suffered a knee injury and never
returned.
Bonus, Manning. With rookie Logan Ryan replacing Talib, Manning repeatedly went
looking for and repeatedly finding Demaryius Thomas, who finished with seven
catches for 134 yards.
Yes, the conditions were also ripe in the sense that Manning was backed by the
type of big-play defense that he didn't always have during his 14 years with the
Indianapolis Colts.
The Broncos, led up front by Terrance Knighton, a massive, 325-pound nose tackle
known as "Pot Roast," shut down the power rushing attack that had become such a
force for the Patriots in recent weeks. New England rushed for 64 yards.
On the back end, 15th-year vet Champ Bailey helped solidify a secondary that lost
play-making cornerback Chris Harris last week to a torn ACL. And in between,
linebacker Danny Trevarthan was all over the place.
Yes, Manning answered the doubters this time.
And he had plenty of help.
It brings to mind what he insisted on Friday, when I caught him in the Broncos
locker room.
Was he feeling the pressure?
"To win in these situations, it's gotta be a team win," Manning told me. "I'm
counting on everybody to do their role. And I've got to do my part."
When someone asked him about the scrutiny after Sunday's game, he responded
similarly.
"You have to focus on your job," he said. "That's what I was focused on today.
Nothing more."
Along the way, it also seemed as though Manning followed the advice he got on
Saturday from his big brother, Cooper.
He had fun.
The same could be said for about 75,000 others clad in orange.
Early in the fourth quarter, after a field goal made it 23-3, the people gave the
home team a standing ovation and waved their pom-pons to a classic beat.
It was the tune from The Beastie Boys. Fight for Your Right to Party.
Just what you'd expect to hear at a coronation.
Victory a family affair for Mannings
By Jeff Legwold
ESPN.com
January 19, 2014
DENVER -- If Cooper Manning is to be believed, and who’s to say the eldest
Manning brother isn’t simply reciting history, when Peyton Manning was 10 years
old he was a 400-yard passer in total control, playing his best at the biggest
moments.
That’s what Cooper told his brother to be Sunday and Peyton will now play in the
Super Bowl because of it.
“I just shoot him a little pregame thought and that was it,’’ Cooper said in the
middle of a locker room celebration after the Broncos’ 26-16 victory over the New
England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game. “It was, ‘Hey, you’ve come this
far, go ahead and pretend you’re a 10-year-old playing in the front yard.’ That’s
what it looked like.’’
In the end Peyton finished 32-of-43 passing for 400 yards and two touchdowns. He
completed passes to eight different receivers, and completed at least three passes
to five different receivers.
On a post-card worthy, sun-splashed day with little wind, Peyton showed arm
strength to all parts of the field in one of his best all-around outings since his return
from a missed season in 2011.
Peyton’s father Archie was emotional in the Broncos locker room following the
game, talking about how he had caught passes from his son at one point -- “I
wasn’t moving too good’’ -- and how the first family of quarterbacks dealt with the
uncertainty that initially came with Peyton’s recovery, especially since Cooper's own
football career at Ole Miss ended because of a neck condition.
“I just didn’t know, I just didn’t know,’’ Archie said. “ … He really had a good frame
of mind about working, trying it, but if it didn’t work he was at peace. That was
comforting, especially to me and Olivia. But he worked, he did work.’’
But there were plenty of smiles to be found in the postgame conversations, spiced
with plenty of hugs.
“I’m just like all the other parents of the Broncos whose child is going to the Super
Bowl,’’ Archie said. “I don’t know besides Peyton and Wes (Welker) who’s been …
but it’s special now, it’s special … I’ve always admired the way Broncos fans love
their team.’’
Peyton Manning proves doubters wrong
again, gets Broncos to Super Bowl
By Terry Frei
The Denver Post
January 20, 2014
At least at the start of his Denver tenure, there was the uncertainty, including his
own, over whether Peyton Manning would be able to hold up physically and mesh
with his new teammates well enough to again become an elite quarterback.
He long ago answered that, setting a slew of NFL records.
Then there were the nagging narratives composed about his playoff record, and his
performance in cold weather. That answer arguably still is pending, given the
sunny, warm conditions Sunday and the possibility of frigid weather in New Jersey
for Super Bowl XLVIII in two weeks.
After he was 32-for-43 for 400 yards and two touchdowns Sunday in the 26-16
victory over New England in the AFC championship game, Manning seemed both
triumphant and a bit relieved, even as he several times made the point that, yes,
there is another game to play.
"We've definitely come a long way in two years and in bouncing back from last
year's playoff loss to put ourselves in this position," Manning said. "It definitely
feels very gratifying."
This will be Manning's third Super Bowl. He split his two appearances with the Colts.
"It's an exciting feeling," Manning said. "I can remember both times that we won
the AFC championship. I'm an AFC guy. I'm biased toward this conference, and so I
think it's a hard conference to win. You realize that you still want to win one more
game. You do take a moment to realize that we have done something special here
and you certainly want to win one more."
He added, "You definitely want to take time to savor the moment. I know I
certainly will. Being in my 16th season, going to my third Super Bowl, I know how
hard it is to get there. It is extremely difficult. So you do have to take a moment
and enjoy the locker room with your teammates and enjoy dinner tonight with
family and friends. I think it's important to do that, and I will do that. Then starting
(Monday), we'll start preparing."
Fifteen of Manning's completions were to guys named Thomas — eight to tight end
Julius and seven to wideout Demaryius. And many of them came on crossing routes
over the middle.
"I thought Adam (Gase) had a good game plan," Manning said. "We thought we did
have to run some crossing patterns. New England has a physical secondary and if
you run all straight, vertical, down-the-field intermediate routes, that's tough. You
have to have some of that, but also have some crossing routes.
"I think they do a good job of taking away your key receiver, and with us, we
spread the ball around so well all season, it's hard to know who really to key on,
because on any given play, one of five guys can get the ball, and I think that puts
pressure on the defense."
Denver also ended up controlling the ball for 35:44, and New England started all
eight of its drives from its 20. "To keep Tom Brady on the sidelines is a good thing,"
Manning said. "That is something that you try to do when you're playing against the
Patriots. We did a good job maintaining possession of the football. It would have
been nice to score more touchdowns as opposed to field goals, but it was certainly
enough to win."
Peyton Manning's rock-solid legacy
By Dan Graziano
ESPN.com
January 20, 2014
The greatest quarterback of all time was just beginning to celebrate one of his
greatest victories and the drumbeat was already starting. After a week's worth of
discussion about the importance of Sunday's AFC Championship Game to Peyton
Manning's legacy, the storyline for the next two weeks begins to take shape:
Manning must win the Super Bowl to cement that legacy and be considered the
greatest ever.
Hogwash.
We find ourselves, sadly, in the nothing's-ever-good-enough era of sports. We talk
more about who didn't get into the Hall of Fame than about who did. We obsess
over every officiating mistake. We wring our hands about a word like "legacy" when
it comes to deciding which brilliant player is better than which other brilliant player
and by how much. It's paralysis by analysis, where the victim is our ability to enjoy.
So I'm here to say it right now, at the start of two weeks' worth of Super Bowl
hype: Manning doesn't need to win this next game to be the greatest quarterback
of all time. He already is. The results of one football game on Feb. 2, 2014, won't
change that. And we all need to do a better job of appreciating what we're
watching.
Honestly, what has happened to our sense of wonder? Creeping cynicism, overanalysis and a single-minded obsession with championships are robbing us of the
ability to enjoy the beauty of our games played at their highest levels. The final
score of this year's Super Bowl won't change the fact my 10-year-old son, with
whom I watched Sunday's Manning-Brady game, someday can dazzle his own
children and grandchildren by telling them he watched those guys play.
Watching Manning play quarterback is a joy and a privilege. At a time when
passing-game concepts are soaring to complex new levels, Manning maintains an
unprecedented, unparalleled mastery of his offense. There's no other quarterback
who carries the same level of pre-snap responsibility and handles it so deftly.
Combine that with his work ethic, his physical gifts, his intelligence and (most
critically) his ability to apply that intelligence in the most chaotic moments, and you
check all of the boxes for quarterback greatness. Coaches would teach their young
quarterbacks to play the game the way Manning does except for one small problem
-- they can't. He is unique in his combination of abilities. And quite honestly, his
accomplishments reflect that.
Those accomplishments do include a Super Bowl title, which used to be enough to
certify all-time greatness, but these days apparently one isn't enough. Manning's
punishment for leading his teams to 13 postseasons is having to answer for why he
hasn't won more titles -- as though he could will himself three more Lombardi
Trophies the way he checks to a run play or draws a defense offside.
We've reached the point at which we've somehow put way too much importance on
this one game while also underestimating how much goes into trying to win it. It's
lunacy, and it's time to step back from the edge. We spend too much time talking
about what didn't happen or what has to happen, and not enough time enjoying
what we watch.
Colin Kaepernick's fourth-quarter turnovers Sunday were regrettable, but they don't
change the fact he was utterly jaw-dropping for the first three quarters. They don't
remove our ability to wonder at what he can become with Jim Harbaugh coaching
him and all of that talent around him in San Francisco.
Tom Brady was outmanned and outplayed by Manning on Sunday, but that doesn't
mean it wasn't fun to watch him work that Patriots offense down the field late and
make everybody wonder if one of the all-time greats was about to add to his own
"legacy" of brilliance.
Watching sports is supposed to be fun, and the greatest fun of it is watching
tremendous athletes stretch our definition of what's possible. Manning delivers that
for us -- all the time and on myriad levels. He's the third quarterback to go to the
Super Bowl with two different teams, and if he wins he'll be the first to win it with
two different teams. If that's not a Super Bowl-specific example of individual
greatness in a team sport, it's hard to imagine what is.
But the point is that the Super Bowl isn't the be-all, end-all of legacy definition. If
he loses this game, that won't lessen anything about Manning. It won't change the
fact he elevated the Indianapolis Colts into one of the league's elite franchises, set
countless records, came back from four neck surgeries to break a lot of those same
records, plays in the postseason every single year and gives whatever team he's on
the chance to call itself the best in the league, every week and every season.
It won't change the fact he's taken the quarterback position to a clinical place no
one else ever has. It won't change what an absolute pleasure it is to watch him
play, or the extent to which we should remind ourselves to enjoy something special
while we still have it.
Peyton Manning is a true master at work in our time -- the best to ever do what
he's done. The result of one football game can't possibly change that. And if you
think it can, you're missing the point. Not to mention the fun.
Ramsey: Expectations always higher for
legends like Peyton Manning
By David Ramsey
Colorado Springs Gazette
January 17, 2014
The burden of greatness.
This is the weight on Peyton Manning's shoulders. I've heard from readers who
believe it's unfair to say Manning has won "only" one Super Bowl title or to refer to
his losing record (10 wins, 11 losses) in the playoffs or to wonder why he's so
dominating in the regular season and sometimes not-so-dominating in games that
matter most.
My answer for all the legion of Manning fans is this:
The questions that surround Manning are, really, a compliment. While he terrorizes
defenses during the regular season, he also raises expectations. Those expectations
are his curse, but only a truly great athlete could construct such expectations.
Nobody ever wonders why Kyle Orton has never won a Super Bowl.
Manning resides in a strange place. He will run on the field at Mile High Sunday as
The Lead Dog in American sports after winning 13 or more regular-season games
for the sixth time in his career. He's captured the nation's admiration and
imagination after conquering a severe neck injury. He's revived a Broncos franchise
that had fallen after a journey to the 2005 AFC title game.
Still, doubts surround him. He still, after his mountain of victories and honors, has
much to prove. His brother, Eli, owns more Super Bowl rings. So does Peyton's
arch-nemesis, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. Sunday's game is about much more
than the Brady-Manning rivalry, but what gives this game such delicious, enormous
weight is this one-on-one matchup.
Only one of the quarterbacks will walk into football history as the ultimate winner of
the early 21st century. And recent history leans heavily toward Brady.
Manning, the emperor of the regular season, trails Brady, Otto Graham, John
Unitas, Bart Starr, Terry Bradshaw, Joe Montana and, yes, John Elway on the list of
all-time greats in the playoffs. Elway walked into the sunset with a 14-7 playoff
record, including a 5-1 record in AFC title games.
Manning's burden, I realize, does not seem fair. But this is the same burden that
followed basketball's Wilt Chamberlain for two decades. He scored 100 points in a
game. He averaged 50 points a game over the course of a season. He
revolutionized the game. And yet ...
Wilt failed to win a title at Kansas. He struggled in his historical rivalry with center
Bill Russell, the ultimate team warrior who won 11 titles in 13 seasons. Wilt, the
superior talent, won "only" two.
I sat in a big room when Manning arrived in Colorado for his introductory news
conference. Questions surround him now. Questions surrounded him then. He had
undergone four surgeries on his neck and there was speculation he never would
recreate the dominance of all those Indianapolis afternoons.
Manning has since admitted he wondered, too. He struggled, mightily, to overcome
the limitations of his battered body. He lost three of his first five games as Broncos
starter, and his passes often resembled wounded vultures.
Since then, he's won 24 of 28. He's become a Colorado folk hero. He's shown the
sheer power of stubbornness when he refused to surrender to his injury. He's
delivered Sunday afternoon thrills to millions of Broncos fans.
I understand if this mountain of accomplishments might seem enough. I
understand those who ask why anyone would dare question Manning if he fails to
deliver a victory on Sunday against Bill Belichick and his marauding Patriots.
I understand.
But that's Manning's burden. A rare burden, one only a few athletes must carry.
The burden of greatness.
John Elway and Peyton Manning: Two
iconic QBs, one exit plan?
By Judy Battista
NFL.com
January 17, 2014
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- John Elway sat up in his box last Sunday, watching the
Denver Broncos' lead wither away. Elway, of course, was the architect of many
Broncos victories, and his career arc remains a romantic ideal: He retired after the
1998 season as a champion, leaving the game after winning two straight Super
Bowls and setting to rest, at the last possible moments available to him, the notion
that he could not win on the biggest stage.
It is not lost on Elway that the same reputation has been attached to Peyton
Manning with his career in the latter stages.
Manning, at 37, is the same age now that Elway was when he won his first Super
Bowl, and it is impossible not to draw parallels between the two men. Elway had no
comparable rivalry during his career like Manning has with Brady -- Elway
mentioned maybe Bernie Kosar because they played each other three times in the
conference championship game in Elway's early years, drawing laughter from
reporters -- but because of their shared profession, of their uncommonly similar
circumstances, Elway has a unique window into Manning's mindset as Manning
prepares to face Brady for the 15th time, and for the chance to play in his third
Super Bowl.
The familiar question, then, is whether Elway, the Broncos' executive vice president
of football operations, suspects that Manning might follow his path to retirement
should their parallel careers align again, if Manning wins a second Super Bowl to
provide a neat bookend to his career.
Elway said he does not know what Manning will do -- they will not talk about it until
after the season anyway -- but his own experience is telling, about what a
professional athlete ponders when, as Manning has put it several times recently,
they see the light at the end of the tunnel.
"I still think he's young and he's playing well," Elway said, in a meeting with a small
group of reporters Thursday. "That's going to come down to Peyton. It's going to
come down to what he wants to do. Having been a football player before, when you
leave this game, you want to leave it on your last leg and try not to leave anything
on the table. So, anybody that's a competitor, that's kind of the way they want to
leave the game. I was just fortunate to be able to be on two great football teams
and be able to win world championships when my last leg broke."
In that way, the trajectories of Elway and Manning are much different. Manning
spoke this week about feeling refreshed with a new offense with new teammates
and coaches. He continues to enjoy the dogged preparation he has always engaged
in, noting that he has often heard older players say they love playing on Sunday
but no longer enjoy the work that leads up to it. He has played, remarkably, the
best season of his career -- the best season of any quarterback's career -- at an
age and following a neck injury that would surely have sent most of his peers to the
golf course for good. His much-scrutinized arm strength has not caused his game to
deteriorate, the element that Elway said ultimately drove him from the field. The
soundness of Manning's neck might ultimately dictate his timetable, but Elway's
history is probably instructive, too, because of the insight it offers into the way
players of this stature think.
"I looked at my whole last year, and I think I missed four games my last year,"
Elway said. "So, could I have gotten through another year? Sure, I could have. But
would it have been at the level I want to get, being at the same level, was I
enjoying the game as much as I had enjoyed it? No, because it took me so long to
heal. It was kind of the beginning of the body breaking down. So the combination
of both and being able to run off into the sunset, made it easier for me."
There seems little doubt that Manning is still enjoying playing.
"I can't imagine him not -- throwing 55 touchdown passes and 5,400 yards," Elway
said. "I guarantee you if I was in his shoes, I would have enjoyed it. I'm sure he is
still enjoying it, and he's on a good football team, which also, late in your career, is
crucial."
Putting that team together has been Elway's responsibility, although he was not
always certain he would pursue this post-playing path. Elway said that when he
retired, he wanted to get away from the game, to find out if there was something
out there for him other than football. Elway has been wildly successful at nearly
everything he has done -- from playing, to car dealerships, to restaurants -- but
ultimately he received his answer.
"It took me two years to figure out there wasn't -- three years to really figure out
that I'm built to be involved with football somehow," Elway said. "That's really what
I know the best because that's what I've spent all my time on. My adult life has
been in football. I had the dealerships and restaurants, but those don't have
scoreboards on Sundays. When you're used to seeing a scoreboard -- even when
you are 4, 5, 6, 7 years old -- on Saturday and Sunday every weekend in the fall, I
don't think you ever break that."
He was charged with rebuilding the Broncos, with restoring a winning culture in a
team that was trying to recover from the failed Josh McDaniels experiment. Elway
praised McDaniels as a bright, young coach -- the same praise he heaped on his
current offensive coordinator, Adam Gase, for whom he said he wished he could
play. But he also had the unenviable task of jettisoning Tim Tebow and the more
enviable job of wooing Manning.
The stunning loss to the Baltimore Ravens last postseason, Elway believes, steeled
the Broncos from the shocks of this season, from Von Miller's early-season
suspension to John Fox's midseason open-heart surgery. When he took the job,
Elway said, he never expected to face as much adversity as the Broncos have.
Elway said the calls about Miller's suspension and about the arrests of two Broncos
executives on drunk-driving charges ruined his summer, but the Broncos have
successfully navigated it all, in addition to the more routine laundry list of injuries.
For all the success Elway has enjoyed in his second career go-around in Denver,
though, there was a certain wistfulness to how he viewed it compared with his
playing days.
"It's very different and it takes some getting used to," Elway said, as he sat at the
head of a conference table. "I enjoy watching the regular-season games, but I was
absolutely miserable last week watching this game. I mean, it took me four hours
to get the pit out of my stomach after the game was over. As a player, it was so
exciting to be in this because this is what you work for. So it's not nearly as much
fun upstairs as it is down on the field, especially these championship games or
playoffs.
"But I also am proud of being a part of it and being able to help put the team
together, put the coaches together, put the personnel side and everything that
comes together. I'm proud of everybody that has been a part of putting this whole
thing together. So there is a lot of pride in that. It's a different feeling then -there's more of a quiet pride than there is being the quarterback, where everyone
is patting you on the back."
Both Elway and Manning have spoken about the fraternity of quarterbacks -Manning reflexively defends all of them -- and Elway said they talk more frequently
about philosophy and less about X's and O's. Manning joked that Elway does not sit
in on quarterbacks meetings or get on the phone during games. But Manning has
used Elway as a resource to learn even more about quarterbacking, the same way,
Manning said, he learned from his father when he was younger.
At some point soon, they will talk about Manning's future. Perhaps the outcome of
this season, whether it ends Sunday or two weeks from now at MetLife Stadium,
will push Manning toward a decision, the way it did for Elway. But for now, this
Manning season bears little resemblance to Elway's injury-riddled final season.
Except, they hope, in the final result.
"I really don't think it's hard to block that out," Manning said. "As a matter of fact, I
think it's probably even easier just to hone in on what's taking place right now. I
really felt that that has been my approach since the beginning of last season. Just
when you go through a significant injury and a major career change, you truly do
go one year at a time, and you don't look past what's going on now because you
are not sure what's going to happen. Tomorrow is not promised. For a young
player, sure, it can be easy to look ahead to maybe that new contract that they
want to get or some career goal that they're trying to achieve. But at this point in
my career, it's easy just to focus in on what's going on right now."
And here are five things to focus on as we hurtle toward Championship Sunday:
1) Can the top seeds buck a trend and advance? Since the NFL started naming No.
1 seeds in 1975, just nine Super Bowls have featured each conference's top dog.
The most recent instance occurred at the end of the 2009 campaign, when Peyton
Manning's Indianapolis Colts lost to the New Orleans Saints.
2) Are we witnessing a revolution in quarterback play? Colin Kaepernick and Russell
Wilson do not just represent the next generation of quarterbacks, they represent an
entirely different style of play. They combined for 1,063 yards rushing this season.
Their older and less-nimble AFC counterparts, Brady and Manning, combined for 13 rushing yards this year -- and 1,463 rushing yards in their careers.
3) Is the NFC Championship Game an aberration or the tip of the iceberg for
offensive play? Last weekend, three of the four winning quarterbacks passed for
fewer than 200 yards (Manning had 230). The NFC's two best teams are also the
only teams in the league that rushed on more than 50 percent of their offensive
plays this season. The 49ers rushed 52.5 percent of the time, most in the NFL,
while the Seahawks rushed 52.3 percent of the time. The last Super Bowl champion
to rush more than half of the time was Jerome Bettis' 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers,
who ran the ball on 57.2 percent of their offensive plays. The power-rushing
incarnation of the New England Patriots has rushed 63 percent of the time in its last
two games, a throwback to the franchise's last championship team. The 2004 Pats,
with Corey Dillon leading the way, rushed 50.6 percent of the time.
4) What version of the Broncos' defense will the Patriots face? When the Patriots
beat the Broncos in November, Denver had linebacker Von Miller and cornerback
Chris Harris (both of whom are now out for the season), but the team was still
giving up an average of 26.6 points per game. In their last three games, though,
the Broncos have given up just 14.7 points per game, while allowing 120 fewer
total yards per game (almost 87 fewer passing and 33 fewer rushing) than they did
in the first 14 outings of the season.
5) Can Denver avoid turnovers? Since Week 16, the Patriots are tied for the league
lead in takeaways, with eight. Manning has thrown 22 interceptions in 21 career
postseason games, and the Broncos' offense turned the ball over 26 times in the
regular season, which ranked right in the middle of the league. Manning threw just
10 interceptions this season -- one more than his career low set in 2006 -- but he
also fumbled 10 times, losing six of them. In their Week 12 win, the Patriots
intercepted Manning once and forced five fumbles, three of which they recovered.
Of the four remaining teams, the Broncos had the worst turnover differential in the
regular season -- zero.
Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos learn
from last year's loss
By Judy Battista
NFL.com
January 12, 2014
DENVER -- Most of the stadium lights were already out Sunday night and the
parking lots were emptying, but Peyton Manning was back briefly on the sideline in
his suit, glancing over his shoulder, watching his son scamper around the end zone.
It has been four long years, through a crushing Super Bowl loss and an
unfathomable first-round playoff exit, through a career-threatening injury and the
wrenching departure from the only team he had ever known, through a relocation
and, exactly one year ago, an excruciating renewal of his postseason history, since
Manning had been able to revel in even an early playoff victory.
The yoke of expectation and the burden of disappointment had attached themselves
to Manning for years, unfairly in many cases. So there was no missing the
significance of Sunday's 24-17 victory over the San Diego Chargers to set up the
AFC Championship Game matchup everyone had wanted all along, the 15th renewal
of Manning's rivalry with Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.
It meant Manning would not be one-and-done for a ninth time. It meant that the
Broncos will host the conference championship game next Sunday afternoon, an
important accomplishment for the Broncos because Manning and Brady have split
the two epic championship games they've played, with the home team winning
each and then going on to win the Super Bowl. It means that Manning, in his gray
suit, with his family nearby and his young son signaling a touchdown in the end
zone a few yards away, had forestalled for at least another week any more
questions about the fleeting time he has left to play, about how many more passes
he might have to perfectly place to secure a victory, about how many more chances
like this he might get.
He might not get many more, and certainly not against his rival and friend Brady.
Their meetings have defined their generation of football, and while Manning has
been the dominant regular-season player, it is Brady's Super Bowl victories against
which Manning has been measured. If that has created undue pressure for
Manning, he will not acknowledge it. Last week, Manning said that as he has gotten
older, he has tried to enjoy even the grinding preparation for games more. The light
is at the end of the tunnel for him, he said. But Manning has been in good humor,
too. And on Sunday night, asked if an upcoming scheduled exam of his neck weighs
on his mind, his lighthearted response revealed just how much relief he must have
felt that his uncertain future would have to wait.
"What's weighing on my mind is how soon I can get a Bud Light in my mouth,"
Manning said to laughter. "That's priority one. It was an intense game and up and
down and a lot of emotions. Even the Patriots is too far ahead. And that question is
way far ahead. I am not there."
Where he is now is back where he wanted to be when he returned from the injury
last year, with a chance to win another Super Bowl, with a team that, on this night,
had learned from the mistakes of last season's double-overtime loss to the Ravens.
The Broncos had taken a 24-7 lead with 8:15 remaining on the back of a balanced
offensive attack, although they had been less than crisp -- bedeviled by dropped
passes, a fumble by Julius Thomas and an end-zone interception. But after the
Philip Rivers had sliced through the Broncos' defense once, then did it again after
San Diego recovered an onside kick, the Broncos were faced with a strikingly
similar situation to the one they were in a year ago to the day: trying to preserve a
one-touchdown lead with just a few minutes to go.
Last year, the Broncos had played conservatively, running the ball to try to run out
the clock. It failed miserably, opening the door for Joe Flacco's 70-yard touchdown
heave over Rahim Moore's head that sent the game to overtime. This year, there
was no such restraint. The game was in the hands it always belonged in, the ones
that set the touchdown and passing yards records.
And so they threw, as the Broncos had done all season, to set the scoring record
and now to save their season. On third-and-17, Manning threw a deep pass on the
right sideline, where Julius Thomas dragged his right foot for the first down. Three
plays later, he hit Thomas again, this time to the short right side of the field for
another first down that allowed the clock to wind down. This victory was not the
product of one of Manning's aerial attacks -- he had just 230 yards -- but among
the recriminations after the loss to the Ravens, the Broncos' coaching staff had
been criticized for how conservatively they had approached that game. Their
reservations were gone on Sunday, although John Fox would not say that he was
more aggressive than last year.
"I'm not going to bite on that one, other than I think you kind of adjust to your
football team as you go," he said. "Our guys have proved to be pretty efficient."
That, of course, is a wild understatement, maybe the last one we'll hear in a week
that will center on one of the greatest quarterback rivalries in football history. When
the teams played in late November on a cold Foxborough night, the game was
noteworthy for the Patriots' second-half comeback from 24 points down at halftime,
and for Bill Belichick giving Manning the ball first in overtime, but forcing him to
drive into the wind. Manning could not, and the Patriots ultimately prevailed,
establishing a narrative that Manning chafed at about his perceived frailties in cold
and wind.
He has chafed no less at the idea that he has not risen to the biggest moments in
his career. He will have another one next Sunday, the next on a list that shortens
with the inevitability of that light he sees at the end of the tunnel, against the one
player of his era against whom he can be fairly measured. But for a few moments,
as the shadows crept across the field and the workers began scrubbing clean the
luxury boxes above him, Manning lived up to one expectation he has put on himself
-- to enjoy these moments, however few of them remain.
Manning's Eyes on Opportunity
By Gray Caldwell
DenverBroncos.com
January 8, 2014
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- This is what the Broncos have been working toward.
Ever since the team walked out of frigid Sports Authority Field at Mile High last
January, fresh off a heartbreaking, double-overtime loss to the eventual Super
Bowl-champion Baltimore Ravens, the Broncos have been motivated to get back to
the playoffs and reverse the outcome.
“I think we’ve kind of used that throughout the season," quarterback Peyton
Manning said. "We talked about that going into the month of April, with our
weightlifting and our offseason training, about using that to fuel you, to make you
do an extra set of sprints or an extra set of squats, whatever it may be. We’ve used
it on the practice field."
They used it as the team marched to its second consecutive 13-3 season, its
second consecutive No. 1 seed in the AFC and its third consecutive AFC West title.
"I think you always want to have something to try to drive you, fuel you and make
you better than the year before," Manning continued. "I feel like we’ve done that
and, like I said, we’re excited to be at this place right now.”
Along the way, the Broncos seemed to set records nearly every week.
The team topped the 40-point mark in a franchise-record six games, and tied an
NFL record with three 50-plus-point outings. The team's 606 total points in the
2013 regular season represented a single-season NFL record. The club became the
first in league history with five players scoring 10 or more touchdowns. Eric Decker
and Demaryius Thomas became just the second wide receiver duo in league history
to produce 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns each in consecutive seasons, joining
Randy Moss and Cris Carter. And Manning had the most prolific regular season of a
quarterback in NFL history, setting league records for passing yards (5,477) and
passing touchdowns (55).
All that production didn't matter if it didn't contribute to wins. But it did. Thirteen of
them, earning the Broncos a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout
the playoffs.
"To be in this game means you have done something well," Manning said. "It
means you’ve played good football all season, giving yourself an opportunity. Only
eight teams left, just four games this weekend – we’re excited to be one of them.
Glad to be in this tournament and looking forward to getting out there Sunday."
This Sunday brings a rematch with the division-rival San Diego Chargers in the
postseason for the first time in the two teams' history.
Denver and San Diego split the regular-season series, but the most-recent contest
was a 27-20 Chargers win at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.
The Chargers held the ball for nearly 40 minutes, which almost doubled Denver's
time of possession. That strategy, which included three San Diego drives that
spanned at least 11 plays and six-and-a-half minutes of game time, helped lead to
the win.
Whether the Chargers will try to duplicate that effort on Sunday is yet to be
determined.
"You never know how a game is going to play out," Manning said. "Just because
something happened the previous game, or two games, doesn’t mean it’s going to
happen again. And so you prepare for the game plan, but you go out, you have to
be ready to adjust to a shootout, to a low-scoring game, whatever it may be. You
certainly see lots of different types of games here in the postseason. I’ve always
believed that. It’s going to be a team effort. All three phases are going to need to
contribute – offense, defense and special teams. That is what we’re working on
getting ready for right now.”
That Week 15 game was Denver's last one at home. The team closed the regular
season with back-to-back wins on the road in Houston and Oakland.
Tack on the bye week in the first round of the postseason, and it will have been
exactly one month in between Broncos home games when the team steps onto the
field on Sunday.
"It will be good to get back home and our fans will be excited," Manning said. "We’ll
need them in an important way – counting on them to be loud. And our players are
excited to be back here at home.”
The Broncos know they will need to be at their best to move on in the playoffs, and
Manning believes that the adversity the team overcame throughout the season -from injuries to a suspension to even losing their head coach for a month due to
heart surgery -- will serve them well in that cause.
"We feel like we’ve been through a lot during this season in order to get ourselves
this opportunity," he said. "You’re playing a good football team and it’s going to be
a good football game. A lot of familiarity between both teams. I would say there is
a lot of knowledge amongst both teams. That kind of evens out and kind of comes
down to who makes more plays on the field. That is kind of how I know to approach
it and that is kind of what I believe about playoff football.”
For Manning, this will be his 21st playoff game. With 177 passing yards on Sunday,
he can pass Joe Montana and Brett Favre for the second-most passing yards in
postseason history.
In all that experience, the quarterback said the way in which he goes about
preparing for the games has changed over time.
"It’s going to be a great atmosphere on Sunday, playing a good football team, and
there is nothing else I would rather be doing than be in that opportunity," he said.
"And so that is certainly my goal to enjoy the preparation – not just the game – to
actually enjoy the preparation part of it, enjoy being around the guys. Because
certainly, the light is at the end of the tunnel for me – no question. And so, I think
you enjoy these things maybe even more than maybe you have in the past.”
"This is why you have the offseason work, this is why you meet as often as you do
in April, May and June – it’s for opportunities like this."
As Manning mentioned, last year's Divisional-Round loss to the Ravens has been in
the back of their minds as fuel ever since.
But the team isn't necessarily looking back at last year to define what it wants to
accomplish now. Manning, in the midst of his 16th year in the NFL, said he believes
each season takes on its own identity -- and this one has yet to take its shape.
"This is the 2013 season, 2014 postseason, and it’s its own chapter," he said.
"We’re looking forward to hopefully writing it for a number of more weeks.”
Manning Nominated for Yearly FedEx
Award
By Brandon Moree
DenverBroncos.com
January 6, 2014
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – After racking up nine FedEx Air Player of the week
nominations and winning the award four times, quarterback Peyton Manning has
been nominated for the FedEx Air Player of the Year Award.
Manning is a finalist for the award alongside New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees
and fellow AFC West quarterback Philip Rivers. Brees was the only player to win the
weekly award more than Manning this season as he won five times and also
garnered nine nominations. Rivers won the weekly award once with three
nominations.
Though Manning did not pick up the most weekly FedEx honors, he did pick up the
most passing yards (5,477) and passing touchdowns (55) in NFL history –
becoming the first quarterback since Dan Marino in 1984 to break both records in
the same season.
But for Manning, the statistical records were not as important as the win-loss
record.
“Passing yards, touchdowns, to me means it’s helping your team win games,”
Manning said after setting the touchdown record in Houston. “To me, if we would
have had a losing record and you break an individual record and you’re just
throwing a lot of yards and you don’t have a chance to make the postseason that
doesn’t mean a whole lot. Touchdowns to me means that you’re scoring points and
helping your team win games. That’s something I think means a little more.”
FedEx will make a $25,000 donation in the name of the winner of both the Air and
Ground Awards to the Junior Achievement chapters in their cities. FedEx has made
weekly donations of $2,000 per winner and the end of season total for donations
will reach $130,000.
Fans will have the final say in who wins the FedEx Air and Ground NFL Players of
the Year honors and have until Jan. 24 to cast their ballot at www.NFL.com/fedex.
The winners will be announced at the 3rd Annual NFL Honors awards show in New
York City on Feb. 1. The awards show will air on FOX the night before the Super
Bowl.
Peyton Manning is only unanimous AllPro choice
By Barry Wilner
The Associated Press
January 3, 2014
NEW YORK (AP) — Peyton Manning has responded to a lost season the way he
reacted to all of his great seasons.
By having more great seasons.
Manning was the only unanimous choice for the 2013 Associated Press NFL All-Pro
team Friday. It was his seventh time as a first-teamer, tying Hall of Famer Otto
Graham for the most by a quarterback.
The Denver star set NFL records this season with 55 touchdown passes and 5,477
yards through the air.
He was chosen on all 50 ballots from media members who regularly cover the NFL.
Manning also was an All-Pro for Indianapolis in 2003, '04, '05, '08 and '09 and last
season made it as a Bronco. He's been on the All-Pro team in both seasons since
missing 2011 after several neck surgeries.
"I think it's well documented that this is the second chapter of my career, and
didn't know what to expect off that injury and new team, new players and new
physical state after an injury," said Manning, a four-time league MVP who never
missed a pro start before 2011. "So I had no idea what to expect, and I've put a lot
of time and a lot of hard work in to it. But I've received a lot of help along the way
from coaches and trainers and strength coaches and teammates. So I'm very
grateful."
Manning still has a ways to go to set the record for most All-Pro appearances at any
position. Among the players ahead of him is Hall of Fame receiver Jerry Rice with
10.
New Orleans tight end Jimmy Graham and Indianapolis outside linebacker Robert
Mathis each drew 49 votes. Philadelphia running back LeSean McCoy and Seattle
cornerback Richard Sherman had 48.
Minnesota kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson was the only rookie on the squad.
Eighteen NFC players and nine from the AFC made the team. Carolina and
Philadelphia each had three: linebacker Luke Kuechly, center Ryan Kalil and fullback
Mike Tolbert for the Panthers; NFL rushing leader McCoy, guard Evan Mathis and
tackle Jason Peters for the coach Chip Kelly's Eagles.
"Just when Chip came here, we knew we were going to run the ball," McCoy said.
"The linemen, they've all been healthy this whole year. They've been blocking so
well for me and without those guys, it's not possible."
Only two members of the top teams in each conference made the All-Pro team.
Joining Manning from the Broncos (13-3) was guard Louis Vasquez. Joining
Sherman from the Seahawks (13-3) was safety Earl Thomas.
"It is very special, especially in a special season," Sherman said. "If you're having a
special season and your team has four wins or five wins, I'm sure it doesn't feel as
good. But when your team is winning, your defense is No. 1 in every category and
you're just contributing, you're not even trying to do anything special individually,
you're just contributing to the entire group. It really feels special. And with the
chance to do what we have a chance to do this year, it would be fantastic."
Unlike Sherman, many of the players chosen did not enjoy huge team success this
season: 12 of the 27 failed to make the playoffs.
Rounding out the offense were receivers Calvin Johnson of Detroit and Josh Gordon
of Cleveland; running back Jamaal Charles of Kansas City; and tackle Joe Thomas
of Cleveland.
Other All-Pros on defense were ends J.J. Watt of Houston and Robert Quinn of St.
Louis; tackles Gerald McCoy of Tampa Bay and Ndamukong Suh of Detroit; outside
linebacker Lavonte David of Tampa Bay; inside linebacker NaVorro Bowman of San
Francisco; cornerback Patrick Peterson of Arizona; and safety Eric Berry of Kansas
City.
The special teamers were Patterson, kicker Justin Tucker of Baltimore and punter
Johnny Hekker of St. Louis.
One of 15 first-time All-Pros, Kuechly was last season's Defensive Rookie of the
Year.
"It's an individual award, but it's a representation of the team," he said. "You got to
always remember that you have four guys in front of you. You got the other
linebackers, the coaches and the DBs behind you that make everything possible."
Overall, 16 clubs were represented on the All-Pro team: Denver, Kansas City,
Cleveland, Baltimore, Houston and Indianapolis in the AFC; Philadelphia, Carolina,
Seattle, Detroit, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, New Orleans, Arizona, Minnesota and San
Francisco in the NFC.
___
AP Pro Football Writers Arnie Stapleton and Rob Maaddi and Sports Writers Steve
Reed and Tim Booth contributed to this story.
Broncos QB Peyton Manning named AFC
Offensive Player of the Month for
December
By Joan Niesen
The Denver Post
January 2, 2014
The NFL and the Broncos announced Thursday that quarterback Peyton Manning
has been named the AFC Offensive Player of the Month for December. It’s the
eighth time he’s been honored as such in his career, the fourth time as a Bronco
and the second time in 2013. He also earned the honors for September.
Manning and the Broncos went 4-1 in December, locking up the No. 1 seed in the
AFC. Manning also set numerous records in December: single-season TD, singleseason passing yardage, single-season scoring by a team.
PFT’s offensive player of the year
By Mike Florio
Pro Football Talk
January 2, 2014
Some of the postseason awards require a little thought. Some require none.
Two years removed from a season lost due to multiple neck surgeries (he’s had four
in all), Peyton Manning put together the greatest season for any quarterback in
league history. He set a record for touchdown passes with 55, beating the past
record by 10 percent. Manning also broke Drew Brees‘ two-year-old single-season
passing yardage record, besting a mark that previously stood for 28 years.
In all, Manning completed 68.3 percent of his passes for 5,477 yards, 55 scores,
and a passer rating north of 115.0. He also ran for a touchdown on a once-per-halfdecade naked bootleg against the Cowboys.
The other finalists, albeit distant, for the award included Eagles running back
LeSean McCoy, who became the team’s first NFL rushing champ since the days of
Steve Van Buren with 1,607 yards and nine touchdowns. McCoy added 539
receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns, pushing his yards from scrimmage above
2,100.
Browns receiver Josh Gordon generated the most receiving yardage in the league
with 1,646, despite missing two games due to a suspension and dealing with a
revolving door at quarterback.
Other finalists were Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles (1,287 rushing yards, 693
receiving yards, 19 total touchdowns), Saints quarterback Drew Brees (5,162
passing yards, 39 touchdowns, 68.6 completion percentage), and Steelers receiver
Antonio Brown (110 catches for 1,499 yards, nine total touchdowns).
Manning Named AFC Offensive Player of
the Month
By Mike Morris
DenverBroncos.com
January 2, 2013
Quarterback Peyton Manning was named AFC Offensive Player of the Month for
December following his record-breaking performance against the Raiders in Week
17.
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- To say that it’s been a busy December for Peyton Manning
might be a bit of an understatement.
The quarterback made history by rewriting the NFL record books, was named
Sports Illustrated’s 2013 Sportsman of the Year, and helped guide his team to a
third-straight AFC West title and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs.
Now, Manning has another distinction to add to his December – AFC Offensive
Player of the Month.
The quarterback earned the award on Thursday for an NFL-record eighth time in his
career. It’s the fourth time that Manning has been honored with the award as a
Bronco, and the second time in 2013 – he also earned AFC Offensive Player of the
Month honors for September earlier this season.
Manning’s December included a pair of landmarks in both the quarterback’s storied
16-year career and in NFL history – as Manning set NFL single-season records for
touchdowns and passing yards in the final two games of the regular season.
The quarterback broke Tom Brady’s NFL record of 50 touchdown passes in a single
game in a 37-13 win over the Texans in Week 16, throwing his 51st touchdown pass
to tight end Julius Thomas late in the fourth quarter.
“It was great, to see a guy that’s worked as hard as he has throughout his career
and I know for a fact – the two seasons we’ve had him, almost two complete
seasons – pretty remarkable and pretty exciting to be around,” Head Coach John
Fox said of Manning after the quarterback set the NFL single-season touchdowns
record against the Texans. “To see a guy that goes about his business like he does
get rewarded with success – very humble.”
One week later, Manning broke Drew Brees’ single-season passing yardage record,
throwing for 266 yards in the first half of the Broncos’ 34-14 win over the Raiders in
their regular-season finale to bring his 2013 passing yardage total to an all-time
best 5,477 yards.
“It is always rewarding when you put hard work in and you can reap those benefits
with winning games, a two-minute touchdown drive, a fourth-down conversion,
whatever that may be,” Manning said after the Broncos’ Week 17 win. “It makes
you feel like it was worth putting that work and sacrifice in. I definitely feel like a
lot of players feel that way through all that has occurred this season.”
For the month of December, Manning completed 145-of-214 passes for 1,755 yards
and 19 touchdowns against just three interceptions. He threw for four-or-more
touchdowns in all but one game, leading the Broncos to a 4-1 record in that span.
After the Raiders game, Manning applauded the dedication and resilience of his
teammates in battling through adversity throughout the 2013 regular season.
“We have had a number of distractions. Injuries, on-field situations, off-field
situations,” Manning said after the Broncos’ win over the Raiders in the regularseason finale. “But I think the one constant has been the players’ focus – they have
remained focused on the task at-hand, on trying to improve everybody’s individual
play which hopefully would result in better team play.”
“We have put the time in certainly with the football requirements from the Broncos
and we have done things outside of the requirements – guys have done things on
our own: weightlifting, throwing sessions, conditioning work, you name it,” he
added. “Guys have paid the price and sacrificed in order to get in this position. It is
fun to play with guys like that who have that kind of work ethic and passion.”
The month included a few other personal landmarks for Manning.
Manning’s 25-for-28 passing performance against the Raiders was good for a
completion percentage of 89.3 – the highest of the quarterback’s career and the
second-highest by a player with at least 28 attempts in a game.
Manning’s NFL-record 55 touchdown passes also moved the quarterback’s career
total to 491, leaving him just 17 away from Brett Favre’s NFL record of 508.
The Chapter of Manning
By Jim Saccomano
DenverBroncos.com
January 2, 2013
Many National Football League and Denver Broncos fans watched the very well
done ESPN documentary, “The Book of Manning,” during the fall of 2013.
It focused on the entire Manning family, Peyton Manning being a big part of that.
As we practice, work, and take time to enjoy the bye week before the playoffs
begin I thought we would take one more final regular season look at what Peyton
Manning has accomplished, but with the idea that really, it should only be called
“The Chapter of Manning,” because Peyton writes new chapters every time he takes
the field.
Broncos fans are in the midst of watching one of the most remarkable stretches of
play in history, and perhaps the best two-year stretch of all-time, actually.
The NFL announced Thursday that Peyton Manning was named the AFC Offensive
Player of the Month for December, with his final tally for the month showing 145-of214 completions (67.8%) for 1,755 yards with 19 touchdowns, while leading
Denver to a 4-1 record and the AFC number one playoff seed.
He led all AFC players in attempts, completions, percentage, Passing yards, passing
touchdowns, quarterback passer rating and first downs (94) in December, also
setting the NFL single season records for most passing yards (5,477) and passing
touchdowns (55).
This marks the eighth time in Manning’s career he has been player of the month,
and that is also an NFL record—it is his fourth since joining the Broncos, tying Hall
of Fame candidate Terrell Davis for the most in team history.
It is all about team, and Manning led the team to 606 points in 2013, the new alltime NFL record.
Of course, there is more……..with Peyton Manning, there always is.
He is the first person from the state of Colorado to ever be named the Sports
Illustrated Sportsman of the Year, and in leading the NFL in touchdown passes he
also tied the all-time record for years leading in that department, with four.
And….
Manning led the Broncos to back-to-back 13-win regular seasons, the first time in
Denver history that has been done.
He also set the NFL record for most games with four touchdown passes in a season,
with nine. Before 2013, no quarterback ever had four or more TD passes in a single
game seven times—Hall of Famer Dan Marino held the previous record with six, and
Manning beat that mark by three, an astonishing feat in a 16-game sport.
He also tied the record for most 400-yard games in a season with four—another
mark that Marino held, establishing it in 1984. So it lasted 29 years, until Manning’s
second season in Denver.
When you know history is being made, never make the mistake of waiting until it is
over to savor the moment.
The moment is now. Savor every moment.
The Broncos and Manning hope to write more chapters in the book.
NFL MVP Projection: Peyton Manning
broke a lot of NFL records
By John Breech
CBSSports.com
January 2, 2014
The final MVP Projection of the 2013 season is more of an MVP Coronation. That's
mainly because there's no way Peyton Manning isn't going to win the award. Unless
of course the NFL decides not to give out an MVP award this year, but that wouldn't
actually change anything because the NFL doesn't hand out the MVP award, it's
handed out by the Associated Press based on votes made by 50 sportswriters.
I know what you're thinking, "Peyton always chokes in the postseason, can't we
wait until after the playoffs are over to vote for the MVP?"
The answer to that question is no. The MVP award is a regular season award only.
All votes for the award will be cast this week before the playoffs start so that
postseason play doesn't influence anyone's vote. Although votes had to be cast this
week, the winner of the MVP award won't be officially announced until the NFL
Awards Show, which will air on Feb. 1 on Fox.
Unlike a vote for baseball's MVP or for the Heisman, you can't list more than one
player on a ballot for NFL MVP. That means the 50 voters will each list one name on
their ballot. A voter can technically split their ballot and list two names, but then
the two players only get a half of a vote.
Peyton Manning has had arguably the best season by a quarterback in NFL history,
which is why his name should be on most, if not all of those ballots. Here's a look at
a few NFL records Manning tied or broke in 2013. Keep in mind, most players don't
tie or break any records.
NFL single-season record for touchdown passes: 55. Manning threw seven
touchdown passes in Week 1 and was immediately on pace to break Tom Brady's
record of 50 touchdown passes set in 2007. If there's one record that guarantees
someone an MVP award, it's the touchdown pass record. Since 1963, any player
that has tied or broken the single-season touchdown pass record has gone on to
win the MVP award. Manning's seven touchdown performance in Week 1 put him on
top of the first MVP projection where he stayed the entire season. For the record,
Eagles running back LeSean McCoy was No. 2 on the first week's projection. He also
ended up having a pretty good season.
NFL single-season record for passing yards: 5,477. Manning beat Drew Brees' old
record by one yard and he had to sweat it out before the record was officially his.
The NFL had to review a play in the Broncos season-finale that could have been
ruled a lateral and therefore it would go in the box score as a run and not a pass.
The play was ruled a pass, Manning got to keep the seven-yards that came with it
and the NFL record. Manning's 5,477 passing yards are almost as impressive as his
55 touchdown passes and that's mainly because Manning had never come
anywhere close to throwing for 5,477 yards in his career. Before 2013, Manning
had never thrown for even 5,000 yards in a season, his previous career-high was
4,700 yards in 2010.
NFL record for most points in a season: 606. Manning threw a lot of touchdown
passes in 2013, which means the Broncos scored a lot of points. Denver didn't just
score a lot of points either, they scored the most points of any team in NFL history.
Manning and the Broncos scored 606 points this year, breaking New England's
record of 589 points set in 2007. There is some bad news for Denver though: only
five teams in NFL history have ever scored over 550 points in a season and
although all of those teams made the playoffs, none of them went on to win the
Super Bowl.
NFL record for most games with four or more touchdown passes in a season: 9.
Tom Brady's touchdown pass record wasn't the only record Manning smashed this
year, he also smashed this record. Manning threw four or more touchdown passes
in nine games this season breaking Dan Marino's record of six games (1984). That's
right, before 2013, no quarterback had ever thrown four or more touchdown passes
seven times in a season, Manning did it nine times.
T-NFL record for most games with 400 or more passing yards in a season: 4.
Manning hit or went over the 400-yard mark four times this season, tying Marino's
record, which the former Dolphins quarterback set in 1984. Manning's season may
have been more impressive though because he almost hit the 400-yard mark in two
other games, throwing for 397-yards against Tennessee and 386-yards against the
Colts. In 1984, Marino went over 400-yards four times, but other than those four
games, he never threw for more than 340 yards, something Manning did a total of
eight times in 2013.
Manning and Marino are friends, so all of this record-breaking is OK:
Andrés Ariel Cedeño@andresariel507
Peyton Manning's friendship with Dan Marino gives the Dolphins a unique edge, Jeff
Darlington says
6:01 PM - 7 Mar 2012
T-NFL record for most 50-point games in a season: 3. The Broncos put up 50 points
or more in three games this season, something that's only been done by four other
teams in NFL history. The Broncos are in good company too. The 1969 Vikings did it
and made it to the Super Bowl. The 1966 Cowboys scored 50 or more points three
times and made it to the conference championship game. The 1950 Rams went
over 50 points three times and made the title game. Now the bad news: The 1950
Giants lost in the first round of the playoffs and none of the four other teams won
an NFL title.
Manning Sets Passing Yardage Record
By Gray Caldwell
DenverBroncos.com
December 29, 2013
OAKLAND, Calif. -- The records continue to fall.
Quarterback Peyton Manning, who last week set a new league record for passing
touchdowns in a season, now has the most passing yards of any quarterback in a
single season in NFL history.
A 5-yard touchdown connection with Demaryius Thomas put Manning over the
previous mark of 5,476 yards, set by Drew Brees in 2011.
He beat it by one yard -- his 5,477 yards are the new record. The likely league
MVP's day appears to be finished at halftime, as Brock Osweiler started the second
half at quarterback.
In the process, the Broncos topped the 18-point mark, which gave the offense the
most points scored in a single season in NFL history. The single-season team points
record was 589, which the Broncos tied with a 34-yard Matt Prater field goal.
On the very next drive, a 63-yard touchdown from Manning to Thomas gave the
Broncos the record.
Peyton Manning, Broncos shatter singleseason records in regular-season finale
By Doug Farrar
SI.com
December 29, 2013
Remember when there were all those questions about whether Peyton Manning
would ever play again? Remember when there were all those questions about
whether Peyton Manning had sufficient arm strength to excel in the NFL as he had
before?
Yeah, we’re pretty much over that. As Manning’s Denver Broncos commenced
beating the living heck out of the Oakland Raiders to wrap up the AFC’s No. 1 seed
and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, Manning and his offense put up
a couple of impressive NFL single-season records.
The 2007 New England Patriots’ record of 589 points in a season has been thrashed
— Denver came into the Raiders game with 572, and they were up 31-0 at the half,
putting them at 603. In addition, Manning came into the Raiders game with 5,211
passing yards this season, third all-time behind Drew Brees’ 5,476 in 2011 and Tom
Brady’s 5,235 that same year. Manning missed the entire 2011 season as he
underwent and recovered from multiple shoulder and neck surgeries, and he
appeared to be making a point with 266 passing yards in the first half. That left him
with a record 5,477, as backup Brock Osweiler took over for Manning in the second
half.
Now, if you believe that Manning broke Brady’s record of 50 touchdown passes in a
season against the Houston Texans last week, he’s already got that one sewn up.
However, as the NFL reportedly told Houston interim head coach Wade Phillips that
one of Manning’s touchdowns in that game should not have counted, Manning may
have been looking to eradicate all doubt with a dynamic follow-up performance.
Safe to say that with four first-half touchdowns, he did that — putting him at 55
officially for the season. And by any measure you’d care to throw out there, the
2013 Denver Broncos have one of the most prolific offenses we’ve ever seen.
Peyton Manning's epic season has roots
in long road back
By Albert Breer
NFL.com
December 27, 2013
If you want to know how Peyton Manning reached 51 touchdown passes and topped
5,000 yards in a single season for the first time in his illustrious 16-year career, his
fall practice schedule might provide some insight.
Although he hasn't missed a meaningful snap in a game this season, the Broncos
quarterback's right ankle injury limited him in some of Denver's October and
November workouts and kept him out of others.
For most 37-year-olds, that's run-of-the-mill mid-season maintenance. Many even
want it that way.
But not Manning.
"We did it to make sure he didn't hurt himself by going too far," Broncos executive
vice president of football operations John Elway said Monday. "He'd run himself into
the ground if we'd let him. So we had to pull him back. 'Greek' (Denver head
athletic trainer Steve Antonopulos) did a great job explaining the benefits of not
taking every rep. ... We pulled him back because 100 percent of the time he's out
there, he's playing it like it's a game situation."
The lesson here: This legendary quarterback -- with a Super Bowl MVP and four
regular-season MVPs, a place in Canton all but secure, and all the major passing
records in plain sight -- doesn't even take it easy in practice. Manning, who's been
through four neck surgeries and came out the other side an All-Pro again, needed
to be physically restrained so that he wouldn't overdo it on an ankle sprain.
It's been five days now since Manning reclaimed the single-season touchdown-pass
record Tom Brady wrested from him in 2007. In two days, Manning will likely get
the 266 yards he needs to break Drew Brees' 2011 yardage record (5,476). And the
Broncos quarterback has done it with a cold efficiency that can make one forget
how remarkable it is that he's even playing anymore.
Manning's journey back relates, yes, to that relentlessness of October and
November. But it's more about how it was applied in the long days of late 2011 and
early '12 than anything that's happened in the past few months.
Those closest to him won't ever need a reminder of how he navigated that road. On
Tuesday morning, Duke coach David Cutcliffe, Manning's offensive coordinator at
Tennessee, was driving on Route 751 to his home in Durham, N.C. -- and all it took
was the pavement in front of him to spark memories of the darkest time.
"I'll be honest -- I was shocked at how significant the injury was," Cutcliffe said.
"What he looked like physically, without his shirt on, I had the same question he
did. And on this very road, he asked me, 'Should I even try to do this?' And after a
couple weeks, I'm wondering if I'm at the point where I just say to him, 'Golly,
Peyton, think of all you've done. You wouldn't have to worry about it at all.' "
Instead, Cutcliffe reminded Manning there was still time before he'd have to take
the field -- it was November 2011, and Manning wouldn't have to be ready until
September 2012 -- and so he should just focus on getting well first. And while there
was plenty of room for doubt, Cutcliffe said that after Manning got started, "even
my 13-year-old daughter, and she was 11 then, could recognize the work, and once
he made his mind up, nothing has surprised me."
Within Manning's own family, it's not the touchdown passes or the yards or even
the wins that will burn deepest in their memories. Not by a long shot.
"As parents, when we look at the big picture, we remember those months, we're so
grateful he's playing again," Archie Manning said Thursday. "When he told us the
doctors had cleared him, and he was gonna give it a shot, we knew how bad he
wanted to play. So we just wanted him to play. We never had any vision of
anything like this. He's always played at a good level, and I knew he wouldn't play
long if he couldn't play at a good level. Peyton would recognize that.
"But to have this kind of success, it really has been a blessing. I never thought it'd
happen."
Elway entered into the picture later. Though Manning wasn't quite yet himself, he
was ready to throw and help lead a practice in the spring. He was ready to get back
to the grind of his life's work. And while others seemed to know at that point that
Manning would find his way, the old Broncos legend still hadn't seen why.
He found out quickly.
"I would tell you that I'm most impressed by his work ethic," Elway said. "You think
you know how much it matters to someone until you get up close. He's played so
long, and it's just as important now as it was when he was in his fifth year. And his
attention to detail, how he goes about his week, I can't imagine he ever worked
harder than he does now, because he's 110 percent all in."
Elway said Manning asks his fellow Broncos quarterbacks to check out the TV copy
of the game tape to make sure he didn't miss anything. That, of course, is always
the idea.
"Peyton loves to play -- God, he loves to play," Archie said. "I've seen him, and
when I'm there, it's how excited he is to go to the facility at 6 a.m. He loves
everything about it. He loves the locker room. He loves practice. He loves to watch
film. He loves to be around his teammates. He loves the offseason program.
"That was the thing with Olivia and me. He told us, 'If it does work out, I'm gonna
look back and say it's been a good ride.' But we knew he wasn't ready (to end his
career)."
Easy to say now that Peyton's parents were absolutely right. And the Broncos'
training staff sure can attest to that.
Manning Wins Fourth FedEx Award
By Brandon Moree
DenverBroncos.com
December 27, 2013
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – After earning a new place in the NFL record books last week
in Houston, quarterback Peyton Manning was named the FedEx Air Player of the
Week for Week 16.
Manning broke Tom Brady’s record of 50 touchdown passes in a season when he
found tight end Julius Thomas for a 25-yard strike in the fourth quarter. That play
capped off a run of 21-unanswered points that put the game out of reach and
locked up the AFC-West title for the Broncos.
He finished the game with 400 yards and four touchdowns.
“I really feel like it’s a team accomplishment – certainly an offensive
accomplishment,” Manning said of the record after the game. “A lot of people
played roles in this. I think it’s a unique thing and a neat thing to be part of NFL
history – even if it may be temporary. I personally think all season records are
going down – especially if they go to 18 games and there won’t be an asterisk next
to them. So, (Tom) Brady will probably break it again next year if not the year
after.
“We’ll enjoy it for as long as it lasts and hopefully the Hall of Fame will just send
the ball back once somebody throws for more.”
This week marks the fourth time that Manning has won the FedEx Air Player of the
Week Award – tied with Saints quarterback Drew Brees for the most for any player.
He won twice in the first three weeks with a seven-touchdown performance in the
season opener and again in Week 3 after going 32-of-37 for 374 yards and three
touchdowns. He won the award a third time in Week 13 after throwing for 403
yards and five touchdowns in Kansas City.
Manning heads into the final week of the season with 5,211 yards, just 265 shy of
Brees’ record for passing yards in a season. The Broncos are also within reach of
the single-season scoring and touchdown records.
But for Manning, the records only matter because they are reflective of a winning
team.
“To see a guy that goes about his business like he does get rewarded with success
– very humble,” Head Coach John Fox said in Houston. “(Manning) said the best
news he heard in there was that we’d won the AFC West for a third straight year
and we have first round bye. We still have to play for home field but he’s – number
one is team success and he’s gotten us to 12-3 and 13-3 a year ago. That’s pretty
good on his part.”
For more information on the FedEx Air and Ground awards go to
www.nfl.com.fedex.
Manning Tops Final Pro Bowl Fan Voting
By Stuart Zaas
DenverBroncos.com
December 27, 2013
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – With the fan portion of voting wrapped up for the 2014 NFL
Pro Bowl, quarterback Peyton Manning received the most fan votes.
He's one of just two players to have topped 1 million votes -- his 1,432,257 led
second-place Drew Brees by 226,257 votes.
Manning is joined by guard Zane Beadles as the two Broncos who lead their position
groups. David Bruton, Julius Thomas, Manny Ramirez and Trindon Holliday are right
behind them in second place at their respective positions, and Demaryius Thomas
and Matt Prater are both in third.
Nineteen Broncos ranked in the top 10 of their positions in fan voting. The table to
the right contains the full list of Broncos among the top 10 vote-getters for their
respective positions.
The Pro Bowl players will be announced later on Friday, December 27.
Players will later be assigned to teams through the first-ever Pro Bowl Draft, which
will air on NFL Network during the week leading up to the game.
The 2014 Pro Bowl will be played on Sunday, January 26, 2014 and televised live
on NBC at 5 p.m. MT from Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii.
For the first time ever, the Pro Bowl will be “unconferenced.”
Gone is the familiar AFC vs. NFC match-up that has existed since 1971. Instead,
players will be selected without regard to conference in voting by fans, coaches and
players. For example, the top six quarterbacks following voting will earn distinction
as All-Stars, regardless of how many are from AFC or NFC teams.
The Pro Bowl players are determined by the consensus votes of fans, players and
coaches. Each group’s vote counts one-third toward determining the 86 All-Star
players who will be eligible for the Pro Bowl Draft. Two “need” players will be also
chosen by each head coach and must be long snappers.
NFL players and coaches cast their votes December 23-26. The NFL is the only
sports league that combines voting by fans, coaches and players to determine its
all-star teams. It was the first professional sports league to offer online all-star
voting in 1995.
Peyton Manning's record setting 51st
touchdown football arrives at Pro
Football Hall of Fame
By Deb Stanley
The Denver Channel
December 27, 2013
DENVER - Three Peyton Manning artifacts arrived at the Pro Football Hall of Fame
this week.
After Peyton Manning set the record for most touchdowns in a NFL season (51) last
Sunday, the Denver Broncos sent the football Manning threw along with the jersey
and cleats he was wearing to the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
"The jersey, shoes, and ball will be placed on exhibit inside the Hall’s Pro Football
Today Gallery," according to the Hall of Fame's website.
Manning held the record of 49 touchdowns from 2004-2007 when the New England
Patriot's Tom Brady broke it. Brady held the record at 50, until this week when
Manning reclaimed it.
With one week left in the season, it's likely Manning will set the bar even higher.
Peyton Manning heads list of five Denver
Broncos selected to Pro Bowl
By Joan Niesen
The Denver Post
December 27, 2013
The Denver Post's NFL reporters post analysis, notes and more on this blog focusing
on the Broncos.
Peyton Manning's season will end with a trip to Hawaii for the Pro Bowl or one to
the Meadowlands for the Super Bowl.
The Broncos' record-setting quarterback was named Friday night to the Pro Bowl.
It's his 13th selection to the NFL's all-star game, which will be played Jan. 26 in
Honolulu. Manning was among five Broncos selected. The others: kicker Matt
Prater, wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, tight end Julius Thomas and guard Louis
Vasquez.
It's the second time Demaryius Thomas has been selected and the first for Prater,
Vasquez and Julius Thomas.
Denver guard Zane Beadles, safety David Bruton, wide receiver Eric Decker,
linebacker Von Miller, running back Knowshon Moreno, center Manny Ramirez,
cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and wide receiver Wes Welker were
chosen as alternates.
"Yeah, I think I'm happy for them," coach John Fox said in advance of the
announcement. "With team success comes some individual attention, and I would
suspect we have a few."
The Broncos are 12-3, tied with the Seattle Seahawks for the best record in the
NFL.
The Pro Bowl is the weekend before the Super Bowl, so players from the AFC and
NFC championship teams won't be playing in Honolulu.
This season, the Pro Bowl format has changed. The game won't be the AFC against
the NFC. The teams will be determined in a Jan. 22 draft.
Manning received 1,432,257 votes from fans, most among NFL players. Voting
ended Thursday. New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees received the secondmost votes from fans. He finished with 1,206,000, more than 200,000 fewer than
Manning. Manning's success in the voting by fans — as well as his being named to
the Pro Bowl — came as little surprise. He broke the NFL season record for
touchdown passes last weekend in Houston and has an opportunity for more
records in the Broncos' regular-season finale Sunday at Oakland.
In 15 games this season, he has completed 425 passes for 5,211 yards and 51
touchdowns.
"I'd say he's a strong candidate (for the Pro Bowl)," Fox, laughing, said earlier in
the week of Manning.
Prater set an NFL record with his 64-yard field goal Dec. 8. Demaryius Thomas has
86 receptions for 1,317 yards and 12 touchdowns. Julius Thomas has 60 for 752
and 12. Vasquez anchors one of the best offensive lines in the NFL. Denver's line
has protected Manning well despite losing injured all-pro tackle Ryan Clady in Week
2.
Manning was the only Denver player to appear among the top 10 in votes from
fans, but he wasn't the only Bronco to accrue the most votes from fans at his
position. Beadles led NFL guards with 239,610 votes. Three teammates — Bruton
(special teams), Trindon Holliday (punt returner) and Julius Thomas (tight end) —
received the second-most votes from fans at their respective positions.
Pro Bowl selections are determined by votes from players, fans and coaches, with
each group counting one-third toward the final total.
Manning Nominated for FedEx Award
By Brandon Moree
DenverBroncos.com
December 26, 2013
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – With 400 yards and four touchdowns in Houston – the last of
which setting a new NFL record of touchdown passes in a season – quarterback
Peyton Manning was once again nominated for the FedEx Air Player of the Week.
Manning broke Tom Brady’s record of 50 touchdown passes in a season when he
found tight end Julius Thomas for a 25-yard strike in the fourth quarter. That play
capped off a run of 21-unanswered points that put the game out of reach and
locked up the AFC-West title for the Broncos.
“I really feel like it’s a team accomplishment – certainly an offensive
accomplishment,” Manning said after the win in Houston. “A lot of people played
roles in this. I think it’s a unique thing and a neat thing to be part of NFL history –
even if it may be temporary. I personally think all season records are going down –
especially if they go to 18 games and there won’t be an asterisk next to them. So,
(Tom) Brady will probably break it again next year if not the year after.
“We’ll enjoy it for as long as it lasts and hopefully the Hall of Fame will just send
the ball back once somebody throws for more.”
Earlier in the game, he also found wide receivers Demaryius Thomas and Eric
Decker – twice – for touchdowns. Manning’s previous career-high for touchdowns in
a season was 49, a mark he set in 2004 with the Indianapolis Colts. Brady threw for
50 in 2007 to set the new record.
Manning has now thrown for 5,211 yards this season, just 265 yards shy of tying
Drew Brees’ record for passing yards in season. With one regular-season game
remaining, Manning is more concerned with getting a win than he is with setting a
new record for passing yards.
“To me, if we would have had a losing record and you break an individual record
and you’re just throwing a lot of yards and you don’t have a chance to make the
postseason that doesn’t mean a whole lot,” Manning said Sunday. “Touchdowns to
me means that you’re scoring points and helping your team win games.”
Manning has won the FedEx Air Player of the Week Award three times this season.
He won twice in the first three weeks with a seven-touchdown performance in the
season opener and again in Week 3 after going 32-of-37 for 374 yards and three
touchdowns. He won the award again in Week 13 after throwing for 403 yards and
five touchdowns in Kansas City.
To vote for Manning this week, visit to www.nfl.com/fedex.
Manning AFC Offensive Player of the
Week
By Mike Morris
DenverBroncos.com
December 24, 2013
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Peyton Manning’s performance in Denver’s 37-13 win over
Houston on Sunday etched the quarterback’s place in the record books and into
Broncos lore.
Now, it also has been recognized with AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors.
Manning was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for the third time this season
after completing 32-of-51 passes for 400 yards and four touchdowns – including a
25-yard touchdown pass to tight end Julius Thomas with 4:28 to play in the game
that marked the quarterback’s 51st touchdown pass of the season, an NFL record –
to lead the Broncos to their 12th victory of the season and help Denver clinch its
third-consecutive AFC West title.
The quarterback also earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors in Denver’s
49-27 win over Baltimore in Week 1 and the Broncos’ 37-21 win over the Raiders in
Week 3.
It’s the 26th time of Manning’s career that the quarterback has been named AFC
Offensive Player of the Week.
“It was great, to see a guy that’s worked as hard as he has throughout his career
and I know for a fact – the two seasons we’ve had him, almost two complete
seasons – pretty remarkable and pretty exciting to be around,” Head Coach John
Fox said regarding Manning breaking the single-season touchdown record.
Manning’s regular season began with an NFL record-tying seven-touchdown
performance against the Ravens in Week 1.
On Sunday, sixteen weeks later, Manning once again rewrote NFL history – and was
again honored as AFC Offensive Player of the Week after posting his fourth game of
passing for 400 or more yards and his eighth game of throwing for four or more
touchdowns this season.
After the game, Manning acknowledged the many contributions throughout the
season from his teammates who helped him set the record.
“I really feel like it’s a team accomplishment – certainly an offensive
accomplishment,” Manning said. “A lot of people played roles in this.”
“A lot of receivers caught a lot of touchdowns, made a lot of special plays,” he
added. “(Wide receiver) Eric (Decker’s) touchdown today was typical of a lot of
great catches that these guys have made all season long. Protection, blocking by
the tight ends, running backs – playcalling and scheming – (Offensive Coordinator)
Adam Gase has been awesome all year and the coaches that have helped him call
those plays.”
For the season, Manning has thrown for a league-best 5,211 yards and 425
completions. His 113.0 quarterback rating is second only to Eagles quarterback Nick
Foles and Manning has posted nine games with a passer rating of 100.0 or more,
including his 113.2 mark on Sunday.
He needs 266 yards in the Broncos’ regular-season finale to surpass Saints
quarterback Drew Brees’ NFL record of 5,476 passing yards in a single season.
“I’m glad Peyton got his 51,” cornerback Champ Bailey said. “He definitely deserves
it. He put the work in and I can’t believe he did it in his 16th year. That’s crazy.
Unbelievable. The guy is great.”
“He’s just a student of the game and he works hard and he’s a great competitor,”
Executive Vice President of Football Operations John Elway added. “He just wants to
continue getting better game-in and game-out. He’s that type of guy. A very
special, special guy.”
Broncos QB Peyton Manning named AFC
Offensive Player of the Week
By Joan Niesen
The Denver Post
December 24, 2013
With Christmas Day falling on Wednesday, the NFL announced its weekly awards a
day early, recognizing Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning with AFC Offensive
Player of the Week honors.
It’s the third time this season Manning has been recognized as such and the 26th
time in his career.
In the Broncos 37-13 victory over the Texans Sunday, which clinched them the AFC
West, Manning completed 32 passes for 400 yards and four touchdowns. Those four
touchdowns put him at 51 on the season, setting a new NFL record.
Sunday’s was Manning’s seventh career game with 400 yards passing and four
touchdowns. Four of those games have come in 2013, and he’s now tied with Dan
Marino for the most 400-yard, four-touchdown games in a career.
Peyton Manning not getting any younger
— in both football, other terms
By Joan Niesen
The Denver Post
December 24, 2013
"Babe."
He said it. The room laughed. The speech rolled on.
Afterwards, though, Peyton Manning's little spiel about Julius Thomas handing his
51st touchdown ball to a "babe" in the stands was the bit those in the curtained
interview room remembered. The quarterback's signature joke — one per press
conference, measured carefully — trumped the meaningful tidbits about history and
competition and a career full to the brim of moments like these. We remembered
"babe" for two reasons, though, not just because it was funny, but because it
sounded so old.
Manning is 37 going on 65. He peppers his words — in a voice Lee Jenkins
describes as a "distinctive country-Cajun mash-up" in his recent Sports Illustrated
story — with terms like "certainly" and "gosh," less the parlance of a hotshot
quarterback than of a southern retiree. He organizes and studies rather than
attempting to overpower with an athleticism that's never been his forte. He has a
Ph.D. in football.
My point is this: Peyton Manning isn't getting any younger. In fact, in football
terms, he's freaking old. Champ Bailey, two years his junior, talks about his own
health as if the retirement home is imminent, and yet Manning in 2013 has thrown
his way into the record books at a pace that's eclipsed that of his younger years.
Watching, it's impossible not to appreciate. But it's entirely possible to forget that
Manning has two, three years left in him, most likely, that we may never see
anything like this again from him — or from anyone else, at least not at this age.
When I was a kid, my family would travel to New Orleans once or twice a year to
visit family friends. My first memories of this were in the early 1990s, when I was
about 6 years old. I remember hearing of this friend of my father's friend, this
retired football player. I think we saw him at a restaurant once. He was kind of a
New Orleans god, I got the sense, but back then, it didn't warrant much thought.
That man was Archie Manning, and my father, who lived in New Orleans in the
1970s, was always in awe. By the time I figured out who he was, I was visiting a
college in New Orleans in 2004. Archie Manning ... which meant Peyton Manning,
which meant I was awestruck. Even as a clueless 17-year-old, I knew this was the
best quarterback in the NFL, or one of them. My father, by then, seemed more
impressed with Peyton than with Archie, a thought that still now might amount to a
sin in Louisiana and Mississippi, but no matter.
Point is, 10 years ago, Peyton Manning was the best there was, a celebrity, a
star. Ten years ago. We've gotten so used to him being the best of the best, to him
overcoming the most impossible of obstacles. We've gotten used to greatness, so
that now, it's easy to think we'll have this forever.
We won't. Look at that ankle. Look at the wrinkles emerging on that forehead, even
when he's not making his signature frustrated face. The gray hairs will poke
through soon, if they haven't already.
So on Sunday, watch a little closer. Appreciate Peyton Manning not for what he's
done for your Broncos, but for what he's done for football for a decade and a half.
He'd tell you not to, that this is a team sport, not individual, but for once, ignore
the man who knows football better than anyone.
In this brief moment, quarterback trumps team.
Peyton Manning: Record moment was
'very special'
By Dan Hanzus
NFL.com
December 23, 2013
Peyton Manning needed 15 games to throw 51 touchdown passes this season.
Think about that. Even in an era when gaudy passing statistics are the norm,
Manning's production has been jaw-dropping. Not bad for a 37-year-old guy with a
jacked-up neck.
History was made in the fourth quarter against the Houston Texans on Sunday.
Manning's fourth touchdown of the day was dropped perfectly into the waiting
hands of Denver Broncos tight end Julius Thomas. It was Thomas who was on the
receiving end of Manning's first touchdown of 2013 as well.
A subdued celebration with teammates followed.
"It was very special," Manning said. "Very rarely during an NFL game do you get to
have a moment like that."
Tom Brady threw 50 touchdown passes in 2007, breaking Manning's mark of 49 set
three seasons earlier. Now Manning has the record back.
"I think it's a unique thing and a neat thing to be a part of NFL history, even though
it may be temporary," he said. "So I'm going to enjoy it as long as it lasts, and
hopefully the Hall of Fame will send the ball back once somebody throws for more."
Thomas dropped the football on the turf after his score, unaware it was Manning's
record breaker. Eric Decker picked it up and hid the ball under his jersey.
"It wouldn't have surprised me if Julius would have went and handed it to some
babe up in the stands, trying to get her phone number in exchange for the ball,"
Manning joked. "That would be right up Julius' alley."
Manning looks like an uncle, and uses "babe" in casual conversation like an uncle,
too. But he doesn't play like one. Manning may need another Super Bowl to secure
his legacy as the best quarterback ever. But what he achieved this season shouldn't
get overlooked -- no matter what happens next month.
Manning says TD record is temporary in
today's NFL
By Arnie Stapletone
Associated Press
December 23, 2013
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Peyton Manning says his 51-TD record will be shortlived, suggesting Tom Brady will take it back soon enough.
Or, for that matter, any number of other quarterbacks could break it should NFL
owners get their way and expand the season to 18 games.
Perhaps he's just being pragmatic.
Maybe he's just being modest.
"I think if it does go to 18 games, I think that is a practical assessment," said tight
end Julius Thomas, who caught the record-breaker in Denver's 37-13 win at
Houston on Sunday. "Those two extra games would give a quarterback two
additional opportunities to go out there and put more touchdowns on the board.
"I think that will skew a lot of records. But you know he's also a modest person.
That's who he is. It's pretty remarkable to throw 51 touchdowns. I believe records
are meant to be broken and most are broken. But that's one that could stand for a
while."
It will stand for a long time, suggested Eric Decker, who retrieved the recordbreaking memento when Thomas nonchalantly dropped it, unaware of the famous
football's emotional or even economic value.
"Of course he's being modest," Decker said Monday. "I think it's a tough feat. Fiftyplus touchdowns in a season, you've got to do something very, very special. (Dan)
Marino had it for such a long time and then it went back and forth for a while. But I
think with the game how it is now, it's more of an offensive game and you have
more opportunities to maybe do something like this.
"But I think the numbers he has put up, I think it's tough to match those unless
you have an unbelievable year."
That, Manning has.
He began the season by becoming the first QB since 1969 to throw for seven TDs in
a game, one of eight games this season in which he's thrown for four or more
touchdowns.
He's thrown a dozen TD passes to Julius Thomas and Demaryius Thomas and 10
each to Decker and Wes Welker.
After breaking Brady's single-season touchdown record of 50 on Sunday, Manning
is 266 yards from breaking Drew Brees' single-season mark for yards passing. The
Broncos are 18 points shy of setting a single-season scoring record and 28 points
from becoming the league's first 600-point team.
They're already the first team in NFL history with five players with at least 10
touchdowns; running back Knowshon Moreno has 10 TD runs and two TD catches.
Nobody else has had four players with double-digit TDs.
It's gotten to the point where it's expected that the Broncos will put up gaudy
numbers week in and week out and when they don't march right down the field,
fans wonder what's wrong.
"Yeah, we talked about that a little bit earlier in the season, if we punt, man, we
would get booed," Julius Thomas said. "But it just speaks to what we've done as an
offense. We have no problem with people having high expectations of us because
we have high expectations of ourselves."
Maybe that's why he didn't realize he had the record-holder in his hands when he
caught No. 51 Sunday and just let it go instead of holding onto it. Decker picked up
the ball and tucked it in the side of his jersey, where it remained as he walked off
the field.
"It wouldn't have surprised me if Julius would have went and handed it to some
babe up in the stands, trying to get her phone number in exchange for the ball,"
Manning joked. "That would be right up Julius' alley."
Julius Thomas said: "I don't think I'll be using that tactic. But I guess if it was the
right girl, maybe I'd think about it."
Decker, who was pranked by Manning in the offseason, when the quarterback
invited him for a weekend passing camp at Duke and tricked him into thinking he
had to pay thousands of dollars for doing so, saw an opportunity for payback.
"I was going to take it home. That's an item that is going to go for a lot," Decker
said Monday. "Naw, it was one of those pranks where he got me at Duke. I figured
this was maybe a time where I could hold the ball ransom and see what I could get
out of it. But I had to give it to him, and that was such a cool thing to be a part of."
With 51 TDs, Manning Makes History
By Gray Caldwell
DenverBroncos.com
December 22, 2013
QB Peyton Manning set a new single-season NFL record for passing touchdowns
with his 51st scoring strike Sunday in Houston.
HOUSTON -- Break out the record books.
Peyton Manning has made history yet again, setting a new NFL record with his 51st
touchdown pass this season.
"That was a spectacular throw," Executive Vice President of Football Operations
John Elway said after the game. "But the other 50 were, too. I’m thrilled for him
and the work he’s put in. There’s not anybody more deserving than Peyton for what
he’s put in the last couple years to get that record.”
The 25-yard strike to tight end Julius Thomas brought hugs and high fives from the
entire Broncos sideline -- and a standing ovation from the Broncos fans at Reliant
Stadium in Houston.
“It was very special. Very rarely during an NFL game do you get to have a moment
like that," Manning said of the reaction of his teammates and the crowd. "Having
some of my teammates come onto the field, having some defensive players coming
out and high-fiving me – and I was telling them thanks back, thanks for all of their
help. That is certainly a moment I’ll remember. Lots of Broncos fans in the stands
today. That was pretty unique as well. Certainly a moment I’ll remember because
of just the team bonding that went on during that time.
Manning tied the previous NFL record -- Tom Brady's 50 touchdown passes in 2007
-- on a 20-yard throw to wide receiver Eric Decker earlier in the fourth quarter.
Thomas said he wasn't even aware that he caught the record-breaker at the time.
"I think I dropped the ball so fast, doing my usual thing, and 'Deck' picked it up. I
was like, ‘Why did Deck pick that ball up so fast?’" Thomas laughed. "I’m not paying
any attention, I come back to the sidelines, I’m sitting down on the bench and
somebody was like, ‘That was the one!’ I said, ‘Ugh. Maybe I shouldn’t have just
dropped it so carelessly. I should’ve kept it!’”
When Manning heard that Thomas was unaware of the significance of the football
he caught, he was quick to throw a joke the tight end's way.
“Yeah – it wouldn’t have surprised me if Julius would have handed it to some babe
up in the stands and tried to get her phone number in exchange for the ball," he
laughed.
The path to the new league mark began in Week 1, when Manning tied a singlegame league record with seven touchdown passes in the NFL Kickoff Game against
the Baltimore Ravens.
From there, he threw 13 more touchdowns before his first interception of the
season, setting a new NFL record for most touchdown passes before a pick (20).
Manning now has eight four-touchdown games this year, breaking his own NFL
record, which he previously set in Week 14.
Head Coach John Fox said Manning's reaction to the history he made Sunday was
"very humble."
"He said the best news he heard in there was that we’d won the AFC West for a
third straight year and we have a first-round bye," Fox said. "We still have to play
for home field but he’s – number one is team success and he’s gotten us to 12-3
and 13-3 a year ago. That’s pretty good on his part.”
Manning set NFL TD passes record with
51
By Kristie Rieken
The Associated Press
December 22, 2013
HOUSTON (AP) — Peyton Manning has broken Tom Brady's NFL record for most
touchdown passes in a season with 51.
Denver's Manning did it on a 25-yard pass to Julius Thomas with 4:28 remaining in
the game Sunday against the Texans. Just 2 1-2 minutes earlier, he tied the mark
with a 20-yard pass to Eric Decker.
"I really feel like it's a team accomplishment, certainly an offensive
accomplishment," Manning said. "There's a lot of people that played roles in this."
Manning made the throw to Thomas and walked toward the end zone, where his
teammates patted him on the head. He then took off his helmet and walking to the
sideline and pumped his fist once. His teammates came out to greet him and he
gave dozens of high-fives as he grinned and walked to the bench.
Decker picked up the ball after Thomas dropped it and tucked it in the side of his
jersey, where it remained as he walked off the field.
Manning entered the game with 47 TDs and his first touchdown came on a 36-yard
pass to Demaryius Thomas in the second quarter. The second one was a 10-yard
throw to Decker early in the fourth period.
"We're not surprised at what Peyton does," Julius Thomas said. "The work he puts
in every day, you see how he demands the best from himself. Fortunate for us,
we're the beneficiaries of that."
Brady set the record, which previously belonged to Manning, in 2007. Manning had
established the record by throwing 49 touchdown passes in 2004.
"They were able to make the big plays and we weren't able to stop them from doing
that," Houston safety Shiloh Keo said.
Surrounded by the best targets he's ever had, operating a turbocharged assault
with a body that's much less a question mark, Manning is putting up record
numbers like he did in that remarkable 2004 season.
That year, Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne and Brandon Stokley all topped 1,000
yards receiving. Manning established NFL records with 49 touchdown throws and a
121.1 passer rating, marks since surpassed by Brady and Aaron Rodgers (122.5).
Manning was the NFL's 2012 Comeback Player of the Year, showing he was every
bit as good as before. He's having his best season at age 37, just two years
removed from the four neck surgeries that weakened his right triceps and
threatened his career. He hadn't missed a start with the Colts before 2011.
Last week, Houston interim coach Wade Phillips said Manning's season was "just
the best year ever of any quarterback."
Manning began 2013 by becoming the first quarterback since 1969 to throw for
seven touchdowns in a game. Earlier this month he broke an NFL record he held
with Brett Favre for most playoff appearances when he qualified for his 13th trip to
the postseason.
Although he could set several more standards this season, Manning has insisted his
only concern is the Broncos' win-loss record. He wants desperately to gain homefield advantage and the top seed in the AFC playoffs again.
Manning finished Sunday's game with a career-high 5,211 yards passing. He is 266
from surpassing the single-season record for yards passing set by Drew Brees in
2011.
Manning threw 37 touchdown passes last year, which broke a franchise record of 27
set by John Elway in 1997 and tied by Jake Plummer in 2004.
Peyton Manning tosses record 51st TD
pass in Broncos' win over Texans
By Mike Klis
The Denver Post
December 22, 2013
HOUSTON — Dapper as always in his immaculate suit and tie, Peyton Manning
paused in the sparse, cement-floored bowels of Reliant Stadium to accept another
round of congratulations on his historic accomplishment.
It hardly seemed like the right place moments after one of the all-time greats
delivered one of his unforgettable performances. Then again, the meager
surroundings fit the perspective Manning gave to his latest passing record.
Manning didn't dismiss the single-season touchdown pass record he set Sunday
while leading the Broncos to a first-round playoff bye and a 37-13 victory against
the woeful Houston Texans.
He respects how difficult the game is sometimes, even if this applies far more to
others than himself. But Manning wasn't going to squeeze the living accolades out
of the record either.
"The way the game is today, none of these offensive records will last," he said.
Before a Reliant Stadium gathering of 71,761, Manning threw for an even 400
yards and four touchdowns — but it's his 51 touchdown passes and 5,211 passing
yards for the season that will stir discussions about his place among the
quarterback greats.
"I think this kind of stamps his greatness," said receiver Eric Decker, who became
the fifth Bronco to score at least 10 touchdowns this season. "Especially when you
look at where he was two years ago, where he's at now, the work ethic that allowed
him to get here."
Manning went from missing the 2011 season to recover from four neck surgeries to
entering Game 15 this year with 47 touchdown passes, three shy of the record set
by his friend and personal nemesis Tom Brady. A 36-yard strike to Demaryius
Thomas on the first play of the second quarter gave Manning 48 touchdown passes.
He added No. 49 and the record-tying 50th to Decker in the fourth quarter, then
was mobbed on the field by his teammates after he set the record with a 25-yard
touchdown pass to tight end Julius Thomas.
"I personally think all season records are going down, especially if they go to 18
games," Manning said. "And there won't be an asterisk next to them. Brady will
probably break it again next year if not the year after."
As someone who was a fan of the game long before he started dominating it,
Manning holds in higher regard the 48 touchdown passes Dan Marino tossed in
1984 than any of the passing records set in the past 10 years or so, when the rules
were changed to tilt heavily in the favor of quarterbacks and receivers.
Still, it's difficult to believe any quarterback can match the prolific brilliance
Manning delivered this season. It began on opening day with seven touchdown
passes against Baltimore. That was a record too. Manning also is only 265 passing
yards shy of Drew Brees' record set in 2011.
"Yards to me doesn't ... touchdowns to me means it's helping your teams win
games," Manning said.
To Manning, the game was a coronation of sorts to his brilliant 16-season career.
To the Broncos, it meant rest for the battered and bruised.
Their victory, coupled with the Kansas City Chiefs' home loss Sunday to the
Indianapolis Colts, clinched the Broncos' third consecutive AFC West title and a
first-round playoff bye.
Guaranteed no worse than the No. 2 AFC seed, the Broncos will clinch the No. 1
spot if they beat Oakland next week, or if New England loses to Buffalo.
Either way, the Broncos will be allowed to skip the playoffs' first round Jan. 4-5 and
advance to the second round Jan. 11-12.
This was all assured with less than five minutes remaining and the Broncos
comfortably up on Houston 30-13. The Chiefs were getting trounced, although the
Broncos' players weren't aware of this.
Did the Broncos decide to get the 51st touchdown pass out of the way in case the
final game against Oakland next week was meaningless?
"There was no talk of the number," said left guard Zane Beadles. "There was talk
of, 'We're still playing. We're not shutting anything down.' That was the talk."
There were four minutes and 34 seconds left when Manning threw his recordbreaking touchdown pass to Julius Thomas. The Texans weren't overly offended.
Embarrassed, maybe, but they didn't protest when Manning was surrounded on the
field by well-wishing teammates.
"It's never fun to be on the opposite end of a record-breaking performance," said
Texans standout defensive lineman J.J. Watt, who got in a couple of licks on
Manning. "The guy is a heck of a football player. There is a reason the guy should
be MVP this year."
Yep, Manning winds up with 51 touchdown passes and counting, 5,211 passing
yards and counting, and he most likely will get his No. 5 MVP award. Another
record, by the way.
Manning Most Deserving Sportsman
By Jim Saccomano
DenverBroncos.com
December 18, 2013
The announcement of Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning as the 2013
Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year marks a great choice for this iconic honor.
The annual SI Sportsman award is on an equal plane, in terms of sports, as Time
Magazine’s annual Man of the Year award. In each case, everyone is eligible. So it
is a massive honor.
Manning becomes the very first person from the state of Colorado to be accorded
this honor, and whether given for on field performance, quiet but passionate and
constant giving within the community, for a year—any given year, really—or for a
career of accomplishment, Peyton Manning is most worthy.
One line that I have used a lot is simply: “Peyton Manning is better than that.”
Whatever one says about what he has done, there is always more to it, and the
“more” is usually the most amazing part.
He is the eighth National Football League player or commissioner (Pete Rozelle was
a winner) to be accorded this honor, and SI noted that it is not just for Manning’s
play, but for how he connects with fans, and not just fans in the Mile High City.
The December 1 issue of Sports Business Journal has reader survey results from a
number of questions posed to a national audience, and 62% of responders called
Manning “the Face of the NFL.” They could not have selected a better face for our
game.
Just two years ago, he was in the process of having four separate medical
procedures involving his neck, and in the words of Sports Illustrated writer Peter
King, “he couldn’t throw a ball 10 feet.” And in the two years since, he has been the
NFL Comeback Player of the Year (2012), finished a very close second in the 2012
Most Valuable Player race, and by any rational standard should receive his record
fifth NFL MVP award for his tremendous 2013 campaign.
It can be hard to pinpoint what he does off the field, because he generally does his
innumerable charity actions like The Lone Ranger—he does far more away from the
glow of media than he does in front of the press. Which happens to fit the mantra
of our owner, Pat Bowlen, who repeatedly says you do good things because they
are good things, not so somebody pats you on the back for them.
In his previous NFL home in Indianapolis, he made so many contributions of time
and value to the St. Vincent’s Children’s Hospital that they changed the name of the
hospital itself. It is now the Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital, operated by St.
Vincent’s.
I feel comfortable writing that because the whole world knows it.
But like The Lone Ranger, he has made so many surprise goodwill visits, on his
own, without anyone knowing in advance or — in most cases, even after — and
then silently slips away before cameras arrive, as to create an urban legend in the
department of good works.
With two weeks to play, Manning has 47 touchdown passes this year—his owner
personal best is 49—so he is three away from tying the NFL record.
He has led the NFL in TD passes three times, and after this year he should be a
four-time leader, tying Johnny Unitas, Steve Young, Len Dawson, Brett Favre and
Drew Brees in that department. Quite possibly, he will throw for 50 touchdowns and
5,000 yards this year.
Whether judged short term or long, his career is a marvel now being shared by
everyone in the Mile High City and by the legions of Broncos Country residents
nationally.
In the great John Ford/John Wayne western, “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance,”
the veteran newspaper editor in the fictional Old Wrest town of Shinbone advises
one of his young reporters, “When the legend is bigger than the facts, print the
legend.”
Such a great line that it served as the title of the definitive tome on John Ford’s life
and career.
So, too, does it fit Peyton Manning.
Don’t try to recite all the fantastic victories and statistics that total his NFL success,
and you will never know all the stories of charitable giving.
Just print the Legend.
Congratulations, Peyton.
Manning overcomes many hurdles in
season for ages
By Arnie Stapleton
The Associated Press
December 18, 2013
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — With Peyton Manning on the verge of breaking Tom
Brady's single-season touchdown record, Houston interim coach Wade Phillips calls
this "just the best year ever of any quarterback."
The Denver Broncos have needed every one of Manning's many exploits to make up
for a host of problems.
Before the season even started, the Broncos lost Elvis Dumervil to the Baltimore
Ravens in the infamous fax fiasco that made him a surprising free agent, Von Miller
to a six-game drug suspension, John Elway's top two lieutenants to drunken driving
arrests and not one but two centers to medical issues.
In August, Champ Bailey suffered a foot injury that would turn him into a sideline
spectator for most of the year. In September, Manning's blindside protector went
on injured reserve.
In October, Manning sustained a high ankle sprain that would force him to miss
Wednesday practices on a regular basis for the first time in his career.
In November, John Fox collapsed on a golf course and needed open-heart surgery.
During his absence, safety Rahim Moore needed emergency surgery to save his
lower left leg, defensive end Derek Wolfe had a seizure-like episode on the team
bus ride to the airport and run-stuffer Kevin Vickerson's went on IR with a
dislocated right hip.
This month, captain Wesley Woodyard was benched and slot receiver Wes Welker
was sidelined with his second concussion in four weeks.
Yet, Manning has had a season for the ages at age 37, just two years removed from
the four neck surgeries that weakened his right triceps.
"I think it definitely makes it more remarkable for him to overcome all this
adversity," receiver Bubba Caldwell said. "But that's what leaders do and that's
what champion players do. They rally up their team behind them and they make
sure they play at a championship level and everybody else follows."
Manning won Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year this week, he's the leading
vote-getter in Pro Bowl balloting and he's the odds-on favorite to win his fifth NFL
MVP award.
He has the Broncos (11-3) poised to once again secure home-field advantage in the
AFC playoffs as he seeks that second Super Bowl ring that eluded him a year ago.
Asked what he's seen from Manning so far that would be a priority for his defense
on Sunday, Phillips didn't know where to start.
"What haven't you seen?" he asked. "Guy is going to set every record that's ever
been in the books as far as touchdown passes, yards, four-touchdown games, it
goes on and on."
Manning is four touchdown passes shy of breaking Brady's record of 50 TDs set in
2007. With a career-high 4,811 yards passing, Manning is 666 yards from
surpassing Drew Brees' single-season record set in 2011.
Asked Wednesday whether he felt he deserved another MVP honor, Manning
laughed off the question, then went down his list of concerns: Welker's concussion,
J.J. Watt's disruption, an unfamiliar, unpredictable opponent in the Texans (2-12).
"That is plenty on my plate to focus on," Manning said. "I know that's probably not
the answer that you're looking for, but that is all my focus is on and that's the way
it has to be."
That single-minded attention is what's helped him overcome so many hurdles in
2013, including his own health issues.
He's been dealing with a high ankle sprain for two months, one that's forced him to
sit out one day a week, usually Wednesdays, to get treatment and rest.
On one of those, he spent practice in the training room soaking his right ankle in a
hot tub while watching video of the Tennessee Titans on his iPad. He had his helmet
with him so he could hear offensive coordinator Adam Gase's calls to backup QB
Brock Osweiler. But when he couldn't quite make out what was being said, he
slipped the helmet on and a trainer snapped a photo.
It was shown on the CBS broadcast of the Titans-Broncos game earlier this month
and went viral, the latest example of the quintessential quarterback with the
notorious work ethic outworking and outsmarting his opponents.
Shown the photo after a recent practice, tight end Jacob Tamme said: "That's nextlevel type stuff."
Which is a good way to describe Manning's entire season.
'There Couldn't Be a More Deserving Guy'
By Brandon Moree
DenverBroncos.com
December 17, 2013
Peyton Manning's teammates react to his most recent honor, the Sportsman of the
Year award.
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – Quarterback Peyton Manning has thrown 47 touchdown
passes this season – putting him on pace to set the NFL record. But if the season
ended today, his 47 touchdowns would put his 2013 season fourth on the all-time
list.
In recognition of this season's effort, and his production throughout his careerm
Manning was named Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year.
“There couldn’t be a more deserving guy,” Head Coach John Fox said Monday. “I go
back to even last year, to make that change after doing it in a city for 14 years with
the same organization and to come out here and get used to a new city, new
teammates, new organization coming off of four neck surgeries and rehabbing that,
I think is remarkable. I thought it was remarkable a year ago and remarkable again
this year. It’s a great accomplishment and I couldn’t think of a more deserving guy.
“He’s in a great list of company for sure.”
Manning becomes the fourth quarterback to earn the award since he joined the NFL
in 1998. He joins Tom Brady (2005), Brett Favre (2007) and Drew Brees (2010)
with that distinction. He is just the eighth NFL player overall to be named
Sportsman of the Year.
In his career to date, Manning has amassed more than 64,000 yards, 483
touchdowns and a career passer rating of 96.9. He’s a super-bowl champion, a 12time Pro Bowler and a four-time NFL MVP.
But the award honors more than his on-the-field accomplishments as it also
recognizes his impact on the community.
“I think in the case of Peyton we’re talking about he’s been in three locations in his
career since 1994—Knoxville, Indianapolis and mostly recently (and) obviously
Denver, and in all of those places his body of work speaks for itself,” Sports
Illustrated’s Managing Editor Chris Stone said Monday at Dove Valley.
“But the emotional connection that he’s kind of established with each of those fan
bases and those communities is exemplary, needless to say.”
His teammates agree that there Manning certainly deserves the recognition.
“It’s a big honor,” wide receiver Eric Decker said. “It was really cool to see
everything he’s been through – the resilience he has and what he’s done in the last
two years for this organization. To be honored with that – he says it’s a team award
– but it says a lot about him individually, coming back and fighting through a lot of
adversity. And kind of being the leader he is and just having the success that he
deserves.”
The 2013 accolades for Manning might not end with the Sportsman of the Year
award from Sports Illustrated. He was a favorite at the season’s midpoint for NFL
MVP and is still a top candidate as the Broncos are leading the AFC and he is
leading the league in completions, yards and touchdowns.
“You never know what he’s going to get,” wide receiver Demaryius Thomas said
Monday. “I feel like he gets something every week. I’m proud of him. He did a
great job these past (two) years he’s been with us. Just take my hat off to him—he
did a great job and he deserves it.”
Manning realizes his comeback inspires
others
By Arnie Stapleton
The Associated Press
December 16, 2013
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Peyton Manning says he's not sure he's deserving of
the 2013 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year honor but is glad to be in such
elite company that includes the likes of former Tennessee women's basketball
coach Pat Summitt.
The Broncos quarterback was recognized at a banquet at Sports Authority Field on
Monday night.
Manning has led Denver to an 11-3 record this season, his second with the Broncos
after missing the 2011 season with Indianapolis because of neck troubles that
affected his right triceps. He has thrown 47 touchdown passes, three shy of Tom
Brady's NFL season record, with two games remaining.
Manning is the fourth NFL quarterback to take the honor in the past nine years,
following Brady in 2005, Brett Favre in 2007 and Drew Brees in 2010. LeBron
James was the winner last year.
"It means a great deal and for one, I really accept this award on behalf of a lot of
people that have helped me," Manning said. "I realized that being injured and
coming back from an injury and playing is probably a large reason why I received
this award.
"It's just a great way to show how grateful I am for all the people that have helped
me and supported me: my family, teammates and coaches on many different
levels, college coaches, pro coaches and teammates, and so I really accept that on
behalf of them.
"I do feel that my comeback has inspired some people. I've received letters saying
that. It's good to know that those people are working harder and doing better
because maybe I've given them some hope."
Chris Stone, the magazine's managing editor, said Manning beat out two worthy
candidates in baseball: "Mariano Rivera, who kind of embodies a career of
excellence ... and David Ortiz, what he kind of symbolized for the Red Sox toward
the end of the season and how he was kind of the face of a team that went from
worst to first."
Stone said Manning's honor was in a sense a lifetime achievement award.
"If you were to ask a 7- or 8-year-old kid what's an example of sportsmanship, I
don't think you could ask for a more obvious example than when after a really
tough loss last January, he took the time out to go speak with Ray Lewis," Stone
said of Manning's visit to the Ravens' locker room following Denver's doubleovertime loss in the playoffs.
Stone said that gesture "alone isn't the reason we chose him as Sportsman of the
Year. It's not even one of the primary reasons we chose him. But I think it speaks
to the type of athlete and individual that Manning is."
Sports Illustrated editor explains Peyton
Manning selection for Sportsman of the
Year
By Mike Klis
The Denver Post
December 16, 2013
I had two immediate thoughts upon learning Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning
had been named Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year.
One, I was surprised he hadn’t previously been so honored. He’s won just about
everything else in his terrific career — including a Super Bowl MVP, by the way —
with the notable exception of the Heisman Trophy. And besides his brilliance as an
NFL quarterback, Manning has such mass appeal. No athlete is better in
commercials or as a host on “Saturday Night Live.”
But my second thought was, why this year when Manning has yet to win a
championship? Not that S.I. always give its franchise award to champions, but it
usually does. LeBron James won it last year. Drew Brees (2010), Tom Brady
(2005), Joe Montana (1990) and Terry Bradshaw (1979) were coming off Super
Bowl championships in the years they were honored.
Manning is honored in a year that started with a shocking playoff loss to Baltimore
on Jan. 12. It seemed like 2007 would have been a good year for Manning to
receive the honor as he won his only Super Bowl that year with Indianapolis.
Instead, S.I. gave it to Brett Favre, who supposedly was retiring after his final
season in Green Bay.
“I don’t like the idea of narrowly defining a Sportsman based on what he’s done in
the last 12 months,” Chris Stone, managing editor of Sports Illustrated said during
a press conference Monday at the Broncos’ Dove Valley headquarters. “I think you
can take somebody’s collective body of work and everything that they’ve
established throughout their careers. … I think the collective body of work is what
we’re rewarding here.
“To accomplish what he’s accomplished over the last (16) years in the NFL, but
really what he’s accomplished since having four very serious neck procedures in the
last two years — I’m not a strict constructionist (S.I. word) when it comes to
Sportsman and that it has to be based on winning a championship.”
Manning Named Sportsman of the Year
By Gray Caldwell
DenverBroncos.com
December 15, 2013
QB Peyton Manning has been named the 2013 Sportsman of the Year. Sports
Illustrated Managing Editor Chris Stone tells why in an exclusive interview.
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- In the midst of a season that could earn him his fifth NFL
MVP Award, quarterback Peyton Manning has been named Sports Illustrated's 2013
Sportsman of the Year.
He joins the likes of Dean Smith, Muhammad Ali and Michael Jordan with that
distinction.
Sports Illustrated Managing Editor Chris Stone talked with DenverBroncos.com in
an exclusive interview about the publication's decision to honor the Broncos
quarterback.
"To some degree, we're taking a measure of Peyton's entire career, dating back all
the way to college," Stone said. "He's had three stops since college -- Knoxville,
Indianapolis and Denver. What really strikes you beyond that consistently excellent
performance is the way he's connected with all three of those communities in a
really profound way."
"Obviously he's having an historical season -- that's obvious to anyone out there,
even the casual sports fan," Stone continued. "He's only been (in Denver) for two
years, but the imprint he's left not only on the team but the community is
undeniable."
One recent moment in Manning's career stood out to the publication -- the
quarterback's actions following the Broncos' double-overtime loss to the Baltimore
Ravens last season.
Manning stayed long after the playoff defeat, which ended the Broncos' season, to
congratulate Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis on the win. Lewis had announced that
the playoff run -- which ultimately ended in his second Super Bowl ring -- would be
he last.
"You don't want to make too much of a single gesture, but that was a huge gesture.
It was a sincere gesture, obviously something that wasn't planned. For one, I don't
think Peyton had planned on losing that football game," Stone said. "Given the
circumstances, that's the most elementary definition of sportsmanship there is.
After a crushing, unexpected loss -- I don't think anybody would doubt that -- his
instinct was to go into the other locker room and congratulate another player who
was winding towards the end of his career."
Sports Illustrated's Peter King announced Manning as the recipient of the annual
honor at halftime of the Sunday Night Football game on NBC.
Manning becomes the fourth quarterback to earn the award since he joined the NFL
in 1998. He joins Tom Brady (2005), Brett Favre (2007) and Drew Brees (2010)
with that distinction. He is just the eighth NFL player overall to be named
Sportsman of the Year.
King originally nominated Manning in an article titled "My Sportsman."
"I love this award," King wrote. "Since I began subscribing (age 12, 1969, "Namath
Weeps"), I always looked forward to the annual Sportsman issue, because it
advanced the ideals of sport. A great athlete or coach could be a good person too.
Some better than others at the athletics, or at the person part, or both. But there
had to be something inherently good about the winner, and I liked that. So over the
years, if the managing editor at the time asked me for a nomination from pro
football, I would give it thought and advance only the causes of those I thought
were worthy."
As for why he believed Manning fit the traits necessary to earn the award, King
explained as follows:
"He's 37, he's had his mid-football-life crisis and survived it well; he has a
charitable side that stretches into the four states he has called home at various
stages of his life (Louisiana, Tennessee, Indiana, Colorado); and, despite his arm
being maybe 85 percent of what it once was, he just might have the best year he
has ever had," he wrote. "Manning has persevered. He has put another franchise on
his shoulders, and he's winning, and he's still the best at what he does at a time
when whole and healthier and rich athletes are getting on with their lives. He thinks
he owes everything he's got as a professional to helping the Broncos win. It's
idealistic, it's old-fashioned, it's admirable. And that package gets my 2013
Sportsman vote."
The first Sportsman of the Year was awarded to English distance runner Roger
Bannister, who broke the four-minute-mile barrier in 1954.
In that inaugural issue, the editors set the award's guiding principle: “While the
victory may have been his, it is not for the victory alone that he is honored. Rather,
it is for the quality of his effort and manner of his striving.”
The Sportsman of the Year cover story on Manning was penned by SI Senior Writer
Lee Jenkins.
Denver Broncos' Peyton Manning named
SI's Sportsman of the Year
By Lee Jenkins
Sports Illustrated
December 15, 2013
This story appears in the Dec. 23, 2013, issue of Sports Illustrated. Buy the digital
version of the magazine here.
All the apple-cheeked babies, captured for eternity in Creamsicle onesies three
sizes too big, are nearly grown. They are high school valedictorians and college
athletes, Eagle Scouts and black belts, yearbook editors and engineering majors.
They are in the National Honor Society. They lead Bible study. They raise money for
cancer research. They lifeguard in the summer. They work part-time at Cracker
Barrel. One directs short films. One blew the trumpet in a high school band at
President Barack Obama's second inaugural parade. One earned a marketing award
for helping develop a project to sell reusable popcorn containers at football games.
One is a linebacker and a defensive end recruited by half the SEC, one is a three
handicap, one runs a 5K in 18:20, and one hit an unforgettable grand slam in the
ninth. One became the first girl in an all-male wrestling club, as well as the first
deaf member of that club. She then captured the state championship in her weight
class. Most hail from Tennessee, but you can find them as far away as lacrosse
fields on Long Island. Some know each other. They were born in the same
hospitals, attended the same schools, played on the same teams. Beyond that, they
don't have much in common -- besides, of course, their first name.
It is an unusual name, or at least it used to be. According to the Social Security
Administration, which started tracking the popularity of names in 1960, Peyton had
never cracked the top 100 in Tennessee. But in 1994 the state's flagship university
welcomed a freshman quarterback from New Orleans named after his uncle Peyton,
a Mississippi farmer who grew cotton and soybeans, raised cattle and loved sports.
When Peyton Manning enrolled at Tennessee, he took an orientation seminar with
freshman football players, overseen by associate athletic director Carmen Tegano.
The players were instructed to take notes. Afterward, Tegano collected their spiral
notebooks and perused what they wrote. Manning had filled 30 pages. That night,
Tegano told his wife, "If God is willing and I live long enough, I'll either work for
that kid or I'll vote for him." A year later Manning directed Tennessee to its first win
against Alabama in 10 years, and roughly 10 months after that Southern hospitals
noted the first outbreak of Peytons. Call them Bama Boomers. "It was an
epidemic," says Manning's older brother, Cooper, who was forced to quit football at
Ole Miss because of a spinal injury. From 1996 through '98, a total of 68 Peytons
were born at the University of Tennessee Medical Center alone, compared with 10
the decade before. By 1997, according to babynames.com, Peyton was the 51stmost-popular- newborn boy name in the state.
Families showed up to Volunteers practices, orange-clad infants in tow, and thrust
them into Manning's reluctant arms for photos. "What am I supposed to say?" he
asked his father, Archie, the iconic Ole Miss quarterback. "I don't know," his dad
replied. "I only had dogs and cats named after me." Twins in Knoxville were named
Peyton and Manning. A boy outside Nashville was named Peyton Cooper as a
reminder that "there's nothing guaranteed in life." Doctors in Kentucky lobbied a
woman in labor to call her son Tim, after Wildcats quarterback Tim Couch. "It will
be a much more prosperous name," they told her. "He'll be so much more
successful." They grudgingly delivered yet another Peyton. The unorthodox spelling
caused confusion. Dr. Tara Burnette, a neonatologist at the UT Medical Center, once
saw payton written on a note card attached to a baby's incubator in the NICU. "You
misspelled the name," she told the nurse on duty. "No, the nurse insisted. "The
mom spelled it for us." Burnette shook her head. "That baby is a Peyton," she said.
Twenty-four hours later, the card had been changed.
There is no more personal display of fan devotion than naming one's progeny after
an athlete, but the gesture carries inordinate risk, especially when the player is only
a sophomore in college. Who knows what controversy lies ahead? Names become
synonymous with scandals. Think of the Lances and McGwires running around. You
can always buy a new jersey or hang a new Fathead, but rewriting a birth
certificate is more difficult. "Sure, he could have been a dud," says Kim Dukes. "But
I kind of knew, deep down inside, that he'd be special." Dukes was diagnosed with
Hodgkins lymphoma as a sophomore in Knoxville, underwent chemotherapy, and
was informed by doctors that the treatment had left her incapable of bearing
children. She had Peyton Dukes anyway. "He's not a quarterback -- he's not even a
football player," Kim says. "But we raised him to be a good, honest person, and
that's the most important thing he shares with his namesake."
Though Uncle Peyton died a bachelor, his name will live forever. Archie remembers
reading an article, in the early 2000s, in an education newspaper about a firstgrade teacher with nine Peytons in her class. In 2007 the Knoxville News-Sentinel
put out a query for Peytons and received more than 160 responses. "You hope your
children are going to do great things no matter what you name them," says Dana
Lara. "Going into it, you do think maybe this will give them a leg up by association."
Peyton Lara is now a senior at West High and an aspiring nuclear engineer with a
4.46 grade point average.
A name doesn't ensure anything. Peyton Dukes cares more about arts than sports.
Peyton Prowse's favorite player is Manning's younger brother, Giants quarterback
Eli. Elaina Peyton Engel took her 5.0 GPA at Hereford (Md.) High to Alabama.
"C'mon, Dad," she said. "Even Peyton Manning didn't go where his father wanted."
But commitment is a thread -- whether orange or crimson -- that links the Peytons.
"To have the name of someone who has accomplished so much," says Peyton
Robinette, a biology major with a black belt in taekwondo who is attending
Tennessee on the prestigious Volunteer Scholarship, "means I can be special."
*****
For two decades Peyton Manning has methodically elevated the standards of
everybody from NFL quarterbacks to video-room interns to offspring named in his
honor -- one film session, one spiral notebook, one dummy audible at a time. The
mother of an eighth-grade classmate once told Manning's mom, Olivia, "Peyton
really has to study for his A's. My child just goes in and takes the test." The
remark, while rude, was revealing. Manning always did the work, and as a result he
never disappointed the families who put so much faith in him. He is still the striver
who scored a modest 1030 on his SAT yet graduated with the highest GPA that
year in Tennessee's College of Communication and Information.
At the combine in Indianapolis leading up to the 1998 draft, strength coaches from
the 49ers, Raiders and Bills took Manning's measurements. When they finished, he
asked how his body fat compared with other players', and reminded them to note
that one of his knees was swollen. The trainers stifled laughs. "He's the first pick in
the draft," one muttered under his breath. "Why does he give a s---?" Then
Washington State quarterback Ryan Leaf, Manning's competition for the top spot,
stepped on the scale. He triumphantly flexed both biceps even though he was 30
pounds overweight. "That was the difference," says Jon Torine, who was then a
Buffalo strength coach before joining the Colts. "When Peyton Manning dies, this is
what they ought to write on his gravestone: it all mattered to me."
Chosen by Indianapolis, Manning turned the quarterbacks meeting room into his
personal office. He installed a film projector with a Beta dock in the basement of his
house. He watched every practice. On Saturdays after walk-through, he cleared the
equipment room and shut the door so he could select his 12 game balls in peace.
First, he washed his hands. Then he hurled one ball after another at the equipment
manager, barking "game" if it made the cut, "pregame" if it didn't. "Why can't the
seams be perfect?" he asked. He'd have sewn them himself if he could.
He owns only one Super Bowl trophy, which constitutes some kind of moral failing
in this all-or-nothing age, but he remains the reigning champion of the everyday.
The laser rocket arm -- Manning's description in that famous Sprint commercial -- is
more like a cap gun now. Yet he is currently piloting the best team in the AFC and
the most bountiful offense in the NFL while threatening single-season passing
records for yards and touchdowns. Still, that's not why Manning is Sportsman of the
Year for 2013. To explain the choice, we defer to Peyton Robinette's valedictorian
speech, delivered at the Rockwood High gymnasium outside Knoxville in June. "I
urge you all to always remember the experiences you've had," Robinette told his
fellow graduates. "But be ready to write your sequel. Be prepared to face
consequences. Be prepared for adversity. Be prepared for change."
Manning was the son of a New Orleans celebrity and a Mississippi homecoming
queen, raised in the historic Garden District and educated at illustrious Isidore
Newman School. He was the No. 1 recruit in the country and the No. 1 pick in the
draft. The first time he walked onto the Colts' practice field, offensive coordinator
Tom Moore told starting quarterback Kelly Holcomb, "You come over here and
stand next to me now." In 23 years of organized football, Manning missed one
snap. Sure, he was laid bare a few times in Gainesville and Foxboro, and he
occasionally told family members it would be easier to go 9-7 and just miss the
playoffs than risk more January heartbreak. But compared with the beaten and
concussed, he was beyond privileged. He had 13-3 on autopilot, along with 4,000
yards and 30 touchdowns, a first-round bye and home field throughout. His career
was fantasy football.
Then he woke up. It was Sept. 11, 2011, and he was lying in a hotel bed in Marina
del Rey, Calif. He had just undergone his fourth neck operation in two years, to
remove a herniated disk from his spinal cord that all but killed the nerve running
down his fabled right arm. The Colts were playing the Texans, starting somebody
else at quarterback for the first time in 13 years. They lost 34-7. Nothing was
perfect anymore. "It was hard to watch," Manning recalls. "I was disappointed, I
was down, because I wasn't able to do what I love and I didn't know where I was
headed. I didn't know if I'd ever be able to perform again. I had those thoughts.
They were real." The nerve was so ravaged in the summer of '11 that he couldn't
push himself out of bed. He couldn't lift a three-pound dumbbell. When he tried to
play catch with Tennessee alum and former Rockies first baseman Todd Helton at
Coors Field, he one-hopped him from eight yards away. "He walked different,"
Helton says. "He carried himself different. He had a hard time turning around to
look at you."
Manning went to his family's annual passing academy in southern Louisiana, but he
barely picked up a ball. "Why can't you throw me one pass?" a crestfallen high
school receiver asked. "I just can't," Manning muttered. "Eli will throw you one." He
wouldn't even throw when only maintenance workers were around. He couldn't
stand the thought of anybody witnessing his wounded ducks. "He's not very good at
disguising how he feels," Cooper says. "You can hear it in the first hello and the last
goodbye. I saw him vulnerable for the first time. And then I saw him get
emotionally around the idea that, Hey, this may be too much to battle back from."
In high school Manning would stroll into his parents' bedroom at 10:30 p.m. and
sprawl across the foot of their bed to discuss his college choices. Before the final
operation he flew back to New Orleans and lay across the foot of the bed again. "I'll
listen to the doctors," he told them. "If they say after this that I still can't play,
then it's been a good trip." The fourth surgery was fourth down.
He was shockingly at peace. "Who am I to complain?" Manning asked himself. "Who
am I to say, Why is this happening to me? I had 20 years of unbelievable luck. All
these other players had careers cut short. Cooper didn't even get to start his
career." Peyton's wife, Ashley, had just given birth to their first children, twins
Marshall and Mosley. Home movies suddenly seemed more appealing than Patriots
tape. "I've studied enough for a couple of careers," Manning says. "My brain could
use a little rest." Ashley, who has been with Manning since they were in college but
has stayed far from public view, was the one to offer the gentle nudge he needed.
"You've got to try," she said.
So began a sequel that would make Peyton Robinette proud.
*****
A GRAY SUV rolls across suburban Denver, through the shadow of the Flatirons,
past the aspen trees and alfalfa farms. The best quarterback in the world, yet
again, sits in the backseat. He is wearing a half-zip beige sweater over a white
button-down shirt, fresh off an appearance at the Alexander Dawson School in
Lafayette, where a kindergartner raised his hand during an all-school assembly and
asked Manning how he plays football. Standing in the middle of the gym, facing 450
students in the bleachers, Manning paused for a moment. There was so much he
could tell the boy. Archie rarely discussed strategy at home, but he did share one
crucial lesson: "You've got to know what you're doing out there because then you
can get rid of the ball, and when you get rid of the ball, you don't get hit."
Archie didn't always heed that advice, but his son did. Peyton approaches the line
of scrimmage and takes a snapshot of the defensive alignment, then scans an
extensive mental catalog to recall where he has seen the alignment before and
what it wrought. Manning cannot predict what the defenders are going to do, but he
can predict what they're not going to do. "What will happen here?" he asks himself,
hands framing his face, as if he's peering through an imaginary camera. "I'm not
sure, but I do know the linebacker over on the outside is not going to blitz. I can
tell you that will not happen. I'm trying to narrow things down." He selects the
play, and orders the protection, with the best chance to counter the alignment.
"And he does it in 10 seconds," Moore marvels.
But the kindergartner doesn't need to hear all that, at least not yet. "I try to throw
the ball really quickly," Manning responded, in his distinctive country-Cajun mashup, "before those big, ugly defensive linemen come tackle me." There it is, kids, the
elementary version of how a 37-year-old who couldn't uncork a 10-yard out in 2011
and was cut in '12 now directs the NFL's most prolific offense while leading the
league in almost every meaningful passing category. He's tossed touchdowns in 37
straight games. He's outgained 19 whole teams. According to Broncos quarterbacks
coach Greg Knapp, he forced one throw in the first half of the season.
Fans are understandably wary of athletes aging in reverse, but Manning lacks the
arm strength he had in his prime. He still can't run. His upper body is so lean that
six months ago he texted Broncos trainers a beefcake shot from his college days
with the message, "At one point I did look good." The mind, which enables the
rapid-fire release, is the only part that hasn't lost power.
When Manning was a rookie, the Colts installed a no-huddle package called
Lightning, which they deployed when they trailed. One day, around 2000, Moore
asked Manning, "Why are we waiting to be down 10-0? Why don't we start in
Lightning?" That question changed football. At first, Moore would call two plays
from the sideline and let Manning pick one. Then Moore gave Manning four plays
and let him switch from runs to passes. Finally he let him call entire games. "It's
always been a cerebral position, but Peyton made it more cerebral," says former
Broncos quarterback and current executive vice president John Elway. "He was the
first one to get in the hurry-up, figure out the coverage at the line, find the right
play against the coverage and call everything himself. He really started the nohuddle. Now everybody does it." From Pop Warner on, quarterbacks are asked to
think faster because Manning showed what was possible. "He set the standard,"
says the Patriots' Tom Brady. Manning still runs Lightning in Denver, as well as a
superspeed variation called Bolt.
The injury made him a different quarterback. Manning relies more on his legs to
generate velocity, like a pitcher pushing off the rubber, and focuses more on his
footwork, an area Knapp believes he let lapse. Manning can no longer fling post
patterns between two safeties. He must be precise with his delivery, stepping
toward his target, one stride if he's firing to the first read, two if it's the second and
so on. He checks down more liberally and unleashes more feverishly. "To quote
Hank Stram," Manning says, "I matriculate down the field."
The injury also made him a different person. He used to fidget when people told
him they were praying for him. "I'm fine," he'd say. "You don't have to do that."
Now he thanks them for their prayers. He doesn't stay up until 1 a.m. watching
one-on-ones anymore. He and Ashley play with the twins, put them to bed, eat
dinner and pour a glass of wine. He is usually asleep around 10. He lets his backup,
Brock Osweiler, take some of his snaps in practice. Manning is often portrayed as a
signal-calling automaton, jogging robotically to the sideline while teammates
celebrate touchdowns, but he has turned sentimental. He tears up at movies he's
seen before.
On the trip to New Orleans two years ago, Manning asked his mother to take him
on a driving tour of old friends' houses. At the end, he asked to stop at his own
childhood home, six blocks from his parents' current uptown residence. He knocked
on the front door and told the new owner, "Hi, I'm Peyton Manning and I'd like to
see my room." Recently, he sold his house in Indianapolis, and Ashley flew back for
the closing. She walked the halls narrating a video shot with her phone. In the
basement she said, "Here's where Peyton spent a lot of nights helping the Colts win
a lot of games." He chokes on the words as he repeats them.
He never thought he would leave that place.
*****
The fourth surgery, a single-level anterior fusion, immediately alleviated the pain
but did not regenerate the nerve. "People with nerve injuries told me, 'You could
wake up tomorrow and be fine,' " Manning says. "It was encouraging, but it left you
pretty disappointed every day around one." He tried to view his rehab as a game,
which didn't work, because he never knew how much time was on the clock. Colts
trainers, accustomed to an indestructible quarterback, hid their concern. "He
couldn't throw a ball," says Torine. "I was scared for him, scared for everything. To
be up and down and happy and pissed and sad and anxious is all part of the
process he went through."
Manning flew to Durham, N.C., in November 2011 and moved in with Duke coach
David Cutcliffe, his offensive coordinator at Tennessee. "I'd never seen him throw in
person where it wasn't perfection," Cutcliffe says. "He was so out of whack, I had to
ask him to quit throwing. He was on the way to hurting himself. We're all products
of what our nerves allow us to do. He had to rebuild his mechanics from the ground
up. He had to relearn everything." They worked in the Blue Devils' locker room,
watching old Indy tapes, Manning trying to impersonate Manning. "When I was on,
I was shocked when the ball didn't go exactly where I wanted," Manning says. "It
got to the point where I was shocked when it did go where I wanted." Driving back
to Cutcliffe's house one evening, he asked, "Should I even be doing this?"
Manning stayed at Duke, on and off, for more than three months, and the nerve
started firing again. "You hear and read about people who overcome things they
shouldn't," Cutcliffe says. "I saw it with my own eyes." They eventually moved from
the locker room to the indoor facility. Manning ran 10 plays at a Duke spring
practice wearing a Colts helmet. He invited several former Indianapolis teammates
-- center Jeff Saturday, tight end Dallas Clark, receivers Brandon Stokley and
Austin Collie -- and on March 3, 2012, they simulated every detail of the 2010 AFC
championship game against the Jets. "It was a little over the top," says Stokley,
recounting the Gatorade breaks on the sideline when the invisible Colts defense was
on the field. "But that's how he operates. You could tell he was on his way."
Four days later the Colts -- who had the first pick in the draft and were eyeing
Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck -- cut him. "I think it broke his heart," Archie
says. "I think he understood the reality [was], It's time for me to go. And then I
think he reconsidered and said, 'No, I'm supposed to play my whole career here.'
So he went back and told them, 'I'll help Andrew, and we'll make it work. I want to
stay.' " He couldn't bear to be Johnny Unitas in San Diego, Joe Namath in L.A. The
Colts, however, had already moved on. Manning could not have been more gracious
in the tearful press conference that followed, referring to owner Jim Irsay as "my
friend," but when he arrived at Broncos headquarters the next day for a free-agent
visit, Elway saw another side. "He was in shock," Elway says. "Everybody kept
telling him he was going to get released, and he didn't believe them until it
happened. He wanted to prove they made the wrong decision. He wouldn't say
that, because he's not that type of guy, but that's the message I got. When great
competitors get scorned, they come back with a vengeance. We signed a Hall of
Famer with a chip on his shoulder."
Manning, ailing since the lockout, had floated from one training staff to another.
He'd been treated at Duke and Tennessee, with the Colts and even the Rockies.
Finally he had a home, with the Broncos. They weren't as worried about his arm as
the rest of his body. "He was really detrained," says Luke Richesson, Denver's
strength and conditioning coach. "We broke him down like a car -- take the motor
out, get the alignment straight, then focus on the horsepower." His alignment was
his coordination. The Broncos limited Manning to 40 throws at practice instead of
the typical 80. In two-a-days they let him throw during only one session. They
focused on exercises to restore his body control, including one called "dead bug," in
which Manning lay on a roller, simultaneously extending his left arm and right leg,
then his right arm and left leg, with weights attached to his wrists and ankles. "The
first time, he couldn't hold it," says head trainer Steve (Greek) Antonopulos.
"Remember, this was a neurological injury. It affected everything." Manning's
physical therapy continued through the season, but Denver still went 13-3. Most
players lose strength over a 16-game schedule, yet in the week before the Broncos
faced the Ravens in the divisional round, Manning set personal bests for squats,
dumbbell presses and medicine-ball throws. Thirteen-year-old Emily Cutcliffe,
following Manning's resurgence from afar, asked her father, "Dad, this is incredible,
isn't it?"
Growing up, Manning yearned to be a senior. He asked his dad what senior year
was like at Ole Miss, and he bypassed the draft as a junior at Tennessee to find out
for himself. In Denver, Manning is a senior once again, and the underclassmen are
in awe. "You want to be better because it's Peyton Manning," says the Broncos'
leading receiver, Demaryius Thomas. "I know I'm a better player because he's
here." "That's the secret of football with Peyton Manning," adds tight end Jacob
Tamme. "How much he demands of himself seeps into everybody else." They watch
him charge onto the field with a knee brace, matching high-ankle sprains and a
glove protecting a right hand that still sometimes feels numb. He fights off a limp.
The mind is so dominant, it's easy to miss the heart.
*****
In the backseat of the SUV, a stack of letters rests at Manning's feet: from a
mother whose son was injured in a motorcycle accident and is learning to walk
again, from a 90-year-old woman who picks college games against her friend but
needs a new opponent because her friend just died, from a man who can't move his
neck and doesn't know what to do. Every professional athlete receives reams of
tear-stained letters, but they sound different when Manning reads them now. "I
didn't have a serious illness," he says. "My life was never in danger. But I feel like I
can write to these families, or talk to them, with more of a connection than I had
before."
A son of the genteel South, Manning learned early on the power of the handwritten
note, unsurpassed by text or tweet. He still remembers the college coaches who
wrote him during his recruitment (like Florida State's Bobby Bowden) as opposed to
the ones who resorted to thoughtless form letters. He would lick his thumb and rub
it against the signatures to determine whether they were real. When Manning left
for college, Archie wrote him before every fall semester.
Throughout his career Manning has written coaches and players who retire, as well
as widows of coaches and players who pass away. He writes subjects of
documentaries he's seen and victims of tragedies he's heard about. He writes his
children every six months, even though they are years away from deciphering his
cursive. Ashley buys his stationery, cream-colored cards with Peyton W. Manning in
block letters at the top. He adds an arrow when a message continues to the back.
"I don't know if that's proper or not," he says. It's hard to find any coach,
teammate or staffer who hasn't received a note from Manning. "I got one when my
dad passed," says Stokley, "and another when Peyton stayed at my house." "I got
one when I retired," says former Colts video director Marty Heckscher. "It almost
brought me to tears." "I got one when the Colts let me go," says Torine, the former
strength coach. "It meant more than any paycheck."
All the support that Manning sent to others came flooding back in the year he
missed: calls from friends such as Fox broadcaster Joe Buck, who nearly lost his
voice because of a nerve ailment in his left vocal cord, but also from rivals like
Brady and Patriots coach Bill Belichick. "We've been playing a long time in the same
era, and there aren't too many people who can relate to what I go through on a
daily basis and what he goes through, besides each other," Brady says. "There's
mutual appreciation. I've always looked up to him and admired him." Manning
considered the impact those well-wishers made and was reminded of the influence
he could have.
On his first day as a Bronco, he sought out staffers Adam Newman and Josh
Bruning. "I'm going to need you to help me with my mail," he said. Every Tuesday,
Newman and Bruning read the roughly 300 pieces addressed to Manning in a given
week, determining which ones he will want to see. Autograph requests go in one
pile. Double-dippers are discarded. Heartfelt letters are marked read in red pen.
Manning reviews them over lunch in the office Newman and Bruning share. The
notes that move him, or that entertain him, he takes home. He has installed a
hospital tray next to his bed -- "My wife finds it very attractive," he says -- so he
can work there without craning his neck. He uses the tray to watch video on his
iPad, an upgrade from the Beta. But he often pulls out the stationery instead and
writes.
To Charlie Johnson, a 63-year-old in Indiana nervous about neck-fusion surgery:
"My neck pain went away immediately after my surgery. I believe you will be able
to resume your normal activities rather quickly. I took it slow on doctors' orders,
but I felt better right away. I can't give you a definite time frame. I would
encourage you to be patient to avoid any setbacks. But you should be back lifting
soon. Good luck and health."
To Jack Benson, an eight-year-old in California with cancer: "I just wanted you to
know that you are in my thoughts and prayers. Your cousin, Skip Hanke, wrote to
me and told me of the tough fight you are having. You have a lot of people pulling
for you. I am glad to know you are a Bronco fan! Keep fighting, stay positive, and
say your prayers."
To Clint Taylor, a high school quarterback in Texas who broke his leg: "I just
wanted to encourage you to keep working hard and keep the faith. I have read your
blog and I can tell you that your positive attitude and your strong work ethic will
take you a long way. Keep it up."
To Chris Harris, widow of David Harris, a pastor in Arkansas who was killed in a car
accident along with his granddaughter Maci: "I am sorry for your loss. Please know
that you are in my thoughts and prayers. 'Blessed are those who mourn, for they
will be comforted' (Matthew 5:4). I learned that Pastor Harris was an avid Colts fan
and had an autographed picture of me in his office. I read an article about Pastor
Harris, and I can tell he was very special. Maci sounded very special as well. I am
proud that he was a fan of mine. May God's peace be with you."
To Shannon West, who married Bill Sydlowski in New Jersey this summer: "Best
wishes to you on your wedding day. I wish you eternal happiness. Your dad says
that you are a fan of mine (he said commercials, maybe football too?). I appreciate
your support. I can tell that he is very proud of you. All my best to you and Bill."
Manning keeps a list of those he has contacted, with descriptions of the
correspondence on the back of the their envelopes. "Letter from a woman whose
best friend had cancer and is a big fan. . . . Husband has MS and they are naming
their first born Peyton. . . . Sick man. Call ASAP." Sometimes, instead of a note, he
picks up the phone on the 25-minute drive home after practice. "I cold-call them,"
he says. "I block my number, and they don't answer, so then you have to call back
at night. They think it's a prank call, but after that, you just take a moment and
listen. I've always done that, but it is a little different this year." Many of the voices
on the other end are struggling with neck injuries. "I have to be careful about
giving medical advice," Manning says, "but these people are hurting and I was able
to overcome the same thing. I tell them, 'These are my symptoms. These are the
doctors I saw.' " He asks Antonopulos, the Broncos' trainer, for guidance. "If
someone is from Texas, he will give me a doctor in Dallas."
*****
It is an overcast Friday morning in Indianapolis, the Colts beat the Titans the night
before in Nashville, and the equipment managers are spinning 30 loads of laundry
on three hours' sleep. "It doesn't smell as bad when you win," says Jon Scott, who
has been scrubbing grass stains since the team's Baltimore days. He met Manning
in 1998, when the hotshot prospect visited the Colts' headquarters. On the way out,
Manning said, "Hey, Jon, it was nice to meet you." The Mannings may be American
royalty, but they relate best to workers. "My mom drove a station wagon, my dad
drove an Oldsmobile," Cooper says. "We were around fame but we weren't
entrenched in it. We weren't going to Europe on private planes. We did what
everybody else did." Archie told the boys that the most important people on any
football team were the trainers and equipment managers. When Saints trainer Dean
Kleinschmidt was married, Archie was the best man. When Archie was traded to
Houston, assistant equipment manager Glennon (Silky) Powell cried as he walked
him to his car.
The Colts' equipment managers -- Scott, Brian Seabrooks and Sean (Frog) Sullivan
-- caught more of Manning's passes than Reggie Wayne or Marvin Harrison. They
reviewed the rough cuts of his commercials. They ate with him late at night in the
facility when everyone else was gone. After Manning got tripped up in a game
against the Texans one year, costing the Colts a touchdown, he asked Sullivan and
Seabrooks to lie on the practice field the next day and try to trip him again.
Manning once let Seabrooks watch film with him. "He ran the same play back and
forth for 30 minutes," Seabrooks recalls. "By the time he got to the end of it, I was
asleep. I never found out if it was a run or a pass." Seabrooks also flew with
Manning to the Pro Bowl in Honolulu the day after the Colts beat the Bears in the
2007 Super Bowl, and he dozed off again as Manning narrated the entire game.
"He's your everyday, sit-down, have-a-cold-beer kind of guy who just happens to
be the best quarterback in the past 25 years," says Sullivan. Speaking of beer,
when the Colts trained at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Ind.,
video director Marty Heckscher stocked a cooler in the corner of the gym where he
edited tapes. Manning sat with him, and over a Budweiser he mentioned that his
first beer had been a can of Milwaukee's Best. The next year the cooler contained a
six-pack of Milwaukee's Best tall boys. "He connects with everybody," Heckscher
says, "but he's also demanding, and you don't want to let him down."
Outside of Manning's family, support staffers might know him better than anybody.
They know that he studies opposing defensive coordinators, and their history
against him, as much as opposing teams. They know that he likes a baseball cap
handed to him the moment he walks off the field after third down, and collected the
moment it's time to walk back on. They know that he doesn't wear a chinstrap in
pregame warmups, so it has to be attached when he retreats to the locker room.
The equipment managers laugh about staffers having to be reassigned from
chinstrap and baseball-cap duty. "Oh, he's demanding," says Heckscher. "There
were times I got an intern to shoot a walk-through, and it's boring as hell, and the
intern starts daydreaming and misses a snap. Most people don't notice. Peyton
walks in an hour later and says, 'Things moving too fast for you guys out there
today?' " Likewise, if Sullivan and Seabrooks flubbed a couple of passes, Manning
would crack, "How about we mix in some catches with these drops?"
He barred his beloved equipment guys from the goodbye press conference, for fear
he'd break down even faster than he did. But when it was over, he requested that
they drive him to the airport, Sullivan behind the wheel of a Toyota Sequoia,
Seabrooks riding shotgun, Scott and Manning in the backseat. "There were a lot of
tears," Scott says. "I gave him a handwritten note because that's what he gives
everybody else. He thought it was a joke. I just wrote the record of my first 15
years with the Colts and my record after he came." Without Manning there might
not even be an NFL team in Indianapolis, and there would certainly be no Lucas Oil
Stadium and no downtown renaissance. Scott glances at a picture of Lucas Oil, lit
up for the 2012 Super Bowl, hanging in the Colts' facility. "It wouldn't have been
here without that guy," he says.
They returned from the airport and cleaned out his office, pausing to send him a
picture of the whiteboard, filled with his scribbles. Manning still calls the Colts'
equipment room every few weeks and asks to go on speakerphone. He texted
Indianapolis staffers a video of the first preseason out pattern he completed for the
Broncos. He mailed Christmas cards, with donations enclosed. Given the angry
politics of modern sports, it is nearly impossible for an iconic athlete to remain on
good terms with a city left behind. But Manning has accomplished what Brett Favre
could not. After signing with Denver he called Vince Caponi, executive chairman of
the board for St. Vincent Health, which oversees 22 hospitals in Indiana, including
the Peyton Manning Children's Hospital in Indianapolis. People were asking Caponi if
he'd rename it after Luck. "I want you to know I'm committed to St. Vincent,"
Manning said. "That won't waver." His Peyback Foundation still hands out 800 bags
of groceries in Indy for Thanksgiving, as well as 800 in Denver.
When Manning started the foundation, in 1999, he was advised to address one
specific area of need. "But I like to say yes more than I say no," he explains.
Peyback has awarded $5.5 million in grants to nonprofit organizations benefiting
underprivileged children in Louisiana, Tennessee, Indiana and, now, Colorado. Most
of the donations are relatively modest, around $10,000, but they are earmarked for
roughly 90 organizations per year. Some want to buy school uniforms. Some want
to launch afternoon programs. Some want to build gardens and grow vegetables.
Online applications are due Feb. 1 and are graded by a board. Manning and his wife
pick the winners.
Sportsmanship wasn't always his specialty. When Manning was five and his coach
pitch team lost every game by about 20 runs, the coach would invariably tell the
boys it was a tie. "He thinks we're stupid," Manning griped to his parents. "It was
not a tie." When he was eight and Archie coached his youth basketball team, they
sparred because Archie drafted his friends' sons even though many of them couldn't
shoot. Archie vowed never to coach him again. When Peyton was 12 he had a new
basketball coach with a curious substitution pattern. After one loss, the coach told
the team, "The reason we didn't win the game is because you weren't ready to
play." Manning pointed a finger in his face. "No," he protested, "the reason we
didn't win the game is because you don't know what you're doing." Archie drove
him to the coach's house that night, in tears, to apologize.
Contrast that image with the scene in the visiting locker room at Sports Authority
Field after the Broncos' 38-35 playoff loss to the Ravens in double overtime.
Manning, coping with another round of January heartbreak, waited to congratulate
retiring linebacker Ray Lewis. He held little Marshall's hand, setting the example
that his dad set for him.
Peyton Williams hobbles through the front door of his grandfather's house in
Lewisburg, Tenn., a town of 10,000 nestled amid rolling hills along the Duck River
in the middle of the state. The leaves, Volunteer orange, have fallen from the
sugar-maple trees. The Marshall County High football field, just down the road, has
already been converted to a baseball diamond. Williams grew up in Lewisburg,
flipping tractor tires in the backyard to build strength and hunting turkey in his
spare time. He enrolled in the Cornersville Youth Football League when he was
seven, and two years ago he played at Chase Field in Phoenix as an eighth-grade
All-America. He is 6-feet and 211 pounds, and he squats 425.
Only a sophomore, Williams has received letters from Tennessee, Nebraska, Florida
State, Mississippi State, Arkansas, USC, North Carolina and Louisville. He's taken
unofficial visits to Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Ole Miss. His dream is to play
linebacker or defensive end in the SEC. Though stats are hard to come by in
Lewisburg, coaches told Williams he had 14 sacks and 48 tackles in nine games this
season. He blocked two punts against Cascade. He had a strip-sack on a fourth
down against Page. But in the regular-season finale, against Giles County, Williams
was blocking on the kickoff team when his return man reversed field. Williams tried
to change direction, but his left knee couldn't keep up. The ACL gave out.
Roger Williams used to run a convenience store off Interstate 65, at exit 32. Now,
he works at the GM plant in Spring Hill. Sixteen years ago he named his son after
Peyton Williams Manning. By then, the name was common around here. Marshall
County has three Peytons on the roster. One of Roger's friends unofficially renamed
his street Peyton Manning Drive.
Peyton Williams is a Tennessee fan, down to his orange sneakers. He has been to
two NFL games, both Colts at Titans. He plays as Manning's teams on Madden. But
he is not as zealous as his dad. He doesn't study his namesake every Sunday. He
wears number 49 instead of 18. And yet he is a Peyton, which means he is
inextricably linked. In a week, he will undergo surgery, followed by months of
painstaking physical therapy, followed by inevitable anxiety and doubt. Sitting at
the head of his grandfather's dining room table, he eyes the bulky brace on his left
knee and wipes the brown bangs from his forehead. Like most teenage boys, he
doesn't speak much, but the words carry weight. "When you think that Peyton
Manning wasn't able to throw a 10-yard pass, you realize that he really could have
quit," Williams says. "It's on you to do the therapy. It's on you to do the work. You
decide how you turn out."
Peyton Manning named Sports
Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year
By Mike Klis
The Denver Post
December 15, 2013
This honor may trump a fifth NFL MVP award. Sports Illustrated announced Sunday
that Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning is its Sportsman of the Year for 2013.
Manning, 37, is the first Bronco and first Denver athlete to receive the prestigious
award. He is in the midst of an unprecedented comeback from four neck surgeries
that forced him to miss the entire 2011 season with the Indianapolis Colts, an
injury that led to his release, free agency, and new chapter in his career with the
Denver Broncos.
Manning was named NFL Comeback Player of the Year in 2012 and has 47
touchdown passes this season — three off the league’s single-season record with
two games remaining. He has led the Broncos to an 11-3 record and is a top
candidate to win his record fifth MVP award this season.
Annually, the magazine presents the Sportsman of the Year award to the athlete,
coach or team that demonstrates superior athletic achievement. The award debuted
in 1954 with Roger Bannister, who broke the 4-minute mile barrier. Manningis the
eighth member of the NFL to receive the award, following commissioner Pete
Rozelle (1963), Terry Bradshaw (1979), Reggie Williams, (Athletes Who Care,
1987), Joe Montana (1990), Tom Brady (2005), Brett Favre (2007), and Drew
Brees (2010).
The Sportsman of the Year has previously gone to the likes of Tiger Woods, Michael
Jordan, Muhammad Ali, Michael Phelps, the 1999 U.S. women’s soccer team and
1980 U.S. Olympic men’s hockey team to name a few.
Manning will receive the honor at a dinner in Denver on Monday night. New York
Yankees relief pitcher Mariano Rivera also received strong consideration for the
award.
“At first, when I knew we were considering Manning, I thought: good choice.
Lifetime-achievement-award choice,” said SI Senior Writer and NFL guru Peter
King. “But if you isolate this year, you’re looking at a player two years removed
from four neck procedures that would have prompted many 35-year-old legends to
choose retirement. He has his Super Bowl. He has his MVPs. Now he’s on the verge
of breaking the most important single-season quarterback records (touchdown
passes and passing yards) in the 94-year history of the game. He threw seven
touchdown passes against the defending Super Bowl champs. And he’s got his team
set to win the top seed in the AFC. Who plays his best—wounded, with so many
great young guns chasing him—at 37?”
Manning's memory always seems to
serve
By Jeff Legwold
ESPN.com
December 11, 2013
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – Having listened to Peyton Manning go down by down,
situation by situation, through a drive or two in games he played 16, 17 and 18
years ago at the University of Tennessee, it was intriguing to see how he answered
a question about records Wednesday.
And it was yet another glimpse, beyond, say, wearing his helmet in the trainers’
room last week as he soaked his right ankle so he could hear what was being said
to the quarterbacks out on the practice field, into why he has pretty much driven
opposing defensive coaches bananas for the better part of his football life.
The memory, for what’s said, written, and played in front of him on game day, is
the rarest of rare finds. Even in Knoxville, when I was just another guy in the crowd
with a tape recorder – pretty much still in the crowd, the tape recorder is just
digital now – the memory was staggering.
Last season we were talking about some changes that have come in defenses and
got sidetracked on a Tennessee-Florida game from years gone by. Manning went
through one of the possessions of the game, personnel groupings, reads, decisions
he made without even a pause. Skeptical, at least a little bit, and a little mopey
since I had been at the game and remembered things like it was on a Saturday,
went back and paged through the play by play.
He nailed it. Every. Single. Play.
It’s why a longtime defensive coach in the NFL has, when asked about Manning,
consistently told a story about how his team had dug out a look they had thrown at
Manning three years before because they thought it would work in an upcoming
game. They had not used that look again since, but when they flashed it at Manning
on game day, he checked to another play and that play was exactly the right call at
exactly the right time.
The coach still contends, to this day, Manning remembered it, had studied it and
knew what to do against it.
So on Wednesday, when some folks asked him the pile of records he could put his
name next to this season, Manning said this to the group:
“That is not how I’ve ever approached it before. I remember my second year or
whatever, we were playing Cleveland late in the season and we had a touchdown
streak going -- consecutive games. We got down there late and hadn’t thrown one
and we had a pass play called. They were dropping eight guys, checked to a run
and got the touchdown and the streak ended. You don’t think twice about it. You
have to do your job to get your team into the end zone -- whatever that is. That’s
how I’ve always approached it.”
So, I paged through some things, just to see, once again. Manning and the
Indianapolis Colts did face the Cleveland Browns in the 15th game of the 1999
season, his second season as the Colts would go on to finish 13-3 and Manning
would make his first postseason. And with Manning "or whatever'' really means
"exactly, but you're welcome to dig around and see for yourself.''
Manning had thrown at least one touchdown pass in the final 13 games of his
rookie season in 1998 and had thrown at least one touchdown pass in the first 14
games of the 1999 season, a streak that had reached 27 consecutive games. And in
a game played with a kickoff temperature of 31 degrees at old Cleveland Stadium,
Manning was 27-of-43 passing without a touchdown pass or an interception in a 2928 Colts win.
Indeed, with the Colts trailing 28-19, Manning and the Indianapolis offense opened
the fourth quarter with a first-and-10 at the Colts 23-yard line. In 10 plays they
drove to the Browns 2-yard line.
And on second-and-goal, Edgerrin James did indeed run, up the middle, for a
touchdown. The Colts later won on a Mike Vanderjagt kick with seven seconds left
in the game.
If memory serves, anyway.
Manning hits 'next level' in prep work
By Jeff Legwold
ESPN.com
December 11, 2013
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Football on your helmet means football all the time.
At least when you ask Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning to sit out a
Wednesday practice or two.
The photo, taken by one of the Broncos’ trainers last week, of how Manning spent
at least some of the recent Wednesday practices he did not attend. It was first
shown during CBS’ broadcast of the Broncos’ win over the Tennessee Titans, and is
now making the rounds. It shows Manning, helmet on, soaking his right ankle, as
he watches game video of the Titans on an iPad.
Manning had the helmet on to listen to offensive coordinator Adam Gase make the
play calls to backup quarterback Brock Osweiler during Wednesday’s practice.
Manning, shown the photo Wednesday after practice, said Gase would also offer
some additional commentary after some plays as well.
At first Manning simply had the helmet sitting next to him as he soaked his right
ankle, but he couldn’t hear the play calls, so he picked it up and simply wore it the
rest of the time.
Also shown the photo after Wednesday’s practice Broncos tight end Jacob Tamme
said; “That’s a good one. I’ve never seen that one before until the other day. I
didn’t know that that was out there but … that’s next level type stuff.’’
Asked if he thought Manning used hand signals to the other people in the trainers’
room before the plays were run, Tamme said; “Yeah. We’re lucky he didn’t drop the
iPad there. Going through the mental reps.’’
Manning had tried to use the helmet to listen in during an indoor practice the
Broncos held at a nearby recreation center the previous week, but the coach-toplayer communication system wouldn’t broadcast several miles back to the Broncos’
facility.
Manning Nominated for FedEx Award
By Brandon Moree
DenverBroncos.com
December 10, 2013
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – After throwing four touchdowns on Sunday and setting a new
franchise record for completions, quarterback Peyton Manning has again been
nominated for the FedEx Air Player of the week.
Manning finished the game against Tennessee with 397 yards and completed 39-of59 attempts and did not throw an interception. Each of his four touchdown passes
in the win went to a different receiver. The 59 attempts set a new career high for
Manning.
“You never plan for 95 plays,” Manning said after the Tennessee win. “Defense had
45 plays and they settled down and did a good job on third down getting them off
the field. We had a lot of first downs. I don’t know how many, but we were firstdown, second-down, first-down. When you’re in that kind of rhythm it puts a lot of
pressure on the defense.”
With three games left in the season, Manning has thrown 45 touchdown passes this
year – tied for the fifth-most touchdowns in a season. His current pace would give
him 55 touchdowns which would set a new single season record.
Manning has received the award three times already this season as he won in
Weeks 1 and 3 and again last week in Week 13. Manning and Saints quarterback
Drew Brees have both won the award three times – more than anyone else – and
are both nominees for the award again this week.
To cast your vote, visit nfl.com/fedex.
Manning Wins 3rd FedEx Award
By Brandon Moree
DenverBroncos.com
December 6, 2013
Quarterback Peyton Manning was named the FedEx Air Player of the Week for Week
13.
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – For the third time this season, quarterback Peyton Manning
has been named the FedEx Air Player of the Week.
His five-touchdown, 403-yard performance in Kansas City Sunday pushed him in
front of the two other nominees – Joe Flacco and Matthew Stafford. Manning leads
the NFL in yards per game and touchdowns and has thrown for the most yards in
the first 12 games of a season since 1960.
Wide receiver Eric Decker caught four of those five touchdowns and Knowshon
Moreno pulled in the other.
“We knew that to double Wes (Welker) would be a scenario so sometimes Eric was
going to draw single coverage,” Manning said after the win in Kansas City. “He
played well. He ran good routes and I thought Adam called some good plays. We
were able to get down the field, protection held up and allowed us to get down the
field and Eric was awesome.”
Manning also won the award the first week of the season for his seven-touchdown
game against Baltimore and again in Week 3 after connecting on 32-of-37 passes
for 374 yards and three scores.
Manning and Saints quarterback Drew Brees are the only players to win the award
three times this season.
Kiszla: No hurry, hurry for Peyton
Manning's big call
By Mark Kiszla
The Denver Post
December 5, 2013
Denver's Brock Osweiler versus Peyton Manning of Tennessee.
How would that quarterback matchup end for the Broncos?
Shudder to think. My guess: Titans 30, Broncos 17.
Facing the toughest decision of his professional career after being cut by the
Indianapolis Colts, Manning retreated in March 2012 to his vacation home in
Tennessee.
The Tennessee Titans, along with the Broncos and San Francisco 49ers, were
among the suitors for the most decorated free agent in NFL history.
The quarterback is a loyal alumnus of the University of Tennessee.
Ashley Manning, the NFL star's wife, is from Memphis, Tenn.
The governor lobbied and the state legislature passed a resolution urging Manning
to come back and finish his football career in Tennessee. Then, at 9:30 on a
Monday morning, with Manning's feet planted in Tennessee, he rang the phone of
Broncos executive John Elway.
"What did make me a little nervous was what Peyton said when he first got on the
phone," recalled Broncos coach John Fox, who anxiously paced the floor in Elway's
office when Manning called. "I could hear just enough of his conversation with John
to know Peyton was saying, 'Well, I'm calling all the teams this morning that I'm
not going to play for, and this has been really hard ...' "
Gulp.
"There for a second, it sounded like Peyton was telling us: 'You have a great
personality, but I'm going on a date with somebody else,' " Fox said.
In the end, Manning picked the Broncos.
The center of the NFL universe is Denver, not Nashville.
But was it an easy choice? No. Manning analyzes every aspect of football to the nth
degree.
Why did he get away from it all in Tennessee to weigh the pros and cons of where
Manning would make his final attempts at winning the Super Bowl?
"I found a little haven there in Tennessee, not in Nashville, that gave me a little
time for some peace and a little time to think a little bit," said Manning, admitting
there was a part of him that wanted to play for the Titans, the Niners and every
team he considered during the recruiting process.
He retreated within a small circle of trust to keep any ambivalence and all his
anxiety over his decision a secret.
"Certainly Ashley and I had a lot of talks about it. It was going to be a big impact
on her and our family, as well. You talk to your parents. Obviously (agent) Tom
Condon. ... It wasn't a huge network, by any means. You got to be pretty careful
who you share something with if you want it to truly remain (a secret)," Manning
said Wednesday.
"I went through that process. I wish I probably had a little more time to do it. You
felt a little bit squeezed by the teams. I really didn't like having some teams kind of
in limbo based on what I was doing. I did not enjoy that, with the draft coming up
and teams having decisions. It was not so private. It was very public, and it was
definitely kind of a load lifted off your shoulders once you could pick one place."
Had Manning picked Tennessee over Denver, the Broncos would have been stuck
with Tim Tebow, a quarterback who was immensely popular everywhere in
Colorado except the executive offices of your local NFL team.
Among quarterbacks entering the 2012 draft, the Broncos liked Oklahoma State
quarterback Brandon Weeden, who went No. 22 in the opening round to the
Cleveland Browns. The Broncos liked Russell Wilson, but could not get past how he
couldn't even pretend to be 6 feet tall. The Broncos liked Nick Foles, until a college
game when he threw an interception for Arizona and seemed disinterested in
making a tackle to stop the damage from his turnover.
So, if Manning had gone to the Titans, there's a very real possibility his counterpart
at quarterback this week in Denver would have been Osweiler.
No disrespect to linebacker Wesley Woodyard, but without Manning, it's hard to
envision the Broncos being a winning team. Without Manning, does Wes Welker
choose to play in Denver? Is Fox a coach on the hot seat?
Shudder to think.
"I always felt good about (Manning) coming to Denver, because I felt it was a good
fit. I felt like we had good eggs in the basket," Fox said. "But, like any of those
decisions with human beings, you just never know for sure until he called."
What's the difference between being the favorite to win the AFC's No. 1 seed in the
playoffs and being a 5-7 team that must pray for a miracle to sneak in the
postseason?
Peyton Manning.
And one phone call placed to Denver, from Tennessee.
Ron Burgundy interviewed Peyton
Manning on SportsCenter
Will Ferrell brought out the beloved character on SportsCenter
By Nina Mandell
USA TODAY Sports – For The Win
December 3, 2013
Will Ferrell a.k.a Ron Burgundy has been making the rounds exhaustively to
promote Anchorman II. He recently stopped by SportsCenter, which he’s hosting on
Thursday, and interviewed Peyton Manning — in full character of course.
Among the things they discussed: Manning’s lack of a mustache (and his brother’s
attempt at growing one), his relationship with the Denver mascot and Ron
Burgundy’s fake football career. “I used to yell ‘check off’ all the time,” Ferrell said.
“‘Check off’. I had no idea what it meant. But when I saw someone on that defense
move, I just yelled ‘check off.’”
Peyton Manning responds to invite
By Darren Rovell
ESPN.com
December 3, 2013
Anna Bozard has been a Peyton Manning fan all her life, so when it came time for
her wedding, there was never any doubt she was inviting him.
The question: Would he even respond?
On Monday, five weeks after the card was due and three weeks after the wedding,
a written response from the Denver Broncos quarterback was picked up by Bozard's
mother in the mailbox at her Virginia home.
Manning filled out the RSVP card, checking the box that said he'd have to
"regretfully decline." But he added "Best wishes" and signed his name, along with
his No. 18.
"I always loved watching him and admired the wonderful person that he was,"
Bozard said. "Getting the response totally sealed my thoughts about him. He's a
good-natured and good-hearted person."
Bozard said she sent the card to Manning using the address for the stadium on the
Broncos' website. She said she thought there'd be a 25 percent chance she'd get at
least something back.
"I'm so excited he took the time to do what he did," Bozard said. "I'm going to put
it in a nice frame."
The ugly truth about Peyton Manning
By Seth Wickersham
ESPN The Magazine
November 28, 2013
This story appears in ESPN The Magazine's Dec. 9 One Day, One Game Issue.
THE WIND PICKS UP when Peyton Manning settles in at linebacker. A mid-October
practice has just ended, but Manning is not finished. Something isn't right -- not
enough to his liking -- and to make it right, Manning is lined up opposite rookie
running back Montee Ball, posing as a linebacker, to show him exactly how he
wants Ball to run a simple five-yard out route.
For all the characteristics most often associated with Manning -- his obsessiveness,
his penchant for control, his unrelenting capacity for tinkering at the line of
scrimmage, his unparalleled fluency in reading defenses -- his ability to teach has
always been overlooked. He's a hard-ass who will quiz teammates in the middle of
meetings about their assignments on a particular play. But he'll also stay after
practice and pretend to be a linebacker to show a rookie how to get open. Manning
waves Ball to run toward him, then jams the young back. Yes, Peyton Manning, a
37-year-old with a surgically repaired neck, jams him. As they're engaged, Ball
pushes upfield, and Manning tells him what to do: Break outside the instant the
defender -- in this case, Manning -- turns his shoulders.
After a few minutes, receiver Wes Welker happens by and relieves Manning at
linebacker. Manning slides into his customary spot, in a faux shotgun. He calls the
cadence and spins the ball in the air, emulating a snap. Welker jams Ball. Manning
drops back, doing Peyton stuff -- shuffling his feet, holding the ball near his chin,
standing tall in a fake pocket, releasing the ball high -- a textbook baseline from
which he works his trademark artistry.
Welker, locked up on Ball, turns his shoulders, and Ball accelerates into his break.
Manning hits him. They practice it again. And again. And again, as the wind picks
up and slightly unwinds some of Manning's spirals. What seems like a basic route is
really the quintessential Peyton Manning throw as his career nears its close: It's
quick. It's precise. It takes a hell of a lot of practice, and it's unstoppable when run
correctly.
And most of all, it's short.
IT'S FASCINATING TO watch legends toward the end of their careers. There's a
nobility and heroism in their struggle to summon all of their tricks and wisdom and
will to re-create the magic of their youth. We've seen Michael Jordan score 43 as a
40-year-old Wizard, Mario Lemieux lead the NHL in points for most of a season at
age 37 and Jack Nicklaus win a Masters at age 46. But nothing compares to what
Peyton Manning is doing right now. Two years ago, he couldn't throw a football 10
yards. This season he is playing at the highest level of his career -- having
completed 68.5 percent of his passes with 36 touchdowns through Week 12 -- and
arguably at the highest level of any quarterback ever. He has done this with
orthodoxies that would make a younger Peyton sick. His passes sometimes flutter
and wobble, especially beyond 15 yards. He's playing on sprained ankles that
require regular MRIs. But somehow the most calculating quarterback in history is
on track to set nearly every major season passing record, largely because he has
stripped the vanity from his game, improvising based not only on what the defense
shows him but on what his body, on any given snap, allows him to do.
NOBODY KNOWS HOW Manning does it. John Fox, the Broncos' head coach, says,
"Just make up whatever superlative you want about Peyton and put my name on
it." Ron Jaworski has been watching film longer than Manning has been alive, and
even he admits that Manning sees holes in the defense in real time that Jaws
misses on review. The statistics after 11 games contradict logic: The Broncos led
the AFC in passes completed of less than 15 yards, yet they ranked first in yards
per pass attempt at 8.7. That means they gain a lot by risking little, executing what
can only be described as an explosive ball-control offense, which produced 429
points through Week 12, second most in NFL history after 11 games.
Manning's teammates can't explain him either. Zac Dysert, a rookie third-string
quarterback out of Miami (Ohio), is two lockers down from Manning. After the
Broncos took Dysert in the seventh round, his agent, sensing a huge learning
opportunity, told him to write down everything Manning does-from when he arrives
in the morning to how he prepares for practices as if they were games. Problem is,
Dysert can't fully comprehend what he's jotting down. During one video session,
Manning said he recognized a blitz call -- from 1999. Dysert almost dropped his
pencil. What's he supposed to take from this? Have a photographic memory. Oh,
and have a long NFL career.
The Broncos coaches tend to emphasize the technical aspects of Manning's game,
the stuff that, after 16 years of combining players' hours with coaches' hours, only
Manning sees. Offensive coordinator Adam Gase says that Manning no longer really
reads defenses as much as confirms them. To illustrate what he means, Gase
explains a play in the fourth quarter of the season opener against the Ravens. He
says Manning saw "something" -- that's often the closest people can get to
explaining what's going through Manning's head -- that tipped off a blitz. So
Manning began his patented routine of spreading his arms and hunching over and
inching toward his linemen, switching to a wide receiver screen pass by yelling
"Alley! Alley!" At the snap, Manning fired a short flare left to Demaryius Thomas,
who ran 78 yards untouched for six -- the definition of the Broncos' passing game.
"There are a lot of things he does that other guys can't do because he's seen so
much football," Gase says.
Still, that story doesn't quite do Manning justice. Nor does Broncos executive VP
John Elway's explanation that Manning is "trying to separate himself" from the rest
of the greatest quarterbacks in history. There's something deeper at work here. It's
always been astounding how Manning can at once be an open book, an American
icon whose life football fans think they know by heart, yet retain mysteries that go
far beyond how he arrives at the perfect audible. He can be robotic in his discipline,
yet that discipline has always been rooted in a fascinating and perhaps frightening
mix of self-awareness and sensitivity. He knew his weaknesses better than a
defensive coordinator, and masking them became fundamental to his excellence.
It's harder to hide them now. A rare glimpse inside Manning's head came in
October, in his first game in Indianapolis since he was released in 2012. More than
any quarterback in history, Manning can bottle his emotions, but as he warmed up
on the field, the Colts honored him with a video tribute, reel after reel of touchdown
passes. Manning tried to ignore it by throwing, each pass a little harder as the
crowd rose in a thunderous ovation, as if he were trying to bury tears with each
heave. Finally, he gave up.
Manning removed his helmet, waved to the crowd and started to cry. He has been
honored hundreds of times, but until this moment, he had never been so publicly
loved. He patted his heart. The entire scene was striking not just because he
showed more emotion than after he had won a Super Bowl but because someone
obsessed with controlling his image was, for the first time, vulnerable for the world
to see.
I'M STANDING WITH Manning beside the Broncos' practice fields on an October
Wednesday. He has just finished a workout and looks as if he could go at it again.
He's more muscular than he was only a few years ago, which is somewhat
surprising. I always imagined Manning would age ungracefully, like a president,
prematurely gray and wrinkled, the tolls of unrelenting stress.
After all, Manning's genius has always been rooted in his willingness to be
burdened. It began with the impossible expectations of being a Manning under
center. It continued when he carried on the dreams of his older brother, Cooper,
whose football career was cut short in college by a spinal condition. And it exploded
in the NFL, as he scrolled through his mind before every snap, folding his hands
into an alternative form of sign language to find the perfect play, reshaping the
game as he dominated it. Which makes it all the more intriguing that Peyton
Manning is prospering now because he has learned a simple lesson: how to let go.
That process began in January 2011. Manning, still a Colt, had just finished a tough
season. He had a pinched nerve in his neck that was causing weakness in his right
arm, sapping its strength like a leaky tire. And what haunted him almost as much
as the surgeries that had failed to fix it was the unknown territory he was venturing
into. "I'd make some progress but still didn't feel comfortable," he says.
He sought out many opinions from those he respects and one day was talking with
Bill Parcells. Manning basically asked the old coach whether he thought he could
still play, and if so, what his game would look like. Parcells was simple and blunt:
"Can you still get 'em out?"
"What do you mean?" Manning asked.
Look at Jamie Moyer and Greg Maddux, Parcells said. Even as they aged, they could
still get guys out, using tricks and smart. Parcells was metaphorically asking: Can
you still move the chains? Can you get your team into the end zone? The
conversation recalibrated Manning's mind. "It gave me a sense that, hey, maybe
that deep comeback throw doesn't look the same as it did before," he says. "But
maybe you can still get 18 yards a different way." It would require a level of
patience and a suppression of ego that no alpha male quarterback seemed capable
of. But Manning realized that letting go of his former self was his only way forward.
Then a third surgery on his neck just before the 2011 season -- causing him to miss
the entire year and setting the stage for his release from the Colts -- complicated
his plans. That December, he spent a few weeks with Duke head coach David
Cutcliffe, the longtime quarterback whisperer to the Manning brothers, to begin his
throwing rehab. One night, the two of them went outside and sprayed footballs with
cold water to simulate a bad-weather game. As he threw, Manning was more than
inaccurate; he was alarmingly inept. He couldn't catch a shotgun snap or grip the
ball tightly enough to execute a handoff, which triggered a fear that he'd never
contended with before. He wouldn't stop throwing that night, even after miss after
miss, even after Cutcliffe implored him to save his strength. "He was afraid that if
he stopped throwing, he would lose it," Cutcliffe says.
On the drive to Cutcliffe's house after that practice, Manning turned to him and
said: "Am I doing the right thing? Am I going to be able to play effectively?"
It was the first time the NFL's greatest control freak experienced the most
paralyzing loss of control that exists for an athlete: losing control over his body. He
kept grinding, of course, accepting the reality that there would be good days and
bad days, and by his first training camp in Denver, there were more good than bad.
He ended up producing a comeback for the ages, resulting in a second-place finish
for the league's MVP. But it was also a slog, which Manning now publicly
acknowledges. By the end of the year, his arm was tired. He stopped doing his
famous route tree before games, putting himself on a pitch count. In the playoffs,
the Ravens dared him to throw more than 15 yards, and after losing to Baltimore in
double overtime, he realized he needed to stop throwing. "He was more willing to
rest his arm," Cutcliffe says.
Manning spent the offseason working on his lower body and core, strengthening his
arm by strengthening his legs. Still, working within the confines of his new self is a
process, learning to chase mental perfection while letting go of physical perfection,
the way Jordan did when he developed his fadeaway. "When you have an injury
and you have some things that aren't going to be quite the same," Manning says,
"you try to be as strong as you possibly can in the areas that aren't affected."
Two areas weren't affected: his mind and his will.
"WHAT'S THE ANGRIEST you've ever seen Peyton?" I ask Broncos receiver Andre
"Bubba" Caldwell at his locker.
"Today's practice," he says with resignation.
Caldwell had run the wrong route, misread something. Bubba knows that Manning
won't trust him on Sunday if he doesn't trust him during the week. Manning lobbed
a few F-bombs his way. But that's not what hurt, because as running back Ronnie
Hillman says, Manning tends to "say a few f- and move on." No, what really hurt
was when Manning told the next receiver up, "Do 100 percent the opposite of what
Bubba just did."
It's not easy being one of Manning's receivers. Dealing with him throughout the
week can be tougher than the game on Sunday. During walk-throughs, he
sometimes orders the scout-team defense to show a few wrinkles, just to see how
his receivers react. "Get in your playbook" is Manning's weeklong mantra.
That night Caldwell got in his playbook. The next day he ran the right route, and a
curious thing happened: Manning came back to him. Yes, he's more demanding
now than ever, but he's also more patient. Maybe it's the injury. Maybe it's being a
parent to twin toddlers. Maybe it's age. He admits that he takes time to soak in the
little things now. Like the plane rides. After the Broncos beat the Cowboys in that
wild 51-48 October shootout, Manning sat on the team charter as it took off and
looked around. No players were wearing seat belts. Everybody was on a cellphone.
He laughed to himself. "When the pilot says we can't take off when those things are
happening," Manning says now, "he's lying, because we do it."
Maybe Manning has more patience with his teammates because his teammates
need to have more patience with him. He endures moments when something is
failing him physically, and he needs everyone to stay with him until he figures it
out. That's exactly what happened in the third quarter against the Colts on Oct. 20.
Down 33-14, Manning didn't just seem mortal: He looked old. Two sprained ankles
and an unrelenting pass rush left him unable to set his feet. Passes that Manning
once hit in his sleep were now fluttering to slow deaths.
But he kept throwing. In the fourth quarter, he took a snap and was immediately
under siege. Manning dodged the rush, scooting up the pocket, and saw Thomas on
a post route, double-teamed but slightly open. He launched himself into the throw,
putting his body into it as if starting a somersault. The ball flopped and fluttered,
but damn if it didn't land in Thomas' hands for a touchdown.
Manning had cracked his biological code, and he put up 16 points in the final 13
minutes before losing 39-33. After the game, he was asked why the ball wasn't
spinning out of his hands. "I throw a lot of wobbly passes," he said, shaking his
head. He stared off for a second, and the pain of the past few years seemed to
flash through his mind. Then he added, "I throw a lot of wobbly touchdowns too."
THE BEAUTY IS still there, of course. You just have to look harder to find it. Gase
says his favorite play from this year was a 22-yard out route against the Raiders in
Week 3 that to an outsider seemed unremarkable. But as Gase tells it, that throw
was representative of everything Manning has lost and gained. Manning dropped
back and saw that his primary target, tight end Julius Thomas, was covered. So
was Welker, his second read. The pocket was collapsing, and Manning's only option
-- Demaryius Thomas on a deep out route -- was across the field and doublecovered.
Manning's game has always been based on timing as much as on audibles. For
years, the only way to defend him was to force him off script. Now Manning works
harder on his timing because, as he says, "you might not be able to arm that
throw" the way he used to. Only he knows the impossible precision this entails. It
means lining up at linebacker after practice to teach a rookie how to get open. But
it also means perfecting his internal timing, not allowing himself to be tricked into
believing that his body can do something that it now can't. Manning has to hit the
open receiver not only within the shrinking window of the secondary but also within
the shrinking window of his physical capabilities.
So Manning scooted up in the pocket and stepped into the throw with such a
pronounced transfer of weight that his back leg kicked up, like a pitcher's. Rather
than hum, the ball arched beautifully, the kind of touch that recalled Joe Montana in
his prime. It hit Thomas in the palms mere feet from the sideline. "Phenomenal,"
Gase says.
JOHN ELWAY IS sitting in his office, talking about the aging process for
quarterbacks. Elway is perhaps the only other example of a great quarterback
whose best years were his last ones. The key, Elway says, is not taking big hits and
unnecessary punishment. By the end of his career, Elway would spend all week
lifting weights, lying on the massage table, grinding on the treadmill, stretching -stuff that Manning does now -- just to be able to sell out during the decisive
moments, like his helicopter dive in Super Bowl XXXII against the Packers. This is
partly why the Broncos throw so many short passes, why Manning releases the ball
on average in a league-best 2.33 seconds. "Peyton knows he can't take those hits,"
Elway says. "He's not afraid to admit the fact that 'I'm not the tough guy that I
used to be.'"
But there are times when being a tough guy is the only answer. With 1:55 left
against the Chargers on Nov. 10, the Broncos were one first down from clinching
the game. Manning faked a handoff and looked to Demaryius Thomas running a
comeback. It was a slow-developing route, and Manning had rushers all around
him. Nobody would have blamed him if he'd taken a sack and lived to fight another
play.
But he stepped into the pass. He was hit, low and from behind. The pass was
perfect, icing the game. But Manning had taken another shot to his sore ankles.
The next morning, he was back in the MRI machine. The stat sheet read that he
had 330 yards and four touchdowns. But really, the only thing that mattered was
that he had sold out at the most critical moment. And once again, he survived.
Barely.
SO FAR, THE defining moment of Manning's career has been winning Super Bowl
XLI. But not for the reason you think. It wasn't because he stood in the Miami rain
and held the Lombardi trophy that had eluded him. No, the defining moment was in
the news conference afterward. He was asked the cliched question about whether
the monkey was finally off his back, and he said: "I don't play that card. I don't
play that game."
It was an epic rejection of the storyline that he had instantly become a better
quarterback now that he had a ring. Manning has never judged quarterbacks -including himself -- in the overly simplistic way that most of us do. He considered
himself a better quarterback not because he had won a Super Bowl but because he
had the experience of one more game under his belt, 60 minutes of added
knowledge.
It's almost as if Manning knew then that he would be drawing on that knowledge
now, when he finds himself again judged in simplistic ways. Those who compare
him to his former self and mock his wobbly passes are missing the point. The point
is that Manning is persevering because he no longer compares himself to his former
self. He let go. In a very real way, he's no longer a mystery. He is as naked on each
play as he was when he stood tearing up before the Colts game, spending
everything he has, leaving it out there for the world to see.
THE WIND HAS long died down when Manning lines up in the shotgun. In the slot to
his right is Ball. It's the third quarter against the Chiefs, the Broncos up 17-10.
Manning has been slightly off tonight, but he's again starting to crack his own code.
He's hit two short passes totaling 40 yards, setting up the Broncos at the Chiefs'
14-yard line on a drive that will end in the game's decisive touchdown.
Ball has not caught a pass since Sept. 15, but he has been preparing for this
moment, studying and envisioning the out route, not wanting to let Manning down
when his number is called. At the snap, Ball lunges upfield, expecting to be jammed
by linebacker Justin Houston and to break outside when Houston turns his
shoulders, just as he and Manning practiced. But Houston blitzes. Ball, uncovered,
thinks, Oh man, this thing is coming to me.
Manning already knows where he's going. Fading to his right, he lofts a pass before
Ball cuts, and the ball lands softly in the back's hands. Ball turns upfield for six
yards before he's knocked out of bounds. After the catch, Manning is already at the
line, calling the next play. Ball jogs back to his quarterback, relieved, having
executed a simple out route that's so much harder than anyone will ever know.
My Sportsman: Denver Broncos' Peyton
Manning
By Peter King
SI.com
November 26, 2013
Sports Illustrated will announce its choice for 2013's Sportsman of the Year on Dec.
16. Here's one of the nominations for that honor by an SI writer.
Peyton Manning ended his 2012 season last January when his heavily-favored
Denver Broncos were stunned in the AFC playoffs by Baltimore. It was Manning's
interception, on a throw across his body that was a bad idea, that led to the
double-overtime Denver loss.
And as I write this, Manning is flying home from New England. His Broncos blew a
24-point lead in Foxboro on a Sunday night and lost to the Patriots 34-31. That
made his personal scoreboard with Tom Brady 10-4 in Brady's favor. Manning didn't
blow the game, but he didn't win it either, and he had his chances.
Well, that's a resounding nomination for Sportsman of the Year.
I mean, Chad Henne wasn't available?
I love this award. Since I began subscribing (age 12, 1969, "Namath Weeps"), I
always looked forward to the annual Sportsman issue, because it advanced the
ideals of sport. A great athlete or coach could be a good person too. Some better
than others at the athletics, or at the person part, or both. But there had to be
something inherently good about the winner, and I liked that. So over the years, if
the managing editor at the time asked me for a nomination from pro football, I
would give it thought and advance only the causes of those I thought were worthy.
That brings us to 2013, and Manning. He is 37. He is still regaining strength in his
neck and right arm after four neck surgeries over two years to correct problems
that caused him to miss the 2011 season and get cut by Indianapolis. His strength
sapped, and not knowing if he would ever regain enough power in his arm to be the
great quarterback he once was, Manning signed with Denver and had a very good
2012 season. He very nearly won the MVP. Then he lost the game to Baltimore.
Interesting thing happened after the game, clearly one of the most crushing losses
of his life. He waited for 15 or 20 minutes with his wife and young son Marshall in
the empty Baltimore locker room for Ray Lewis to finish his media obligations.
Manning just thought it was the right thing, after the last game he would ever play
against the retiring Lewis, to pay his respects.
Time went on. Manning dedicated himself to having a better 2013, to getting
stronger, to working tirelessly in the offseason with his two new starting receivers,
Wes Welker and Julius Thomas. In the summer I saw him for a half hour at Broncos
camp one day, and told him I was pretty much plumb out of questions for him since
I'd asked him so many over the years. In the end, I did ask him one: "What will
you be doing in 15 years?" He said it was a good question. He said he wouldn't
answer it. "A lot of times you're in the locker room, and you hear guys talking
about some investment or some appearance they're gonna make, and how much
money they're gonna get from it, and I'm looking at them, thinking, 'That's the guy
who dropped two balls in practice today,' or, 'That's the guy who missed that block
Sunday.' The point is, this is what I do now, and I think I owe everything I've got to
the Broncos to try to win this season.''
The next time I saw Manning was in the season-opener. He came out on fire,
throwing seven touchdown passes, tying the NFL record, against the world
champion Ravens. After his seventh, very comfortably ahead with four minutes to
play, Manning went to the sidelines, accepted some congratulations, and went
straight for the offensive coordinator, Adam Gase, so they could look at the pictures
of the plays and discuss Manning's decisions on that series. And on it went this
season, so that here we are, the Broncos tied for the best record in the AFC, and
Manning ahead in every significant category of passing, threatening to break the
all-time records for touchdown passes in a year and for passing yards. He's still a
bit limited; he has no idea when the nerves controlling the strength in his throwing
arm will completely regenerate, or if they ever will, and so on windy nights like the
one in Foxboro, he's not going to be throwing BBs and he'll be a bit mortal. But it
has been good enough so far to threaten some of the most hallowed records in the
game's history.
He's 37, he's had his mid-football-life crisis and survived it well; he has a charitable
side that stretches into the four states he has called home at various stages of his
life (Louisiana, Tennessee, Indiana, Colorado); and, despite his arm being maybe
85 percent of what it once was, he just might have the best year he has ever had.
Manning has persevered. He has put another franchise on his shoulders, and he's
winning, and he's still the best at what he does at a time when whole and healthier
and rich athletes are getting on with their lives. He thinks he owes everything he's
got as a professional to helping the Broncos win. It's idealistic, it's old-fashioned,
it's admirable. And that package gets my 2013 Sportsman vote.
Peyton Manning has Broncos riding high
By Julian Benbow
The Boston Globe
November 24, 2013
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Scanning the numbers, it’s hard for Broncos offensive
coordinator Adam Gase to come up with a logical explanation.
Three of his receivers already have caught at least 50 passes. Two more are well on
their way.
Four have racked up at least 500 receiving yards. Three have at least nine
touchdowns.
Having done 3,504 yards’ worth of damage entering Sunday night’s game against
the Patriots, the Broncos’ passing offense leads the league by a mile.
Then there’s Peyton Manning, who started the season by tying an NFL record with
seven TD passes in a game and hasn’t let his foot off the gas since.
Sitting on 286 completions, 3,572 yards, 34 touchdowns, a 69.9 completion
percentage, and a 118.3 passer rating, Manning has every single-season passing
record in his crosshairs.
When Gase looked at all the pieces before the season, he saw the potential. But he
didn’t expect this type of machine.
“Where we’re at right now, it’s unusual to be as balanced as we’ve been,” Gase
said. “I don’t know if it’s a little bit of luck. Maybe teams have taken away certain
guys each game differently — that’s why different players have been able to step
up and have a big game.”
But for wide receiver Eric Decker, the Manning effect is obvious.
In his first season with Manning in 2012, Decker racked up more receiving yards
than he did in his first two seasons in the league combined. He finished with 85
catches for 1,064 yards, and this year he’s on pace for another 1,000-yard season.
In 2011, one week the ball would come Decker’s way as many as 13 times. Another
week, it wouldn’t come his way at all. This season, Manning has targeted Decker at
least five times in every game.
Maximizing his weapons, Decker said, is a part of what makes Manning who he is.
“I think that it comes down to his greatness,” Decker said. “He’s a very smart and
athletic quarterback. He’s a guy that has the vision, watches tape to the point
where he knows what defenses are doing, and if he has the guys that want to work
hard enough for him and be in the right spot he’s going to find you, and I think
historically that’s what guys have been able to do.”
The way Manning has spread the wealth this season has been astounding, but it’s
also been his signature throughout his career. In 16 years, Manning has had 15
different receivers record 50-catch seasons.
Some of them, such as Marshall Faulk, Marvin Harrison, and Reggie Wayne, are
legends.
Some of them, such as Pierce Garcon, who caught 188 passes in four seasons with
the Colts, flourished with Manning.
Those Colts teams left a lasting impression on Decker. He watched them in high
school and in college at Minnesota. In 2004 with the Colts, Brandon Stokely had his
best season as a pro, catching 68 passes for 1,077 yards. Eventually he would
move to Denver, where he was teammates with Decker last season, and when
Manning arrived, Decker imagined himself playing a similar role.
“They always talk about ‘The Greatest Show on Turf’ was St. Louis, but I thought
Indianapolis was one of those teams, as well,” Decker said. “Just throwing the
football down the field, scoring a lot of points, and going fast. It was fun football
and that was kind of what excited me as a receiver — to watch things like that and
really strive to be in a position like that.”
In two seasons, Manning and his receiving corps seem as custom-fitted as any of
the groups he’s had in the past. Manning made it a priority to get on the same page
as quickly as possible.
“I feel like the offseason work is important when you know you’re going to have a
number of new guys that you’re playing with,” Manning said. “At the same time,
you just can’t simulate in the offseason what it’s going to be like in the regular
season — different scenarios, a two-minute drill, a different third-down defense
you’re going to see. You just have to go through all those things and you’re so
much better the second time around.
“All I know is when I’ve played with new receivers, every single practice, every
single walkthrough, it’s just so important and trying to get on the same page, but
yet experience is still your best teacher. What you like to do is try to get as many
different situations and experiences in early in the season and use those to your
benefit in the second half of the season.”
Some of Manning’s best years predated current Broncos star wideout Demaryius
Thomas.
Thomas was 11 years old when Manning set four rookie passing records in 1998
(326 completions, 575 attempts, 3,739 yards, and 26 touchdowns) and the thought
of playing football hadn’t crossed his mind.
In 2004, when Manning won his second of four MVP awards, completed at least 50
passes to four receivers, three of which finished with more than 1,000 yards,
Thomas was having a breakout season at West Laurens (Ga.) High School.
After the Broncos took Thomas with the 22d overall pick in the 2010 draft, Manning
put up the best numbers of his career that season, throwing for a career-high 4,700
yards and completing an NFL-record 450 passes.
But Thomas could see the potential of this year’s team before the season even
started. His eyes lit up when the Broncos promoted Gase from quarterbacks coach
to offensive coordinator in January. From the first meeting, Thomas said, he could
see Gase’s vision for the offense.
Still, there was no way he could have envisioned the Broncos hanging at least 40
points on the scoreboard five times this season, running up a league-high 398
points (third most in NFL history through 10 games), scoring on more than a third
of their possessions (47 of 130), and sawing through the AFC en route to a 9-1
start.
“We never knew what it was going to be, but we knew we were going to go out
every week and play fast,” Thomas said. “Whatever he gave us, we were going to
try to convert it to our best ability. We knew we had a lot of special guys around.
All we had to do was just make it work and everybody buy in. And everybody did.
So far it’s working, and hopefully it can get better.”
After putting up a career-high 1,434 yards and 10 touchdowns in his first season
with Manning, Thomas already has found the end zone nine times and racked up
914 yards this season.
It’s a product of Manning being the maestro on the field.
“We’re coming in every week, preparing, knowing what the defense does, and just
going with the play-calling that our offensive coordinator gives us,” Thomas said.
“Then Peyton is putting us in the right spot. We try to go out every week, try to be
our best, and get open every time.
“Whatever we do, we’ve got to try to get open every time we’ve got a passing
route. We go full speed running the route. We keep the defenses on their feet so
they never know what we’re doing. Having a quarterback like Peyton, he’ll give you
a lot of opportunities to make plays. You get the chance to make a play, you’ve just
got to go out and do it.”
Peyton Manning at top of game
By Jeff Howe
The Boston Herald
November 21, 2013
FOXBORO — The transition to the Broncos was supposed to stunt his brilliance. The
right arm was supposed to fall off. The old age was supposed to land him in a
Floridian complex with his wrinkly peers and an endless supply of Scrabble boards.
Yet, at 37, quarterback Peyton Manning has remained upright and in charge on the
field, shunning doubters with record-setting performances and an offensive output
that might turn into the most productive season in NFL history. He is again leading
the most prolific attack in the league, less than two years after his career was in
doubt due to neck injuries and his arm strength was doubted.
Nearly as important, Manning’s stability as a locker room leader has kept Denver in
good shape as Jack Del Rio serves as the interim coach while John Fox recovers
from heart surgery.
“I’m just grateful that we’ve got a guy like that leading us,” Del Rio said of
Manning. “He is very competitive, extremely well-prepared and takes this position
and these opportunities very seriously. So the work ethic, and the competitive
nature, and the toughness and those things, that’s just part of who he is.”
Manning has completed a career-high 69.9 percent of his passes for an NFL-best
3,572 yards and 34 touchdowns this season while the Broncos lead the league with
39.8 points per game. Manning is on pace for 5,715 yards and 54 touchdowns, and
the Broncos are in line to score 636 points, all of which would set NFL records.
It might be even more impressive that Manning has led this aerial assault in his
second season with the Broncos, who are on their second offensive coordinator in
as many years. The latter is because Manning helped turn Mike McCoy into a firsttime head coach with San Diego.
The Patriots, who host Manning and the Broncos Sunday night, surely have a
challenge on their hands.
“He looks pretty good,” Bill Belichick said of Manning. “He looks pretty good every
year to me.”
The Manning effect has completely altered the Broncos, who have already scored
more points in 10 games than they did in any of the 11 seasons just prior to his
arrival.
Manning has greatly aided the development of Demaryius Thomas (60 receptions,
914 yards, nine touchdowns) into one of the NFL’s most prolific outside receivers.
The quarterback helped Eric Decker (54-792-3) transform from a run-of-the-mill
receiver into, perhaps, the best third option in the league. And while tight end
Julius Thomas (45-590-10) is finally healthy, Manning has turned a nobody into one
of the league’s most productive red-zone threats. Of course, Wes Welker (61-6489) has maintained his success in his first season with the new offense.
“Guys have done a good job adapting,” Manning said. “It is a credit to those guys
for kind of learning on the run, and doing and executing the offense in a relatively
new system.”
Manning has helped other guys look good, too. Running back Knowshon Moreno
(600 yards, eight touchdowns) is on pace for his most rushing yards since his
rookie season in 2009. And the offensive line, which has three different starters
from the unit that closed last season, is second in the NFL with 13 sacks allowed. A
major hat tip belongs to Manning’s ability to quickly identify the defensive coverage
and unload the ball.
“He’s a great quarterback at knowing where exactly the defenders are, and knowing
what routes are being run against the defense that’s on the field . . . so the ball
comes out that much quicker,” Pats defensive lineman Rob Ninkovich said.
A record four-time league MVP and presumptive favorite to win a fifth, Manning has
the Broncos (9-1) in the AFC’s pole position with six weeks left. The Patriots have to
find a way to slow him down if they want a realistic chance to claim the
conference’s top playoff seed.
If the numbers hold up over the next month, Manning would lead the NFL in
completions for the fourth time, yards for the third time and touchdowns for the
fourth time. The question, though, is whether Manning can sustain this success
when the temperature drops, and it could fall into the teens Sunday night at Gillette
Stadium.
Maybe the downturn has already begun. The Broncos averaged 42.9 points in their
first eight games but 27.5 in their last two. By comparison, the 2007 Patriots
averaged 41.4 points in their first eight games but 32.3 over their last eight.
While the criticism of Manning’s arm strength was overly dramatic, there is a sense
it’s taking a bit more effort to deliver his throws outside the numbers. Add the high
ankle sprains to the equation, and the likelihood rises of falling off the pace.
Yet, Manning has swatted aside those criticisms before, and he is at the center of
the Pats’ focus this week.
“Obviously, it starts with Peyton,” safety Steve Gregory said. “He’s an unbelievable
quarterback.”
Tom Brady, Peyton Manning are agedefying athletes
By Shira Springer
Boston Globe
November 20, 2013
Advances in areas such as training and nutrition mean that athletes such as 36year-old Tom Brady and 37-year-old Peyton Manning can stay at the top of their
games longer.
The questions come when Tom Brady throws with a little less zip and Peyton
Manning plays with heavily taped ankles. Are the future Hall of Famers showing
their age, physically breaking down? Or are they struggling through a tough
stretch, gutting out another NFL season?
Tough to know. Maybe a little of both. Aging athletes have proven to be an
unpredictable commodity, especially the two elite quarterbacks who will meet for
the 14th time Sunday night at Gillette Stadium.
Over the years, Brady, 36, and Manning, 37, have fought through serious injuries,
adjusted to ever-changing receiving corps, endured tough losses, and continued to
set records. Through 10 games, Manning is on pace for a career year with 34
touchdown passes and 3,572 yards, positioning himself to reclaim the record for TD
passes that Brady set with 50 in 2007.
Brady and Manning have been so good for so long, so meticulous about preparing
their bodies and minds for the NFL grind, that their career arcs look dramatically
different from most other players. Yet, while they continue to lead title-contending
teams well past 30 — the age around which quarterbacks achieve peak
performance levels, according to studies — they cannot avoid the inevitable decline.
Asked if he thought of himself as a trend-setter, trying to stay at the top of his
game until 40, Brady said, “We’ll see. I don’t think I’m quite at that point yet.
Maybe if you ask me in another five years, I’ll have a better answer.”
Training, talent, injury history, physiology, genetics, and mind-set are key factors
in how quickly athletic ability declines. Some critical variables — competitive drive,
workout intensity, and rest and recovery periods — can be controlled. Some
physiological factors — natural declines in maximum heart rate, maximum oxygen
consumption, and muscle mass and hormonal changes — cannot be controlled.
Athletes constantly search out new training routines, new technology, and in some
cases, new performance-enhancing drugs that will allow them stay ahead of the
curve.
As older competitors push performance boundaries, science investigates and the
sports world recalibrates their expectations.
Dr. Michael Joyner, who studies elite athlete physiology at the Mayo Clinic, said the
performances of older athletes raises a lot of questions about what’s normal and
shows what the minimal rates of aging are.
“If you look at when people first become world-class and when they drift out of
world-class, there’s usually about a four- to eight-year window when they’re really
at the top of their game,” said Joyner. “That window has been extended a bit
recently because there’s a lot more money, more sports, better sports medicine,
better equipment.
“If what happened to Peyton Manning [with his neck injury] happened 30 years
ago, he’d be done. Now, he’s out there torturing people.”
In a recent study of octogenarian endurance athletes, including a former Olympic
champion cross-country skier, researchers saw cases where “80 is the new 40,”
according to lead author Scott Trappe, director of Ball State’s Human Performance
Laboratory.
The study subjects were lifelong athletes who continued to exercise on a regular
basis and demonstrated the same aerobic capacity as people half of their age.
Considering what the results mean for professional athletes who are 35 and older,
Trappe said, “It certainly moves the goal line of what’s possible in terms of human
physiology.”
And, he noted, the goal line has been moving from 30 to 35 to 40 in terms of what
is “old” in professional sports.
Still, when asked if fans might see the Brady-Manning rivalry extend another four
or five years, Patriots coach Bill Belichick said, “I don’t know. From my history with
players, I can say some guys you take a look one year and then the next year
they’re the same. Then you take a look at them the next year and it’s not a gradual
decline, it’s a steep decline.
“Then there are other players that decline gradually and you see it’s not quite what
it was, but it’s still pretty close. There’s just no way to know or predict exactly how
that’s going to go.”
Brady and Manning appear poised to fare better over time. As the Broncos’ win over
the Chiefs Sunday night demonstrated, even a hobbled Manning can be better than
a younger, healthier quarterback. The same can be said for Brady.
Making the commitment
For everyone, physiological aging starts in the early to mid-30s. Although athletes
can delay some effects with intense training, they cannot prevent the age-related
drop in maximum heart rate and maximum oxygen consumption.
The body simply works less efficiently as it ages. For the average person, studies
show the decline is about 10 percent per decade. For a well-trained athlete, the
decline is roughly 5-7 percent per decade.
In their mid-40s, people lose muscle mass. Again, by training at the same intensity
throughout their careers, athletes can slow down the loss. But for most athletes in
their 30s, it’s a daily struggle, mentally and physically, to maintain such high-level
training.
“I admire guys who are older than me who are still doing it, because I’ll be the first
to tell you there are bad mornings, bad nights, bad shootarounds,” said 36-year-old
Dallas Mavericks shooting guard Vince Carter.
“If you’ve been around, you figure it out. You do what you need to do. That’s the
difference between some of the guys who want it and try to last and those who
don’t really care.”
“It all depends on the individual,” said 32-year-old Broncos receiver Wes Welker,
“how well they take care of themselves and how seriously they take the game. A lot
of it is making the commitment and sticking to it.
“I do anything and everything I can to help myself go out there and perform.
Hydrating right. Eating right. Massages. Stretching.”
Many players, coaches, and researchers say the most difficult part is the need for
more recovery time. Once players reach their mid-30s, the body doesn’t repair
stressed tissue as efficiently as it once did. The older the athlete, the longer it takes
to recover.
“Everything I do from the time one game ends to the next game goes into getting
ready for that next game,” said Welker. “It’s a race to see who can recover the
fastest.”
Given the brutal hits in football, NFL players face the biggest and most obvious
challenges.
The average career length for an NFL player is approximately 3.5 years. For an NBA
player, it’s 4.8 years, for NHL forwards and defensemen, it’s 5.5 years, and for a
Major League Baseball player, it’s 5.6 years, according to various studies.
For top-level players in the NFL, the numbers are significantly better. The average
career length for a first-round pick is 9.3 years, and for a player selected to at least
one Pro Bowl, it’s 11.7 years.
Regardless of sport, all high-intensity-training professional athletes face difficulties
when their careers start to stretch beyond the 15-year mark. Brady is in his 13th
season (not including the year he missed because of knee surgery), while Manning
is in his 15th (not including the year he missed because of neck surgery).
“Athletes can maintain their training for a span of 10, 15 years, and when you do
that, you can maintain your performance,” said Dr. Hirofumi Tanaka, director of the
Cardiovascular Aging Laboratory at the University of Texas. “I haven’t seen any
study that shows athletes can maintain their training over 20 years and they can
maintain their performance.”
It’s full-time work
Generally speaking, it’s easier for quarterbacks to compensate for age-related
declines than players at other positions. Brady and Manning rely as much on savvy
as on any particular physical skill. Quick thinking can compensate for a lack of
speed, and experience can compensate for a body slowly breaking down during the
season.
Speed, strength, endurance, flexibility, balance, and hand-eye coordination all
decrease as people grow older.
“Speed is the No. 1 thing that starts to go,” said Nick Winkleman, a strength and
conditioning coach with Athletes Performance. “And if you’re a strength and power
athlete, you’re going to find it significantly harder to make gains beyond that mid30s mark.”
Longevity also depends, in large part, upon what players do during the offseason
and between games. And there is ever-improving knowledge about that.
“Back when I got started, pitchers weren’t allowed to lift weights,” said former Red
Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield, who retired at 45. “We just ran and did our shoulder
program.
“Maybe 10 years ago, weight training became popular among all players, pitchers
especially. Until I was over 30, I felt like I could go pitch and not have to worry
about it. As I started getting older, I knew that I needed to stay in the weight room
to have an edge to compete.”
Brady is particular about everything from nutrition to sleep.
“The decision-making process from what time you go to bed to what you choose to
do on your off day to what you choose to eat when you sit down for lunch, those
are all important issues that ultimately affect the team,” said Brady. “I just try to
be very conscious of what I do.”
For older athletes, daily routines outside of competition can be as important as
pregame regimens. Winkleman considers stretching, massage, nutrition, and ice
baths essential. Science backs similar approaches, largely because they aid
recovery and prevent injury.
With advances in sports medicine, athletes are a couple decades removed from the
days when players viewed weightlifting skeptically and ACL tears jeopardized
careers. And they know more about how they should train, eat, and treat injuries.
“The current trend, especially in older athletes, is that they are using the ‘Formula
1’ approach,” said Tanaka. “They have a lot of support around them, like mechanics
supporting Formula 1 racing. Many athletes have their own massage therapists,
dieticians. They have a physical therapist. They have personal trainers. That’s
helping them to better maintain their performance.”
When asked his advice on prolonging a career, NBA great Reggie Miller, who retired
at 39, said, “Hire a chef.”
While former Celtic Kevin Garnett prefers to keep his daily routine private, he sees
NBA players extending their careers.
“The beautiful thing about yesteryear is that we are able to learn from it,” said
Garnett. “I definitely know that the athlete trains different from [the past]. They
weren’t into their health like we are now. It’s about becoming a student of your
body.”
And students of players like Brady and Manning.
In the Zone With Peyton Manning
By Ken Belson
The New York Times
November 16, 2013
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — As the Denver Broncos ran out the clock in their win over the
San Diego Chargers last weekend, football fans gasped as Peyton Manning, the
undisputed face of the N.F.L., got up limping after being tackled around his legs.
The injury turned out to be only an aggravation of an earlier ankle sprain, and
Manning said he would play Sunday in a prime-time showdown with the undefeated
Kansas City Chiefs, who are atop the A.F.C. West, one game ahead of the Broncos.
Yet the concern over Manning’s health was a reminder of how valuable he is — not
just to the Broncos, but the entire league. On pace to win a record fifth Most
Valuable Player award and perhaps lead the Broncos to the Super Bowl for the first
time in 15 years, Manning is a proven leader on the field, and a winner off the field,
too.
He is the country’s best-known football player, the successor to Dan Marino, John
Elway and Brett Favre, who all held center stage during their prime. Sponsors crave
his aw-shucks grin and seemingly spotless personal life, and a raft of endorsement
deals, including for Buick, DirecTV and Papa John’s, keeps him in the spotlight on
nongame days.
Manning, 37, has one of the most lucrative contracts and the best-selling jersey, as
well as a sense of humor that has made him a natural on “Saturday Night Live.”
From a family of star quarterbacks, he has an unmatched football pedigree.
“It’s all part of the legend of Peyton,” said Fred Gaudelli, the producer of NBC’s
“Sunday Night Football,” which will feature the Broncos four times this season. “It’s
about him playing the position like no one else. Any team that has Peyton Manning
makes a good team for ‘Sunday Night Football.’ ”
Manning’s record-setting season and commercial appeal is a welcome distraction for
the N.F.L., which is grappling with a host of hits to its image, including Aaron
Hernandez’s, the former Patriots tight end, being charged with murder; allegations
that the offensive lineman Jonathan Martin was bullied by Richie Incognito and
other teammates on the Miami Dolphins; and a heated debate about whether the
Washington Redskins should change their name.
On top of those problems, player safety remains a concern, even after the N.F.L.
agreed in August to pay $765 million to settle a lawsuit brought by thousands of
retirees who accused the league of burying evidence that repeated head hits could
lead to long-term brain damage. This month, the Hall of Fame running back Tony
Dorsett and two other former stars were found to have signs of a degenerative
brain disease linked to repeated head trauma.
This has not been a good year for star quarterbacks, either. Aaron Rodgers, Jay
Cutler and Michael Vick have been sidelined by injuries, and backup quarterbacks
are also being knocked out.
“I never like to see a quarterback get injured, I will say that,” Manning said
Wednesday at the Broncos’ training facility while he sidestepped questions about
the severity of his injury. “I think quarterbacks are a kind of unique fraternity, and
you kind of pull for one another — maybe not when you’re playing against them
that day.”
For now, Manning’s ankle sprain appears to be little more than a speed bump in an
otherwise standout season. After returning from several neck injuries, he guided
the Broncos to a 13-3 season last year, and the team is off to an even faster start
this season. Manning reached 400 touchdowns in record time and passed Marino on
the career passing list. One reason the Broncos are the top scoring team, averaging
41.2 points a game, is that Manning’s work ethic has rubbed off on others.
“Every day he comes in, and you can tell he loves practicing and everything about
what this is,” said Adam Gase, the team’s offensive coordinator. “He’s been in the
league a long time, but he acts like it’s his second year.”
Offense sells tickets, even more so when Manning is driving it. The Broncos have
sold out their home games for 44 consecutive seasons, so Manning cannot help fill
more seats. But tickets for resale average more than $300, according to TiqIq.com,
which tracks such data. Prices of tickets to Broncos road games are also steep.
Joe Ellis, the team’s president, said that Manning, along with Coach John Fox, who
is away from the team after heart surgery, and Elway, who is the vice president for
football operations, have revitalized fans, sponsors and network executives, who
now race to show Broncos games.
“Fans know they’re watching one of the greatest,” Ellis said. “Peyton takes it all
seriously, but he doesn’t take himself seriously. We’re at peak levels of popularity.”
Since Labor Day, the Broncos have been on six of the 11 most-watched television
programs, and the team will be featured on six prime-time broadcasts, the
maximum allowed for a team. Manning’s attention to detail extends to his readiness
to speak to visiting reporters and television announcers, sometimes sending team
spokesmen back to them with extra details he forgot to include in the interviews.
Naturally, he is a staple on sports radio across the Rocky Mountain states, where
Manning — who has three years left on his contract — has helped fuel regional
pride by making the team part of the national football conversation.
“He’s out of central casting in almost every respect,” said Sandy Clough, who hosts
a radio talk show on 104.3 the Fan in Denver. “He has his guarded side and he’s
very protective of his image. He understands the importance of being a quarterback
in the N.F.L.”
Clough said 95 percent of the conversation on his show was about the Broncos and,
not surprisingly, the phone lines lit up after Manning’s ankle sprain. Part of the fear,
he said, is that backup quarterbacks have a hard time replacing top stars.
Manning’s success on the field is also linked to his moneymaking potential off it.
The Broncos and Manning’s handlers declined to provide specifics about his
business dealings but, according to Jim Andrews at IEG, which tracks such deals,
Manning earns an estimated $13 million a year from endorsements. If he were to
win another M.V.P. award or lead the Broncos to the Super Bowl, Manning could
earn another $2 million or more, “assuming he is interested in doing more deals,”
Andrews said.
Paul Guyardo, the chief marketing officer at DirecTV, which has worked with the
Manning family for 14 years, said: “He really resonates with our core customer, a
family guy who loves sports. They’re good people, and that resonates in front of the
camera.”
Given his success this year, Manning’s jersey has been the top seller all season,
ahead of those for quarterbacks Colin Kaepernick and Russell Wilson, according
toFanatics.com, the largest online seller of licensed sports merchandise.
Manning jerseys are also big sellers at the store attached to the Broncos’ stadium.
On Thursday, Linda Holloway bought a bright orange Manning shirt. “He seems like
a good guy,” she said, adding that she had become a fan when her family lived in
Indianapolis, where Manning was involved in the community a lot.
Advertisers have tapped into his allure, too. Manning is the fourth-highest-ranked
athlete endorser after Michael Jordan, Hank Aaron and Arnold Palmer, according to
a basket of measures including awareness, likability and trust developed by
Celebrity DBI, a division of Repucom, a global sports marketing agency. Among
current athletes, Manning ranks highest, and when compared to all celebrities, he is
in the mix with Tom Hanks and Oprah Winfrey.
“It comes down to the fact that he is playing great, he wins, and that’s what draws
people to celebrities,” said Kathy Gardner, who runs Celebrity DBI. “He’s a
juggernaut.”
The Broncos are now the sixth-most-popular football team; they were not in the top
10 before Manning arrived, Gardner said. Manning has even touched businesses he
has nothing to do with. Joe Romano, a Broncos season ticket holder who owns eight
Domino’s pizza shops around Denver, said sales when the Broncos play jumped
about 25 percent the past three seasons.
“Peyton is tremendous fun to watch, and he certainly has this region jazzed about
football,” Romano said, “and he’s driving sales of pizza through the roof.”
Peyton Manning on his neck surgeries
rehab — and how he almost didn’t make
it back
By Sally Jenkins
Washington Post
October 21, 2013
At first, when Peyton Manning woke up from the anesthesia, he was relieved: The
pain in the neck that he had lived with for years was gone. As he came to, he
stirred in the hospital bed, took stock of his misery-free condition, and started to
push himself upright. Then it happened — his right arm buckled beneath him.
Surprised, he struggled again to sit up, and at that moment, he understood his
career was in jeopardy.
It was May 2011, and Manning had checked into Northwestern Memorial Hospital in
Chicago for surgery on a herniated disc, a tear in the protective ring in his neck that
had undermined his performance after 14 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. The
procedure was supposed to fix it, but now when he pushed himself up in bed, his
right triceps was unable to bear his weight. Trying to contain his alarm, the most
eminent quarterback in the NFL asked his surgeon what had happened to his arm.
The surgeon explained that the disc had been pressing on a nerve. It would take
some time for the irritation to subside, and for the nerve and muscle to come back
alive.
But two weeks later, Manning’s arm still felt weak. By this time he noticed that the
grip strength in his hand also appeared to be affected. “If any other part of your
body has some weakness you go, ‘Well I can probably manage,’” Manning says.
“But when you’re a quarterback and it’s your right hand, you’re certainly concerned
far as being able to do your job.” His doctors discovered that he had re-herniated
the disc, and Manning returned to the hospital for a second surgery, this one in
virtual secrecy.
While he waited to heal, Manning largely disappeared from public view, unwilling to
let anyone see his arm in such feeble condition. “I wasn’t just going to throw with
anybody around watching,” he says. “I was guarded and protective.” The NFL was
in the midst of a four-month labor lockout, which meant he couldn’t use the Colts’
facilities or trainers, so he looked for a place to rehab unobserved. His old college
friend Todd Helton, then a first baseman with the Colorado Rockies, suggested he
come out to Denver where he could work out secretly and get treatment from the
Rockies’ trainers, who were accustomed to dealing with arms.
The first pass Manning threw post-surgery was to Helton, and they were so
concerned with privacy that they went to an underground batting cage beneath the
Rockies’ stadium. Helton took up a position about 10 yards away and held out his
hands. Manning reared back, and threw.
“The ball nose-dived after about five yards,” Manning says.
It didn’t even make it halfway to Helton before it hit the ground. Helton burst out
laughing — he thought Manning was joking.
“C’mon, quit kidding,” he said.
“Man, I wish I was,” Manning said.
‘I had to relearn’ how to throw
It’s always been an interesting question what Peyton Manning was given and what
he acquired for himself. At this point, 37 years old, with a zipper scar on his neck,
stoop-shouldered and slack-armed compared to his youth, it’s safe to conclude that
his inherited genetic gifts are the least of him. Even in shoulder pads he is lank and
relatively unmuscled next to younger specimens, and with his shirt off, well, he’s no
Gatorade commercial.
The upper body atrophied after three surgeries cost him the 2011 season and his
job with the Colts, leaving him with that strip of stitches as if Zorro tried to cut his
shirt off at the collar. Yet somehow a man with two soldered together vertebrae
enters Sunday's game against the Washington Redskins playing the best football of
his life and maybe of any NFL quarterback ever: He has led the Denver Broncos to
a 6-1 record and is on pace to set single-season records for touchdowns, yardage
and completion percentage.
All of which makes it difficult to conceive that just 18 months ago Manning
wondered whether he would ever play again — the only reminders an occasional
pass that shows a telltale wobble, and dies.
“I don’t believe I throw quite the same as before I was injured,” Manning says by
phone on his way home from a recent Broncos practice. “A lot of that is injury, a lot
of it is being 37 years old, and a lot is playing with a new team. I’ve had a lot of
change. It’s hard to know what percentage is what. I’m just trying to be the best
player I can be in this new chapter.”
Cut by Indianapolis post-surgery, it seemed victory enough when Manning made it
back to the field in a Broncos uniform last season and led them to a 13-3 record.
But those closest to him say the feat was if anything underestimated. “I don’t think
people really understand what he overcame,” says Duke head coach David Cutcliffe,
Manning’s offensive coordinator at the University of Tennessee. According to
Manning’s father Archie, he was closer to retirement than anyone knew.
“It was, ‘Am I gonna throw like a 40-year-old man?’ He didn’t want to be out there
if he didn’t belong,” Archie says.
It’s a fact Manning candidly admits, and for the first time discusses without reserve.
That he underwent neck surgeries was well-known — it was “a public ordeal,” as he
puts it — but what he hasn’t talked about freely until now was just how weak the
arm was and how far he had to go to recover it. The surgeries so reduced him that
when he began rehabilitation, he could barely grip the ball. “I had to relearn,” he
says. And in the relearning, he learned some things about himself. For one, he
says, “That I could persevere.”
Manning was born with undeniable gifts, a tangle of ribonucleic acids that bestowed
on him golden boyness, a scanning intelligence, and that python-thick arm he got
from his cool and silvery old man Archie, who remains a legend at Ole Miss and
quarterbacked the New Orleans Saints from 1971 to 1982.
But Manning was also born with a congenital weakness: that neck. He was 16 when
his older brother Cooper, a promising wide receiver, received a diagnosis of careerending spinal stenosis, a collapsing of the spaces between his vertebrae that
pressured the spinal cord. Archie insisted his younger sons Peyton and Eli be
thoroughly examined for spinal-cervical weakness, too, and a doctor pronounced
teenaged Peyton’s neck curvature a potential problem. It wasn’t bad enough to
forbid football, but it was less than ideal.
“Not picture perfect,” Manning says.
For 20 years, the golden boyness trumped the not-picture-perfect flaw. Between
the ages of 15 and 35, he never missed a game with an injury. He made every start
for 14 seasons with the Colts, winning four most valuable player awards, and a
Super Bowl after the 2006 season. “I’d had this string of good health and good
fortune,” he says. “Good protection, good coaches, good linemen, played in a good
system. When you play for 20 years, and really, I never had to miss a game due to
injury, that’s not just good protection. That’s good luck.”
But then the neck began to fray. He developed a pinched nerve, for which he
underwent surgery in February 2010. Then came the herniated disc and successive
surgeries in 2011.
There was no blueprint for nerve regeneration, Manning’s doctors told him.
Sometimes nerves came back 100 percent, and sometimes they came back at 50
percent. And sometimes they didn’t recover at all. There was no timetable, or
treatment, and he could only be patient. “The frustrating part was there was no one
to call who had this, no other thrower,” Manning says. “There was no protocol.”
Of all the traits Manning was born with, the one that served him best during those
months wasn’t his analytical mind or his physical strength, but his painstaking
temperament. Manning has always been the most exacting man who has played the
position, compulsively meticulous, a turn-over-every-stoner. The quality helped him
cope when he finally encountered a problem he couldn’t solve with arm strength.
“If you have a problem with Peyton’s intensity, take it up with the Lord,” Cutcliffe
says.
Keeping the injury in perspective
In July 2011, with his arm still unresponsive, Manning went back home to New
Orleans for a dose of perspective from the people who knew him best, his parents
and brothers. He did a little throwing with his younger brother Eli, quarterback for
the New York Giants. He and Eli had always played a lot of catch. “We throw the
same, with pretty good RPMs going both ways,” he says. But by this time,
Manning’s grip was so poor that he couldn’t catch his brother’s passes; the ball
slipped right through his hands. When he tried to throw it, the ball fluttered weakly
through the air. Eli told him frankly, “It looks like you can’t finish the throw and get
anything on it.”
But it was Manning’s older brother Cooper who put his neck injury in the proper
context and cured him of any self-pity. Cooper had been an athlete equal to anyone
in the family, an all-state wide receiver with a scholarship to Ole Miss, when he
began experiencing numbness and atrophy in his right bicep. The Mannings flew to
the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, where tests showed dangerous degeneration in his
spine. He underwent surgery to relieve the pressure on his spinal cord, and
complications set in. After weeks in a wheelchair, he had to walk with a cane. All of
which Manning had witnessed up close, even as his own development was
climaxing.
“I’ve never taken it for granted, ever since Cooper’s career was taken from him just
like that,” Manning says. “So I always had it in perspective, and I didn’t need a year
off to remind me how lucky I was to play.”
He and Cooper talked, comparing their conditions — but in truth, Manning realized,
there was no comparison. He had gotten a career, and Cooper hadn’t. “Maybe this
was my not-picture-perfect-neck catching up with me finally,” Manning says. “I just
thought, wow, I got almost 20 years out of this neck. Boy, I’m grateful for the time
I’ve had.”
Still, the meticulous part of Manning was unsatisfied. He sought second, and third
medical opinions. He flew to Europe four times, trying various therapies or
promised miracle cures, most of them having to do with electro-stimulation
techniques to rekindle the nerves. “Some had a little voodoo to them,” he says.
“When you’re injured and not recovering fast, it’s hard to dismiss those. You never
knew if one might work, so I tried a few of those.”
He spent weeks in the weight room pumping embarrassingly low weights, fivepound dumbbells. He’d always been the kind of person who did 15 repetitions when
10 would suffice, but no amount of reps would make the nerve come back faster,
and overwork was the worst thing he could do. Trying to throw was like “stepping
on the gas and there is no gas in the car,” he says.
“Sometimes progress was not going backwards,” he adds. “It was just a real test of
patience unlike anything I had to go through. There was nothing I could do about
it.”
Not only was his arm weak; he had a weird sensation that he was no longer sure of
where it was when he threw. At one point he tried to fire a ball and it flew a full 12
yards wide of the target. “It’s hard to explain but I kind of lost awareness of my
arm in space,” he says. “When you had the same throwing motion for so long —
golfers talk about repeating their swing, well, quarterbacks repeat too. But I
couldn’t repeat. That was scary. Just discouraging.”
He fought to keep a good attitude, hoping that the arm would somehow
dramatically improve at the last minute, so he could show up at the Colts’ training
camp. For four months, he woke up every day and told himself that today was the
day his arm would come back alive. “You talk about being pretty disappointed
around two in the afternoon when you realize today is not the day,” he says.
That September, the disc re-herniated yet again. This time, Manning sought a
permanent solution: a fusion to stabilize the neck. It would be his fourth surgery in
two years. He sat down with Archie and Olivia, who were concerned that his priority
be his health and not football. Manning explained that he was going to give it just
one more try.
“I’m gonna work as hard as I can, and listen to the doctors,” he said. “And if the
doctors say I can’t, then it’s been a good ride.”
Baby steps and small measurements
At the start of the 2011 season, Manning was in another hospital bed recovering
from a single-level anterior fusion: a spinal specialist named Robert Watkins
removed the damaged disc from his spinal cord, filled the space with a bone graft,
and welded the vertebrae together with a plate and screws. This time when
Manning woke up, he could barely throw a dart. The game was prescribed as part
of his rehab, but the first time he tossed one, he couldn’t penetrate the dartboard.
“I could barely get the thing to stick,” he says.
For almost three months he didn’t touch a football. His friend Cutcliffe advised him,
“Stop throwing.” Forcing the issue wasn’t healthy, and could create other problems
in his elbow or rotator cuff, Cutcliffe warned. Also, “It’s bad for you to see yourself
throwing poorly. So stop throwing.”
When he did finally did pick up a football again, it was just to throw a few gentle lob
passes to his wife, Ashley. There was a sweetness to their games of catch: In April
2011, the couple had welcomed twins, Marshall and Mosley. Caring for the
newborns gave Manning a deep contentment even as he dealt with the prospect of
retirement. “I had a real peace,” he says. “I don’t know if many people believe that,
but I had a peace if this was not to be.”
Compared to being a father, a football comeback seemed like a vanity project. “I
don’t want to be selfish,” he told Archie. Devotion to parenthood had been his
father’s greatest talent, and Manning wanted the same for his family. “I’m not sure
it would have been as easy if I wasn’t coming home and playing with them every
night,” Manning says. “The one year the Lord took my greatest physical gift, he
gave me the greatest gift you could have in children. So that was a real equalizer.
And I would take that trade any day of the week.”
When Manning did begin to throw seriously again, he moved slowly and
deliberately. For weeks he sat in front of a mirror and practiced his throwing
motion, over and over, until it looked familiar again and he could repeat it. “So that
was step one,” he says. “I said, ‘At least I know where my arm is.’ௗ”
Step two was a December 2011 trip to the Duke campus to begin work with
Cutcliffe, who had watched him since he was 18 and understood him better as an
athlete than anyone except his father. Cutcliffe designed a program of baby steps
and small measurements, with the idea of rebuilding Manning’s confidence, along
with his arm mechanics. “We started at ground zero,” Manning says. “It was good
going to someone who knew you from the beginning.”
They worked in secret, because Manning continued to be highly self-conscious and
by no means convinced he could make it back. Though he was not in pain and the
disc problem had been solved, the surgeries had left his right arm significantly
weaker than his left. Holding sessions around Cutcliffe’s collegiate schedule,
sometimes in the pre-dawn or at 11ௗp.m., they began with the simple, fundamental
task of regaining the feel in his hand. “You actually throw a ball with your fingers,”
Cutcliffe says. Before Manning could throw an NFL-quality ball, they had to address
whether he’d be able to even hold a snap firmly enough.
“The toughest part was the emotions of, you go from being as good as there is on
earth, to relearning how to do it,” Cutcliffe says. “And that was interesting. It was
an interesting challenge for a guy as good as he is in the world, to have to work on
every single minuscule thing.”
They worked on his setup — the same movements he had practiced as a 3-yearold. Each day Cutcliffe filmed Manning’s release, and measured the velocity of his
passes and his arm speed. The numbers steadily inched up — and then began to
show dramatic progress.
Next, Cutcliffe addressed “his intention to release,” the subtle moment when a
quarterback, looking downfield, makes a decision and begins his first movement to
throw to a target. Great players in a secondary don’t just try to break on the ball;
they try to break even earlier, on the “intention” of the quarterback. Manning
worked on shortening the time between his decision and actual release. He got
quicker and more accurate by the day.
“When he saw himself getting back to his normal, when he could get the ball into
his arm slot, and felt it, God, that was fun to see,” Cutcliffe says.
“He just flat out got better”
In February 2012, Watkins declared Manning’s neck firmly fixed and fully healed,
and cleared him for NFL play. He was no more at risk of injury than anyone else on
the field. But Manning still had weakness in his triceps; the nerves hadn’t
completely regenerated and the question of whether they ever would remained.
Manning would simply have to work around it, Watkins told him. “It’s your job to
learn to compensate for that,” Watkins said. The key would be to get his legs, core,
and other arm sections as strong as possible.
“What he kind of said was, ‘I think you can still be a thrower with a weak triceps,
but everything else needs to fire pretty good,’ௗ” Manning says.
But that prognosis wasn’t good enough for the Colts, who on March 6 released
Manning and announced their intention to go young and draft Andrew Luck with the
No. 1 pick. Now a free agent, Manning’s workouts gained an added intensity — and
became a source of national theater when he announced he would conduct a series
of private auditions for clubs of his choice. He and Cutcliffe went into intensive
preparations for them. “It was a full-court press situation,” Manning says.
On the surface, Manning seemed in charge of the process, from his gracious
farewell at a Colts news conference to his cherry-picking of teams he was interested
in, settling on the San Francisco 49ers, Tennessee Titans and Broncos. In reality,
Manning was anxious. On March 15 he had his first audition, in front of 49ers Coach
Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman. He was as nervous as he had
been as a collegian at Tennessee trying out for pro scouts. “Maybe even more so,”
he says. “I haven’t felt like that in some time, because I really wasn’t sure of my
physical state, I was still learning what I could and couldn’t do, and now someone
who was not a friend was going to come and watch.”
Harbaugh and the rest of the NFL coaches wouldn’t sugarcoat anything, Manning
knew, and he didn’t want them to. After months of secrecy and clandestine
workouts, it was time to expose himself. He wanted the harsh truth, a final
judgment on whether he could still play the game. He stripped down and underwent
a full physical like a horse on an auction block, showing everything.
“I wanted them to see me in person,” he says. “All of them felt my muscles. You
could see the atrophy in my arm and right pectoral. I wanted to put it all out on
table, and have them say, ‘Here’s what we think,’ rather than show them a video of
me. I wanted them to tell me, ‘Hey you look good enough to play for us.’ௗ”
By the end of March, the Broncos decided he was good enough and awarded him a
five-year deal worth $96 million. But even then, Manning still had huge strides to
make. In July 2012, he went back to New Orleans to join his family for their annual
football camp, and he did some throwing with his father looking on. He was three
weeks away from his first training camp with the Broncos. Archie thought he looked
.ௗ.ௗ. just okay.
“Wasn’t bad, wasn’t ugly, but it wasn’t Peyton,” Archie says. “I thought he could
play, but I didn’t know how his game was going to change. I knew what made him
the quarterback he was, but he had a new team, a new system, and a new body he
was playing with. So I had no idea he could be as productive as he was.”
Manning continued working on the program he had drawn up with Cutcliffe, and the
long awaited dramatic jump in strength finally came. And then kept coming. As it
turned out, his spectacular debut season with the Broncos, with 37 touchdown
passes, was merely an appetizer. How could there be room for improvement? But
there was. “This year at age 37, he got better,” Archie marvels. “He just flat got
better.” He pauses. “We been at this a long time,” he says. “But yeah, we are very
proud of him. Let’s keep it going. Just keep him healthy.”
Cutcliffe says that the Manning of this season is much stronger than last, and in
some ways than he has ever been, given his new emphasis on legs and core. And
he still may not have found his best form. “It’s going to do nothing but get better
as he continues to regain strength,” Cutcliffe says. Add to his physical improvement
the fact that the Broncos have surrounded him with more weapons and the best
supporting cast he has ever had.
Cutcliffe believes the injury forced Manning to be more exacting in his habits than
ever, and that the Broncos’ explosive numbers this season reflect the fact that he
has exported those habits to his teammates. He developed an almost intuitive
relationship with his primary receivers, Wes Welker, Demaryius Thomas and Eric
Decker, after a summer of “hard, hot work” with Cutcliffe at Duke. “The entire
mentality is catching on and it makes everybody play better,” Cutcliffe observes.
Nevertheless, it is scarcely believable that the NFL passing leader is a 37-year-old
with metal in his neck. Here is an even more incredible fact: To this day, Manning’s
right arm remains slightly weaker than his left. He still works on that right triceps
and nerve, but is resigned to the possibility that they might not ever come fully
awake. “I couldn’t tell you whether they’ll come back, and until I stop playing I
won’t stop trying,” he says.
He makes up for it, he says, with other things. Like timing, recognition, and
disguise. He got some advice from Bill Parcells, the two-time Super Bowl-winning
coach who is now an analyst for ESPN: Parcells, a big baseball fan, told Manning
not to worry so much about throwing strikes, but to think more like a pitcher and
throw junk. “Can you still get ’em out?” Parcells asked. Manning replied puzzled,
“What do you mean?” Parcells answered, “There are different ways to move the
chains. Can you get it in the end zone is what matters.”
So these days he thinks less about throwing missiles or glamorous arcs, than about
just tricking the opposition and delivering the ball to the right place. The golden
boyness has faded; in its place is a man with a fighter’s face, narrow eyes and a
slightly hooked nose that keeps him from being pretty, hair mowed short as a
putting green, and expression closed shut, refusing to give anything away to the
opponent. Defensive backs describe trying to read Manning’s face as he scans the
field, nothing moving under center except his predatory eyes, “flicking back and
forth,” as Eagles safety Earl Wolff says.
He has become an expert in replacing natural gifts with compensatory skills. He’s
learned he doesn’t need the old velocity, that he can drive the ball strongly enough
with his legs, and win as much with good decisions as great throws. “Maybe certain
throws you don’t make anymore,” Manning says. “Or you throw a little sooner. You
learn to adjust your mind, have maybe even more of a sense of timing.”
The result is that he now views his career as a sort of split image, before and after.
There is the Before Manning and the After Manning — and this one plays entirely in
a grateful present.
“I really don’t compare myself anymore to how I was before,” he says. “I’ve learned
to throw in this state, and I’m just trying to do the best I can with the way things
are.”
Which may end up being better than anyone has ever done it.
Indianapolis tribute to Peyton Manning
includes short video, big cheers
By Mike Klis
The Denver Post
October 20, 2013
INDIANAPOLIS — Robotic about his pregame routine, Peyton Manning took his
helmet off and let the large crowd see he is a human being first, a quarterback
second.
A video tribute of Manning's time in Indianapolis played on the Lucas Oil Stadium
jumbo screens Sunday night. In the footage, he was wearing a Colts uniform,
throwing touchdown passes to Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne and Brandon
Stokley.
Manning was wearing a Broncos' white uniform as the tribute played. He was a
Colts quarterback for 14 seasons, a Broncos quarterback going on season two.
The tribute was played a couple minutes before kickoff, and Manning warmed up
his arm as usual. In between throws, though, he looked up at the video screen.
He didn't want to disrespect the Indianapolis fans by ignoring his tribute.
Near the end of the video, which was about a minute long, the highlights showed
Manning standing on the midfield podium in a driving Miami rain after winning
Super Bowl XLI on Feb. 4, 2007. He hoisted the Lombardi Trophy as the rain
poured.
The Colts' crowd Sunday night roared its approval. The tribute ended with the
screen fading to Colt blue and the message: "Thank You, Peyton."
It held there a few seconds as the crowd cheered. Manning took off his helmet with
his right hand and waved to the crowd with his left. He looked into the crowd and
said, "Thank you, thank you very much," several times while nodding to his former
hometown fans.
After taking 15 to 20 seconds to acknowledge the cheers, Manning put his helmet
on and moved toward his sideline. The visiting sideline. The Broncos sideline. It was
time for kick off.
Kids at Children’s Hosptial in
Indianapolis mean everything to
Peyton Manning
By David Mitchell
KWGN
October 18, 2013
INDIANAPOLIS — Peyton Manning is getting ready for a showdown against his
former team, the Indianapolis Colts.
But the future Hall of Fame quarterback says one of his greatest accomplishments
in life has nothing to do with football.
FOX31 Denver Sports Director Nick Griffith is already reporting from Indianapolis,
and Thursday he visited the place that is home for Manning’s mission for kids.
He spent 14 years playing football in Indianapolis. But it’s a children’s hospital in
that city that still sits closest to his heart.
In 2007 St. Vincent Children’s Hospital became Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital
at St. Vincent.
Since then, and even in the years before, Peyton Manning’s face was a constant in
Indianapolis. And even though he’s playing in Denver now, he remains highly
involved in Indy.
“I’ll call a child in the hospital. I still have a very strong association with Children’s
Hospital there,” he told the Denver media recently.
He does make the rounds at the hospital via telephone. He calls many patients at
the hospital, including Madeline Helpling who is recovering from cancer.
“I answered it and he said, ‘Is this Madeline?’ And I said ‘yeah.’ He said, ‘Hi
Madeline, this is Peyton Manning,’ and I was just like ‘hi Peyton!” she says as her
face brightens up.
Through the patients and in pictures on the wall in the facility, Peyton’s presence is
everywhere.
“He just wanted me to know he was praying for me and my family and that we
were in his thoughts,” Madeline says.
Just because he’s wearing orange and blue now instead of blue and white, doesn’t
mean his message and support don’t still play on.
“He was pretty emphatic. He said, ‘I got traded by the Colts. I didn’t get traded by
St. V’s',” says Vince Caponi, CEO of the Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital. Capone
was instrumental in recruiting Manning to the Hospital.
“In typical Peyton Manning fashion he wanted to know all the details, he wanted to
know what he would be responsible for,” Caponi says.
They worked together to develop the concept and the construction of what is now
considered one of the best children’s hospitals in the nation.
“I don’t think football was mentioned once,” Madeline says. “He just wanted to
make sure that my treatment was going well. It was all about me, you know. It was
awesome.”
But Sunday there are tough choices to be made. Griffith asked Madeline who she
would root for. “I’ll root for Peyton before the game starts, but after the game
starts I’ll root for the Colts,” she says.
After the game is over, she says she’ll root for Peyton again.
Griffith says he’s found a lot of that around Indianapolis. There are a lot of fans who
are struggling with whether to root for Peyton or root for the Colts.
Bob Krav
vitz writes an op
pen le
etter tto
Peytton Mannin
M
ng
By Bob Kravitz
Indianapolis Star
Octoberr 18, 2013
An Open
n Letter to Peyton Ma
anning:
I don’t ever
e
profes
ss to speak
k for an enttire city, ne
ever have. But on this, I feel sa
afe
in believ
ving that I’’m representative of the
t
public sentiment as you retturn to
Indianapolis for Su
unday nigh
ht’s game.
Thank you.
y
Thank you
y
for mak
king Indian
napolis a fo
ootball tow
wn. Thank y
you for all tthe things
you’ve done
d
off the field, and
d the Peyto
on Manning
g Children’’s Hospital and the
Peyback
k Foundatio
on are just the tip of the iceberg
g when it ccomes to y
your charity
y
and gen
nerosity of spirit. Thank you for helping bu
uild this sta
adium (with taxpayerr
help, I should
s
men
ntion), than
nk you for being the reason Ind
dy got a Su
uper Bowl,
thank you for the fact this frranchise is still in Indiianapolis.
It wasn’’t just all th
he wins, an
nd there were lots of them, or tthe Super B
Bowl and a
all
the othe
er wild succ
cesses. It was
w the wa
ay you com
mported yo
ourself, with
h class and
d
dignity, a Southern kid bec
coming a trrue Midwessterner thro
ough and tthrough.
e throwing a football or
o visiting a sick child
d in the ho
ospital or
Whether you were
Saturday Night Live,” you repressented the
e very best of this city
y for
tearing it up on “S
so many
y years.
I hope you
y
take a minute to bathe in th
he adulatio
on. I know it’s going tto be diffic
cult,
and I kn
now you wa
ant to stay
y in football mode. Bu
ut take a m
minute, may
ybe a few
seconds
s, and let th
he moment take hold
d of you.
Keep in mind, the fans have never truly had closu
ure, never had a chance to say
odbye. Who
o could hav
ve known tthat the playoff loss tto the Jets
s in
thank you and goo
ould be the
e last time any of us would see you in a C
Colts uniform?
2010 wo
It was a privilege to watch you
y
work alll those yea
ars, and it was a priv
vilege to de
eal
with you
u as a med
dia member. I always
s learned so
omething a
about the g
game when
n we
spoke. And
A
I’ll alw
ways apprec
ciate you entrusting
e
m
me with yo
our messag
ge during tthe
whole passion play
y prior to your
y
departture. (Even
n though y
you called m
me “Andrew
w
Luck’s agent.”)
a
As a me
edia guy, th
he whole Jim Irsay-Jo
ohn Fox co
ontretempss made for good writing
and eas
sy talk radio, but I wa
as genuinely sad to se
ee and hea
ar it. This w
whole week
k
should have
h
been about the glory of th
he past and
d not the m
minor failurres. Again, I
don’t se
ee how Irsa
ay’s quotes
s rose to th
he level of inflammato
ory, but I c
can see how
you mig
ght have be
een offende
ed.
I just ho
ope any ill will is washed away by the time
e the Coltss make the
eir video triibute
before Sunday
S
nig
ght’s game. I truly do
o.
Ultimate
ely, I don’tt root for te
eams or ev
ven outcom
mes, but he
ere’s what I want to s
see
Sunday: An epic shootout
s
be
etween you
u and Andrrew Luck. D
Don’t partic
cularly care
e
who win
ns, but I wa
ant a game
e that will show,
s
once
e and for a
all, that this
s has been
na
giant wiin-win for everybody
e
involved.
It’s ama
azing to fully contemp
plate the im
mpact you had on thiis city.
This was a basketb
ball town for
f what se
eemed like forever. W
Whether it w
was the colllege
game orr the Pacerrs, it was all
a about ho
oops, abou t the state
e religion.
You cha
anged all th
hat. And the clearest sign is in tthe high scchools, whe
ere Indy-arrea
high sch
hool footba
all has beco
ome some of the bestt football in
n the natio
on. I can
rememb
ber watchin
ng neighbo
orhood kids
s play outt on the strreet, and the boy playing
quarterb
back was gesticulatin
g
ng madly, making
m
aud
dibles, yelling out “Om
maha,
Omaha!’’ and “App
ple, apple, apple!’’ for no discerrnible reaso
on. We cou
uldn’t go 10
0
ng jersey.
feet without seeing a Mannin
g
to be
e weird, aw
wkward, isn
n’t it? Weird
d for you, ffor sure, going to the
e
This is going
visitor’s locker roo
om, trying to
t stay in the
t
footbal l moment while the ffans are
bridled affe
ection. Weiird for the fans, who will show u
up
showering you witth their unb
xed loyaltie
es. There are
a going to be Mann ing jerseyss — we’re h
hearing
with mix
they’ve sold more Manning jerseys in Indy
I
this w
week than a
at any time
e since you
ur
departure — and there
t
are going
g
to be Luck jerse
eys.
One thin
ng, though
h: Don’t gett confused and try to
o quiet dow
wn the crow
wd while yo
ou’re
on offen
nse. This ha
as become
e a fairly so
ophisticated
d football ttown, in larrge part
because
e of you, bu
ut I’m tellin
ng you, it won’t
w
work
k. Not this ttime.
I’m guessing it’s going
g
to be a Colts cro
owd Sunda
ay; there w
won’t be an
ny question
ns
about th
heir ultimate allegiance. But the
ere will be lots of you
ur fans, too
o, Colts fan
ns
who are
e also Mann
ning fans, folks
f
who’d
d love to se
ee you thro
ow five TD passes wh
hile
Luck thrrows for fiv
ve and gets
s a game-w
winning fie ld goal from Adam Vinatieri.
I’ve bee
en doing th
his sports th
hing for a lo-o-ong
l
ti me, and I don’t recalll anything
quite lik
ke the set of
o circumsttances we will
w all exp erience Su
unday.
I hope you
y
get wh
hat you des
serve Sund
day night, a
and I hope you can ta
ake the tim
me
to enjoy
y it.
I believe
e I speak for
f the entire city herre when I ssay it:
Thank you.
Bob Kravitz: Peyton Manning continues
to reach out and touch lives
By Bob Kravitz
Indanapolis Star
October 17, 2013
ENGLEWOOD, COLO. — Wade Tefft leafs through the pictures he keeps in a gold
envelope. They are sweet memories, pictures of his mother, Laura, who has since
passed away, standing shoulder to shoulder with Broncos quarterback Peyton
Manning. They were taken just months after Tefft’s parents, who lived on Indy’s Far
Northside, were victimized by a criminal who killed Tefft’s father, Thomas, and stole
the family car.
“This ruthless animal who broke into our home and killed my dad is one end of the
human spectrum,” Tefft said as he sat as desk at Mayo Aviation in suburban
Englewood. “And then there are people like Peyton Manning who are kind-hearted
and giving, and we have to remember that in times of tragedy.
“There’s goodness and kindness in the world.”
There are a lot of Manning stories like this one, stories of his charity and goodwill,
most of which happen beyond the gaze of the TV cameras and without press
releases.
This is one of them. It shows how Manning has continued to do in Denver what he
did for all those years in Indianapolis — reach out and touch people.
It goes like this:
In March of 2013, a masked gunman entered the Far Northside home of Thomas
and Laura Tefft. Detectives still aren’t sure what the circumstances were but
Thomas was shot and killed during the robbery. He was 67 years old, a glazier at
Cook’s Glass & Mirror Company in Indianapolis.
Shortly thereafter, it was decided that Laura, who was dealing with breast cancer
after a long remission, could not return to the home. So she moved to Denver with
her son, Wade, his wife and three children.
“One day, one of the grandkids was talking about some trouble at school, and my
mother kept bringing up Peyton Manning’s name and how he was such a role model
and he had the kind of values you should model yourself after,” Tefft said. “And it
got me to thinking, what could I do to get my mom’s mind off all the terrible things
that have happened in her life?”
In April, Wade Tefft had an idea: He would go through the Broncos directory, find
the public-relations person — in this case, Patrick Smyth — and send a letter asking
if Manning might drop a call to his suffering mother. Or a signed photo. Something,
anything, that might help her deal with the horror of the previous months.
Smyth passed the message on to Manning.
“Let’s have them come out here,” he told Smyth.
A call or a photo wasn’t enough.
He wanted to do more.
When Wade went to tell his mother the news, she was in bed.
“We told her, ‘We’ve got some exciting news for you,’ and her eyes got big, her jaw
dropped, then she got out of bed and did a happy dance,” Tefft said with a smile.
“Then she was on the phone to all her friends in Indy, just elated.”
So in May, Wade and Laura made their way out to the Broncos’ Dove Valley
practice facility. There, they took a tour of the facility, looked at the team’s two
Super Bowl trophies. They watched a spring practice. And then they met Laura’s
hero, Manning, enjoying lunch together before taking several photos.
“We had those pictures displayed on the wall in her room,” Wade said. “In the
ensuing months, everybody who came into the house — hospice, relatives and
friends — she had to show them the pictures and talk about how she had lunch with
Peyton Manning.”
They didn’t talk about football that day. They talked about family. They talked
about values. They talked about what’s really important.
“He never seemed rushed,” Wade said. “I can’t say enough good things about
Peyton Manning. He doesn’t seem to have let his fame and fortune take away from
his desire to be a positive influence on the people around him. The fact he’d take
time out of his busy schedule for my mother speaks volumes.”
Sadly, three months later, Laura Tefft passed away.
Manning has dived headfirst into the Denver community, just as he did in
Indianapolis.
Shortly after his arrival, 12 people died in the Aurora Theater shootings. Manning
immediately contacted a Broncos employee and asked, “Is there anything I can do
to help?” He then made calls to the families of the victims.
It reminded me of something he did in Indianapolis. Many years ago, I had written
about a boy from the Brownsburg team who went to the Little League World Series.
The boy was badly injured in a skateboarding accident.
Manning called me one night.
“You think the family would mind if I got their number and called them?” he
wondered.
I shared the number. He called. I’m quite sure they didn’t mind.
It’s said that athletes owe us nothing more than their performance on the field, and
there’s probably some truth to that. But for Manning, and for so many other
athletes, there is more than that. They believe that to whom much is given, much
is required.
“Every day, people in Denver wake up and pinch themselves, thinking how lucky
they are to have Peyton Manning in their community,” said Joe Ellis, the Broncos’
team president. “Not just on the football field, but off of it.”
He’s done everything here he did in Indianapolis. Signing autographs. Calling
children in hospitals. Hosting Make-A-Wish kids. Reaching out to the people who
were victimized by the fires and floods in Colorado. The list goes on and on.
He is coming back to a hero’s welcome Sunday in Indianapolis, and it’s not all
because of the things he did on the football field. He touched lives there, changed
them for the better, left a massive footprint on our soil.
Manning's 'Tale of Two Cities' a win-win
for both
BY Jim Litke
Associated Press
October 17, 2013
Peyton Manning strides across America this week like some modern-day Colossus,
blocking out the sun from every other story on the NFL's broad horizon.
His back foot is planted squarely in Denver, the front one hovers just above the
giant footprint he left behind in Indianapolis. Yet somehow the hype has stretched
even further. The clash between Manning's present and his past has dominated the
airwaves, headlines and social media for days, so freighted with emotional baggage
and divided loyalties that his return trip has already been compared with everything
from Ulysses' homecoming to a visit with an ex-wife.
Manning finally broke his relative silence Wednesday, talking to reporters about the
Colts only after the Broncos had finished practicing to play them.
Asked how he'll feel during a Hall of Fame-worthy tribute planned before Sunday
night's kickoff at Lucas Oil Stadium — a.k.a. "The House That Manning Built" — the
37-year-old shrugged, then correctly pointed out there was no way to know until
then.
"And," he added, with a mischievous glint in his eye, "I might not tell you
afterward, either."
A moment later, Manning was asked what it would feel like playing against former
teammates, especially fierce defenders and longtime friends like linebacker Robert
Mathis, who were barely allowed to touch him during practices for years. He
responded with a question of his own.
"A guy asked me, 'Is this like playing Eli?'" Manning began, referring to his baby
brother, a two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback with the New York Giants and
the youngest of Archie and Olivia Manning's three sons. Stories about football
games between the boys on the family's front lawn in New Orleans have since
become the stuff of legend.
"And I said," Manning continued, "I know Robert Mathis hits harder than Eli. I can
guarantee you that.'"
After 14 years, 11 trips to the postseason and the same number of Pro Bowl
selections, a record four MVP awards, one Super Bowl title and more passing
records than you can count, Manning was released by the Colts on March 7, 2012.
He'd had neck surgery the previous May, followed by spinal fusion surgery in
September, then sat out the entire 2011 season. Doctors questioned whether
Manning would ever play again, let alone whether his once-fearsome "rocket arm"
would be good for much beyond holding a clipboard.
Faced with surrendering $28 million in bonus money to keep Manning, or hitch the
future of the franchise to the most Manning-like QB prospect to come out of college
since the original, Colts owner Jim Irsay elected to roll the dice on Stanford's
appropriately named Andrew Luck.
In the 22 games since he moved to Denver, Manning has never looked better. After
a bitter, improbable, last-second loss to Baltimore in the playoffs last season,
Manning opened this one by torching those very same Super Bowl-defending
Ravens with seven touchdown passes, the first step in what's become a 6-0 season.
But the Colts haven't been too shabby in his absence, either. Indianapolis posted
11 wins last season, despite coach Chuck Pagano being sidelined for most of it
while he battled leukemia, in large part because their rookie quarterback displayed
poise and maturity beyond his years, both on the field and off. With Pagano back at
the wheel, and Luck becoming more Manning-like with each game, the Colts have
beaten NFC West powerhouses San Francisco and Seattle and fashioned an
impressive 4-2 start of their own.
"I never viewed it as replacing Peyton," Luck said after practice Wednesday. "I just
viewed it as a chance to play quarterback in the NFL. It just so happened that one
of the greats of all time was here before me."
The Indianapolis chapter of Manning's career began with an interview with thenColts general manager Bill Polian at the scouting combine in March 1998. The Colts
had the No. 1 overall pick in that year's draft, and the only other player they were
considering, strong-armed Washington State quarterback Ryan Leaf, had blown
them off just days earlier.
"So now comes our chance to interview Peyton, and considering what's at stake,
I've got a long list of questions ready," recalled Polian, who departed Indianapolis
just months before Manning did and now works as an NFL analyst for ESPN.
"Instead, he sits down, opens his briefcase and takes out a list of 25 questions he
has for us — technical football questions, questions about our offensive approach,
our personnel priorities, practice priorities and so on. He said he wanted to be sure
he was going to be with an organization that was dedicated to winning."
A lot of that — winning — took place in Indianapolis between that day and this one.
Yet during an interview earlier in the week, Irsay, a bona fide attention hound,
called into question whether it was enough. He's told The Associated Press much
the same thing for the better part of a year now without ever getting this kind of
traction.
But even after walking back some of those comments on Twitter, Irsay is sparing
no expense and going full-speed ahead with plans to honor the player he treated
like a son — and whom insiders like Polian credit with keeping the Colts in
Indianapolis and convincing the locals to chip in tax dollars to build Irsay's team a
new stadium.
Meanwhile, Manning's real father, Archie, is recovering from back surgery in
Memphis. When a text popped up on his phone asking what concerned him most in
those days before his son made the soft landing in Denver he had no trouble
answering.
"Peyton's health. Not football."
Of course, everybody knows now how things worked out. Luck's father, Oliver,
who's been around the game in one role or another — as a college and NFL
quarterback, administrator and current athletic director at West Virginia — isn't
unhappy either.
"I don't know that I had any real concerns, beyond the concerns any dad would
have with a son who was drafted with the first pick," he chuckled.
"So often in sports, a decision gets made and right away people rush to label it
black or white, winner or loser. Andrew's not that far along, certainly nowhere near
Peyton, but what's important is that he's trying to get there doing things his way.
... And if you look at where we were, and where we are, it really does look like a
win-win for just about everybody involved."
Colts receiver Reggie Wayne, long one of Manning's favorite targets, said he's had
enough of everybody singing "Kumbaya." Or maybe he's still smarting over what
Manning told the Colts would happen if they let him go: "I'll kick your butt for the
next 15 years."
Either way, it's high time to see who can tip the "win-win" scale in their favor,
starting with Sunday.
"I'm just ... I'm just ... ready to play ball and get it over with," Wayne said. "It's
like Ringling Bros. around here, man."
Manning's Second Chapter
By Gray Caldwell
DenverBroncos.com
October 17, 2013
QB Peyton Manning talks about his transition to Denver, the "new chapter" of his
career.
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Peyton Manning hasn't shied away from the fact that he's in
the homestretch of his football career -- he said as much in his Wednesday press
conference.
But that doesn't mean he's slowing down.
As has been well-documented, the quarterback is on pace to break a number of
single-season records in 2013, including the most touchdown passes thrown -- he
has the most of any player through six games in NFL history.
“Well, I’ve worked hard in this new chapter of my football career. I’ve put a lot of
time in and it’s been extremely difficult," Manning said. "As I’ve said over and over
again, I’ve had a lot of people help me in this second chapter that I’ll never ever
cease to be grateful for that help."
Wednesday afternoon, Manning was asked how he feels now about being released
by the Colts and signed by the Broncos.
"I’ve learned that in life, you need to be at peace with other people’s decisions that
affect you, that you have no control over," he said. "I think that’s been good advice
that I’ve had over the years, and it’s certainly served me well in this particular
scenario."
Last season, in a completely new environment after 14 years in Indianapolis,
Manning set new Broncos single-season marks in nearly every major passing
category.
His 400 completions, 68.6 percent completion percentage, 4,659 passing yards, 37
touchdown passes, 105.8 quarterback rating and nine 300-yard passing games
were all franchise records.
"Last year was a gratifying feeling to get back and play," Manning said. "You miss
not being in the huddle. And this year there has been enough change with the new
offensive coordinator (Adam Gase) and a new slot receiver (Wes Welker) and a
different tight end (Julius Thomas) to keep you kind of energized and on your toes
with all the different changes. So I’m certainly enjoying playing football again. And
when you’re out of a job, you’ve got to go find another job, and Denver offered me
one and I took it and they sure have helped me in my new job.”
Now that he is in the midst of "chapter two" of his football career, especially in the
middle of a season, Manning isn't particularly keen on looking backwards.
So he's been hesitant to size up this year's Broncos offense to some of the best of
his career with the Colts.
“I just don’t compare to other years," he said. "The only thing I compare to
probably is maybe somewhat of last year, because that’s more of my current
baseline. But people make comparisons to other receivers in other years in other
teams and that’s just too hard when you’re in a different place in a different
organization with a different culture. So I feel better than last year. I still have
some things that are different post-injury. But I’ve made some improvements from
last year. I’ve put a lot of time in. I think any time you’re in a second year of a new
chapter you have more familiarity with the culture."
He maintained that it takes years to build the type of chemistry quarterbacks and
receivers like to have, but he is much more familiar with Eric Decker and Demaryius
Thomas than he was a year ago. He's gotten six games under his belt with wide
receiver Wes Welker and tight end Julius Thomas as a new weapon.
But the group still has a ways to go.
"We’ve done some things well early, but I still think there’s a lot – we’re far from
being a well-oiled machine by any means. We’re still working out a number of
kinks, in my opinion.”
And he also didn't feel a weekly Wednesday press conference was the best time to
reminisce about his time with the Colts and what the fans in Indianapolis mean to
him -- even with a trip back to Lucas Oil Stadium this Sunday looming.
The four-time NFL MVP said he doesn't feel like he has ever stopped communicating
with the fans in his old city, from corresponding through mail to working with the
children's hospital in Indianapolis to greeting fans at Sports Authority Field at Mile
High in No. 18 Colts jerseys.
"There’s always a connection there," he said. "So I think to have to deliver a
message means that I’ve been gone—and I really don’t think that I have—but I
guess if you need one catch phrase for your news tonight I would just echo what I
said back in March 2012 that boy, I sure did enjoy being their quarterback for 14
years.”
But now a Denver Bronco, Manning's focus is on doing everything he can to prepare
for a tough 4-2 Colts team.
"Midseason of your 16th year when you’re playing a really good team, I think, on
the road," he said, "it’s hard to get too reflective."
Manning on Emotions Leading to Sunday
By Gray Caldwell
DenverBroncos.com
October 16, 2013
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- For the first time in his 16-year career, Peyton Manning will
walk into Lucas Oil Stadium as a visitor.
Sunday night, the quarterback will face his former team, the team he led for 13
seasons, 11 of which ended in a playoff berth. But his final year as an Indianapolis
Colt was spent on the sidelines with a neck injury, and now he returns as a Denver
Bronco.
"It’s hard to predict how I will feel, emotionally," Manning said. "Football certainly is
an emotional game, but to predict how you will feel? I just don’t know."
"How I’ll feel walking into the stadium? I can’t tell you that right now. I’ll probably
know after the game, I probably may not tell you that after the game either," he
laughed. "It’s just too hard to predict.”
What Manning did know is how hard he's going to prepare for the game. As he put
it, 52 other players and coaches are counting on him to be prepared to play a good,
4-2 football team.
The Colts are coming off a 19-9 loss to the San Diego Chargers on Monday Night
Football, but prior to that had won four straight, including victories against two NFC
teams widely considered to be Super Bowl contenders, Seattle and San Francisco.
Indianapolis ranks 13th in the league in total offense and 11th in total defense, and
the Broncos know they're in for a challenge on Sunday Night Football.
But even with as long as Manning played in Indy, it doesn't do him a lot of good in
preparing for this version of the Colts.
"(It's) a team that – it may sound strange – is unfamiliar," he said. "It’s an
unfamiliar opponent, a lot of guys that I’ve never played against and certainly a
new scheme."
He pointed to linebacker Robert Mathis and safety Antoine Bethea as players he is
close to and certainly has a familiarity with, but much of the defensive staff is
different than just two years ago when Manning was a Colt.
"No question it's unique," Manning said. "Somebody asked me earlier, ‘Is this kind
of like playing against (Giants quarterback) Eli (Manning)?’ And I said, ‘I know
Robert Mathis hits harder than Eli. I guarantee you that.’ So it’s different from that
standpoint, and trying to keep the ball away from Bethea and we’re beat up in the
offensive line and playing against a premier pass-rush team. So that’s all I know to
do – prepare from that standpoint. But yeah, to say it’s unique – that’s absolutely a
true statement.”
With that preparation underway, Manning said it makes it even harder to focus on
his reaction to his old home stadium.
"If all I had to do was to walk in here and waive, and sign some autographs, and
kiss a few babies and smile – it’d be easy," he said. "But I’ve got to figure out how
to stay away from Mathis and complete some passes on (cornerback Vontae) Davis
and (cornerback Greg) Toler and (cornerback Darius) Butler, who are I think really
good cover corners."
Still, even as the focus of the team -- including Manning -- is on the Broncos versus
the Colts, the talk leading up to the game will be on how Manning in particular will
handle his homecoming of sorts.
"Football is an emotional game, there is no doubt about it," he said. "I can’t tell you
what emotions I’ll feel, sitting here on Wednesday. But all I know to do is to get as
prepared as I possibly can.
"Because I owe that to a lot of guys who are counting on me.”
Manningmania takes Broncos fandom to
a new level
By Mike Klis
The Denver Post
October 13, 2013
Now that he's a Bronco, Paris Lenon can't seem to get away from his job.
He could leave it behind in the locker room each night when he played with Arizona,
St. Louis and Detroit. Even when he was with Green Bay, the off-site conversation
may have been more about how the neighbor kid cut his grass than how Lenon
played Sunday.
"Here, the Broncos are always the topic of conversation," he said.
On sports-talk radio?
"No, I mean when you go to eat," Lenon said. "It's going to be brought up. They're
really behind their team. Which is a good thing. But sometimes you don't always
want to have that conversation. Sometimes you just want to eat."
The Broncos aren't just 5-0 and overwhelming favorites entering Sunday's home
game against winless Jacksonville. They are 5-0 with a 16-game regular-season
winning streak dating to last year.
The Broncos don't just have one of the all-time great quarterbacks in Peyton
Manning. They have Manning playing at his all-time best, having thrown 20
touchdown passes and only one interception while leading his team to a
preposterous scoring average of 46 points per game.
Broncomania is back not only in Denver and the Rocky Mountain region — the
Broncos have the largest geographical fan base in the NFL, with an estimated 69
percent of their fans located outside their home market — there are indicators
suggesting that the emotional investment in the team is at an all-time high.
Start with the national TV ratings. Denver games have accounted for three of the
top four watched television shows — sports, comedy, drama, reality, news,
whatever — since Labor Day.
"There's tremendous interest in the Broncos at the national level for a couple of
reasons," said Lance Barrow, the CBS coordinating producer for the network's NFL
telecasts. "One, people love to see points scored, and their offense is scoring at a
historical rate. And then you have one of the most popular players in any sport in
Peyton Manning. You couple that with the mystique of John Elway, you have a team
that draws a lot of interest."
In the Denver area, TV ratings of Broncos games are up 80 percent from 2010. A
popular afternoon sports-radio program — 104.3 The Fan's show featuring former
Broncos defensive end Alfred Williams and "D-Mac" — has had a 40 percent spike in
ratings since June.
"We lived in Steamboat in 1978, and I remember the whole state being pretty crazy
because we hadn't gone to the Super Bowl before Craig Morton and Haven Moses
and that crew," said Darren "D-Mac" McKee. "I think this is more like that time than
when Alfred went in '97. Because they had been to the Super Bowl three times (and
lost) with John Elway."
Another sports-radio station in Denver, 102.3 FM ESPN, anchors its afternoon-drive
show with former Broncos center Tom Nalen.
"The reality is our listeners believe it's not really the Broncos, it's all about Peyton
Manning," said Tom "Lou from Littleton" Manoogian, who's in charge at 102.3 FM. "I
think Peyton Manning means more to the Broncos now than John Elway did in '97,
'98. When Elway won those two Super Bowls, it was about Shannon Sharpe, Terrell
Davis and how Mike Shanahan was a mastermind.
"With this Broncos team, the fans believe every player is replaceable but one guy."
Recapturing fans' fancy
The Broncos began recapturing their fans' fancy in 2011, when Elway was hired to
run the team's football-operations department and Tebowmania was unleashed.
Then came Manning's unprecedented comeback story in 2012.
And yet in Manning's second year in Denver, fascination for the Broncos continues
to rise near and far. When the Broncos played at Dallas last week, they were
cheered on by thousands of fans rooting so loudly, the players compared it to a
home game. When it comes to building popularity, momentum is huge.
"Peyton has brought our team store traffic to a whole different level," said Marty
Garafalo, who oversees operations of the Broncos' three outlets. "The different
attitude you see on the field has brought a different attitude to the fans. People are
buying stuff for 1-year-olds. And we've got grandmothers coming in and buying
stuff."
Once you get on the waiting list, the wait time for Broncos season tickets is
estimated to be 10 to 15 years. Here's the situation: The Broncos have more than
24,000 season-ticket accounts totaling 71,000 seats. Every year, people move
away or run into financial trouble or die with their orange jerseys on. In some
years, it's common for 1,000 or more fans to not renew their season tickets.
This year? The failure-to-renew count was fewer than 100.
When the Broncos announce another home sellout Sunday, it will continue a streak
that's in its 44th consecutive year. There were times near the end of the Shanahan
era and the unfortunate Josh McDaniels tenure when home sellouts were
announced but no-shows were common, the middle sections of Sports Authority
Field at Mile High embarrassingly sparse.
Now the stadium's 132 suites are sold out, as are the 8,800 club seats.
But while there are indicators and statistics, there also seems to be an overall
feeling of guarded optimism, if not doubt. That's what a stinging, 38-35 playoff loss
in double overtime to Baltimore in January will do to a city's heart.
"My sense is people are waiting for us to show them something," said all-pro
cornerback Champ Bailey. "To me, 5-0 gets you nowhere."
Good as the Broncos have been playing, they rank only 32nd (last) in the NFL in
pass defense. Wasn't it a 70-yard Flacco Fling that doomed the Broncos last
season?
"That will be the weird point: If they go 16-0, so what?" McKee said. "And you
know what, they're right, aren't they? So what? If the team loses in the Super
Bowl, it will be a bad season. And, wow, that's a pretty high bar."
"There's definitely a sense-of-urgency feeling out there," Nalen said. "Peyton
Manning, you don't know how many years he's going to be here. Wes Welker
signed a two-year contract. I know you're not going to hear that publicly from the
coaching staff, but it's the sense you get from this team: It's Super Bowl or bust."
A delicious response
Lenon has been with the Broncos for less two months and has played little,
although he is expected to start Sunday for the injured Wesley Woodyard at middle
linebacker.
Yet, restaurant patrons in the Denver area invariably figure out that Lenon is a
Bronco before he receives his entree. Imagine if Manning walked into the room.
Before the Broncos' Halloween party last year, Manning and his wife, Ashley,
figured they were safe to walk the 16th Street Mall. They were in full costume,
Peyton as "the old" Elvis and Ashley as Priscilla.
They ate at a corner restaurant and got a lot of "Hey, King!" and "Thank you, thank
you very much" responses. The Mannings paid in cash, so the waiter never
suspected whom he was waiting on.
The Mannings walked the mall and accepted compliments on their get-ups.
"And then one guy is about to walk past us and he says, 'Hey, great game,' "
Manning said. "Here I'm wearing this black, big bouffant wig, long, thick sideburns,
big sunglasses. 'Great game.' I'm looking to see if my wig slipped off sideways or
something."
No, Peyton. You had just outdueled Drew Brees the night before. Why wouldn't the
all-knowing Broncos fan say "Great game"?
Mike Klis: [email protected] or twitter.com/mikeklis
Bigger than big bang
Broncos games were three of the four most watched TV shows and four of the top
seven since Labor Day. The 12 most watched TV shows were all NFL games. A look
at the top 13.
Program, date .................................................. Viewers (Millions)
1. FOX (Packers-49ers), 9/8 ....................... 28.5
2. CBS (Broncos-Cowboys), 10/6 .................... 28.3
3. FOX (Eagles-Broncos), 9/29 ..................... 26.7
4. CBS (Broncos-Giants), 9/15 ..................... 26.4
5. CBS (Colts-49ers), 9/22 ........................ 25.6
6. NBC (Giants-Cowboys), 9/8 ...... 25.4
7. NBC (Ravens-Broncos), 9/5 ....... 25.1
8. FOX (Redskins-Packers/Saints-Bucs), 9/15 ....... 21.9
9. FOX (GB-Bengals, MYG-Car, STL-DAL), 9/22 ....... 20.9
10. NBC (49ers-Seahawks), 9/15 ..... 20.5
11. NBC (Bears-Steelers), 9/22 ..... 20.5
12. NBC (Patriots-Falcons), 9/29 ... 20.5
13. CBS "The Big Bang Theory" 9/30 .... 20.4
Source: NFL
By the numbers
* Training camp attendance was a record - 86,364 - more than 2,000 more than
last year, including a record 41,304 at stadium scrimmage
* Season ticket waiting list currently stands at 45,000
* Announced no-show counts: Baltimore - 163; Oakland - 872; Philadelphia - 634.
An average of 556.3 per game. The NFL average no-show count is around 5,000.
* Through five games, the local Denver market has registered a 15% increase in
ratings from Weeks 1-5 in 2012
* Team is set for five primetime TV games this year (3 NBC, 1 ESPN, 1 NFLN); a
sixth might be added with the flex schedule
* Broncos web site unique visitors up more than 25 percent from a year ago, page
views up more than 15 percent
* Broncos have 1.7 million Facebook followers; 350,000 Twitter; 120,000
Instagram
Colts will pay tribute to Peyton Manning
at Oct. 20 game
By Jarrett Bell
USA Today Sports
October 9, 2013
When Peyton Manning returns to Indianapolis in 11 days for a prime-time
showdown against his former team, he can expect a hero’s welcome at Lucas Oil
Stadium.
And that will include a gracious reception from the Indianapolis Colts.
The Colts are planning a tribute for Manning to acknowledge his remarkable
contributions during 14 seasons with the franchise, team owner Jim Irsay told USA
TODAY Sports.
Details — including the extent of the tribute, which will likely occur during pregame
festivities for the nationally-televised Sunday night game — are still being finalized.
“We’re going to have a great tribute to him,” Irsay said while in Washington for NFL
owners meetings. “It’s going to be something where you go into it wanting to have
a lot of fun, where you love Peyton as a Colt fan, but now we’re competing against
him.”
The game would have been big enough simply with the Denver Broncos
quarterback, a four-time NFL Most Valuable Player, returning to face his former
team.
Yet the game has added value, given the success of the respective franchises.
It could be a preview of the AFC Championship Game.
With Manning off to the best start of his career, the Broncos (5-0) head into
Sunday’s game against the Jaguars as overwhelming favorites to remain unbeaten.
The Colts (4-1), with second-year franchise quarterback Andrew Luck, lead the AFC
South and are a legitimate contender as they play at San Diego on Monday night.
“For this one day, we’re competitors,” Irsay said. “You look for a great game and
that’s the main thing.”
Paying tribute to an opponent comes with an element of risk.
The Philadelphia Eagles paid homage to former coach Andy Reid when he returned
with the Kansas City Chiefs for a Thursday night game in Week 3, and the video
tribute and standing ovation set the tone for a huge Kansas City victory.
Nonetheless, Irsay said that a tribute for Manning is appropriate.
He can envision the reception.
“It’ll be tremendous,” Irsay said. “They will cheer, as deserved. When he comes
back on the field, I think there will be a boisterous standing ovation, as there
should be. He means so much to our franchise.
“It’s going to be crazy, but mostly it’ll be fun. I hope it’s just a great game.”
Manning Shows His Wheels
By Stuart Zaas
DenverBroncos.com
October 6, 2013
ARLINGTON, Texas – Peyton Manning showed off something that Broncos fans have
gotten used to seeing in Denver’s 51-48 win at Dallas – his arm.
He also showed off something fans haven’t seen in a while – his wheels.
Late in the second quarter, Manning fooled the Dallas defense and probably the
entire football world with his 1-yard rushing score on a naked bootleg that gave
Denver a 28-17 lead.
“I’ve done it actually a couple of times, believe it or not,” Manning laughed. “The
key is, you want to do it about every five years or so. If you do it every game,
they’re going to be playing it, right? It’s a good tendency breaker when you haven’t
done it in about five years and they aren’t really thinking about it.”
Manning said the key to his successful naked bootlegs is the element of surprise.
Nobody in the stadium except for Manning knew that he was going to keep the ball
himself.
“Naked bootlegs only work – the ones that I’ve done – when you don’t tell
anybody,” Manning explained. “You call the run play and it’s a run play and you just
kind of make a decision there as you get to the line of scrimmage based on the
right look if you think they are going to maybe slant one way. As soon as we
brought Julius in motion and the guy covering him went with him, I kind of said,
well, that’s a good look for it.”
The element of surprise was key to the play’s success and in order to sell it the best
possible way, Manning wanted everyone on the field to believe the play would be a
handoff.
“That’s the only way to get the linemen to fire off – they’re blocking like they are
trying to block an inside zone play to the right,” Manning said. “The harder they go,
the more it kind of sells it for the defense, I think.”
Since speed isn’t exactly what Manning is known for, he needed all of the defenders
to crash the middle of the line looking for a running back.
Which is exactly what happened.
“He’s about a 4.9, 5 flat,” safety Rahim Moore laughed. “I’m playing but that was a
fantastic play. I’ve seen him run it in practice so I said ‘woo.’”
Even though all the Broncos on the field were expecting a handoff, the quarterback
keeper is something they’ve seen Manning do in practice before.
For wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, the run was a play he’s not only seen on the
practice field, but also on television recently.
“I watched his show, the Manning show (The Book of Manning), and I saw he had it
in high school,” Thomas said. “Then I’ve seen it a couple times in practice. I think
that was something he came up with himself. He did it this past week, but it
worked. Whatever works.”
Manning was fine with breaking down the play in detail since it seems unlikely that
opponents will have another chance to stop it if he keeps up his once every five
years pace.
“I’ll be retired by the time I’m able to do it again,” Manning laughed.
Sorting the Sunday Pile: Peyton
Manning's prolific pace
By Will Brinson
CBSSports.com
October 6, 2013
Anyone with two eyes and a heart was rooting for overtime on Sunday afternoon in
Dallas, as the Broncos and Cowboys emptied their respective holsters in an epic 5841 Denver victory. If you somehow missed it, yes, Peyton Manning was marvelous
once again.
Just as he has all season, Manning manipulated defenses, diagnosed coverages and
made perfect throws en route to a monster game. He had the Cowboys defense so
wrapped around his little finger that everyone from Monte Kiffin to CBS' camera
man bit like crazy when he busted out a naked boot and trotted into the end zone
to put the Broncos up 28-17.
Somehow the most shocking moment wasn't Manning's touchdown run. Instead it
came when Peyton finally looked human and threw his first interception of the
season. Manning underthrew Eric Decker in a sunny section of the JerryWorld field
and was picked by Morris Claiborne, forcing him to fall short of Jake Plummer's
Broncos record for most consecutive passes (229) without a pick.
That's good for Claiborne because he was abused the rest of the day, along with the
rest of Monte Kiffin's defense. They, like everyone else the Broncos have seen,
simply had no answer for Manning.
What Manning's doing right now is maestro-esque and it's simply magical. At the
age of 37, not too long removed from a quartet of neck surgeries, Manning is
playing quarterback as well as anyone in the history of the game.
Through five games he has 20 touchdowns -- an NFL record for the first five games
of the season -- and just one interception. The Broncos scored 230 points in those
first five games, surpassing the 2000 St. Louis Rams (a.k.a. "The Greatest Show on
Turf") for most points through five games. They've already scored more points in
five games than the 2012 Chiefs scored all season.
Denver's on pace for 736 points, which wouldn't just beat the NFL record for points
scored, it would absolutely shatter it. The 2007 Patriots -- remember them? -scored 539 in a season when Tom Brady. If Denver kept up this pace they'd be the
first team to cross the 600-point barrier and the first team to pass the 700-point
barrier. It's football's version of ludicrous speed.
Another remarkable stat: there are four different Broncos receivers on pace for
1,000-yard receiving seasons. Demaryius Thomas (on pace for 1,440 yards),
Decker (1,366.4 yards), Julius Thomas (1,148.8 yards) and Wes Welker (1,008) are
all tracking for the milestone, for those that were worried about not having enough
footballs to catch in Denver.
Perhaps most impressive about this pace for Manning? How he's doing it. He has
tons of weapons, yes. But again: he's 37 and not at all the same physically-capable
person he was during his prime. Manning's not coasting by because of his supreme
physical talents. He lacks touch on the deep ball most of the time and, as has been
his trademark for some time, his passes wobble end-over-end heading towards
their intended target.
But he's destroying teams by over-preparing, over-analyzing and out-smarting
them. It's got him playing quarterback perhaps like nothing we've ever seen before.
Soak it in and enjoy it.
Denver QB Peyton Manning to speak at
Valediction
By Jenna Dickerson
CavalierDaily.com
October 5, 2013
During the halftime show of Virginia’s battle with Ball State on Saturday, the
Fourth-Year Trustees announced that Denver Broncos Quarterback Peyton Manning
would be the 2014 Valediction speaker. Manning’s wife, Ashley Manning, graduated
the Commerce School in 1997.
Fourth-year College student Tommy Devita said he was thrilled to hear that
Manning would be speaking to the graduating class this year.
“Peyton Manning is a great athlete and a fantastic speaker,” Devita said. “He knows
a lot about academics, athletics, and achieving success in life, so I’m excited to
hear what he has to say.”
The Graduation Committee felt strongly about sharing the news in a more personal
setting, with as many University students gathered at one time, Fourth-Year
Trustee Graduation Chair Sarah Salinas, a College student, said.
“Peyton Manning was our first choice for speaker this year and we are very
excited,” Salinas said.
Fourth-Year Trustee Anne Tavetian, an Architecture student, said that the trustees
were adamant about choosing Manning for several reasons.
“We picked Peyton Manning because he is very involved in philanthropy that gives
money to cancer and he’s obviously a great athlete,” Tavetian said. “We think that
he is a true Virginia gentleman.”
Salinas said the process of selecting a speaker for the valediction ceremony is
completely student-run. The Graduation Committee within the Fourth-Year Trustees
is composed of 10 students who begin to compose a list of possible speakers as
early as May and then narrow down the candidates until they make their final
choice.
“As a group, we try to find a speaker who will give a powerful message to fourth
year class as they prepare to graduate, “ Salinas said. “We look for someone who
we think will instill good advice and inspire the class before graduation as well as
someone who can relate to U.Va. students.”
The Valediction ceremony takes place on the Saturday before commencement. The
trustees of the university started the tradition a long time ago, so students can
reflect on their experiences and give gifts to university.
The chosen speaker at last year’s ceremony was well-known author and comedian
Stephen Colbert, whose wife graduated the College in 1985.
Peyton Manning to address U.Va. 2014
graduates
Associated Press
October 5, 2013
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Denver Broncos quarterback and Super Bowl
champion Peyton Manning will be the keynote speaker for the University of
Virginia's 2014 valedictory exercises.
Officials say the valediction ceremony is scheduled for May 17 on the Lawn of the
Charlottesville campus.
The Class of 2014 graduation committee said they invited Manning to speak
because his sports career and off-the-field commitments are consistent examples of
leadership, excellence and generosity.
Manning played for the Indianapolis Colts from 1998 to 2011. He led the Colts to a
29-17 victory over the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI and was voted the game's
most valuable player.
In 1999, the New Orleans native founded the PeyBack Foundation that works with
youth-based community organizations.
Manning's wife Ashley is a 1997 graduate of U.Va.'s McIntire School of Commerce.
Passing legends: Broncos' Peyton
Manning prefers to focus on next
opponent instead of past achievements
By Mike Klis
The Denver Post
October 4, 2013
If Peyton Manning has a problem with NFL records, it's they have a way of focusing
on the past.
May yesteryears' quarterbacks such as Y.A. Tittle, Joe Kapp, Sid Luckman, Sammy
Baugh and even Milt Plum always be remembered.
But what do they have to do with Manning's attempt to lead the Broncos past Tony
Romo and the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday?
Nothing, which means Manning focuses ahead, leaving others to compare him to
passing legends.
"I've said many times I think week in and week out Peyton is the most consistent
performer at that position that I've ever seen," said Troy Aikman, who was the
greatest Cowboys quarterback of all time, if providing Super Bowl rings is the
criterion. "What they're doing now, it's fun to watch. They're explosive. He's got a
lot of great weapons around him. He's throwing the ball straight. Making good
decisions."
Manning and the Broncos offense he directs have exceeded or tied several
incremental league marks through four games. And the near unstoppable manner
in which they have conducted their offensive operations suggests they have a great
chance to break all the league's significant single-season records. Passing yards.
Touchdown passes. Total offense. Points scored.
The most glamorous of these records, for Manning and the Broncos, would be the
589 points the New England Patriots scored in 2007 and the 50 touchdown passes
Tom Brady threw that year.
Manning has a choice: Dissect the season of the ages compiled by his mortal
archrivals from six years ago. Or look a few days ahead to DeMarcus Ware and the
Monte Kiffin-designed Cowboys defense, his Sunday opponent at AT&T Stadium.
One guess where Manning's famous brain has been this week.
"I really don't (look at the records)," Manning said. "I really think that the schedule
— the way it's set up playing some of these what I call 'unfamiliar opponents' —
has helped."
And then Peyton being Peyton, he delved into a thorough dissertation of how the
preparation grind is so critical to Sunday success and how it's no different this week
because the Cowboys are a tough team "that plays well at home."
Ordinarily, any talk of a team or player having a chance to set a revered singleseason record after only four games is a waste of stuffy, break-room air.
Manning and his 2013 Broncos' offense, though, are an exception. They are not just
on pace to break the records. They are threatening to obliterate the benchmarks.
When Manning breaks a record, or joins elite company while surpassing a
milestone, he is appreciative. And he followed tradition by setting team and
personnel goals, with the help of quarterbacks coach Greg Knapp, after training
camp.
"I'm on pace for a couple of them now," he said, drawing laughter from the media
audience. "I'm not into doing four-game summaries of the season. It is early in the
season."
He can try to stay in the moment by ignoring his recent past, but the rest of the
NFL has taken notice of Manning's tremendous start. In the Patriots' historic season
of 2007, they scored 38, 38, 38 and 34 points in their first four games. Brady had
13 touchdown passes.
The Broncos in 2013 have scored 49, 41, 37 and 52 points. Manning has thrown 16
touchdown passes.
Brady did almost all his damage in 2007 with two receivers — Wes Welker and
Randy Moss. His third-leading target was running back Kevin Faulk, who made 47
catches.
Manning has three Broncos receivers — Welker, Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker
— on pace for at least 96 catches and a fourth weapon, tight end Julius Thomas,
projects to 72 receptions.
And to assure that all his receivers stay fed, Manning is directing his offense at a
faster tempo. It allows for more plays. More plays means more passes. More passes
means more records — especially when the quarterback throwing them completes
an absurd 60-of-71 (84.5 percent) in a week's worth of games against the Oakland
Raiders and Philadelphia Eagles.
But this will not be a pursuit of the NFL record book, though. If the Broncos rewrite
history, it will be an accidental occurrence.
"I don't look at all that," Broncos coach John Fox said. "Half the time you don't even
know the score. You're just trying to score. Your focus is on the next play, next
series, next quarter, next half. And then at the end then you look at it all."
When Manning threw seven TD passes in the opener, he matched the likes of Tittle
and Kapp. It just happened. Had the bubble screen to Demaryius Thomas gone for
a first down instead of a 78-yard touchdown play for scoring pass No. 7, Manning
never would have thrown again.
When he threw his 15th and 16th scores in Game 4, he passed the likes of Slingin'
Sammy Baugh among others for the four-game NFL record. If Manning gets three
more touchdown passes Sunday at Dallas, he will break the five-game record of 18
touchdown passes set by Daunte Culpepper in 2004.
Daunte Culpepper? Even at his best in the past, he was not Tony Romo in the
present. And so for Manning, it's on to the Cowboys.
The real Book of (Peyton) Manning
By Jeff Legwold
ESPN.com
October 3, 2013
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- No matter what the question is or who is giving the
answer, it always comes back to Peyton Manning's brain.
Back to pro football’s beautiful mind as it were. And with Manning off to the kind of
statistical start that brings only shrugged shoulders and nervous laughs because of
the ridiculousness of the mountain of numbers, it has all, again, come back to the
brain.
Maybe it's because Manning dialed up Milt Plum’s jersey number just seconds after
being asked about tying a record held by Plum. Or the fact that he can
describe, down-by-down, drives from Tennessee-Florida games played 16 or 17
years ago. When describing how Manning plays the game, the discussion always
starts with how he thinks through the game.
And that is a worthy starting point. Rams coach Jeff Fisher has described Manning's
mind as “a database," admiring that Manning "didn’t just study what you did this
year, but he studied what you did for years to see how you got to what you’re
doing this year.’’
Certainly Manning’s ability to not only collect information, but to retain and use it so
quickly at the line of scrimmage separates him from most who have ever played the
position. His teammates, his peers behind center, those who have faced him, and
those who have coached him all speak of Manning’s mind.
Essentially it’s like football Google.
But Manning's mind isn’t the whole story -- it can’t be. After so many discussions
about defending Manning with many longtime defensive coaches around the league,
as well as those who worked alongside Manning,there are some other things that
may be as important.
Like his drive. No one can study as hard as Manning does without being driven to
do so. Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio speaks of watching Manning walk
directly from the quarterback’s introductory news conference with the Broncos in
March of 2012 -- “where he just held up a jersey’’ -- and into a meeting room to
watch video. Or how he catered meals into the Broncos facility throughout that first
offseason because he was in what he called “a crash course’’ to learn the team’s
offense in a new place for the first time since his rookie year in 1998.
Or when Broncos Ring of Famer Rod Smith, who had been brought in by coach John
Fox to speak to the players about striving for more, once asked Manning in a team
meeting if he was ever the only one in the building and Manning’s reply was simply
“yes.’’ Smith looked at everybody else in the room, according to those who were
there, with an expression that said "see?''
It’s what Broncos executive vice president of football operations John Elway wanted
when he signed Manning. Sure, Elway wanted the brain, the arm and the cachet
that comes with a quarterback like Manning, but he also wanted the drive -- “a guy
like that raises all boats.’’ Elway has said he wanted the constant pushing, when
Manning runs every practice play in June like the Super Bowl or quizzes players on
the spot about their responsibilities on specific plays. And after they answer, even if
they’re right, he often asks, “Are you sure?’’
And there are the physical gifts, which are often lost in the discussions about the
mind. Or as Lions coach Jim Schwartz has put it, “I think people forget sometimes
how big he is.’’ At 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds, Manning is one of the biggest starters
at the position. He plays with a strong base, nearly flawless fundamentals drilled
into muscle memory by years of work -- he still does the same footwork drills he
did at Tennessee -- and with the toughness of a guy who didn’t miss a game for 13
years until he missed the 2011 season after multiple neck surgeries.
It’s all there for those trying to beat him, and even if they win a play, a drive or
even a game, they know Manning is taking notes and will almost certainly, without
fail, remember why.
Peyton Manning, Trindon Holliday of
Broncos earn monthly AFC awards
The Denver Post
October 3, 2013
Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning was named AFC offensive player of the month
for an NFL-record seventh time and wide receiver Trindon Holliday earned AFC
special-teams player of the month for the first time in his career, the National
Football League announced Thursday.
This marks the first time in team history that two Broncos have received conference
player-of-the-month honors in the same month.
Manning completed 117-of-156 passes (75.0 percent) for 1,470 yards with 16
touchdowns and no interceptions (138.0 rating) in the month of September while
leading Denver to a 4-0 start for the seventh time in team history. He led the NFL
in nearly every passing category in September with his 16 touchdowns —
representing the most by a player in league history through four games.
The honor represents the seventh of Manning’s career and his third since joining
the Broncos in 2012. His three conference player-of-the-month awards as a Bronco
rank second in team history behind running back Terrell Davis (four).
Holliday totaled 13 punt returns for 191 yards (14.7 avg.), including an 81-yard
touchdown, and three kickoff returns for 139 yards (46.3 avg.), including a 105yard touchdown, during the month of September.
Representing the only NFL player to record multiple special-teams return scores
during the opening month of the season, Holliday joins ex-Bronco Rick Upchurch as
the only individuals in team history with two seasons recording multiple specialteams return scores.
Manning AFC Offensive Player of the
Month
By Mike Morris
DenverBroncos.com
October 3, 2013
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Peyton Manning shattered records, lit up scoreboards and
dazzled defenses throughout the month of September – and his torrid start to the
2013 season has resulted in the addition of yet another accolade to a Hall of Famebound career.
Manning, who leads the NFL in nearly every passing category this year, was named
AFC Offensive Player of the Month on Tuesday, capping a sensational September in
which the quarterback threw for 1,470 yards and a record 16 touchdowns without a
single
interception.
It’s the seventh time that Manning has won the award in his storied career, setting
a new NFL record. The monthly honor is his third as a Bronco, which ranks second
in team history behind running back Terrell Davis, who earned four AFC Offensive
Player of the Month awards during his career.
“He’s a tremendous quarterback. I don’t think anybody is going to dispute that,”
Head Coach John Fox chuckled after Manning turned in a 327-yard, four touchdown
performance in the Broncos’ 52-20 win over the Eagles on Sunday. “I can state the
obvious, but I think everybody here knows that.”
“He’s an exceptional player and he prepares like nobody else,” wide receiver Wes
Welker added. “He’s kind of the catalyst for getting everything going.”
“I think it’s just everybody’s doing the right thing and he’s putting the ball in the
right spot because he is the best at what he does,” wide receiver Demaryius
Thomas said.
“It's like you sit back and you watch it and you're in awe,” cornerback Dominique
Rodgers-Cromartie added. “You know that he's capable of doing all the things he's
doing, and he's doing them."
In addition to Manning's honor, the league also announced that wide receiver
Trindon Holliday earned the AFC Special Teams Player of the Month. This is the first
time in Broncos history that two players have earned player of the month
recognition in the same month.
Defenses dumbfounded on how to get to
Peyton Manning
By Erik Brady, Jim Corbett and Lindsay Jones
USA TODAY Sports
October 3, 2013
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- The Broadway show Sound of Music posed the
musical question: How do you solve a problem like Maria? How do you catch
a cloud and pin it down?
These days, NFL defensive coordinators ponder the problem of Peyton
Manning. How do you solve him? The answer, to the degree there is one, is
to hit him — hard, early and often. Catch a quarterback, and pin him down.
"Yeah, I think so," says former Indianapolis Colts general manager Bill
Polian, the man who drafted Manning first overall in 1998. "As long as the
officials enforce the illegal contact rules (on receivers) down the field, the
only other way to stop him is to get pressure on him."
Knowing that is the easy part. Doing it is another matter. Manning has been
sacked five times in four games for the Denver Broncos this season while
rolling up eye-popping numbers, as if playing pinball in the pocket.
Manning has 16 touchdown passes, zero interceptions and 1,470 yards
through a quarter of the season. That puts him on a pace for 64 TDs and
5,880 yards across a full season, lending new meaning to the phrase fantasy
football.
And so, here he is, at age 37, setting up in the pocket, dancing with mincing
little steps, looking, looking — and the ball is gone before the pressure
arrives. He is not fleet of feet, but his trigger-fast release is an astoundingly
fleet feat.
"He's absolutely the best at that," Polian says.
Manning's sterling start offers the tantalizing prospect that he could post the
most prolific season for a quarterback in NFL history. What's more, there's
that other tantalizing prospect, that he could atone for the lone blot on his
storied career — a 9-11 postseason record — if he were to win a second
Super Bowl, at his advanced age, for a second team, while approaching
stylistic and statistical perfection.
CBS analyst Phil Simms, who is calling Sunday's Broncos at Dallas Cowboys
game, says defenses are at a loss.
"I don't even know what you do," Simms tells USA TODAY Sports. "Do you
send everybody? Every theory in the world has been brought up about
Peyton. I've done many of his games, and everybody thought they had an
idea of why their plan was going to work. 'We're going to hit him every
chance we get.' Or, 'We're going to pressure him.' Or, 'He's not going to
figure out our blitzes.'
"Yeah, right. Never, never has there been a quarterback in the NFL that
understands and sees a blitz quicker before it happens than him. You can
disguise all you want, but you can't disguise 11 guys. Somebody is going to
give it away."
Bruce Smith, the NFL's all-time sacks leader, none of which came against
Manning, rates Manning and Dan Marino as the fastest guns he ever faced.
"No doubt about it," Smith says. "There was no one else who could even
come close to them."
The Broncos' mandate is to keep Manning upright, not merely because
pressure is the best way to beat him, but also because it's beginning to look
as if only injury can stop him.
"I don't even want to bring that up," Polian says, "having lived through
2011."
That was the season that Manning missed with a serious neck injury. He had
two vertebrae fused. Some wondered if he'd ever play again.
"His right side was completely atrophied," Polian says.
The Colts released Manning, and he signed with Denver, where John Elway
understood that great quarterbacks can learn new tricks. And now Manning
moves the Broncos less with fly patterns and more with option routes,
slants, precision crossing patterns, feathered back-shoulder passes and a
menu of screens.)
Ex-protector has lived it
Tarik Glenn, who protected Manning's blind side for 138 of 144 regularseason games from 1998 until retiring after the 2006 season, enjoys
watching his friend from afar.
"I can honestly say I could be his offensive coordinator because I know all
the plays he's running," Glenn says. "They've basically taken the old Colts
offense and taken that as a base and a foundation and they've added on a
bunch of things that are causing them to be dominant."
Ask Glenn who was the most frustrated sack artist of Manning's Colts era
and he doesn't hesitate. "Bruce Smith," Glenn says.
"That's accurate," Smith says. "Just because you don't sack a quarterback
doesn't mean you're not having an impact. You make them throw under
duress and get the ball out sooner than they want. That can lead to
overthrows, dropped passes, interceptions and getting off the field. That's
the main objection, although you'd always want a sack."
Broncos coach John Fox says the Cowboys' defensive front, especially end
DeMarcus Ware and tackle Jason Hatcher, will be the biggest test of the
season so far for the Broncos' offensive line.
"They're good at creating pressure," Manning says, "and creating sacks."
Manning is always careful not to supply bulletin-board material. He does not
taunt pass rushers who fail to get their licks.
"He's in about as vulnerable a position as you can be in," Glenn says. "The
last thing he needs to do is egg on somebody to get a cheap shot because
they're angry at him. … He doesn't talk a lot. He doesn't need to. Peyton
finds pleasure in scoring a lot of points on defenses and breaking their will
just by executing well."
The Broncos rang up 49 points on the Baltimore Ravens, 41 on the New York
Giants, 37 on the Oakland Raiders and 52 on the Philadelphia Eagles. That's
179 points, 52 clear of everyone else.
Manning threw seven touchdown passes on opening night against the
Ravens. Last week, on the Broncos' last four TD drives against the Eagles,
they never faced a third down. He is completing 75% of his passes. He is
averaging nearly 9.5 yards a pass attempt. He has thrown the ball away
under pressure just twice through four games, and he has not been hit as he
throws.
"He knows where to go with the ball," Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs says.
"That's it. When the quarterback knows what you're in, and he knows where
to go with the ball, pass rush can't help you."
Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio coached against Manning 16
times as coach of Jacksonville Jaguars; his teams recorded 14 sacks.
"Do you have to bring that up?" Del Rio says, laughing. "It was hard enough,
then. I don't want to relive it."
Clady's absence a concern
Amid all the giddiness over the Broncos' start, there is a measure of
concern. They lost all-pro left tackle Ryan Clady to a season-ending injury
after the Giants' game. Clady had played every game for the Broncos since
Denver drafted him at No.12 in 2008, and he had allowed two sacks on
Manning in 19 games.
Chris Clark, his replacement, gave up a sack against Oakland, but offensive
coordinator Adam Gase took the blame, suggesting his play call put Clark in
a bad spot.
"It's an honor and a privilege to be a guy like that's blind-side protector,"
Clark says, "and that he trusts me to get the job done."
Clark didn't allow a pressure against Philadelphia and says the frustration of
Eagles pass rushers was obvious.
"You see the desperation," Clark says, "just trying to get there."
Polian still roots for Manning. "I worry a little bit about Ryan Clady not being
there," he says. "It's really important that the left tackle keep him clean to
operate the whole offense."
Glenn was that left tackle in Indy. And he regrets the time in 2001 when
Miami Dolphins defensive lineman Lorenzo Bromell drilled Manning with a
helmet-to-chin-strap hit that left Manning with a hairline fracture of his jaw.
Manning left the game — and missed one play.
"I just remember the fact I was pissed off that one of my men was the guy
who hit Peyton," Glenn says. "It's one of those things. You want to do your
best to ensure that doesn't happen."
It hasn't happened often to Manning. "He has the longevity," Glenn says,
"because he hasn't been hit as much as most quarterbacks."
Wayne Gretzky had hockey seasons when he soared at an otherworldly
level, as Manning soars now. They used to say of Gretzky what they say of
Manning: The way to beat him is hit him.
But you can't hit what you can't catch. Or, as then-Minnesota North Stars
general manager Lou Nanne famously said, "You can't hit Gretzky with a
handful of confetti."
Which isn't far from what those singing nuns trilled of Maria von Trapp, and
might just as well say of Manning: How do you hold a moonbeam in your
hand?
Peyton Manning's case for history
By Kevin Lincoln
FOX Sports
October 1, 2013
Peyton Manning is on pace to have the best season of any quarterback in NFL
history.
Through four games this year, he’s thrown 16 touchdowns, zero interceptions, 1470
yards, and has a 75 percent completion rating and 9.42 yards per attempt. The
Broncos are 4-0.
As far as realism goes, it would be more or less impossible for Manning to have
played better than he has; hypothetically, he could have completed 100 percent of
his passes, thereby increasing the number of yards and touchdowns he would have
thrown for, but this is only possible in the sense that it is physically possible: it will
never happen, and I feel pretty comfortable predicting that.
For practical purposes, Manning has been perfect in this, his 16th year in the
league. (I’m including 2011 for these purposes. You’ll see why.) Manning has been
perfect despite being 37 years old and playing for a team that is not the one with
which he made his name and built his Hall of Fame credentials. And in so doing,
he’s capping off what might, at its end, be the weirdest career completed by a
football quarterback.
Take a look at the list of Hall of Famers at the quarterback position in the modern
era. They all have something in common. And that’s that they gave their best
years, and any Super Bowls or championships they might have won, to the same
team.
Almost without exception, the NFL’s greatest quarterbacks have tallied their
accomplishments for the same franchise, with detours to other teams only coming
at the fresh-faced or tail ends of their career, i.e. Joe Montana’s dalliance with the
Chiefs, or Joe Namath’s with the L.A. Rams.
And the current crop of passers with a decent chance to see themselves enshrined
in the Hall when their careers are over are no different: Tom Brady’s a lifelong
Patriot, Aaron Rodgers a Packer, Ben Roethlisberger a Steeler, Eli Manning a Giant.
The one exception, Drew Brees, only had one truly impressive season, 2004, with
the Chargers before being allowed to walk to New Orleans to make way for Philip
Rivers. Could you still argue that was a mistake knowing what Brees had
accomplished to that point? Oh, sure. But remember that Brees was coming off a
torn labrum in his throwing shoulder, and that San Diego had a top-five draft pick
waiting in the wings.
Manning’s situation is completely different. If he had retired after 2011, the year he
missed entirely due to hugely concerning neck issues, Peyton would’ve had a
convincing argument for enshrinement: a Super Bowl ring, a record of 141-67, 399
touchdowns to 198 interceptions, a career QB rating of 94.9, four MVP awards.
The only knock against him, his 9-11 playoff record, would’ve been reasoned away
as it was for Marino — plus, Manning did have a ring. He might not have been the
greatest playoff quarterback of all time, but he got it done once, and once is
enough if we’re talking enshrinement.
The Colts bottomed out during his season-long absence, released Manning, and
drafted Andrew Luck. It feels like we didn’t make enough noise about this at the
time, in retrospect: it sort of made sense, what with Luck’s boundless promise and
the question of Manning’s health and whether he could return to the field, much
less form. Looking back on it now, though, it’s mind-blowing: a team voluntarily
released arguably the best player in football.
And now Manning has his chance. If he can win this Super Bowl with the Broncos —
and he’s got as good a chance as anyone; Denver is the clear frontrunner in the
AFC, with the most points in the season’s first four games of any team since the
merger — Manning will have accomplished something no other great quarterback
has, which is be truly great with two different franchises. (Kurt Warner’s strange
journey through the league being the closest anyone’s come. Fun fact: Kurt Warner
was 8-23 from 2002-06.)
And if Manning were able to win the MVP award this year, for the fifth time in his
career, as he’s well on track to do? He’d be the first player in NFL history to do it
with two separate franchises. Weirdest of all: despite his greatness with the Colts, if
Manning can take the Super Bowl or MVP or both in 2013, we’ll legitimately have to
look back and consider him a Bronco as well. They might need to stitch two jerseys
together for whatever they hang in Canton.
Paige: Peyton Manning is the real
Surgeon General
By Woody Paige
The Denver Post
September 30, 2013
In Colorado lately, we've seen fire, and we've seen rain, and we've seen Peyton,
and we've seen Thunder. We saw that the weather and the Broncos were
spectacular Sunday.
In three home games, the Broncos have produced 18 touchdowns and four field
goals. They scored seven touchdowns (for the second time this season) and a field
goal against the Eagles on Sunday in a blowout of epic proportions. Michael Vick
was not Philly's salve.
The Broncos' Arabian gelding mascot — Thunder II — races the length of the field
to celebrate every score.
"Sounds like Thunder could use an IV after this one," Peyton Manning said after the
Broncos set a team record with 52 points.
Sounds like Peyton could jump into that cold tub he loves for relaxation the day
after games. Is that the fountain of youth Ponce de Leon was searching in vain for?
Has Manning, at 37, transformed into Dorian Orange or Benjamin Bronco?
Seems like Manning is the perfect quarterback this season. Sixteen touchdown
passes, zero interceptions and 1,470 yards in four games.
Multiply Peyton's numbers by four — and we are permitted to start considering the
historic pace he's on — and he would finish with 64 touchdowns, ZERO
interceptions and 5,880 yards.
Is that any good?
"He's a tremendous quarterback. I don't think anybody is going to dispute that,"
Broncos coach John Fox said, then laughed.
Eagles linebacker Connor Barwin said: "He got hot on us a lot."
Another obvious statement. What splendid quotes. Tweet John Bartlett.
Manning operates like a surgeon. He commands like a general.
He should be called The Surgeon General.
That's the opinion of Tony-nominated Broadway actor Jeremy Shamos, who grew
up in Colorado and was a Broncos' season-ticket holder until seeking stardom of his
own in New York 25 years ago. Shamos is an unabashed Peyton patron, but, then,
the unwashed masses love the quarterback.
The Surgeon General should come with a warning for cornerbacks.
Perfect Peyton. Well, not quite. The best possible passer rating in the NFL is 158.3.
Peyton is at 138.0. Something is wrong with that rating system if Peyton isn't rated
perfect.
In the Broncos' final four drives, Peyton completed 13-of-13 second-down passes
for first downs. The Broncos didn't have to worry about third or fourth downs.
As usual, the Broncos had to get on track. After the Eagles pulled within 14-13 in
the second quarter, the Broncos ran off 38 consecutive points. Eagles coach Chip
Kelly said, "Yeah, their offense is pretty good."
Two things about Peyton:
He's playing at a sensational level because of his health, his complete grasp of this
offense and his set of receivers.
And, he's mad. Peyton says he doesn't think about the playoff loss to Baltimore —
the only defeat suffered by the Broncos in the past 16 games — but every day that
he looks in the mirror and stares at the tapes of defenses, he is reminded that the
Broncos should have been Super Bowl champs last season, and is aware that the
Broncos should be in the Super Bowl this season.
So, Peyton's on a determined mission, and the scoring and passing records are just
sidelights to the purpose. The Eagles' defense became a pull-toy. The Broncos'
defense and special teams are playing at a level that complements, and oft-times,
surpasses Peyton and the offense.
Manning has been sacked only five times this season. He threw to eight targets
Sunday. There wasn't a hint of an interception, and the receivers were open like
church.
"There are always things you can improve on," Manning said afterward, as he
always does.
He admitted he "enjoyed" the game. "That was a good team we played. We felt
really motivated to score points against these guys. I thought we did that today."
Despite being a football historian, Manning wasn't aware that 52 points was a club
all-time high. None of us probably knew. And I've seen fire and rain and snow and
lightning, but I've never seen the Broncos go up and down the field, down and up
the field over and over, quite like that.
As did Thunder II.
By the numbers: Peyton Manning treads
on historic ground
By Josh Katzowitz
CBSSports.com
September 29, 2013
Only once before in their entire team history had the Broncos scored 50 points in a
game. Denver got its pro football franchise in 1960, so that's 53 years where the
Broncos only once got past that 49-point barrier (and actually, they've scored 49
points three different times).
The only other time occurred on Oct. 6, 1963 when a Broncos team led by
quarterback John McCormick's three touchdown passes and Geno Mingo's five field
goals blasted the Chargers 50-34
Well, five decades after that performance against the eventual 1963 AFL titlewinning San Diego team, Peyton Manning helped push Denver over the hump
again, dominating Philadelphia 52-20 (psst, unlike Sid Gillman's Chargers team
from 50 years ago, Chip Kelly's Eagles squad will NOT be winning the league title
anytime soon).
But the half-century mark wasn't the only special moment about Sunday's game.
No, quarterback Peyton Manning put up some special numbers of his own.
x
Manning's 16 touchdown passes broke the record of 14 through the first four
games of the season that had been co-held by Sammy Baugh, Don Meredith
and Kurt Warner. Via ESPN Stats Info.
x
Manning has tied the NFL record for most touchdowns to start a season
without throwing an interception. The only other quarterback to do that, via
ESPN Stats Info, was Milt Plum with the 1960 Browns. Plum, it should be
noted, needed 10 games to reach that mark.
x
Manning, as you know, has 16 passing touchdowns. No other team has more
than 15 total touchdowns this season.
And one other Broncos highlight"
x
Denver has scored 179 points so far this season. That's the second-most in
NFL history, behind the Cowboys' 183-point total in 1966.
So, what does all of this tell us? Well, it was a damn good move for the Broncos to
pay a ton of money to Manning even when nobody could be sure before the 2012
season whether Manning and his fused neck ever would be the same as before.
Somehow, he's even better now.
On to the rest of the league:
BY THE NUMBERS
1: The number of rookies in NFL history who have started a game and beat the
defending Super Bowl champions in the month of September. Buffalo's EJ Manuel
from Sunday against the Ravens is the only one. Via NFL History.
3: The number of consecutive games Texans quarterback Matt Schaub has thrown
an interception that was returned for a touchdown. That might have led to this
good old fashioned jersey burning. Via Lance Zierlein.
7: The number of points the Giants have scored in their last eight quarters.
8: The number of times Colts receiver Reggie Wayne has notched a 100-yard
receiving day vs. the Jaguars. It's the most of any active player against one team.
10: The number of years it's been since the Cardinals fought back from a 10-point
deficit in the fourth quarter and managed to win in regulation. The last time, via
NFL Communications, was Dec. 28, 2003 vs. the Vikings. As my colleague John
Breech noted, that loss was probably Josh Freeman's fault also.
12: the number of rushing touchdowns scored by Vikings running back Adrian
Peterson that have been 60 yards or more. That is the most since 1940. To give
you some perspective, Jim Brown is second on the list with nine. Via ESPN Stats
Info.
30: The number of points the Bears allowed in the first half to the Lions on Sunday.
It's the 13th time since 1958 that Chicago has allowed at least that many points in
the first 30 minutes of play. Via the Chicago Tribune.
33: The number of years it's been since a team that lost at least 14 games in the
previous season has won its first four games of the next season. This time, it's the
Chiefs, who went 2-14 in 2012 and now are 4-0 after beating the Giants on
Sunday. In 1979, the Lions stumbled to a 2-14 finish and then won their first four
games in 1980 (they finished that season 9-7 and missed the postseason). The
Lions and the Chiefs are the only teams in NFL history to accomplish this bitter-tosweet turnaround.
40: The number of games since the Patriots have played a regular-season contest
in a dome. That outside streak ends Sunday night when they face the Falcons at
the Georgia Dome. Via ESPN Boston.
83.3: The completion percentage for Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers vs. the
Cowboys, the most ever for a quarterback who throws for at least 400 yards in a
game. Rivers finished 35 of 42 for 401 yards, three touchdowns and an
interception.
85: The negative point differential for the Giants (their opponents have scored 146
pionts, while the Giants have managed just 61). It's their worst point differential
through the first four games of the season in team history. Not surprisingly, the
team is 0-4 -- for the first time since 1987. Via ESPN Stats Info.
100: For the first time in NFL history, a quarterback has 100 more wins than losses.
And that quarterback is Tom Brady, who is 139-39 as a starter entering Week 4.
100: The number of consecutive games played by Browns left tackle Joe Thomas,
including Sunday's win against the Bengals. Entering Sunday's game, he had played
in all of the team's 6,054 offensive snaps since he joined in 2007.
120.5: The number of career sacks for Vikings defensive end Jared Allen. With his
2.5-sack day Sunday, Allen passed Derrick Thomas for the most career sacks
accumulated in an NFL players' first 10 years of his carrer. Currently, Allen is 16th
on the all-time sacks list, and he's 79.5 behind Bruce Smith, the all-time leader.
181: The number of consecutive passes thrown by Bears quarterback Jay Cutler
against the Lions before he finally was intercepted late in the first quarter Sunday.
Overall, he threw three picks on the day.
205: The number of minutes into the 2013 season it took before the Chiefs finally
turned the ball over (a botched snap by center Rodney Hudson).
240: The number of minutes the Titans have played this season without a turnover.
Tennessee joins the 1995 Rams as the only two teams in league history to go
through the first four games of a season without committing a turnover.
9,147,059: The amount of money, in American dollars, that Raiders quarterback
Matt Flynn has earned since he left the Packers. In that time, Flynn hadn't started a
game until Sunday vs. the Redskins. Meanwhile, Russell Wilson, the man who beat
out Flynn for the Seahawks starting job last season, has earned just $1.102 million.
Via Darren Rovell.
Peyton Manning flying high as Broncos
rout Eagles in Denver
By Mike Klis
The Denver Post
September 29, 2013
Bring it on, NFL. Who's next to get torched by Peyton Manning?
Sammy Baugh and the John Elway-led Super Bowl Broncos were the latest to fall
from the record books.
Milt Plum, your 53-year-old run of passing efficiency is now a dead-eye target
within Manning's remarkable field vision.
As for the schedule, the Philadelphia Eagles became the latest victims of Manning's
historic passing exhibitions. Manning threw four touchdowns, again without an
interception, and special teams scored two more touchdowns as the Broncos
embarrassed Chip Kelly's Eagles, 52-20, on a warm, late-September Sunday
afternoon at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.
Manning didn't play in the fourth quarter, as backup Brock Osweiler got some
playing time with the Broncos up 49-13.
Before Manning signed on to play with the Broncos prior to the 2012 season, he
was already considered one of the all-time best quarterbacks.
In the 20 regular-season games since he's donned bright orange, Manning has been
absurd, leading the Broncos to 17 wins on 53 touchdown passes against just 11
picks. He's gone to a level through four games this year that not even the greatest
of the greats have gone before.
Manning has 16 touchdown passes without an interception this year. Plum started
his 1960 season with 16 TD passes and no interceptions for the Cleveland Browns.
But it took him 10 games to get No. 16. And he threw a pick later in that game.
The game against the Eagles was initially supposed to be the end of Von Miller's
suspension. The Broncos would have reached that end with a 4-0 record. However,
an appeal led to discovery of fraudulent shenanigans between Miller, the Broncos'
star pass rusher, and specimen test collector that resulted in a six-game
suspension.
Is that you, Jerry Jones, who is up next on the Broncos' schedule? It's on to Dallas
for the Broncos next week for game 5 followed by — gasp! — the Jacksonville
Jaguars in game 6 in Denver.
Where it goes, Manning probably knows.
The win Sunday was the Broncos' 15th in a row during the regular season, breaking
the franchise record on a day when Tom Nalen was inducted into the Ring of Fame.
Nalen was the starting center on the 1997-98 Broncos that had won 14 straight.
Elway was the starting quarterback for most of that streak. He was the Broncos'
front-office boss who quarterbacked the recruitment of the free-agent Manning last
year.
Manning keeps passing milestones set by star quarterbacks of decades gone by. His
seven touchdown passes in the season-opening win against Baltimore conjured up
memories of Y.A. Tittle and Joe Kapp.
By winning all 15 games by at least 7 points, Manning's Broncos have the longest
such streak since the Sid Luckman-quarterbacked Chicago Bears won 16 in a row
by such margins in 1941-42.
Manning's 16 touchdown passes through four games broke the NFL record of 14
touchdown passes set by Sammy Baugh in 1943 and tied by Don Meredith in 1966
and Kurt Warner in 1999.
Sorry, Sling' Sammy. After 70 years, that four-game TD record is no longer yours.
Manning broke into the NFL as the No. 1 overall draft choice in 1998 and it's gone
lost past the point where he has been considered a legend in his own time. So it's
only right that one of the cherished records he has next in his sights is one
engineered by Manning himself.
The NFL winning-streak record of 23 straight regular-season games was set by the
2008-09 Indianapolis Colts. You know who quarterbacked that team.
The Manning of then won the final 9 games of 2008, before he and his Colts lost
their opening playoff game. The 2009 Colts then won their first 14 regular-season
games and reached the Super Bowl where they lost to the New Orleans Saints.
Manning and the Broncos won their final 11 games of 2012, then lost their only
playoff game. Check. They have breezed through their first four games of 2013 by
an average of 22 points.
Manning threw two touchdown passes Sunday to slot receiver Wes Welker and two
to Demaryius Thomas.
Overall, Manning completed 28 of 34 passes for 327 games against the Eagles. So
in the span of six days — starting with his Monday night slaying of the Oakland
Raiders — Manning completed 60 of 71 passes for 701 yards, 7 TDs and 0 picks.
Even his stats have a symmetrical rhythm to them.
Blitz Peyton Manning? Good luck with
that
By Sam Farmer
LA Times
September 28, 2013
Getting an edge on Peyton Manning in three easy steps:
1. Draw up a comprehensive list of blitzes and pressure packages.
2. Put those on a card and laminate it.
3. Feed that play sheet into the shredder.
If there are blitzes that work against the Denver Broncos quarterback, they haven't
surfaced this season, even with All-Pro left tackle Ryan Clady out for the season. No
NFL quarterback has been more effective against the blitz, with Manning completing
63.6% of his passes in those situations (14 of 22) with four touchdowns and a
passer rating of 140.5.
Surprisingly, Oakland's lightly experienced Terrelle Pryor is second on that list with
a 133.5 rating when blitzed, followed by Atlanta's Matt Ryan, 130.1; Seattle's
Russell Wilson, 127.8; and San Diego's Philip Rivers, 123.2.
The bottom of the list is predictable, populated with lower-tier quarterbacks such as
Cleveland's Brandon Weeden, 58.2; Jacksonville's Chad Henne, 55.7, and Blaine
Gabbert, 45.1; and Minnesota's Christian Ponder, 6.3, achieved by completing
29.6% of his passes when blitzed (eight of 27) with no touchdowns and three
interceptions.
Washington's Robert Griffin III was outstanding against blitzes as a rookie, notching
a league-high passer rating of 143.5. This season, with his mobility hampered by a
surgically repaired knee, he looks like an entirely different player and has a rating
of 67.8.
Manning is so thorough in his preparation, he will not only study the tendencies of a
defense, but also he will learn everything he can about a coordinator and that
coach's background, influences and mentors … anything that will give him an
advantage when he brings the Broncos to the line of scrimmage.
"Certainly when teams blitz, you want to take your shots down the field, depending
on what the coverage is," Manning said. "Other times, you want to try to help your
linemen out and get the ball out of your hands. If we can catch a short pass and
break a tackle, that's certainly a productive play."
Former NFL quarterback Rich Gannon, once voted the league's most valuable
player, was exceptional against blitzes. He compares the maturation of
quarterbacks in those situations to the classes a typical college student might take.
Identifying a blitz and safely throwing the ball away? You get an A in Blitz 101.
Spotting a blitz before the snap, making the proper protection adjustments, and
picking up eight yards on a three-step slant? You've aced Blitz 202.
But what about Professor Manning?
"He's at the Ph.D. level," said Gannon, now a CBS analyst. "He anticipates ahead of
time based on his film study and preparation during the week. He's able to preview
information in the huddle ahead of time. 'Hey, guys, I'm anticipating pressure.
Heads up for this.' Then he can get up to the line of scrimmage and recognize the
front, the down and distance, the coverage, where the pressure's coming from, and
change the protection.
"Now here's where he's different than most guys: Not only does he change the
protection, but he makes you pay for doing so. He'll get into the right protection,
take the hit off and allow himself time to set his feet and make an excellent throw,
but then he'll put the concept with it that has a chance to rip your heart out, has a
chance to be a touchdown."
Closers
One reason Miami is undefeated this season is the Dolphins have slammed the door
on teams, something they didn't do in 2012. They have allowed just three points in
the fourth quarter of games, after giving up 101 points in fourth quarters last
season.
The Dolphins are 3-0 despite being outgained in each of their games. According to
Elias Sports Bureau, the only other team in the last 15 years to win its first three
games despite being outgained in each was last season's Arizona Cardinals. That
should give Miami pause, considering those Cardinals started 4-0 before losing 11
of 12.
Can't block it out
Eli Manning was sacked seven times in Carolina last Sunday, with five of those
coming in the opening quarter. It could be even uglier for the Giants in Kansas City
on Sunday, facing a second-ranked Chiefs defense that leads the league with 15
sacks. New York's line is painfully young and likely will be missing a couple more
starters because of injuries, guard Chris Snee and center David Baas.
Big target
New Orleans' Jimmy Graham has 313 yards receiving in the past two games, the
most by a tight end in a two-game span in a single season since Denver's Shannon
Sharpe had a record-tying 413 in 1996. Should Graham collect 101 yards or more
against the Dolphins on Monday night, he would set the record for receiving yards
by a tight end over a three-game span.
College reunion
When Seattle plays at Houston, it will be the first time star Texans linebacker Brian
Cushing will face his former coach at USC, the Seahawks' Pete Carroll.
According to the Houston Chronicle, Cushing said Carroll "was a very influential
person at a critical stage in my career and in my life, a guy that's helped me
tremendously grow up as a person and a football player."
Carroll, too, was effusive about Cushing, calling him "one of the best players we
ever recruited."
"As a young guy, he was just a real classic Jersey kid, feisty, tough and confident
the moment he stepped on our campus," the coach said.
Perfect P & Easy E
The Mannings are at the opposite ends of the emotional spectrum, with Peyton's
Broncos at 3-0 and Eli's Giants at 0-3. The brothers have very different
personalities, too, something that was obvious in the excellent documentary "The
Book of Manning," which aired on ESPN this week.
Watching it reminded me of something the ultra-Type-A Peyton told me 10 years
ago, when Eli was still at Mississippi.
"I could tell you every quarterback in the SEC for the last 20 years," he said. "We
had to teach Eli the 12 teams in the SEC before he went to Ole Miss."
Manning Continues Scorching Pace
By Gray Caldwell
DenverBroncos.com
September 29, 2013
DENVER -- Another game, another handful of records broken by quarterback Peyton
Manning.
"You sit back and you watch it and you're in awe," cornerback Dominique RodgersCromartie said.
Manning, who had already set a new record for touchdown passes thrown through
three games to start a season, now owns that record through four games.
His second touchdown pass Sunday afternoon tied two players for the record, last
achieved by Kurt Warner in 1999.
On his next drive, he set a new record with 15 through four games. And on his next
drive, for good measure, he made the record 16 with his fourth touchdown pass of
the game.
"He makes it look easy, but it's definitely damn hard," defensive tackle Kevin
Vickerson said.
Manning completed 28 of his 34 passes Sunday, throwing for 327 yards and four
touchdowns. The resulting 146.0 quarterback rating marked a career high for
Manning with a minimum of 30 attempts. It's his highest rating in any game since
the 2008 season.
Last week, former teammate Jeff Saturday said on ESPN's NFL Live that he thinks
Manning is playing the best football of his career.
To that point, the quarterback's current streak of 201 consecutive passes without
an interception is the longest such streak of his career, and the second-longest in
Broncos history. That run combined with his 16 touchdowns ties him for the most
touchdowns to start a season without a pick with quarterback Milt Plum, who
accomplished it in 1960.
“Ya’ll were at the game, too," wide receiver Wes Welker said when asked about
Manning's performance. "I mean, 11 incompletions in two games – that kind of
says it. He’s an exceptional player and prepares like nobody and else and he’s kind
of the catalyst of getting everything going."
Manning, who also passed quarterback Brett Favre for the most four-touchdown
games in NFL history -- he now has 24 -- wasn't interested in all the talk of the
records he's setting. He was more concerned with the fact that the team is 4-0 in
advance of a road matchup with the Dallas Cowboys in Week 5.
“The recaps don’t mean a whole lot," he said. "It was a good win because it was
this game and we’ll learn from it and we have a tough test next week."
That's the attitude the rest of the locker room is taking as well. It doesn't get any
better than 4-0 after four games. But even with all the records being set, the
players and coaches understand that the regular season is only a quarter of the
way finished.
"We're on a mission," defensive end Derek Wolfe said. "We're going to try to get to
the big game. But it's week-by-week, day-by-day, practice-by-practice, snap-bysnap."
And with Manning at the helm of the offense, the team knows it has a chance to
accomplish its goals.
"How that guy prepares throughout the week and how he has the offensive units
preparing with him the same way, it's only going to get better," Vickerson said. "I
don't see it dropping off."
Manning Wins FedEx Air Award
By Mike Morris
DenverBroncos.com
September 27, 2013
Peyton Manning was named the Week 3 FedEx Air Award winner.
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Peyton Manning’s record-setting effort against the Raiders on
Monday night has garnered another honor.
Manning was named FedEx Air Player of the Week after completing 32 of 37 passes
for 374 yards and three touchdowns against the Raiders – becoming the first player
in NFL history to throw for 12 touchdowns in the first three games of a season in
the process.
The quarterback also earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for an NFLrecord 25th time earlier this week, and he was named both FedEx Air Player of the
Week and AFC Offensive Player of the Week after his seven-touchdown
performance against the Ravens on Sept. 5 in the season opener.
“To think about what he’s been able to do week-in and week-out – we just shake
our heads,” tight end Julius Thomas said. “He’s playing at such a high level right
now. He continues to get better and make everybody around him better.”
Manning completed 86.5 percent of his passes in the game and finished with a
quarterback rating of 135.8 – etching his place into the NFL annals with both
achievements.
Manning became just the sixth player in NFL history to throw for 350 yards and
complete more than 85 percent of his passes in a single game. And his aerial
showcasing also marked the 15th consecutive regular season game that Manning
has finished with a QB rating higher than 90.0 – extending his own league record.
Manning has posted a quarterback rating of over 100.0 in all three games this
season, helping guide a Broncos offense that is averaging a league-high 42.3 points
per game.
“Guys are making good plays in the passing game and we are doing a good job
getting yards after the catch,” Manning said. “That makes a big difference.”
Manning leads the NFL in passing yardage (1,143 yards), completions (89),
completion percentage (73.0 percent), touchdowns (12) and quarterback rating
(134.7) after three games. He is also one of only two quarterbacks with over 100
passing attempts who have not thrown an interception this season.
“He’s obviously a great player and doing a great job,” wide receiver Wes Welker
said. “That’s what we need and we expect that out of him all the time.”
“You can’t (put it into words),” wide receiver Demaryius Thomas added. “That’s
unbelievable.”
Saturday: Manning Playing Best Football
of Career
By Gray Caldwell
DenverBroncos.com
September 25, 2013
ESPN analyst Jeff Saturday, who played 12 seasons with Peyton Manning in
Indianapolis, thinks the quarterback is playing the best football of his career.
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Peyton Manning's former teammate thinks the quarterback is
playing the best football of his career.
Yesterday on ESPN's NFL Live, Jeff Saturday, who played 12 years with Manning in
Indianapolis, said it "pains" him to say it, but he believes Manning looks even better
now.
"He has this entire offense in mid-to-late season form," Saturday said. "He’s
making checks. He’s making audibles. He’s putting when they’re in a six-man box
on defense in a nickel look. He’s running the ball down the middle. He’s allowing
every playmaker he has on the field to make the plays they’re called to make."
"It’s just an incredible rapport that he has with this team."
Fellow NFL Live panelists Tim Hasselbeck and Jerome Bettis chimed in on
Saturday's thoughts.
"You go back to when you (Saturday) were playing with him, and you guys were
scheme-blocking all the play-action, it destroyed the NFL. In a lot of ways, it’s
exactly the way he’s destroying the NFL now," Hasselbeck said. "I think now we’re
seeing a smarter player."
What stood out to Bettis wasn't necessarily Manning's NFL-record 12 touchdowns.
It's the zero interceptions.
“The one stat that we are not talking about: zero interceptions," Bettis said. "He’s
gone through three games with zero interceptions. The last time he’s done that was
2010. Career highs in yardage, passing, completions, so this tells me he’s on the
road to an even bigger year than he had in 2010 – and that was a career year.”
After Monday's win against the Raiders, Manning was asked if he feels as good as
he ever has as an NFL quarterback.
"I can’t say that," he said. "This is a new season. It’s one week at a time. I don’t
have a great comparison to other years. But guys are making good plays in the
passing game and we are doing a good job getting yards after the catch. That
makes a big difference."
Manning AFC Offensive Player of the
Week
By Stuart Zaas
DenverBroncos.com
September 25, 2013
For the second time this season, Peyton Manning has been named the AFC
Offensive Player of the Week.
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – In what shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who watched
Peyton Manning’s performance in Denver’s 37-21 win vs. Oakland on Monday Night
Football, the quarterback has been named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week.
Manning completed 32-of-37 passes to set a personal and franchise mark with that
86.5 completion percentage. He finished with 374 yards and three touchdowns,
becoming the first player ever to throw for 12 touchdowns in the first three weeks
of a season.
Manning’s outing against the Raiders was just the sixth game in NFL history that a
quarterback has thrown for 350
yards with an 85 percent completion
CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARDS
percentage.
His 135.8 quarterback rating in the
victory extended his streak of
games with a passer rating greater
than 90.0 to 15, which establishes a
new league record.
Rank
Player
No.
1
Peyton Manning
25
2
Tom Brady
23
3
Dan Marino
“Just good play-calling,” Manning
said after the game. “Trying to
4
Drew Brees
make good, smart, sound decisions.
I think guys are doing a good job
Brett Favre
getting open on time. I think guys
6
John Elway
have a good clock in their head
about when to come out of the
break versus different coverages.
Protection has been good, so it gives you a chance to see the field and try to
accurate footballs.”
18
16
16
15
throw
The weekly honor is Manning’s second of the season and 25th of his career,
extending his lead over Tom Brady for the most conference player of the week
awards in league history.
Manning also earned the award in Week 1 after tying a league record with seven
touchdown passes in a 462-yard effort against Baltimore.
Manning leads all players in completions, completion percentage, yards,
touchdowns, passer rating and is one of two quarterbacks with at least 100
attempts not to have thrown an interception in 2013.
“I think he has, again, got started where he left off last year and improved on that,”
Head Coach John Fox said on Monday. “We added some weapons, I think
personnel-wise our guys have brought in some guys that have helped us. And he’s
an incredible player as far as the way he prepares and he communicates things to
his teammates.”
PEYTON MANNING’S CAREER AFC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARDS
Year
Week Opp. (Date)
Passing Statistics
1998 11
vs. NYJ (11/15)
26-44, 59.1%, 276 yds., 3 TDs, 2 INT, 81.2 rtg.
1999 3
at S.D. (9/26)
29-54, 53.7%, 404 yds., 2 TDs, 1 INT, 82.6 rtg.
2000 4
vs. Jac. (9/25)
23-36, 63.9%, 440 yds., 4 TDs, 0 INT, 143.3 rtg.
2000 17
vs. Min. (12/24)
25-36, 69.4%, 283 yds., 4 TDs, 1 INT, 118.2 rtg.
2001 2
vs. Buf. (9/23)
23-29, 79.3%, 421 yds., 4 TDs, 2 INT, 129.6 rtg.
2003 4
at N.O. (9/28)
20-25, 80.0%, 314 yds., 6 TDs, 0 INT, 158.3 rtg.
2003 15
vs. Atl. (12/14)
25-30, 83.3%, 290 yds., 5 TDs, 0 INT, 146.5 rtg.
2004 3
vs. G.B. (9/26)
28-40, 70.0%, 393 yds., 5 TDs, 0 INT, 140.9 rtg.
2004 10
vs. Hou. (11/14) 18-27, 66.7%, 320 yds., 5 TDs, 2 INT, 115.7 rtg.
2004 12
at Det. (11/25)
23-28, 82.1%, 236 yds., 6 TDs, 0 INT, 141.4 rtg.
2004 16
vs. S.D. (12/26)
27-44, 61.4%, 383 yds., 2 TDs, 1 INT, 95.2 rtg.
2005 9
at N.E. (11/7)
28-37, 75.7%, 321 yds., 3 TDs, 1 INT, 117.1 rtg.
2006 2
vs. Hou. (9/17)
26-38, 68.4%, 400 yds., 3 TDs, 0 INT, 129.3 rtg.
2006 7
vs. Was. (10/22) 25-35, 71.4%, 342 yds., 4 TDs, 0 INT, 140.4 rtg.
2006 17
vs. Mia. (12/31)
22-37, 59.5%, 282 yds., 2 TDs, 0 INT, 101.4 rtg.
2007 13
vs. Jac. (12/2)
20-29, 69.0%, 288 yds., 4 TDs, 1 INT, 126.1 rtg.
2008 6
vs. Bal. (10/12)
19-28, 67.9%, 271 yds., 3 TDs, 0 INT, 134.7 rtg.
2008 11
vs. Hou. (11/16) 30-46, 65.2%, 320 yds., 2 TDs, 0 INT, 99.9 rtg.
2008 16
at Jac. (12/18)
29-34, 85.3%, 364 yds., 3 TDs, 0 INT, 140.7 rtg.
2009 10
vs. N.E. (11/15)
28-44, 63.6%, 327 yds., 4 TDs, 2 INT, 97.4 rtg.
2010 14
at Ten. (12/9)
25-35, 71.4%, 319 yds., 2 TDs, 0 INT, 118.6 rtg.
2012 6
at S.D. (10/15)
24-30, 80.0%, 309 yds., 3 TDs, 1 INT, 129.0 rtg.
2012 17
vs. K.C. (12/30)
23-29, 79.3%, 304 yds., 3 TDs, 0 INT, 144.8 rtg.
2013 1
vs. Bal. (9/5)
27-42, 64.3%, 462 yds., 7 TDs, 0 INT, 141.1 rtg.
2013 3
vs. Oak. (9/23)
37-37, 86.5%, 374 yds., 3 TDs, 0 INT, 135.8 rtg.
Maybe we're just now seeing Manning in
his prime
By Arnie Stapleton
The Associated Press
September 25, 2013
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Peyton Manning is only getting better with age.
Those surgical scars on his neck are starting to fade like all those fears that he
might never be the same quarterback — or even play again — after his right arm
shrank from a damaged nerve in his biceps two years ago.
After attacking his rehab as doggedly as he assails defenses, Denver's 37-year-old
quarterback is making it hard to fathom and easy to forget that not so long ago he
was missing an entire season and getting fired in Indianapolis.
The four-time MVP is off to the best start of his storied 16-year career.
Driven by last year's playoff pratfall, Manning is putting up historic numbers while
directing an imaginative offense that's still working through some growing pains.
Here's the scary part for opponents: Even with so many footballs slipping through
his teammates' hands or going through the uprights after stalled drives, the
Broncos (3-0) are averaging 42 points.
"I think Peyton's playing at an all-time (high) right now," said Philadelphia coach
Chip Kelly, whose Eagles (1-2) visit Denver on Sunday. "You couple him being at
the top of his game and then give him the weapons that he has, it's a pretty
dangerous formula to go against."
The 2013 Rocky Mountain version of the "Fearsome Foursome" is Demaryius
Thomas, Eric Decker, Wes Welker and Julius Thomas, who have collected 72
catches for 943 yards and 11 TDs already.
"Usually you have a main guy as part of the offense, a star that you can load up
and take him away," Eagles defensive coordinator Bill Davis said. "Peyton makes
you defend the field."
Manning is the first quarterback in NFL history to collect a dozen touchdown throws
in the first three weeks of the season, and his off-the-charts passer rating of 134.7
is way above the career high of 121.1 he set in his pinnacle 2004 season, when he
threw for 49 TDs.
Manning was masterful Monday night in completing a career-high 86.5 percent of
his passes in Denver's wipeout of Oakland.
Manning, though, finds no time in his no-nonsense schedule to contemplate just
how special this start is.
"This is a new season. It's one week at a time," he said. "I don't have a great
comparison to other years. But guys are making good plays in the passing game
and we are doing a good job getting yards after the catch."
Take Decker's 61-yard gain Monday night. He runs an 18-yard curl and there's a 6inch window for Manning, who delivers a frozen rope of a throw that seems to stun
even Decker, who hesitates for a split second before turning upfield for a 61-yard
gain.
"I was on him like a shadow," Raiders cornerback Mike Jenkins said. "I actually felt
the ball go across my fingers. ... He's a genius."
Just imagine him in his prime? Are you kidding? In many ways, it's right here, right
now.
Manning's work ethic keeps him in tip-top shape and his mental mastery of the
game keeps getting better.
"I'd like to think that any player would use the experience from the year before to
his advantage, to learn what to do against certain defenses, to learn what not to
do," Manning said. "With being able to play a lot, you certainly gain great
experience."
He's putting that to use like never before, too.
"The guy is just awesome," Jenkins said. "I've never seen anything like him. It is
very frustrating for you to be in the right spot and he still squeezes the ball in for a
great throw. There's not too much you can do about that. Most games you play,
that's your ball. But it's Peyton Manning."
Or, Peyton Manning 2.0.
He bounced back last year from a series of neck injuries and surgeries that
sidelined him in 2011, an all-too-familiar ordeal for the first family of football after
his older brother, Cooper, saw his football dreams dashed because of a spinal
condition.
Family patriarch Archie Manning said Peyton "never took football for granted
because of what happened to Cooper."
"I think he always knew he was fortunate in regard to health. But he wasn't ready
for his career to be over, not like that. Not four surgeries and having to leave the
place where he had been so long. He just didn't want it to end right there," Archie
Manning said. "So, I think the good Lord looked down on him there and allowed him
to play some more football, so we are grateful for that."
Peyton Manning swears it's hard work
for Broncos' easy-looking offense
By Benjamin Hochman
The Denver Post
September 24, 2013
For the first time Monday night, after tranquilizing the carnivorous cornerbacks
hungry for pigskin, and lion-like linemen hungry for Peyton's skin, did the Denver
quarterback finally look uncomfortable.
This occurred, funny enough, when a nice fellow at the postgame news conference
asked Peyton Manning about looking comfortable.
"You've made it look easy these first three games, but I'm sure it's not ..."
Manning purposefully shook his head side to side, uneasily touched his chin with his
left hand, then shook his noggin again and said, "It's not, no. I can't tell you what it
looks like. We do put a lot of work into the preparation. Our preparation has been
excellent these first three weeks. We really study the opponent .... to be sure we're
all on the same page."
In other words, to translate Manning: "I swear it's actually harder than it looks!"
It's getting stupid. He's not a quarterback; he's a surgeon. He's dissecting these
defenses with unfathomable ease (at least to our eyes). Twelve touchdowns and no
interceptions. Manning's 86.5 percent completion rate Monday (32-of-37) was a
career high with a minimum of 20 passes. Career high. His career began in Todd
Helton's second year with the Rockies. And consider that three of those passes for
sure were drops.
At times against the Oakland Raiders, it wasn't, "Will the Broncos score?" It was,
"Which Bronco will score?"
"I still think we can correct some things," Manning said. "Our defense did a good
job holding their offense. When we have those chances down in the red zone, thirdand-1, and had to settle for (a field goal). You're not looking to play the perfect
game. You're looking to take advantage of opportunities when they present
themselves. I thought we left a couple of maybe touchdowns out there tonight."
Manning is not going to publicly acknowledge awesomeness. After another big win,
he actually pointed out some mistakes, which appeared genuine and even adorable
but, come on, it's like a guy complaining he walked too many batters in his nohitter. And Manning didn't want to bite on questions about records and
accomplishments because, really, what has he accomplished — he won three
games well. This season is a mosaic.
We can get giddy; we're allowed to. My fellow columnist declared that this is the
greatest offense in NFL history. And two reporters and I debated this one — albeit a
small sample size — Manning might be the most dominant 37-year-old ever, more
than Brett Favre, while disregarding Barry Bonds due to the fact that he was
Frankenstein. (Though how about Warren Spahn? He led the league in WHIP, wins,
complete games and innings at age 37.)
So, yeah, it's all very exciting. But guys, they were supposed to beat the Raiders.
The story would have been if they had lost to the Raiders. But because Manning
beat them with such historic brilliance, we're suddenly wondering if this team is
preordained — and wondering just how easy it is for them to breed brilliance.
Manning doc shows family bond
By Hugh Kellenberger
Clarion Ledger
September 22, 2013
OXFORD — “The Book of Manning” almost never happened.
Archie Manning had initially given his permission for an ESPN documentary on him
and his family, but he later changed his mind.
His middle son, Peyton, was going through neck surgeries that threatened his
career. And his youngest, Eli, had just won the Super Bowl and been named MVP.
Archie Manning said he was concerned about the time commitment and bothering
too many people with too much else going on.
But then one day Olivia, Manning’s wife, asked him how the film was going. He told
her it wasn’t happening..
“You call him back,” Olivia told him. “Your grandchildren need to see this, and I
want you to do it.”
While the latest edition of the SEC Storied series (which premieres at 7 p.m.
Tuesday on ESPN) was made because one family produced three quarterbacks, it’s
not the focus of the film. It’s about a father’s love for his boys and how that fueled
everything that happened next.
“(Director) Rory (Karpf) told me when I first kind of canceled him out and then
came back and let him do it again, told me, ‘I’ll make you proud,’ ” Manning said. “I
feel awkward talking about it myself because it’s about me. I think it’s a little bit
about family, and I hope that will be a good thing and a good influence. I think
Rory made us proud.”
The film is at its best in the first hour, when it’s about Archie Manning. It traces his
path from a young boy growing up in Drew to becoming a local high school star to
choosing to attend Ole Miss. There is plenty of archival video footage, some of it
rarely seen, that shows Manning as a 1960s Johnny Manziel and a sensation on
campus.
“The Book of Manning” doesn’t shy away from difficult subjects, like the death of
Manning’s father. There were more than a few tissues needed during that stretch at
a screening of the film earlier this month at Ole Miss.
That event raised $100,000 for the Blair E. Batson Hospital for Children, and many
of Manning’s teammates were included in the crowd.
“We love this place,” Manning said. “This is a wonderful, beautiful, almost sacred
place we call Ole Miss. What it’s really about it at the end of the day is we were all
here and we left with an education, but we left with great memories and great
friends.”
The second half of the film, leaning heavily on old home movies shot by Manning
himself, delves into his life as a New Orleans Saint and raising three boys: Cooper,
Peyton and Eli. Two of the boys, of course, decided to follow Manning to Ole Miss,
while Peyton attended Tennessee.
“He was a mature youngster, and he needed to make his own decision,” Archie
Manning said of Peyton. “And he made a great decision. He’s just like my older son,
Cooper, Eli and me. We love our school. We love Ole Miss, and he loves his school
too. He loves Tennessee.”
“The Book of Manning” is narrated by actor John Goodman. Karpf previously
directed the ESPN film “Dale” and a 30 for 30 documentary about late NASCAR
driver Tim Richmond, among other credits.
Is it too early to give Peyton Manning the
2013 NFL MVP? Broncos QB continues
unbelievable start to season
By Frank Schwab
Shutdown Corner/Yahoo! Sports
September 24, 2013
DENVER – No quarterback has ever started a season as well as Peyton Manning has
in 2013.
At this point it's pretty hard to imagine Manning not winning the MVP award at the
end of the season, as long as he stays healthy. The Broncos quarterback is playing
at a level that may be unsurpassed in NFL history, much less by any 37-year-old
who has played the game.
Manning picked apart the Raiders on Monday night in a 37-21 win. He was 32-of-37
for 374 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. He now owns the NFL record
for most touchdowns through three games to start the season, with 12. He has yet
to throw an interception. He came in with an unfathomable 131.0 rating for the
season, then had a 152.1 rating in the first half against Oakland. He has 1,143
yards already this season. Manning is on pace to throw for 6,096 yards and 64
touchdowns. Again, he's 37 years old.
No game in the NFL is easy. This isn't college, where Alabama is favored by six
touchdowns against some hapless foe and usually wins by that much. But the
Broncos and Manning sure made this win look easy. They're the clear favorites in
the AFC and didn't do anything to change that perception on Monday night.
Manning has a command of this offense and the game that is impressive to watch.
Having a great set of receivers to throw to helps. He used them all on Monday
night. There were touchdowns to Eric Decker, Wes Welker and Julius Thomas.
Manning always found the open receiver. And when he had to squeeze in a pass,
like he did on a 22-yard pass to Demaryius Thomas into an extremely tight window
close to the sideline, Manning did just that.
The only frightening moment happened late in the third quarter. Left tackle Chris
Clark, starting for the first time at left tackle in the NFL due to Ryan Clady's injury,
was beat clean around the edge by Raiders end Lamarr Houston. Houston hit
Manning hard, and his surgically-repaired neck snapped back like he was in a car
accident. Manning lost a fumble, but he got up. The play showed the potential
problem with losing one of the five best tackles in the NFL for the rest of the year.
That might end up costing the Broncos later in the season, but it surely didn't
matter in the final outcome on Monday. The Raiders didn't put up much of a fight,
but that had a lot more to do with the 3-0 Broncos. Denver is the dominant team in
the AFC, and depending how you feel about Seattle, in the NFL.
It's hard to imagine Manning playing at this level over 16 games, just because
nobody has ever done it before. But if anyone is going to, it might just be the
greatest quarterback in NFL history.
The Manning brothers like you’ve never
seen them before
By Chris Strauss
USA Today Sports
September 23, 2013
Twenty years ago, Peyton Manning was named the Gatorade high school football
player of the year, putting a second generation of Manning football stars into the
national spotlight and casting former Mississippi and New Orleans Saints
quarterback Archie Manning into a role that would end up becoming his primary
definition: the doting father.
Since then, Archie Manning’s sons have produced three Super Bowl rings, 15 Pro
Bowl appearances and seven grandchildren. It’s the latter achievement that
inspired the 64-year-old patriarch to participate in The Book of Manning, a
documentary debuting on ESPN Tuesday that details how his upbringing and
experiences shaped how he chose to raise his talented three sons.
“Dad initially did some stuff and then decided he just didn’t want to do it and put it
on hold,” eldest son Cooper Manning told For The Win. “(Filmmaker) Rory (Karpf)
almost had a heart attack when he found that out but then my mother was really
the driver to get dad back and say ‘let’s pursue it.’ I think she felt that their
grandchildren needed to see a side of him and some of the details they wouldn’t
see otherwise. My mom is to blame for reigniting the whole project.”
Viewers owe a debt of gratitude to Olivia Manning as well. While nearly every
aspect of the family’s history had seemingly been revealed in television profiles and
print feature stories over the past two decades, The Book of Manning utilizes a
trove of Manning home movies to give a insider’s look at how both Peyton and Eli’s
on-field personalities were shaped.
There’s a scene where three-year-old Peyton screams at Cooper after what he felt
was a particularly dirty hit. For a minute, the viewer actually can envision the
progression of that face into a 37-year-old man in a Denver Broncos jersey
hollering at teammates or referees.
While the childhood footage provides some nostalgic levity, the film also goes a
little deeper into some of the family’s darker times, including the suicide of Archie
Manning’s father when he was a 19-year-old star quarterback at Ole Miss and the
life-threatening spinal condition that ended Cooper Manning’s collegiate career.
“Historically I haven’t really talked about that a lot,” Cooper Manning said. “Rory
caught me on a weak day. We had talked for a long time during that interview
session and he got to me a little bit. I’ve always tried to downplay the whole
surgery and injury and just wanted to get back to normal. This was the one time I
guess you got the full scoop.”
Cooper Manning plays as central a role in the film as his famous younger brothers,
with his retelling of his decision to “play through Peyton” after his injury, a pivotal
plot point, even as he breaks down discussing how much he missed the
camaraderie of participating in the game afterward. Now 39, the father of three
seems to relish his role as the supportive older sibling.
“I’m just a proud brother and I just adore watching them play football,” Cooper
Manning said. “It’s far less about me and is more about me being proud of them
and loving them and being a part of it. I often wonder what my Sundays are going
to be like when they’re no longer playing. I really appreciate the times right now.”
The eldest brother said he usually makes it to about two of each younger brother’s
home games per season and then tries to get to all of the playoff games if
scheduling permits. He laughed about the graphic shown during Week 2s “Manning
Bowl,” which compared his siblings’ skills in various recreational sports.
“It was like ping-pong, pool,” Cooper Manning said. ”It’s basically stuff neither one
of them are very good at.”
While Peyton’s son Marshall is only 2, Cooper’s two sons have gotten started on the
one activity the family is very good at. Nine-year-old Arch and 7-year-old Heid
(daughter May is 10), have been replicating their dad and uncles when it comes to
staging epic games in the backyard of their Louisiana home.
“I’m reliving my dad’s life,” Cooper Manning said. “We’re doing the same things.
Pickup games, throwing amazing catches. They’re playing flag football and I’m out
there filming it. I’m trying to use my dad’s fatherly advice as a template how not to
screw up my kids.”
Peyton Manning carves up Raiders as
Broncos dominate
By Lindsay H. Jones
USA TODAY Sports
September 24, 2013
DENVER -- It's becoming redundant.
Peyton Manning carved up yet another defense Monday night, threw three more
touchdowns and set another NFL record in the Denver Broncos' 37-21 win against
the Oakland Raiders.
Manning's touchdowns were his 10th, 11th and 12th of the season, as he became
the first quarterback to throw that many touchdowns through the first three weeks
of any season. Manning's 12 TDs are four more than anyone else this season.
The Broncos have scored 127 points in three weeks, more than any team since the
1968 Dallas Cowboys.
This time, Manning did it in his first game without all-pro left tackle Ryan Clady,
who was placed on injured reserve last week with a foot injury, against an Oakland
team that led the NFL in sacks through two weeks.
How many other teams could survive the loss of a 30-sack linebacker (Von Miller)
and a 12-time Pro Bowl cornerback (Champ Bailey) and now an elite left tackle?
Manning and the Broncos' rapid-paced, no-huddle, high-scoring offense has made it
possible.
And here is what should be scary for the rest of the AFC: Bailey and Miller are on
their way back.
Bailey, who hasn't played since the second preseason game because of a foot
injury, could make his debut next week against the Philadelphia Eagles, and Miller
is halfway through his six-game suspension.
Against the Raiders, Manning and the Broncos solved the one issue that had
plagued the offense through two weeks. Despite scoring more than 40 points in
those wins, the Broncos hadn't scored in the first quarter.
That changed Monday as Manning led a methodical 55-yard drive on Denver's first
possession and tossed a 2-yard touchdown pass to receiver Eric Decker. Kicker Matt
Prater would later add a 53-yard field goal.
Manning also threw first-half touchdowns to receiver Wes Welker and tight end
Julius Thomas.
Denver's trio of tailbacks — Knowshon Moreno, Ronnie Hillman and Montee Ball —
combined for 166 rushing yards on 32 carries. Hillman scored his first touchdown of
the season in the fourth quarter.
Oakland, led by quarterback Terrelle Pryor, managed to strike with several big
plays — including a 73-yard touchdown to Denarius Moore and a trick-play scoring
pass from running back Darren McFadden to fullback Marcel Reece. It was Pryor's
best game as a passer, with 281 passing yards and no interceptions.
Playoffs only drama left for Peyton
Manning
By Kevin Seifert
ESPN.com
September 24, 2013
DENVER -- Peyton Manning was in a hurry Monday night. After one of the sharpest
games of his Hall of Fame career, he hustled into the Denver Broncos' locker room.
Then he jumped into a cold tub. He emerged after 20 minutes, dressed and spoke
to reporters with his teeth still chattering and his hands stuffed deeply in his
pockets.
"Short week," he said, gasping for air as he warmed up. "Trying to recover."
No sir. Manning didn't take a single moment to consider what he accomplished
during the Broncos' 37-21 victory over the Oakland Raiders. He didn't seem to care
a lick, as he might say, about becoming the first quarterback in NFL history to
throw 12 touchdown passes in his first three games. His icy glare betrayed no
interest in Monday night's 86.5 completion percentage, the highest for his career in
games with at least 20 attempts.
If he was pleased with the Broncos' 127 points and 1,460 yards through three
games -- the second- and fourth-best marks, respectively, in NFL history -- he gave
no indication.
"I still think there is plenty we can improve on," he said. "I really do."
This reaction seemed wholly appropriate to me. It reflected my own and perhaps
yours as well. Like Manning, we've been here and done this before. We've dutifully
recorded his individual records and accomplishments. It's as if we're numb to his
elite play.
Oh, Peyton Manning completed 32 of 37 attempts for 374 yards and three
touchdowns? Huh. Was it in the Super Bowl?
Yes, the only drama remaining in Manning's Hall of Fame career, and the only thing
most of us are really paying attention to, is what will happen when this Broncos
team reaches the playoffs. Admit it. We're all in a hurry to get there, Manning
included. Can he win another Super Bowl? Or is this another year of regular-season
romps and a playoff dud?
A survey of the Broncos' locker room revealed an undercurrent of the same feeling.
Receiver Wes Welker shrugged his shoulders when asked about Manning's
performance. After all, what is there to say about a prologue? Fellow receiver Eric
Decker, who caught eight passes for 133 yards, said that "our goal is to win
championships" and added that "you don't think about" individual game
accomplishments.
Frankly, these are nothing but preseason games for the Broncos, warm-ups to the
real thing that is still more than three months away. There is no sense judging
anything this team does until then.
We've done that enough already. As you are surely aware, Manning's teams have
made eight one-and-done playoff appearances -- including the Broncos' 2012
divisional-round loss to the Baltimore Ravens. So pardon me -- and Manning, and
the rest of the Broncos -- if we can't get too worked up about another brilliant
regular-season game.
"Maybe in 10 or 15 years," Decker said, "I'll look back at stuff like this."
SportsNation: Records going down?
Peyton Manning and the Broncos are off to hot starts. Will they break some big NFL
single-season marks? Vote!
To be fair, Manning is playing as well as he ever has. What we saw Monday night
was an elevation of even his elite standards. He carved up every defensive look the
Raiders gave him, completing 15 consecutive passes at one point in the first half.
All five of his incompletions were either knocked down by Raiders defenders or
dropped by his receivers, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
Through three games, Manning has had just 33 passes fall incomplete and hasn't
thrown an interception in 122 passes. I'm not trying to diminish any of that.
Manning, of course, briskly shook his head when asked to compare this start to
others in his career. (Or maybe he was still cold.)
"I don't have a great comparison to other years," he said.
Of course he does. He just isn't interested in discussing it, not yet anyway, not
when there is so much time between now and what really matters. The Broncos
might be the best team in the NFL at the moment, one that will get better when
suspended linebacker Von Miller and injured cornerback Champ Bailey return, but
we all know that doesn't mean a thing.
If the NFL crowned a champion of the regular season, Peyton Manning would have
more rings than fingers. It doesn't, of course, and he knows it as well as anyone.
So let's hurry this thing along. Is it January yet?
Peyton Manning continues record pace as
Broncos blow out rival Raiders
By Mike Klis
The Denver Post
September 24, 2013
This wasn't an NFL game of competitive parity. Nor was this close to an AFC West
tussle between the Broncos and their rivals, the Oakland Raiders. This was Peyton
Manning having fun in the swampy fields of New Orleans, teasing all his no-hope
hometown chums in a game of two-hand touch. Ha! Ha!
Better yet, this was Manning at practice at Dove Valley, his most comfortable
setting, picking apart his teammates in a 7-on-7 passing drill.
Adding to his historic start, Manning led the Broncos to a 37-21 whipping of the
Oakland Raiders on Monday night at Sports Authority Field. Manning was an absurd
32-of-37 — all five incompletions hit the intended receiver in the hands — for 374
yards and three touchdowns.
The Broncos' quarterback is making it look ridiculously easy three games into the
2013 season. He became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw 12
touchdown passes through the first three games. And Manning had his passing
dozen by halftime of Game 3.
That's 12 touchdowns against zero interceptions. The best he's ever been?
"I can't say that," Manning said, adding it's too early in the year to compare 2013
to any other in his 16-year career.
"I think he's started up where he left off last year, improved on that," Broncos
coach John Fox said. "We've added some weapons, personnel-wise, that we
brought in that have helped us. He's an incredible player as far as the way he
prepares and communicates things to his team."
Manning moved the Broncos to leads of 17-0 early in the second quarter, and 30-7
early in the second half.
With two minutes left in the first half, Manning was 18-of-20 for 229 yards and
three touchdown passes. You couldn't call him perfect, as Knowshon Moreno and
Virgil Green dropped the ball on his two incompletions.
Manning lead the Broncos to their franchise record-tying 14th consecutive regularseason victory. The first 11 in the streak were the last 11 games of the 2012
season. The only other 14-game winning streak by the Broncos occurred during the
1997-98 season. There was a Super Bowl championship trophy between that run.
There was a devastating playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens in the midst of the
Broncos' current 14-game winning streak.
Then again, this run isn't finished. The Philadelphia Eagles are next up on the
Broncos' schedule.
Keep telling yourself, Indianapolis Colts, that you made the correct decision nearly
two years ago in letting Manning go in exchange for the promising Andrew Luck. Is
it possible for any NFL future to be better than Peyton Manning in the present?
The Broncos played their first game without all-pro left tackle Ryan Clady, the
team's second-highest-paid player. He is done for the season with a left foot injury
and recently underwent surgery. Chris Clark played well until late in the third
quarter when he was beaten by Raiders and former Colorado Springs Doherty High
School star Lamarr Houston for a sack and fumble.
But by then, Manning had created plenty of room for error.
"He's a special player, one of the best to ever play, so you expect that from him,"
said Broncos' defensive end Shaun Phillips. "But to get where we want to go, it has
to be about the defense. Peyton is going to do his job. In order to be a great
defense, you have to slam the door on teams."
The Broncos played their third game without Pro Bowl linebacker Von Miller, their
most dynamic defensive player, and cornerback Champ Bailey, a Pro Bowler times
12. Miller is halfway through serving a six-game suspension that is fast becoming
an overhyped, inconsequential setback. Bailey has been out all season with a left
foot injury but could return Sunday.
Whatever. It could be Manning & The Misfits, and Manning's team would dominate.
The Raiders have their own talented young quarterback, although Terrelle Pryor
plays with a reactive style while Manning takes proactive command.
Manning dinked when the Raiders fell back. He worked the left if the Raiders leaned
right. He ordered the plays snapped quickly if the Raiders were back on their heels.
He ran the clock if he felt his receivers or blockers needed to catch their breath.
The Raiders' heads were spinning.
Broncos receiver Eric Decker had a bout with the drops in the first two games. So
Manning fed him three catches, including a touchdown, on the first possession.
Manning showed patience, mixing in runs by Knowshon Moreno, Ronnie Hillman and
Montee Ball, with the occasional short pass.
As the Raiders' defense crowded the box, Manning popped a pass downfield to
Demaryius Thomas, Wes Welker or Decker.
It was all in the setup. Manning seemed to toy with the Raiders' defense. It was
when the Broncos reached the red zone that Manning had his receivers set up for
wide-open touchdown catches. Decker was all alone on the first scoring pass.
Welker was even more open on the second. Julius Thomas was open and had to
skip past a flailing, would-be Raider tackler before walking in with the third TD
pass.
It was 27-7 Broncos at the half, though Pryor was a challenge for Denver's defense.
He kept the ball on an option read and gained 23 yards. He hung in the pocket on a
third-and-3 play in the second quarter and delivered a strike across the middle to
Denarius Moore. When cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie inadvertently
knocked safety Duke Ihenacho off the play, Moore took off for a 73-yard touchdown
play, making it 17-7.
On the next play from scrimmage, Manning hit Decker for a 61-yard catch-and-run
to set up the touchdown to Julius Thomas. It was as if Manning said to Pryor: Nice
play, kid. Is that all you got?
Peyton Manning plans to attend final
home game for buddy Todd Helton
By Mike Klis
The Denver Post
September 20, 2013
Peyton Manning got to thinking some more about his good buddy Todd Helton.
Manning, the Broncos' star quarterback, had just said a bunch of nice things during
his news conference Thursday. But later, outside the locker room, he was still
thinking about Helton, his former teammate at the University of Tennessee. Helton
is retiring after 17 years with the Rockies.
"I think Todd just made me the oldest player in Denver?" Manning said.
Darn near. Nuggets guard Andre Miller is five days older than Manning, who is 37
going on 27. Rockies closer Rafael Betancourt is 38, though he is on the disabled
list and could be done.
"I'll never forget when I first met Todd," Manning said. "We're going out to football
practice at Tennessee and he's putting a can of Skoal in his hip pad. I'm thinking,
'This is what college football players do?' "
Some guys were destined for baseball even when they were masquerading as a
Tennessee quarterback. Helton and Manning shared the Volunteers' QB meeting
room in 1994 — Helton as a junior and briefly the starter; Manning as a freshman
who would soon replace him.
It worked out for both. Manning said he will attend Helton's last home game
Wednesday, when the Rockies play the Boston Red Sox at Coors Field.
"He's a Hall of Fame player and a Hall of Fame friend," Manning said.
Manning, on Helton the ballplayer: "Sometimes when you just write '17-year
career,' it doesn't do it justice. You ought to put it in bold caps and write it about 50
times just to realize how much work he put in."
And there is Helton the pal.
"He was nice to me as an 18-year-old, homesick freshman up there in Knoxville,"
Manning said. "Todd was a big star when I got there already, a Knoxville legend,
and so he took time to be nice to me. I appreciated that.
"A couple years ago, during that (NFL) lockout when I was in a strange injury
situation, for him to get on the phone and call me and invite me out here to work
out with the Rockies, in private, and use the Rockies' trainers — I'll always be
indebted to him. I was in a kind of a weird place, an unknown. I had really nobody
to turn to medically because of the lockout. What Todd did, that really kind of gave
me some good direction.
"I'm happy for him. I feel like he's at peace with (retirement). I have
communicated with him. I hope he enjoys these last games. But there won't be
another like him here, I can promise you that."
Peyton Manning takes little joy in
Broncos' rout of Eli's Giants
By Judy Battista
NFL.com
September 17, 2013
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- This was Peyton Manning in discomfort, no glimmer of a
smile, little hint of happiness. Such is the toll these Manning Bowls take on him and
his family, that the awkwardness of defeating his brother's team could dull even a
victory that had shown just how much promise theDenver Broncos have this
season.
"It's a strange feeling," Manning said, grimacing after the Broncos beat Eli's New
York Giants, 41-23. "It's not like beating another team. It's not quite as enjoyable
as it would be if you were beating somebody else."
Manning has never offered an end date to his career -- he certainly wouldn't now,
when this game affirmed that theBroncos have all the earmarks of a Super
Bowl contender -- but he volunteered Sunday night that he probably will not be
around to play Eli again in a regular-season matchup. After all, that would be four
years from now, when Peyton will be 41. He and the rest of the Mannings -- the
parents dressed in neutral colors, though father Archie stood outside Eli's locker -seem relieved that this terrifically public chapter of their family dynamic will end.
The Manning Bowls, then, will be consigned to history, perhaps better appreciated
in hindsight not for the quality of the football produced -- the three games certainly
never rose to the heights hoped for whenever the home movies of the brothers in
short pants acted as lead-in fodder -- but for the extraordinary confluence of the
brothers' careers.
That will be viewed with a golden glow, whenever Peyton and Eli retire with
their Super Bowl rings and their records. This game, though, revealed the stark
disparity in the brothers' current fortunes in a much harsher light.
Eli threw four interceptions, bringing his season total to a league-leading seven.
The Giants are 0-2.
Peyton threw two touchdown passes, bringing his season total to a league-leading
nine. The Broncosare 2-0.
The correlation is not that straight, of course. Giants coach Tom Coughlin lamented
the almost complete absence of a running game. Big Blue is so replete with
problems that the first four questions from reporters to Eli had nothing to do with
Peyton, the brothers rendered a footnote by a team already in crisis. That is why,
when there is a little more time between Peyton and the brief handshake he shared
with Eli while surrounded by dozens of cameras, the older brother should feel better
about this victory than his postgame demeanor indicated.
For all the attention heaped on the Mannings, the thing that resonated Sunday
night was just how little the Broncos leaned on Peyton. Knowshon Moreno ran for
93 yards on just 13 carries and scored twice, on nearly identical sprints down the
right side. The defense, absent starters Von Miller and Champ Bailey, held
the Giants to 23 yards rushing and a staggering 1-for-11 on third downs, produced
those four interceptions and kept the score close after a second consecutive slow
offensive start. Denver even got an 81-yard punt return for a touchdown.
The Broncos are dropping passes (three by Wes Welker alone in the first half) and
missing opportunities, particularly on a flawless opening drive that ended in a goalline fumble. Still, they're showing the kind of balance that probably will be needed
later in the season, all while rolling up 90 points in two games. Manning pointed to
one halftime adjustment -- the Broncosstarted using more sets with two tight ends,
as opposed to three wide receivers -- as critical to springing the running game and
ratcheting up the second-half production.
"You can't give Peyton or a quality quarterback the opportunity to run and
pass," Giants defensive lineman Justin Tuck said. "You've got to shut them down on
at least one. The second half, he got that running game going, and as a defense,
you start playing on your heels. And when you're not playing aggressive against a
team with that much talent, you're shooting yourself in the foot."
Manning remains the linchpin of the Broncos, and he has been nearly perfect, not
giving up a single interception. But even in a portion of the season during which he
was expected to shoulder a disproportionate amount of the burden -- with Miller
suspended and Bailey injured -- the Broncos did not need anything close to
another historic performance to easily dispatch an opponent.
There is a feeling of relentlessness in watching the Broncos, a sense that even if
they sputter early in a game, Manning will inevitably find the right plays, and they
will overwhelm everything in their way. Perhaps most significantly, they were able
to run their fast-paced offense on the road against crowd noise; the Broncos ran 40
plays in the first half.
"When everybody is clicking, it's great," receiver Demaryius Thomas said. "I feel
like it's hard to stop us."
It has been, for the first two games of the season, at least. A quick glance around
the locker room revealed how many individuals have contributed to the Broncos'
victories. Moreno fielded questions about his leadership of the running backs.
Receiver Eric Decker, who all but disappeared in the season opener against the
Baltimore Ravens, was targeted 13 times and caught nine passes for 87 yards.
It should have been enough to wipe the pained expression from Peyton Manning's
face. It was not. His head was bent down as he put his luggage through a security
scanner and walked to the team bus.
Manning will have other emotional moments this season. In a few weeks, he will
return to Indianapolisfor the first time since his forced exile from the Colts. He
will play his eternal rivals, the New England Patriots, soon after that.
Still, Broncos coach John Fox, who used to be a Giants assistant and said it was
tough for him to return to face friends, guessed that for Manning, playing his little
brother was "triple tough."
It seemed so. But not as tough as he and the Broncos are making things for
everybody else.
Manning Named FedEx Air Player of the
Week
By Mike Morris
DenverBroncos.com
September 14, 2013
Peyton Manning earned the Week 1 FedEx Air Player of the Week Award after
throwing seven touchdowns in Denver's season-opening win.
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- After dazzling a national television audience of over 25
million viewers by throwing for a record-tying seven touchdown passes, Peyton
Manning has been named FedEx Air Player of the Week.
Manning guided the Broncos to a 49-27 win over the Ravens in the NFL season
opener on Sept. 5, completing 27-of-42 passes for 462 yards and an NFL recordtying seven touchdowns with no interceptions.
It was just the sixth time in league history that a player had thrown for seven
touchdowns, and Manning became the first player to accomplish that feat since Joe
Kapp did so on Sept. 28, 1969.
“That’s all Peyton right there. Seven touchdowns is kind of unreal,” tight end Julius
Thomas said after the game. “The fact that he’s been able to do that before and
he’s still able to play at such a high level – my hat is off to him. I’m sure he’s going
to continue playing at a high level. It was great playing with him and we’re very
thankful to have him.”
All seven touchdowns came in the final three quarters of play, with Manning tossing
five of them in a second half offensive outpouring.
“You never know what is going to happen in a game,“ Manning said, adding, “We
felt like we had to keep scoring because Baltimore can score at any time.”
Manning credited the rest of the Broncos offense with enabling his record-tying
performance.
“It’s fun to play quarterback when you have a lot of guys working hard and making
a lot of plays for you,” he said.
Manning was named FedEx Air Player of the Year in 2012 – also winning the award
in 2003 and 2004 – and was nominated for FedEx Air Player of the Week five times
in the 2012 season, winning once.
“Seven in one game is the first time I’ve ever been a part of a game where a
quarterback throws seven touchdowns,” wide receiver Demaryius Thomas said.
“Not even high school. Maybe Madden, but that doesn’t count. This was real life. It
was amazing.”
Peyton Manning is the record shredder
By The Associated Press
September 14, 2013
DENVER - So it's absurd to think Peyton Manning can keep this up, a pace to throw
for 112 touchdowns and 7,392 yards this season.
Don't laugh.
Defenses sure aren't.
Surrounded by the best targets he's ever had, operating a turbocharged assault at
altitude with a right arm that's stronger and a body that's much less of a question
mark, Manning just might put up record numbers like he did in his remarkable 2004
season in Indianapolis.
That year, Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne and Brandon Stokley all topped 1,000
yards receiving. Manning established NFL records with 49 touchdown throws and a
121.1 passer rating, marks since surpassed by Tom Brady (50) and Aaron Rodgers
(122.5).
His tight ends then, Marcus Pollard and Dallas Clark, combined for 11 TD catches.
Now, his most compelling target is former college hoopster Julius Thomas, a 6-foot5, 255-pound tight end who presents even more matchup problems for all those
secondaries scarred by Manning's pinpoint passes to Demaryius Thomas, Eric
Decker and Wes Welker.
"I'm truly jealous of the weapons that Peyton gets to throw to," said his boss, John
Elway.
Manning doesn't have the bruising running back Elway had in Terrell Davis while
winning back-to-back Super Bowls in Denver in the late 1990s. But the game
nowadays is played more through the air, and between Knowshon Moreno, Montee
Ball and Ronnie Hillman, the Broncos believe their backfield will pick up the blitz and first downs rushing - just fine.
Although his center has but one NFL start, his offensive linemen tip the scales at an
average of 319 pounds, a mountain of muscle up front Elway could only dream of.
After Manning threw for 462 yards last week, Elway had one thing to say to:
"Wow!"
"We got off to a slow start and were down at halftime," Elway said on a team
podcast. "Going into that second half, we really got hot. It was fun and exciting to
see that second half because that's what I thought we could do offensively, and to
be able to do that against the defending world champions was even better."
Manning was the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year after showing he was every bit
as good as before. A series of neck injuries and surgeries that weakened a nerve in
his right biceps had sidelined him for 2011.
Elway notices the ball coming off the 37-year-old Manning's hand better. It was
also evident that Manning's throws were sharper and harder.
"The ball stings my hands more," Demaryius Thomas said.
"I feel like I have perfect coverage and I'm breaking on the ball and I'm like, 'I
know this is a pick.' But, no," cornerback Chris Harris said. "If there were other
quarterbacks, I'm easily picking them off, but Peyton is just so accurate and his
arm strength has gotten so much better. He was just being able to fit those balls
into tight coverage."
Manning's masterpiece opener doesn't necessarily portend a transcendent season,
said Welker, who was a major part of Brady's big year in 2007 in New England.
"I mean, we're talking about Week 1," Welker said. "There's no telling at this point.
It's one week. We had a good game. You've got to do it every single week, so it's
still super early and we've got a long ways to go."
Don't put it past Manning, though. He has his health back to go with an
unparalleled work ethic and almost photographic memory.
"He's the general," Giants cornerback Aaron Ross said as he prepared to face
Manning this weekend. "He's seen hundreds of defenses, all the defenses that you
are going to throw at him. He has prepared for everything."
Manning and his teammates didn't even realize he had thrown for seven
touchdowns until informed afterward that he now shares the NFL record with
passers who played in the '40s, '50s and '60s.
"It didn't seem like that many," Welker said. "You're just sitting there like, 'That
was seven?' Because he goes nonchalantly about it."
Manning always comes off the field eager to dissect the defense and evaluate the
execution of the drive, whether it ended in a punt or an extra point.
"He handles touchdowns just like three-and-outs on the sideline," receiver Andre
Caldwell said. "That's why I think this can be one of his best seasons."
Peyton Manning primed for big year with
Broncos
By Arnie Stapleton
The Associated Press
September 14, 2013
DENVER (AP) — So it's absurd to think Peyton Manning can keep this up, a pace to
throw for 112 touchdowns and 7,392 yards this season.
Don't laugh.
Defenses sure aren't.
Surrounded by the best targets he's ever had, operating a turbocharged assault at
altitude with a right arm that's stronger and a body that's much less of a question
mark, Manning just might put up record numbers like he did in his remarkable 2004
season in Indianapolis.
That year, Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne and Brandon Stokley all topped 1,000
yards receiving. Manning established NFL records with 49 touchdown throws and a
121.1 passer rating, marks since surpassed by Tom Brady (50) and Aaron Rodgers
(122.5).
His tight ends then, Marcus Pollard and Dallas Clark, combined for 11 TD catches.
Now, his most compelling target is former college hoopster Julius Thomas, a 6-foot5, 255-pound tight end who presents even more matchup problems for all those
secondaries scarred by Manning's pinpoint passes to Demaryius Thomas, Eric
Decker and Wes Welker.
"I'm truly jealous of the weapons that Peyton gets to throw to," said his boss, John
Elway.
Manning doesn't have the bruising running back Elway had in Terrell Davis while
winning back-to-back Super Bowls in Denver in the late 1990s. But the game
nowadays is played more through the air, and between Knowshon Moreno, Montee
Ball and Ronnie Hillman, the Broncos believe their backfield will pick up the blitz —
and first downs rushing — just fine.
Although his center has but one NFL start, his offensive linemen tip the scales at an
average of 319 pounds, a mountain of muscle up front Elway could only dream of.
After Manning threw for 462 yards last week, Elway had one thing to say to:
"Wow!"
"We got off to a slow start and were down at halftime," Elway said on a team
podcast. "Going into that second half, we really got hot. It was fun and exciting to
see that second half because that's what I thought we could do offensively, and to
be able to do that against the defending world champions was even better."
Manning was the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year after showing he was every bit
as good as before. A series of neck injuries and surgeries that weakened a nerve in
his right biceps had sidelined him for 2011.
Elway notices the ball coming off the 37-year-old Manning's hand better. It was
also quickly evident that Manning's throws were sharper and harder.
"The ball stings my hands more," Demaryius Thomas said.
"I feel like I have perfect coverage and I'm breaking on the ball and I'm like, 'I
know this is a pick.' But, no," cornerback Chris Harris said. "If there were other
quarterbacks, I'm easily picking them off, but Peyton is just so accurate and his
arm strength has gotten so much better. He was just being able to fit those balls
into tight coverage."
Manning's masterpiece opener doesn't necessarily portend a transcendent season,
said Welker, who was a major part of Brady's big year in 2007 in New England.
"I mean, we're talking about Week 1," Welker said. "There's no telling at this point.
It's one week. We had a good game. You've got to do it every single week, so it's
still super early and we've got a long ways to go."
Don't put it past Manning, though. He has his health back to go with an
unparalleled work ethic and almost photographic memory.
"He's the general," Giants cornerback Aaron Ross said as he prepared to face
Manning this weekend. "He's seen hundreds of defenses, all the defenses that you
are going to throw at him. He has prepared for everything."
Manning and the Broncos are more concerned about wins than stats, but they also
realize they're built to light up scoreboards.
"Is he capable? He's had some miraculous years," coach John Fox said. "Last year
was miraculous for what he overcame. So, I mean, would it shock me? No. But I'm
not thinking about it."
Manning and his teammates didn't even realize he had thrown for seven
touchdowns until informed afterward that he now shares the NFL record with
passers who played in the '40s, '50s and '60s.
"It didn't seem like that many," Welker said. "You're just sitting there like, 'That
was seven?' Because he goes nonchalantly about it."
Manning always comes off the field eager to dissect the defense and evaluate the
execution of the drive, whether it ended in a punt or an extra point.
"He handles touchdowns just like three-and-outs on the sideline," receiver Andre
Caldwell said. "That's why I think this can be one of his best seasons."
Mannings will only take a moment to
appreciate third meeting
By Lindsay H. Jones
USA TODAY Sports
September 11, 2013
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Perhaps someday, it will mean something to Peyton Manning
if he holds family bragging rights with a 3-0 record in head-to-head games with
younger brother Eli.
But for this week, as Peyton's Denver Broncos prepare to play Eli's New York
Giants, Manning insists he's far more concerned with trying to become 2-0 on the
season.
"You do take a moment to realize that it is special. But once the game gets started,
all week the focus is on their defense, and you can go out there and just play," the
elder Manning said Wednesday.
Peyton's Indianapolis Colts won the previous meetings in 2006 and 2010.
In the years since their teams last played, Peyton underwent four surgeries on his
neck, sat out the 2011 season, was released by the Colts and chose the Broncos
after one of the most high-profile free agency tours in league history. Eli,
meanwhile, won his second Super Bowl.
Yet Peyton is the one entering Sunday's game with both Super Bowl and MVP
expectations, both of which were heightened after Denver's dominant 49-27 win
against the Baltimore Ravens in the opener — a game in which Manning threw a
record-tying seven touchdown passes along with 462 yards and no interceptions.
"There's not many superlatives left to describe the other night," Giants coach Tom
Coughlin said. "As I watched him play, the thing that struck me was his patience.
His relentless pressure that he puts on the defensive team, to the point where he's
not going to make a mistake."
Eli threw for nearly as many yards (450) in the Giants' opener at the Dallas
Cowboys. But he also threw three interceptions, mistakes that contributed to the
36-31 loss. Eli threw two of his interceptions in the first quarter. The third was the
most costly, when a screen pass was tipped, then returned for a 49-yard
touchdown on the first play after the two-minute warning.
Peyton has had games like that — like in the second week of last season when he
threw interceptions on the first three drives in a loss to the Atlanta Falcons. But
there will be no brotherly support this week.
Eli said if they communicate at all in the days leading up to the game, football is off
limits.
"You don't want to give away any tips or hints, anything that I can tell my
defensive coordinator or he could tell his," Eli said.
Instead they will save their pleasantries for a pregame chat, a handshake and a
hug before the coin toss, and a nod to acknowledge each other when they line up
across from each other during the national anthem, just as they did in 2006 and
2010.
"I think you do take a moment there. And you kind of capture it and hold onto it,"
Peyton said. "I have a moment from the 2006 game and the 2010 game, but that's
one moment. The rest of the time you're going out and trying to do your job."
With Peyton's past health issues and the knowledge their teams won't play again in
the regular season until 2017 — at which point Peyton will be 41 and a year past
the final season of his Denver contract — both brothers admitted Sunday's game in
New Jersey will be special.
"When he was going through everything, it makes you appreciate the game you're
playing and how fortunate you are to go out there and play football and to be
healthy. And you just don't know when it might be taken away from you," Eli said.
Brother vs. Brother
By Gray Caldwell
DenverBroncos.com
September 11, 2013
Peyton and Eli Manning acknowledged that there will be "special moments"
pregame, but after kickoff, it's all business.
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- When it comes to Sunday's Broncos-Giants tilt, the focus of
the nation will be on the battle of the brothers.
But Peyton and Eli Manning have their sights set on one thing -- a win.
"I think for him, it doesn’t matter if it’s Week 2, if it’s the Super Bowl, if it’s his
brother, if it’s not his brother – every game is the biggest game," wide receiver Eric
Decker said of his quarterback. "And he gets everyone to feel that way, as well."
Still, even Head Coach John Fox acknowledged that sibling rivalries in the NFL are
rare and "kind of a big deal," pointing to Super Bowl XLVII, which featured John
Harbaugh coaching against his brother Jim.
Both Eli and Peyton met the press Wednesday and said that they're happy they only
have to talk about the matchup for one day. But the quarterbacks had the same
perspective on the uniqueness of pregame before taking the same field as a
brother.
"When I look back on the times that we played against each other, I think you
remember the national anthems and looking over and nodding at your big brother,
talking to him before the game for a little bit, the handshake after the game," Eli
said. "Those things are special moments."
Peyton agreed.
"You’re certainly playing a good team and the focus all week is getting ready to
play a team on the road, a team playing their first home game, a team coming off a
division loss, that you know has a lot of pride and is going to respond," he said. "At
the same time ... you do take a moment to realize that it is your brother over there
that is a quarterback for the New York Giants in the NFL and it is the same person
that you grew up with. So it is unique and I think you do take a moment to realize
that it is special. But once the game gets started, all week the focus is on their
defense, and you can go out there and just play.”
Eli noted that he and Peyton occasionally talk football on the phone (no pun
intended) throughout the season, but with Sunday's matchup on the horizon, the
two have kept their conversations off the field.
"You just don’t want to give any tips or hints, anything that I could tell my
defensive coordinator or he could tell his defensive coordinator," he said. "Even
these last six weeks of preseason games and training camp, we really haven’t
talked much football about what occurred in games.”
Sunday will mark the third time the two brothers' clubs have met -- first in 2006
and again in 2010, both of which came with Peyton an Indianapolis Colt.
The older brother is 2-0 in the previous two contests.
"This will be the third time, possibly could be the last time," Peyton said. "I think I
will take a moment there, whenever it is—in pregame warm-ups, the national
anthem, coin toss, whenever that is—I think you do take a moment there. And you
kind of capture it and hold onto it. I have a moment from the 2006 game and the
2010 game, but that’s one moment. The rest of the time you’re going out and
trying to do your job as a quarterback and help your team win.”
And for anyone thinking the brother vs. brother storyline could be any type of
distraction for the Broncos' Manning, tight end Julius Thomas quickly put that to
rest.
“Peyton is always going to give it 100 percent – if he’s playing his brother or if he
takes us all down there and plays a bunch of guys at the park," he said. "He puts
100 percent into his preparation and he’s going to do that this week."
Mannings get set for likely final battle
By Mark Cannizzaro
New York Post
September 11, 2013
Pick your Manning. Peyton or Eli?
The most famous and successful quarterbacking brothers in NFL history will face
each other for the third time in their careers Sunday when Peyton and the Broncos
play Eli and the Giants at MetLife Stadium in what could very well be the final
“Manning Bowl.’’
So, who’s better? Who would you rather have?
Peyton has the gaudy record-setting statistics on the back of his football card, but
Eli has two Super Bowl rings to Peyton’s one.
Peyton has four NFL Most Valuable Player awards, but Eli has two Super Bowl MVPs.
Peyton has more national commercial appeal and is recognized everywhere he goes
while Eli is so bland he blends anonymously into the booths in almost every
restaurant he dines.
Peyton was a far more hilarious “Saturday Night Live” host than Eli.
And statistically, there is little comparison between the two. Peyton’s remarkable
career statistics alone are enough to make him a lock as a first-ballot Hall of Fame
inductee even had he not made a single Super Bowl appearance, let alone win one.
Eli, without his two Super Bowl wins, would not even be a consideration for Canton.
Peyton has played in 225 games, has a 155-70 won-loss record, has completed
5,109-of-7,835 passes (65.2 percent) for 59,949 yards with 443 touchdowns and
209 interceptions and has a career 96.0 quarterback rating.
Eli has played 138 games, has a 78-58 record, has completed 2,639-of-4,499
passes (58.7 percent) for 31,977 yards with 215 touchdowns and 147 interceptions
and has a career 82.9 QB rating.
Peyton, playing with the Colts, prevailed in the previous two meetings between the
two, beating Eli and the Giants 26-21 in 2006 at Giants Stadium and 38-14 in 2010
in Indianapolis.
But two years ago, Eli and the Giants won the Super Bowl at Peyton’s place, Lucas
Oil Field in Indianapolis, the second Super Bowl title of Eli’s career.
“Eli’s been in the league less years and has more Super Bowls,’’ Giants defensive
end Justin Tuck said Wednesday. “That makes him the quarterback I’m going to go
with. If you ask Peyton … I guarantee you he’d tell you he’d rather have another
Super Bowl. Go ask Dan Marino or Jim Kelly. They’ll take a few less yards or
touchdowns for a Super Bowl. I’m no genius, but I think I’m correct on that one. I
know I would.”
Peyton, who threw a record-tying seven touchdown passes in last week’s win over
the Ravens, was asked that very question on a conference call and gave a nonanswer, rambling on about how “every single year’’ he tries to “do everything I can
to help my team win’’ to get his teams “in position at the end of the year.’’
While Peyton sounded on the seven-minute call as if he’d rather have been cleaning
Eli’s room than being peppered with questions about his younger brother, Eli spent
nearly 30 minutes cordially and patiently answering questions about the impending
“Manning Bowl.’’
Eli acknowledged how special the moment is to have two brothers playing the same
position in the same league at the same high level, saying, “There are 32 starting
quarterbacks in the league and my brother and I are among those, so I understand
that is rare. It doesn’t happen very often and it is neat to see your big brother on
the sideline across the field when the national anthem is playing and you give him a
nod.
“Those moments are the things you will remember for a long time.’’
After a pause, Eli added, “Hopefully, when I think back on these games that we
played against each other I can think back and remember at least one win [against
Peyton].’’
The game marks the first meeting in NFL history of quarterbacks who both threw
for 400-plus yards the previous week (Peyton had 462 in the win over Baltimore
and Eli had 450 in the loss in Dallas).
Because the NFC East and AFC West do not play each other again until 2017, when
Peyton would be 41 and Eli 36, the game likely marks the last time the two will
ever play against each other again — barring the ultimate “Manning Bowl’’
occurring in four months at MetLife Stadium in the Super Bowl.
“That’s a long way away,’’ Eli said when that tantalizing possibility was brought up.
“We’ll worry about this game and deal with that if we have to.’’
There's no tougher test in NFL than
trying to solve Peyton Manning
By Pat Kirwin
CBSSports.com
September 11, 2013
I went to Denver Broncos camp this summer and watched hours of live practice and
sat down with Peyton Manning to discuss this offense. Now I've finished up the
breakdown of their first game tape.
The truth is that Manning has too many answers for defenses. Sooner or later,
defensive coordinators will conclude the only chance they have is to get to Peyton
Manning because there really aren't any coverage answers for four receivers like
Demaryius Thomas, Eric Decker, Wes Welker and newcomer TE Julius Thomas. In
fact, right now there don't appear to be any pressure answers, either.
It was pretty simple for Manning to read, in his pre-snap, just what Baltimore was
doing on defense. He caught the Ravens in a man-free scheme with a blitz call and
made them pay. Archie Manning once described Peyton to me as a "hunting dog"
just looking for the blitz. The hunting dog surely can sniff out a blitz, but he sniffs
out everything else as well.
For example, in the third quarter in a possession start (P-10 4:55 3Q on their own
26-yard line) the Ravens clearly showed a man-free look with No. 32 James
Ihedigbo (yellow circle) up at the line of scrimmage in a blitz position, which put
seven in the box.
Manning kept his tight end in to help on Terrell Suggs, who was rushing the passer,
and used a play action with his running back who was in the pistol formation to pick
up Ihedigbo. Manning had seven blockers for seven potential rushers so he could
attack the man-free scheme. Eric Decker and Demaryius Thomas ran deep "9
routes" which held the free safety in the middle of the field.
Welker was all alone on LarDarius Webb and ran a free release crossing route for
27 yards.
I don't think many teams are going to rely on blitz calls to handle the Bronco
receivers. Manning is perfectly OK with a few sacks in a game because he knows he
has answers on the very next play. Manning was sacked two times in the third
quarter, the same quarter Denver scored 21 points against Baltimore.
Not too soon after the pressure call in the third quarter, Baltimore made a covertwo look convert to a man-free cover one call in the post-snap. Manning made
them pay again. This time he kept his back in for a six-man protection. Lo and
behold, Baltimore was in a six-man pressure. Everyone was picked up and he had
four vertical routes from Decker, Welker, Julius Thomas and Demaryius Thomas.
The free safety was occupied by the inside routes of Welker and Julius, leaving
Corey Graham all alone on Demaryius Thomas, who ran by him for an easy score.
Keep an eye on the Broncos' offense when they cross the opponents' 30-yard line.
There is still enough field to strike for the end zone with vertical routes, and expect
to see a few shots a game in this area of the field (30-20 yard lines).
Another tool Manning uses is declaring the middle linebacker (Mike) for protections
a little different than most teams. He will leave his off set back in shotgun right
where he is, and switch the Mike linebacker declaration, turning the new Mike over
to his linemen and the back gets reassigned the 'other' backer.
Most teams will switch the back to the opposite side if they redeclare the Mike so
the back is in front of the man for whom he is now responsible. Manning doesn't
like to do that, which is why he likes the pistol formation even though he isn't
running the option anytime in this century. Peyton told me he likes to not give
away his protection with an offset back, and the pistol creates the desired effect.
Even when the back is offset and he changes the protection, he would rather the
back block opposite after the snap than shift.
We covered why teams shouldn't blitz Manning and why they shouldn't play manfree (Cover 1). And did I mention that when teams rush four, he gets five receivers
out and his tackles Ryan Clady and Orlando Franklin can handle most defensive
ends, leaving the guards and center to block the two inside rushers?
In the third quarter (8:22 and 1-10 on the Baltimore 28-yard line) Manning sees
the Ravens in a four-man rush trying to play quarters coverage. Julius Thomas (top
yellow circle) and Ronnie Hillman (bottom yellow circle) check release when no one
comes, and linebacker Josh Bynes simply can't stay with Julius Thomas, who gains
an easy 13 yards on an out route.
Next up for opposing defenses may be two- and three-man rush schemes in hopes
of playing man-under two deep and having extra droppers for the crossing routes
by Welker and Decker. If teams show it early, maybe they will be lucky enough to
have Peyton check to more runs, which is a lot better for a defense than Manning
throwing 42 times and connecting on seven touchdowns.
Keep in mind, Baltimore is a solid defense. If Broncos linebacker Danny Trevathan
didn't have a bonehead play running an interception back and Decker didn't drop a
number of passes the Broncos might have had more than 60 points.
Manning puts Broncos on his broad
shoulders
By Arnie Stapleton
The Associated Press
September 6, 2013
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — The questions surrounding Peyton Manning last year
were all about his right arm. This season, they were about his shoulders — as in,
are they broad enough to carry the Denver Broncos in Von Miller's absence?
Manning provided an emphatic answer Thursday night, dissecting Baltimore's
refurbished defense with a masterpiece of a performance the likes of which hadn't
been seen in the NFL since the 1960s.
With their All-Pro linebacker sitting out the first game of his six-game suspension
for violating the league's drug policy, Denver's offense more than picked up the
slack in the 49-27 rout of the Super Bowl champions.
Manning joined Y.A. Tittle of the New York Giants as the only QBs to throw seven
touchdown passes in a game without an interception. Tittle accomplished the feat
51 years ago.
"It's something ridiculous," said tight end Julius Thomas, on the receiving end of
Manning's first two TD throws. "I think a couple guys were joking, we were saying
it's like Madden — the only time you get to throw seven touchdowns."
Unless you're Peyton Manning in the flesh, just as good at 37 as he was at 27.
"I finally got to witness it live and see what he's capable of doing," said rookie
running back Montee Ball.
Manning is the sixth QB to toss seven TD passes in a game and the first since
Minnesota's Joe Kapp in 1969. This generation knows Kapp more for his throwdown
with Angelo Mosca at a Canadian Football League alumni luncheon a couple of years
ago that went viral on the Internet.
"Great Canadian quarterback out of Cal," said Manning. "Kicked the crap out of a
guy on YouTube a couple of years ago, too."
A lot like what Manning did to the Super Bowl champs Thursday night.
Manning overcame a slow start and a 33-minute lightning delay to throw for 462
yards, the fourth-highest total in an opener. He completed 27 of 42 passes and
showed precision all over the field, from the pinpoint pass to Bubba Caldwell along
the left sideline for a 28-yard score to the short blitz-beating toss that Demaryius
Thomas turned into a 78-yard score that gave Manning a share of the record.
"Well, we got into a good rhythm," Manning said. "It took us a while. I don't make
excuses but I do think that lightning delay did slow us down."
If not for that, maybe Manning wakes up Friday with the record all to himself.
The others he now shares the mark with read like a Who's Who to some and to
others, a Who's That?
Sid Luckman in '43, Adrian Burk in '54, George Blanda in '61.
"I barely remember people on the list," coach John Fox cracked. "One, I wasn't
born yet. I actually recall the others. But I was very young. Like I said, I didn't
really realize it until after the game. You're trying to score a lot of points, you don't
really remember how you did it. But I mean, he's a remarkable guy and there were
some great throws in there."
New offensive coordinator Adam Gase, who promised to push the pace this season,
never let his pedal off the metal, calling the shots as Manning threw five secondhalf touchdown passes. And he did so from the sideline, unlike his predecessor,
Mike McCoy, saving precious seconds because they didn't have to go through a
third party on the way to Manning's helmet transmitter.
"He was very decisive," Manning said of Gase. "He was getting the plays in early.
He had a good game plan, he had an aggressive game plan. We took some shots
down the field, especially down there around the 30-, 40-yard line. We took some
shots down the field and hit some plays. Yet, we were patient when we had to be. I
thought he was really decisive all night."
Fastbreak football at altitude proved too much for a refurbished Ravens defense
that's without emotional leaders Ed Reed and Ray Lewis.
"We felt like we had to keep scoring because Baltimore can score at any time," said
Manning, who watched Joe Flacco's 70-yard TD toss to Jacoby Jones with 31
seconds left in regulation tie their playoff game eight months ago. That propelled
the Ravens to the Super Bowl title so many expected would be Denver's.
"Last year was last year. It is a new year for us," Manning said. "This was a good
start to a new season for us. There is a good chance, hopefully, depending on how
the season goes, you easily could expect to see Baltimore again.
"So, it's just a start, get a couple days' extra preparation for Week 2."
That's when the Broncos visit the Giants for another Manning vs. Manning matchup.
"We don't have to talk about that until Wednesday," said Manning, the talk of the
football world this weekend after showing his right arm is strong again and his
shoulders plenty wide.
Peyton Manning throws NFL record 7 TDs
as Broncos rout Ravens
By Mike Klis
The Denver Post
September 5, 2013
Peyton Manning won the Poster War. Manning was hanging in banner form, back
turned to his enemy, pictured in the classic quarterback pose, a glove missing from
his right passing hand.
The other poster, controversially hanging outside the stadium that Denver-area
taxpayers and Broncos owner Pat Bowlen built, was Joe Flacco. He represented the
bane of what Denver fans wish for.
After the Broncos roared to a 49-27 victory over the Baltimore Ravens in the NFL's
season-opening game Thursday night at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, may
Manning posters decorate kid bedrooms near and far.
Late in the fourth quarter, the Broncos and stadium management started taking
down the Flacco posters. Imagine the civil unrest they would have incited as
Broncos fans exited the stadium.
In his first regular-season game since he turned 37 years old, Manning threw not
one, not two or three or four touchdown passes. Or five. Or, gasp, six. Manning
threw seven touchdown passes! That tied a pro football record, joining five others
to do it.
"We had great protection," Manning said. "It was a fun night to play quarterback.
... Once we got into a rhythm, we got into a flow."
Broncos coach John Fox said of his star quarterback, "This was pretty phenomenal."
Manning was 27-of-42 for 462 yards. He was indiscriminate in choosing his targets.
The Broncos are supposed to have one of the NFL's best receiving trios in
Demaryius Thomas, Eric Decker and Wes Welker.
But Manning threw his first two touchdown passes to young tight end Julius
Thomas, who entered the game with one career catch in two NFL seasons. The third
scoring pass went to No. 4 receiver Andre Caldwell, who had just one catch last
season.
About Julius Thomas, Manning said, "He made two huge plays for touchdowns."
Manning went to Welker for two short scoring tosses. Then he hit Demaryius
Thomas early in the fourth quarter for another TD. And he capped his night with
another TD pass to Thomas, this one for 78 yards.
It was Welker's Denver debut, and the former New England Patriots star had a
mixed performance, muffing a punt that set up a Ravens touchdown but also
hauling in eight catches through the third quarter.
"It was a good team effort," Welker said. "We call came out and executed really
well. The defense did a great job, got some three and outs and the special teams
made plays." About the crowd, he said, "I've never seen anything like it in my
career."
But Manning stole the show.
"That's what he does," said Ravens receiver Brandon Stokley, who was with Denver
a year ago. "He put on a great performance."
Did Manning exact revenge against the Ravens for the city of Denver? Not
completely. There was no tomorrow when the Ravens rallied to beat the Broncos
38-35 in double overtime during a frigid January playoff game in Denver. There are
essentially 15 more tomorrows in this 16-game NFL season. But the Broncos are 10 now and have 12 consecutive regular-season victories.
It also was a day to remember for Julius Thomas. Around 9 a.m. Thursday, news
leaked that he had been arrested. The issue started with a traffic ticket, which is no
big deal. But when he didn't show up in court, Von Miller could have told him about
the consequences. A warrant, followed by another traffic ticket, led to an arrest and
some embarrassing publicity on the biggest day of his pro career.
Even though he didn't play in the playoff loss in January, Thomas understood how
devastating that season-ending defeat was to Denver football fans.
He also knew the city badly wanted a win against the Ravens in a semi-rematch
Thursday.
"We started work back in April," Thomas said this week. "But for the fans, the last
thing that happened was pretty much that game. So I can understand why they're
excited. But it's been almost a year since I've played a football game, so I'm going
to be pretty fired up too."
By 9 p.m. Thursday night, he was in the Broncos' halftime locker room with the first
two touchdown catches of his career.
The Ravens started the day by giving Super Bowl-winning coach John Harbaugh a
contract extension. But in a key third-quarter sequence, Harbaugh failed to toss the
challenge flag when Manning one-hopped a pass to Welker. Manning hurried to the
line and fired a pass to Demaryius Thomas for a first down — and the Broncos were
off and running.
Harbaugh now is 0-1 since getting his contract extended, thanks to the guy in the
poster wearing the orange uniform.
Peyton Manning back leading Denver
Broncos' charge
By Mike Gegenheimer
NOLA.com
September 1, 2013
Two years ago Peyton Manning could've easily retired as one of the most prolific
passers in NFL history. His 54,828 passing yards and 399 touchdown passes at the
time plus Super Bowl ring would've sealed his Pro Football Hall of Fame
enshrinement.
But after being released by the Indianapolis Colts, the middle child of Louisiana's
first family of football decided to play on for the Denver Broncos.
Though Denver fell short of the Super Bowl as the AFC's No. 1 seed last season,
Manning's first season after a career-threatening neck injury was deemed a success
by all accounts.
Now Manning it taking advantage of his first full offseason with the Broncos, who
are one of the favorites to hoist the Lombardi Trophy in February.
"It's only my second year working with guys like (wide receivers Eric) Decker and
Demaryius Thomas, and you've got to work on timing with them," Manning said.
"You can never stop working on your timing in my opinion."
Manning's timing wasn't too shabby last season as he threw for 4,659 yards and 37
touchdowns and made the Pro Bowl, while Decker and Thomas finished with a
combined 2,498 yards and 23 touchdowns.
This time around Manning will have a new target as former New England Patriots
wide receiver Wes Welker joined the team.
"Just trying to get on the same page with him," Manning said of Welker. "He's a
hard worker, he loves football and I'm glad I have a chance to play with him this
year."
Welker caught 118 passes for 1,354 yards and six touchdowns last season from
another elite quarterback, three-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady.
"(Timing) varies with different guys," Manning said. "I think you can't get enough
repetitions to work on that timing. You're constantly repeating plays and repeating
plays trying to make sure you're on the same page.
"I'd love to have 10 years with the guy, but there's certainly a little bit of cramming
going on trying to get on the same page with a certain amount of months leading
up to that season opener."
The pressure on Manning became all the more apparent after the NFL suspended
Broncos linebacker Von Miller six games for violating the league's substance-abuse
policy. Miller, an All-Pro last season, accounted for 30 sacks, nine forced fumbles
and 133 tackles since being drafted second overall out of Texas A&M in 2011.
It won't take long for Manning and the Broncos to delve into the meat of their 2013
schedule as Denver hosts reigning Super Bowl champion Baltimore on Sept. 5 and
then travel to New York to face Manning's younger brother Eli and the Giants.
This will be the third time the Manning brothers have squared off in the regular
season. Peyton Manning, who has won both meetings, said he understands the
game presents a unique opportunity for fans, but he's just focused on getting a
win.
"I don't think my parents (ex-NFL QB Archie and Olivia) enjoy it very much,"
Manning said. "(Older brother) Cooper has not attended one of those games, and I
doubt he'll attend this one. It's kind of hard on him."
Todd Helton, forever Peyton Manning's
teammate, turns 40
By Benjamin Hochman
The Denver Post
August 20, 2013
In Denver, they're 17 and 18, Helton and Manning, but really they're 2 and 16,
titans at Tennessee, forever fresh-faced quarterbacks with rubber arms.
And now, Todd Helton is a graybeard — well, a speckled gray goatee — and
Manning is so old that his Broncos' backup, Brock Osweiler, turned 4 in the fall of
1994, when a freshman Manning took over for the injured Tennessee quarterback
Helton.
On Tuesday, Todd Helton turned 40.
Forty.
"How 'bout that," Manning said after practice.
We all know about the bond of these two Volunteers who became voluminous
personas, winning batting titles and MVPs.
"We've lived similar lives, so we can relate to each other. And we're both obsessive
about our jobs," Helton told The Denver Post in 2012. "I've never been a guy who
has been sure of myself, and that's what drives me. But he is way more driven than
I am. Way more."
Manning said Tuesday that he went to a Rockies game earlier this month, "and I
had a good visit with Todd, and I'm pulling for the Rockies to get on a little bit of a
roll here."
Helton is no longer Helton. He's hitting just .254/.320/.390. He's hanging on. If this
is his last season, he's surely taking a different approach than the Yankees' Marino
Rivera, who's getting a rocking chair and a standing ovation at every park he visits
for the last time. Helton is going down swinging.
Age is just a number, OK, but there's something about 40 compared to, say, 39.
Forty is a classification, a permanent scar. In sports, 30-somethings attack, 40somethings survive. And surely, the fact that Denver's most-famous baseball player
turned 40 made many Denver baseball fans simultaneously feel old and young, as
they remember how old they were when Helton looked like he couldn't even grow
facial hair, when Helton could sure hit.
If only to make sure fans remember, let's reminisce about the 2000 season,
something of lore (or video games or Coors Field).
He led the National League with all the following stats: .372 batting average, 147
RBIs, 59 doubles, .463 on-base percentage, .698 slugging percentage. His wins
above replacement (WAR) was 8.9 — last season, in his triple crown year, the
Tigers' Miguel Cabrera's WAR was 7.3. Yet somehow, perhaps with the Coors
stigma, Helton finished fifth in the MVP vote .
So here we are — 17 and 18 are now 40 and 37. Peyton's primed for a Super Bowl
run, though the road got rockier with Tuesday afternoon's news that Von Miller will
miss the first six games of the season due to suspension.
"He's part of the family and I certainly have his back as his teammate," Manning
said Tuesday after practice about Miller. "And I know that all of the players do and
the organization does. We'll get through this time and we support him 100
percent."
That's Peyton, I suppose, forever the teammate, even though this guy totally let
him down.
And for Manning, one of his closest teammates isn't even on his team.
Peyton Manning passing the eye test as
Broncos rev up for NFL season
By Terry Frei
The Denver Post
August 20, 2013
The dress rehearsal game — the Broncos' meeting with the St. Louis Rams at
Sports Authority Field — is coming up Saturday night. It almost certainly will be
Peyton Manning and the first offense's final work of the preseason.
So far, through the yawn-inducing road victory at San Francisco and the decisive
loss at Seattle, and through injuries and off-field dramas, one of the positives for
Denver is that Manning has looked sharp. It isn't the numbers — 13-for-20, for 176
yards and one touchdown — as much as it is the eye test.
"There's some things that we've improved on, some things that we need to
continue to work on," Manning said after practice Tuesday. "This will be a good test
against St. Louis. They were number one in sacks in the NFL last year, so it will be
a great test for our guys up front.
"The plan is probably to play the most that we have . . . and it will be nice going
into the game knowing you're not going to come out, you're going to stay in and
hopefully get into a rhythm and flow."
Given that the starters likely won't play at all in the final exhibition, against Arizona
in Denver on Aug. 29, this will be the tuneup for the Sept. 5 season opener against
Baltimore.
"The third preseason game is always important," Manning said. "It's when you want
to see progress."
A year ago, of course, it was reasonable to at least wonder how Manning, who sat
out the entire 2011 season and had undergone multiple neck surgeries, would look
— or at least hold up — in his first season with Denver. There were as many
questions as answers, with most of them involving his resilience and health.
Now, with Manning approaching his second season in something other than a Colts'
uniform, it's at least interesting to note that those questions don't even seem worth
bringing up. That doesn't mean that at age 37 he is guaranteed to hold up or
remain at the top of his game, but the issue of whether he can come back from
months of inactivity and multiple surgeries is last year's story.
So at least in his single weekly group meeting with the media outside game day, he
more often is being asked about others — including his offensive line.
"I thought they did a heck of a job last week in as loud a place as there may be in
the NFL, especially in the preseason," Manning said. "That place was rocking. We
had very few communication issues. We had some audibles and we had some
changes at the line of scrimmage we were on the same page, and that's a great
test."
Manning has acknowledged his input when the Broncos decided to sign Ryan Lilja
and bring in the former Colts guard, presumably as a prime candidate to take over
as the starting center in the wake of Dan Koppen's season-ending knee injury. But
Manning again praised Manny Ramirez, who is clinging to the No. 1 spot.
"Manny's done a great job," Manning said. "He's worked hard. He's in a new
position. The best teacher is experience, and there's not a walk-through or taking
snaps in practice or a single play in practice that's not valuable, that he's not
learning something, that I'm not learning something from him.
"He and I are constantly communicating and he has done everything that the
coaches have asked of him. I think he'll just continue to get better every day."
Manning also said he was looking forward to having Ryan Clady back in the lineup
at left tackle Saturday, after his incremental recovery from offseason shoulder
surgery. Manning said fill-in Chris Clark had done "an outstanding job," then added:
"We are going to play a number of guys. Hardly anyone plays five linemen
anymore. You can play as many as eight guys. It's been great working with Chris,
and I feel the same with Chris in there as with Ryan. I have confidence, but there's
no question Ryan Clady is a special player. He's worked hard in his rehab and it's
great to see him back out there."
He was noncommittal and diplomatic when asked about the state of the running
back position, where Ronnie Hillman and Montee Ball, and perhaps Knowshon
Moreno, are in the hunt for the top spot.
"Both those guys will continue to get better, I think, each and every day with all the
hard work they're putting in," Manning said.
Coming off sensational year, Peyton
Manning not showing his age
By Mike Klis
The Denver Post
August 11, 2013
There is a long history of quarterback fossils performing in the NFL, although little
of it is pleasant.
Bart Starr won the first two Super Bowls but never again posted a winning record in
his four seasons after he turned 34. Johnny Unitas and Joe Namath were so bad in
their advanced years that a new generation of NFL fans grew up believing Dad and
Uncle Floyd had no clue what they were talking about.
For the longest time, Y.A. Tittle was the NFL quarterback known for enjoying his
best seasons in the twilight of his career. Tittle is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame
because of his three-year run with the New York Giants at the ages of 35, 36 and
37.
Maybe that's what the Broncos have in Peyton Manning. Maybe he's not the latest
37-year-old trying to recapture glory of a time gone by. Maybe Manning is the next
Y.A. Tittle.
"A lot of people said he wasn't 100 percent last year," Broncos receiver Demaryius
Thomas said of Manning. "I felt like he was, but the way he's throwing the ball
around now, he looks a lot better. A lot stronger. A little more zip. Still, last year I
thought he was one of the best in the game."
Forgive Thomas for defending Manning in the quarterback's initial season with the
Broncos. A year after he patiently waited for Tim Tebow's passes to arrive in the
general vicinity of his route, Thomas caught a career-best 94 passes from Manning
in 2012.
Whatever strength four operations had removed from Manning's arm, he still had
plenty.
Maybe the nerves extending from his surgically repaired neck to right fingertips
have regenerated another centimeter or so. A year of curling and exerting could
have built up the muscles around the nerves, perhaps.
"Another year with the same training staff, same strength staff, you make that
progression," said Denver receiver Eric Decker, who scored 13 touchdowns among
his 85 catches last year. "It definitely shows how hard he's worked, and it's paying
off. He came in here in better shape. You'd have to ask him how he feels, but it
looks like he's feeling a lot better than he did a year ago."
Whatever the reason, Manning at 37 appears improved physically over the 36-yearold version that statistically had a season for the ages in 2012.
"It's hard for me to tell that," Manning said. "But when the cornerbacks like Chris
Harris say there's less reaction time (to cover his throws), I value that feedback.
That does tell me something. I can use that. Maybe I can hold it an extra second
against the rush."
Old QB still looks all right
To be in the arena is to experience the adrenaline rush of competition, the thrill of
performance.
It's a "high" that cannot be duplicated. No drug, no prescription, no front-office job
can match it.
The feeling must be unquenchable because the playing field is also where complete
satisfaction is unattainable, criticism a certainty.
Manning put together a string of performances last season that led to the secondbest year of his extraordinary career. He threw 10 more touchdown passes than in
his MVP season of 2008. He threw six fewer interceptions than in his MVP season of
2009.
His 13-3 record was one win better than his record in his MVP seasons of 2003,
2004 and 2008.
And yet there was analysis that Manning couldn't throw to his right. There was
commentary after his three-interception first half against the Falcons in Atlanta that
he no longer could reach all six passing zones — left, middle, right, both short and
longer routes. At season's end there was stingy criticism from everywhere that he
couldn't play in the cold.
The truth? Manning threw more passes to the deep right portion of the field (41)
than he did to the deep middle (25) or deep left (40).
"Honestly, we had our offense set up on both sides of the ball," Decker said. "That
was never an issue."
And had it not been for a blown coverage in the final seconds of the fourth quarter
in the Broncos' double-overtime playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Denver,
Manning, who has taken to wearing a glove on his throwing hand in inclement
conditions, would have posted a 101.3 passer rating, completing 24-of-37 for 261
yards and three touchdowns with one interception in below-zero wind chill.
Running game important
This season? Just because Manning is stronger and healthier doesn't mean he will
have a better season.
For starters, Manning in his physical prime did better statistically than in 2012 only
once. And even in his astounding, 49-touchdown pass season in 2004, his
Indianapolis Colts finished with one fewer win at 12-4.
"A lot depends on how the running back situation sets itself and develops," former
Colts general manager Bill Polian said during an ESPN teleconference Friday. "If
you're going to have the kind of year that he had in '04 and we had in '04, it's
dependent on the running back being a big threat, so that you set up the playaction pass, which with Peyton always turns into a big play."
Without a strong running game to keep the defense honest, Polian said
quarterbacks "have to gravitate more to short passes, and you don't get the kinds
of explosive plays."
So, more than an ability to set his feet and drive his throw 18 yards down the
seam, more than anything an exercise band or barbell can accomplish, Manning
needs young tailbacks Ronnie Hillman and Montee Ball to develop.
There's time. The playoffs aren't until January. And the 37-year-old Manning might
be just getting started.
Peyton Manning: Age is just a number
By Arnie Stapleton
The Associated Press
August 6, 2013
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Peyton Manning knows that at age 37, he's long in
tooth and short on time, at least by NFL standards. Yet, the annual influx of 22year-olds who are ever-stronger, ever-fitter and ever-faster have him feeling like a
youngster himself.
They keep him on his toes, spry in body, mind and spirit.
So do the athletic trainers and the strength staff who monitor his never-ending
rehab, the new offensive coordinator who's barking into his ear on game day, the
new position coach and his new slot receiver extraordinaire, Wes Welker.
"Yeah, certainly I'm still learning," Manning told The Associated Press in an
interview after practice Tuesday. "You still learn when you have a new offensive
coordinator in Adam Gase, a new quarterbacks coach in Greg Knapp, who's been
around football for a while and I'm learning some of his coaching philosophies. Any
time you're constantly learning, I think that does make you feel young. That makes
you feel like all the other players.
"Sometimes when you have a little variety, that does keep things kind of fresh and
keeps you stimulated. But football, it doesn't really matter how old you are or how
young you are, you're all fighting for the same goal. And so, I love practicing every
day. I love being out there with the guys, I love hanging out in the locker room
when you have a free minute and having some laughs but working in the weight
room. So, I feel very much like one of the guys."
And he plays very much like he always has.
Manning had a terrific comeback last season and he looks even better this summer.
No less an expert than Hall of Famer John Elway, who just happens to be his boss,
said the ball is coming off Manning's hand much better than it ever did last season,
when the four-time MVP won Comeback Player of the Year after rebounding from a
series of neck injuries and surgeries that affected a nerve that runs into his right
triceps.
Manning set Broncos single-season records in nearly every major passing category
in 2012, including completions (400), completion percentage (68.6), yards passing
(4,659), TD passes (37), QB rating (105.8) and 300-yard games (nine) after
missing his final season in Indianapolis in 2011.
Yet after leading Denver to an AFC-best 13-3 record, the Broncos' 11-game winning
streak came crashing to a halt with a 38-35 loss to eventual Super Bowl champion
Baltimore on a frigid January afternoon in the Rocky Mountains.
The Ravens and Broncos kick off the 2013 season in Denver on Sept. 5, and in a
twist, it's the Broncos who have been getting all the love as the trendy Super Bowl
pick this season, not the defending champions who actually got to hoist the
Lombardi Trophy back in February.
On the first day of training camp, Manning said, "We still kind of have a scar from
losing that playoff game and I think players need to kind of be reminded of that
daily, use that to drive them, to fuel them to make us a better team."
Manning said Tuesday that he doesn't think any of his teammates have put that
loss in their rearview but instead have kept it on their dashboard, where they can
see it every day and never forget the pain of coming up short.
"You'd better have a drive. You'd better have a goal for every season, a hunger,
whatever you want to call it, a thirst, a little fire in your belly, so I think certainly
our team's had that and it's about trying to go a little farther, trying to finish,"
Manning said. "I think guys have worked hard all offseason."
Of course, some newcomers like Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie or Montee Ball
weren't here for that devastating defeat.
"Every player can have a different motivation," Manning said. "I'm sure some guys
have had, they'd be lying if they told you they weren't fighting to win but also
fighting to get a new contract or I know Brandon Stokley last year wanted his son
to see him, his son was old enough to see him score a touchdown. So, there are
different motivations. And it doesn't really matter what it is as long as a player's
doing everything he can to do his job."
The other day, Elway said he hopes Manning plays into his 40s. As fit as he is, that
certainly seems possible right now, but Manning isn't thinking beyond 2013, saying
he's "all-in" for this season and isn't even thinking about anything beyond that.
That's no different than any other year, really.
"Things happen. It's just the way football is in today's world. With free agency, with
injuries, with the parity in the league, it's hard to think too far past the current
year," Manning said. "I think the players that are on the 2013 team are going to be
different than the players that are on the 2014 team and the 2012, so you'd better
be doing everything you can to be the best for this team."
Denver Broncos QB Peyton Manning a
sure sign of proper perspective
By Mike Klis
The Denver Post
August 5, 2013
Practice will conclude Monday and it will be the defensive backs' turn to sign
autographs.
Broncos fans will scramble to the ropes to get scribbled names from the likes of
Champ Bailey, Chris Harris, Kayvon Webster. And Peyton Manning.
There have been other training camp practices at Dove Valley the past two weeks
when it has been running backs and wide receivers, safeties and tight ends who
have signed. And a quarterback named Peyton Manning.
He hasn't missed a day. It's always Manning's turn to sign autographs.
Was it Dad who instilled Manning with his congenial attitude toward autographs?
"No, when I was kid — well, yeah, I do remember after games waiting for my dad,"
Manning said of Archie Manning, a star quarterback for Ole Miss and then the New
Orleans Saints. "He always took the time to sign. But I got to meet a lot of people
growing up. I wasn't an autograph collector; I was just a handshake collector. I
can't prove to you that I met Walter Payton. But I know that I did. It's memory that
counts for me. It was the moment, the handshake."
There was the team scrimmage in the rain Saturday night at Sports Authority Field
at Mile High. There were more than 44,000 fans in attendance despite the bad
weather. Every player and many of the coaches put in their obligatory 10 to 15
minutes of autograph signing.
By a good five to 10 minutes, Manning was the last one off the field.
"I think part of it is, they're not going to ask forever," he said in a private moment
outside the Broncos' locker room after the scrimmage. "It's a unique job where the
quarterback does wear a certain hat. In training camp practice, fans are allowed to
come there. They're coming to watch practice, they're coming to get an autograph
from one of the guys. There was one guy, he said, 'I was here all last year I didn't
get one, and I finally got one.' "
There are cliques in the office, buddies in the factory and position groups in the
locker room that speak of "people pleasers" as if the term is a character flaw. Other
people will brag "I don't care what people think," as if this is a strength.
Manning, as the face of the Broncos — for that matter, as the most recognizable
personality in the NFL for the past 16 years — considers it his responsibility to do
right by people.
Just know that the people in the locker room are his top priority. The beauty of
Manning taking not one but two running and diving belly-flops onto the field
Saturday?
It was a moment where Manning was just another one of the guys.
"We were listening to (Bill) Parcells' Hall of Fame (induction) speech and he was
talking about the locker room," Manning said. "It was funny, at that moment you
look around and we were sitting in the locker room, watching it with (John) Elway,
guys in the locker room. Where else do you get to do that besides a pro football
locker room and then take a headfirst slide into the end zone?"
As lightning and a monsoon fell on the stadium Saturday at about 7 p.m., it
appeared the Broncos would have to bang their scrimmage and send the large
crowd home disappointed. Then offensive coordinator Adam Gase brought up the
movie "Bull Durham," in which Kevin Costner's character, Crash Davis, came up
with the idea to turn on the ballpark's sprinklers, flood the field and force a
postponement for the next day's game.
"So Jeremiah Johnson, who is one of the funniest guys on the team, I said,
'Jeremiah, what do you think if I do a full sprint-out, 50-yard line dive?' " Manning
said.
Johnson replied: "I'm in. You say the word."
Then it occurred to Johnson that this was Peyton Manning, the most indispensable
player on the team.
"You sure it's OK?" Johnson asked Manning.
Manning uttered his reassurance.
"I was telling (Wes) Welker: 'That was fun,' " Manning said. "I can't remember the
last time you get to do something like that."
Paige: Peyton Manning in a Super Bowl
state of mind
By Woody Paige
The Denver Post
August 4, 2013
Think of Hank Aaron with a bat, Brooks Robinson with a glove, Bjorn Borg with a
racket, Jack Nicklaus with a 1-iron, Peter Forsberg with a stick, Dale Earnhardt with
a stock car, Michael Jordan with a basketball, Michelangelo with a chisel and a slab
of marble, Frank Sinatra with a ballad.
Think of Peyton Manning with a football.
He is the special, smooth, skilled master craftsman — an assiduous athlete and
distinctive artist, a Rodin-thinking man in his 37th year, a will-be Hall of Fame
quarterback soon to begin his 14th season in the NFL, his second in Denver.
Manning and the Broncos returned Saturday to the stadium for the first time since
Jan. 12.
After a delay because of showers and lightning, the players finally emerged at 7:30
p.m. to the delight of approximately 25,000 loyalists. Peyton raced to the 45-yard
line and did a belly flop on the slippery surface. He and several others repeated the
headfirst slide at the goal. Several minutes later the Broncos held an abbreviated
scrimmage.
On his first drive, at the defense's 4-yard line, Peyton rolled right (just as he did on
his last pass against Baltimore). This one had better results: a completed
touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas. Manning departed the scrimmage.
Peyton didn't stop to stare and ruminate about the Broncos' last time on the field,
and his last pass — an interception. "I don't look at what's happened in the past.
We had a good season (in 2012), but we didn't finish the way we wanted to finish. I
look at this year now," he told me after practice the previous day.
Yet, he admitted that the playoff loss to the Ravens in the second overtime still
"hurts. It stings. We hope to use that sting to motivate us this year, and keep us
driven to try to finish this year."
"Finish" translates to "Super Bowl."
"I really feel that, in today's NFL, when you get into your 30s, and you've played a
long time, whether it's me or Champ (Bailey), you have to have a sense of
urgency" about winning the Super Bowl. "If any part of you is thinking, 'Well, we'll
just get some momentum this year and save that (championship) for next year,'
that's being selfish, and you're not being fair to the other guys. With injuries and
free agents, you don't know what's going to happen next year. You'd better be all in
for this year."
Last August, when I asked Manning about his long-term plans in Denver, he said:
"At the end of the day, my contract really is a one-year contract."
No longer true. He passed an offseason physical, and Manning will receive $40
million guaranteed through the 2014 season. Even though he signed for five years,
the Broncos — and especially John Elway (who retired at 38) — want Manning to
play as long as he desires.
There were no uncertainties Saturday about Manning's recovery from the neck
injury and three surgeries that forced him to miss the 2011 season. He was
comeback player of the year and MVP runner-up. His health is not an issue; his arm
and his resolve are stronger.
"I've made considerable progress from last year. ... I've put in a lot of sweat with
Luke (Richesson, the team's strength and conditioning coach) and Greek (trainer
Steve Antonopulos). Doctors told me back in September 2011 (when he underwent
an operation that fused two vertebrae), that time was the biggest thing. There has
been improvement, and I'm hopeful there will be even more."
Cornerback Chris Harris has said the quarterback is "light years ahead" of the
previous training camp. "Obviously, Chris' opinion means a lot to me," Manning
said. "He and I constantly compete against one another in practice. I've always
appreciated and used feedback from receivers and DBs. If that's how he's seeing
that, there must be some truth to it. Sometimes, when you're in this body and see
yourself every single day, you don't know how you're doing. All that offseason hard
work is paying off."
Both Peyton and younger brother Eli have reached two Super Bowls. Eli won two,
Peyton one. Eli said he is hungry to advance to his third.
"I feel the exact same way," Peyton said. "I think any head coach would be
disappointed in his quarterback if he didn't have that mentality. Coach Fox talks
about how he's been to two, and he wants to go win one (this season). That's what
I want. Our whole team wants that. You can sit here and talk about it all you want,
but you got to go do it."
Indeed, the Broncos are favored by the Vegas wiseguys to win the Super Bowl.
"Yeah, well, there are things we have to improve on," Manning said. "I have not ...
we have expectations ourselves, but at this point, we have things we have to get
better at. So I don't give that a lot of, I guess, time because I'm more focused on
what we have to do in order to accomplish our goals."
Manning does allow himself a moment to remember his grandest memory. "It sure
is a fun offseason when you win your last game, and it's the Super Bowl. I've
gotten to experience it once. There's no feeling quite like it."
After prevailing in the NBA Finals this year, LeBron James said the second was
sweeter than the first. "That's what I would think," Peyton said, "and I'd love to be
able to confirm it this year."
Think of Manning and the Broncos with another Super Bowl victory.
Tom Brady, Peyton Manning win secret
golf match on Hail Mary
By Will Brinson
CBSSports.com
July 31, 2013
Everyone looks at Tom Brady and Peyton Manning as mortal enemies. But while
they typically do battle on the football field for AFC bragging rights (and will again
in 2013 when the Patriots and Broncos meet), it's a pretty good bet they actually
like one another.
Case in point: Manning and Brady teamed up recently to take down a pair of
businessmen in what Manning told theMMQB.com was "a very private round of golf"
that nearly featured Manning and Brady falling to "Ed and Sam."
“Both of us felt like it was one of our biggest victories," Manning said. “We could
not lose to these guys, because we knew it would go viral, within minutes."
The victory was well deserved, too, as the pair was teamed up against Ed and Sam
in a best-ball match and entered hole No. 17 at a course "near Pebble Beach" with
the businessmen having a "one-stroke lead." (It was probably a "one-hole lead,"
which seems like semantics but makes the story a lot spicier; plus that's usually
how you score in best ball. Anyway.)
Brady proceeded to birdie No. 17 and then Manning birdied No. 18, giving the pair
of future Hall of Famers a victory over the biz suits who were looking to hang one of
the coolest-sounding pelts ever on their wall. I mean, you take down Manning and
Brady in a best-ball golf match? You're going to tell that story approximately
eleventy billion times over the next five years.
Alas it didn't work out. Manning and Brady are superb at football and, by all
accounts, quite good at golf. Brady's generally a renowned golfer (he even had an
Entourage cameo playing golf) and Manning's already got a 77 at Augusta and a
hole-in-one near Denver on his offseason links résumé.
There are plenty of everyman scratch golfers; athletes getting beat by normal folks
in golf shouldn't be that shocking. But Brady and Manning certainly managed to
avoid a nightmare story -- and secured a monster victory -- by stepping up in the
clutch. That sounds about right.
++<=
>\^
=
`{}
~‚~†‡‡>}ˆ=‰+\
+
++††
^
\+
+=
Š‹‰}Œ
++<
=Š\+=‘
‚’“
”}
}+
=Œ
`
•
>\}
\
+^
=
Š‹
}Œ=Š‹\
‹+
‹
}
’”>\^
=Œ
‰+
+––
++††}–}\––
—++
=
Š†‰\
\}†}‹‰}Œ
}†
~
>
><=Š˜‰\\\
=†‰\}\
+=Œ
+
+
+
+
–}
+
\=
Š†‰
+‰
}Œ=Š†‰
}‰
+\+\=<
=Œ
™+\
^
}
\\=
™–
š›}œ{+ž
š}`^
‰
+“\}‰\
\+=
Š†\
+‹+
}Œ=ŠŸ\}
=‹
\
=Œ
\
+=
Š++=+}Œ= ‹
‰––=†
\
+=†
+\}
¡
++=Œ
~
™
`{}
~‚~†‡‡>}ˆ=’™”¢‘}}
¡+
˜£
>\
^
=
<
}\}+=
ž
+¢
+^
–\\
+¢–
++
=
~\}\}•¢
›}+
}}
=
‹\} <}+
+}
+= ‹= ™^
=
<}
`~
+—£
+
+\=
‡} `¤¡= ¤}
++
––
=<
—}•\
= <¡+}~††
\
+¢+
+¥{}
–
“ˆ=
‹} •†}
++}
+=
}}
\=‘\}
}
=¦\
}}\
}›}œ{ž
}
–
œ–
=
™
¡+
¢}
=
‹
+
} = ‹
}\}
+
}
= ‚^
}
+^=<^
–}–
}+–™¤ˆ++
§+^=
~}
+>\œ
§+^ž¦}
+
=™
+™+}
~
+ +\\=
†\
+‹+
} +=
^\^
=
‡\+}
>\=¤}¡
\+
\=<}
+™–
¨++
–+\
–+
=
<}}=
‹}–}\
} = ˜\\
=‘
+©‘©‹—+=<
++\=™
}= ~\+}^
¡+
=
<–\§+^}
=
™+
–+
}––––
}¡+
¢
+=
<¡+
¡+
} =
™ˆ
¤¡}‹
¡+
++¡+
= ª§ˆ+
+
§+====<–
+
§}™ˆ‚====“^“‘
+
<+
====™
`
¤¡+}‚^¨+
–\
\=
«
<™\
`œ}
<‘‹^‡>™Ÿ¬¢ˆ
‡
==<–¤‚=
<‰}Š§¤Œ}
‹+}£
ˆ›
\}™¤ˆ
++§+^
=‹
£=<——=
^•‹‰=<
ˆ£
•+{›}¦¦
}
=‹+–›
=
‰ˆ
˜+
>\^
=•
–
}
›}œ{›=
‘
ˆ}™‚
}
}
‹+¡+
–{
+
›}ž›
=
‹
+}=
Š‹‰}Œ
¤
™
}+
–
’™
~}ˆ+”

§Ÿ\+¦=™++¡}
+
+=
‚
+
}
=‘
+
–=‡¤‚£
+“\§>}§^§=‚
§>=
+
‚
=‘+•
+–
+
+\\
+=™
}
}‚
}¤‚
=
Š™
+–}Œ
=Š‘–=Œ
<ˆ‰\
‚
£
=¤‚}\–\
–^=‘=
‚
}’
”¨›}+}\
=^=
ˆ=^
+¡
=’‚
\
\¡+
=”™
‘<+–+=
§+++
=>+ˆ
‚
©
Š}Œ=Š‹\+\
§=Œ
!"##
^¬¡†
>ˆ=
`›}
¤}™
}
+
=
<
+}‚\¤‚£
>\^
~˜}
}=
‡}\
+
}
­^}ˆ~‡<¡ˆˆ
=
‹}}
+}
\} ^=
<}}\
+++\=
^\<¡¢‚
<¢
+}
=
<\\} }ˆ‹¤§
<¡= †¡
+====
\
= 
—}
}
+=
™‹\\}‹++++
=‹
} }+
= †
= ‚
§¤ˆˆ=+
+\++
+=
##
$
™
`}
<‘‹^‡>™Ÿ¬¢~+
>\^
+˜§+={=
<‘ˆ+}œ¤‚
>\}+\
~¡
+™=
Š†‹
}‹›–›{–
™=‹
}‹~¡
+}Œ
=Š§—£}
}+=Œ
~}}™
}£¤+

§=
<–
+=
†
£+
}
~£
++
}
+
¤‚=
–~‹+ˆ}}
œ=
†\}~}
—+
=
Š’
”‰++}
}+
=‹
£}‹=Œ
^+
}++
¦
=
™
++
\
}
+=
Š‡
}¡
<¡=†\
+
=†
+\
}œ}{}›
=
<
}Ϊ
=
Š‹++=\¦}
+
=~
+}
•<=†}
=Œ
^}
+
–+
£
=
<
£
+\
‘<+}<¡™®‰`—
™‰–
+£
™=`=
ˆ=
%&(
^­
ˆ§+—
`}
¤}‰–
~§‰¤‚
\ª“
`=
‹++
`¢+¢\=
<‰=‡¡–+}‹
–
=
`=†‰=‹
`=‹=
†
^
£
}‹
`
¤=™
}`
+=
Š‰
+\
}Œ`=
œ–
+=`=
Š‘}Œ`=Š™‰\+=Œ
`¡^=‹+
}`‰\
£
==
†‰\^
++\
§}`=
™‹
\›=<¤¤=‘‰
+
=
)*+./01$*
/2343"#5
^¯
“
™¤<
`}
™
§+™`‘}~§
}Š<^‡Œ§+›=
`‘°`‘
~§–
<^–
™
–§+=›=\===
ª¦–`
`‘°`‘
===`=‹\}ˆ+}~
™
=
ª–`
™‘}<¨£
}
~ˆ+}\=
<
™
}ˆ+}~
‹‰
‰+
+<}‡}‰=
<
}™
}
•¡+
++¡
=
*6
++$.6
7$
ˆ^§›>\
`}
>~¨~“’ˆ^§›”š
\
=
<‰+
†“`<}
>\`ž
Ԥ
‘¤=
<ˆ^§›
>\}>\^
\
§+^=
Š^‰+
^
}
•}††}
‰\}+‰\}‹
>\^
™¤ˆ}Œ<=Š‡\}
}
‰=Œ
<
¡+
+
¤‚=
Š‹‰¡+
‰\
+
}Œ=
<}£
+
¤‚}
‰=‘¡+
•¡\=‘‰¡+
++}+‰=
Š™}‰\=^
+‰}
±‘‰}‰Œ<=
‹<}>\\^™+ˆ
^+
Ԥ
=
#8+
9
^“`
¤‡¬§+=
`}
‘‡‚‚˜†‡‡>}ˆ=¢‰
+•
\¤‚=‘––
+=
<^
£
=\¤‚‰<+
\+<}¨
™
+\+=™+\}
£
’™“}<^}
=”
š
‡^=
†
\£
}^
+ªŠ‘=‹\}‹=‹‰
}=<=‘‰+=‘
\
+=Œ
}^
™¤ˆ>\“¡\
+}
=
<}^
+†
†=<++
=
^}+
\Š<‘†“Œ
\
^ˆ}+
=
Š‹‰\}Œ^=Š‹‰
+=™++‰\¤‚}‰\
}‰=Œ
†^
+–+
^}
¡+
+ˆ+^}`
>£“–ˆ=
Š‹ˆ+²^³}Œ^=Š‘
+=<{=‘‰^
+=‹‰
66
.;
^
§
¤‚=
`¦}
†£
<^

~}+}††}
=
†}
¦^}•++
>\^
\
><~
>
=
†+}+
^=
‹‹\†
~} = <
++
}
—
+
= †––‘¤–+¡––
++\=
‹\} †= <•
•=‹
=‘= †¤‚–
\
+=‘
¡}
=
¤•}
†
}
+>\=ˆ
+–
~}
\=
66
.).
0
^`™+
¤<
`ž}
^
\††\
+
†+~}
‰‰‰+=
‹‰
+†\
+
=††
<^£
}†‰
\
£
=
Š‹‰\}Œ†}\^
=Š<
•
•=‹‰
=‘=Œ
‘\£
‰‰
~>\=
^
\+†
+}
^
+–†
++=
..
&$#$.
&+$
^
§\
˜´§+
`œ}
~‚~†‡‡>}ˆ=š}+
+•
++<<+‘—=‡
—}+
>\^
\
Ÿ\<›=
†+
¡+
–
\–
}
£
}}
}
•\}\
=
<\}
+
+
++}+
–+\=<\
+
+
}++
+
^
™¤ˆ––
}
ˆ
˜
–+
¨
}¤‚–
¨
™=
‡+
\}\
“
˜}=
¤‚
+‹+ˆ}
¦
}–‘¤=
˜}}‹\} ˜´§+
\+
^
= ^
’‹”
š•\+}
}
\}+
=™‹}}
}
™+}}\
+
\=
˜}}•+}
¡
=<+
}
}=‹
\¡
¡\=²‚³¡
‹
==§+ª‹
£
}\
= Ÿ\\‹>\
+
}\
\\=¤^
–+\
\§}
+
ž
}
+}{=¦+¤‚–œ¦=œ
++
}\
}\
\
\
=
™+^
¡+
‹+}£
+
=
^}–‡
\
\§>ˆ
^
›–}>\
\
=<+`}+–^
\§+^
+^“\
\}
\–+=
}
++“\–}
=‡
+}\}
\£
–
§=
˜\
++} }
‹+
}
`}–––
++=†\
}\+\
š
}
++—=
‹++
}
}
=²§³
+
}‹}=
‹++}=
‹•
µ=Ÿ++}‹
+¢
}
}¤‚=‹
²­ˆˆ£
³™¡§+’\¤‚”}
š‹š+
²+³=Ÿ\
= }
}+\
=
\}
\¡+
+
+}\
+¡–ˆ
^§‹`
<=™
}§^
\
\}>
<~
>
}<=<
++=
<‹²§³•
} >
=
²³=<+
+}
}=‘
=
§++}=‘ª§}
}© ™<ª ˜+}=<
}=>´‹+‹•
=
}=‹= ™
\
\
ˆ
<}>
+
}
=<+¡
+}
+}+
+
+}
–
+–+
–
\}=
™•
} ^
`¤¡
= ‘\=‹‹²³
=‘
}‹
}
=‹
}+= }
}++
+ˆ
=
‹–} = ^
=‹
+=™‹
‹}‹+=‹=ˆ}
\
—=
§‹
}‹=‹
}‹=<‹
•}+\=
^
‹•
}
=§‹¡+
š}
\+
•= <
+^
\
}–£
+
<+
ˆ’¡–<+
^<>”
–+
{ª
\=
ˆ}–§>}}
=¶
‹\} = ‹²¡–
^
³`‚
<+}
=²‹
ˆ³}\++©‹\
=^++\\
= }+}<>
+
\=
‹ªˆ
\+}
+}
+}\
} = ™}}}^}
‹‹=¶^‹}+
=¶
™‹\>
<=‹}
^}‹\+}
+=™•
=<=š=‹\+
=\‘}“†=<
+
}}
}‹++
= ‹
}++~
††}
+
\}>\
=†}
+\+¡
¤‚+}š
}=
‹™+}+
\ˆ
>}
>\ˆ
}\
<=‡+}
+
}
+\+=
‹>
\+\
¥}}
–
>
} \
>
£+ ¡ž={+
=~\}
†}¡+++=
‹} †
<= ‹•}<+
=‹
¡}>
}‹²£³}
‹•
\¶™}˜}}=
™>
\}†‘™<©‹\
=<
+
= §>
ª ‹‹\
+=™\
\}•=‹
+=‘= ‹
}
+
+}\
^
\š
=
<}‹\} = ‹
}
^}}}‘}‹‹
‹
²³=‹+\}
}
=‹
‹
= ‹}¤‚
ª}ž
}
=
<&
^`‚
<>\
`}
†\
\
\+{
—¤‚}
}++}
–£+
§ž}
=
‘\} ^
ˆ+^= ‹‹\
‹\}‹}}
=‘\}\= ^
+= =
=‹
}
^
=‹
}+
}\+^
}
\+=
™^
+}\
}£
}=
†©<}
+}£}
£=
‚}^
+++–}
ª†
++
+
}}
ˆ}\>\}\
+\
©
†}
+
‹\} =
‹\\+\=‹\
\}\‹‹}
‹
+
=‹
\•‘}‹
•=™
=
^‹\=‹+}+=
™‹
}‹\
‹
=‹++++}
+\=‹‹}=
^=‹\
}}•= ‹}^
}›}–+
\
+=^^
=<–\+“\
+
=
^\+\}
=
‚}‹} = <
}‹\}=^‹
= ‚} ^
`
<}
+ˆ= }}=
‘}
= <^
}–\
™}+
+
+
=^\+}}
}\++}}
=
†}\} = ‹}
=‹‹\\\+
}}
=‹
}}•=‹•}
\
=<
‹}\}= 1;+$
&""
#.
^`‚
<>\
`}
}^
}
}
\
+=
^
}£
}
+\•++=
˜¡+} = ˜=‹
¡+}+=§
’
”ˆ+^’>£”“–ˆ
=‹
}
=™}\
= ^
\+
—
\’‡<™”
\
™++=
<
\–––+
=
†•} = <–
}–\
}
+\=
†=
§\+}‘}+}
=†}}=‹¡
}
++
}+}
£}}
}+}
= <^
\‡<™+
+
=‡
}+
\
+
++=§^
\\£
¢^
‡}¯
>
“­—¢+++=
‹}ˆ
’`”¤¡\\+£
+} = †+
=‚
++^
¯
=†\=
†\++}\\++
=ˆ
¤¡•
+=™+}•
+
+= &
#+$
`‚
>\
}
\~
>
+}
£
+
\^
=^
=
>
}
¦{+}œ›}\
†}
+
<=
‹‹\+}
}
} }++
>\
‹+
•
£=
+
}›}œ{ž
+>\™¤ˆ†––
=†
\}
¡+
=
†
\\
+
}
} }+\
™
=
<
}\\
}‹\
\‹}=†
=™}
\
= <+}\
=>+
+£
}
+=
†}+} = “
\
=
\
}
+\
=™
}}‹
+
= "$.
<™
}
~‚~†‡‡>}ˆ=¢¯+ª~\£
}
}=
‘™
>\^
=
‘
\£
=™+}+
–
\}\
+=
™
>\}\
++
}\\=
†>
™+‹—+
} \~
>
= ‹
= ¡
¦–+=‘}}
›}œž
•
+}
¨™
\
=
^+\+=
‚¢\¢} `
<= }•=
‘=^
= <^
\{–+‚¨£—
ž–+^
=^
}}
‹+
+
=
}
++
=
†+\}\
\
–•} >
= ‹
+
‹\
+= ‹
—
\=
‘++
} ˆ
`¤¡= ‘++
}—+=<
•
\
+£
=§}‹•\
= +><}
›+
}››¢
=<
++£
=
‹–} <= ‹=‹
=‹}‹= +=§}
=
‹‹\+
=‹
} = ‹
\}\+
}‹+
}= =
†}
}\\
}‹\
\‹}} =
††¡}+£
\
+–+
­++
+
=
§}}
\+
} =
™}}+=“
\
}‹£
\
+\
=
™
}=<
+
= 6.2*
+
=6
.
™+
}£
^
††=
ˆ
>\^
=
}
~‚~†‡‡>}ˆ=––‹>\}£
––+
\=
‹‹}
\•
‰+
+
} \~
>
= ‘=‘
\=‹•
= ¤}–++
++\=
<}¡+}
^=<‡<™}
+
•¤‚
=
`+}}
} +–+
= ^
=‘‰
}’‘”ˆ
’`”¤¡=†
+
=§}
+
}
}‹
‰
=Œ
‘+=
£
=^
+=
‹^}±‹‰£}¡
=<‰‰} =
^•=+
}“‘}\
††+
=
<£
\+
+^
£
+}+\
=
˜†£}‹‰+}±‘}
‰+‰•+}‰ =
†
+=¤¡
\ +
\
\\\} \–
}}–+¡+=
\
£
=
<¢
+
+~}¡+
’^”
<’^”¢‰\+} = “}
\‹+¤=
¤
\£
=
†}
‹+
=Œ
†
–
\}
=
™¡
+
§+=
*>"8
7
$9
<+\\—+
=
™
>\^
=
}
~‚~†‡‡>}ˆ=––<\—
\
=§+=
Š†>
™+‹—+
} \~
>
= ‹‰
= ‚} —+ +
>\+
=
>\—++© ¶ ˆ
—+© ¶‡\\}
+=<}
=§
}
=
‹’”
£
\
\}} >
= ^‹
}—+£
= ‹}+
}+
£
+=
™}++–
–
>\–
=<
•}\}\
––––=
‹‰‹‰\
} = ‹+‹‰
‹}‰+}‹‰
+\‹++= ~\–+++
¡£
++––
^
\–=
‹}‹
}
+£
} \><= ‹
+}
‹\
––
= ˜}
•
=
‹‰\
+\
=^‹\+
}+
=<
\+
+}+
+
} ™+=
‹‰–‹‹‰+
}‹\= †
+}>
\=
†+\––‰\
\
–•} = ‹‰
+
‹\
+= ™}} —+= †
—+
£=
??
4
^ˆˆ
Ÿ§™<=
}
‹¨}§+^
+}‘¤
£
}–}
§
‚\}
+™
žž––=
§¤‚™<++
–`~>\^
`¤¡=‹
–
}
{–
\+žž=’~‰ž=¤¡
++¡
+™=”
™}•>\–
––œœ–+–=
‹‰
+}
}+=†
©§+=‹‰+}‰
=¤
}‹‰
‰
–+\=^™‚™ˆ~´
=
&.
}–¤‚¨}–}
¢¤‚++=
^§¤
‚™<
¦}
~‚~†‡‡>}ˆ=¢—
=
§
}•–}
\¤‚+
=
‹£}
} = ‹+
•‹+=‹\=
<}‹\²^
³^}²^
\³>>\}²<+^
³“^µ
+= ’+<<ˆ
^Ÿ
=”
¤™–`‚
+¦=
‹
\‹‹} ‚
= ‹\=‘
§\‡=‹
+
‹
\=‹}
§\‡
= }++¡
\}
\
=
¡–} = =‘+}
}
+=
}}‘}•}–
}}–}
+=™=§‹\\
= †
}
=<–
}
+
++=
‹‹²¤§
³^^}•
+} =
^}+
=‘=‹
=
}ˆ+}}}~}
–\=
†\‡}+
\
++}+
} ˆ+
= ‹
}ˆ•
©‹+\
¦––
–\}+
©
= >
\>\}ˆ+
=
‘
+
\+} ˆ+= ‘
²––³}˜¦=<=
<=™•\=
‹}=‹\= ™+}
\
+++–=
§¤‚+
} = ™
}=ܠ
}
ª§––}{}=™=
‹•====‹}}
}‹\++
+
}•
=‹}‹
= &
#;$
@3/
§¤
‚™<
¦}
~‚~†‡‡>}ˆ=¢‡Ÿ§‡
}>\^
£
\=
‘=
™¡+}‹=
<{==\™=`†^™}
+=
•=‘
{}+}=
<‹¡‹‡
ˆ
ˆˆ
} = †}\
=˜\}•=™}
++}‹}
}{
+
–+
===\+
£
= ++
}+
†}¡
+}
+=
†}\
`ˆ§}<
<ª ‹+}<}œ–œ›+}+
¤‚}•++
©
‹=™
\
\‹
= <}
+™
}
¤‚
++=
§}\} }^
œ–{}= †
¢‹
<}ˆ}^
=^\
}\}
}\
=˜\
}}‘}‹™
{}}‹
ˆ
­ˆ=<‹
‹
+=
<Ÿ§‡+}+
\
+\=<
=<
}<™
\=§
\
}}‹}
+= \++
++}‚=
ˆ=
§}+
†=
†•++} §
= Ÿ}•––
\=‘
}
=^
++}+= ††ª ‹+\
+
\
= ‡}†}
 }~=
²³}
= $#
"
‚‘=`
Ÿ§™<‡>™˜§+
}
~‚~†‡‡>}ˆ=š}¤‚
}
}>ˆ``
£
<“+ –+
•= Ÿ§™<‡>™˜§+<
¤‚•¤‚£
=
‹‹
=‹
²>³} = ^‹\
£
+
•+
= “
+
ˆ
}–+`
§+}\
¡
+
=
–
}+
\+
=
‹‹£
=‹}‘
©‹\\=‹\
+} = <
+
‹=‹++}
}+}= “\+=<ˆ
<“+
+–
—
\\
=
“}¡–
¡¥¦
}
+
+ˆ
+`=
8F+$8+
#$.=#
ˆ^§§+=
}
~‚~†‡‡>}ˆ=––<•=<
£}+}=
£
=
‚‹
}
=
‘+¤‚
>
=‘
£\•=
<‹+ˆ›}
+
>\^
=
§
=
`
\}
\
=
™}=
›}œ{}ž
–
++
œ¦=ž–+
^
=
™¤ˆ=<^
™¤ˆ>\“^
“\}+++}
+\
+<<=
<} ^
`¤¡=
†
= `~}‘¤
+£
^
¡
\\
+
+}=
<}‹‹} ~= ‘= <
+=^
+\+‹}
=<^
§+^
=
™
}
\+
}
+
=‡}‹
=
™}
}
+=
¡+
}
}¡
=
™
•=
>
\}
\+
}
†<¤
}
+>++
\
=
ª\+}
©
ª ‹
=}•
}
\
=­\
\}\++}
}=˜+=‘
\=‘=<}
}=˜=
˜
=<
=<
\=
+
=<
‡<™}\
++œ–
>
+§+=‹
=‹
=¤+}‹+‹
= ª˜=˜\=™
©™++
©
ª ‹=
•=‡
=†
©‹=
=`=‹
=™}‹
\+
=£}
}\=‘‹
< ’^
§\™+”=‹
‹=‹‹=‹
‹––
=
‹=‹++
=‹+= ª`~™}
}
+
+=>+
©
ª <™
=‹+
\=^\}
}
+‹++=‹
+ˆ
=‹=‘++=‹+
™—=‹=‘=˜
}
>
}––}
=‹
=Ÿ+
£
–=‹
•=§‹
=™+‹\
=‹+™=‹™=
˜{}\=‹=‹
+\}‹\+=‹
ˆ
¤¡}‹+—‹=†
\
‹++=‹‹
‹
=‹+•=‹=‹ž–
=™
•=†¡
‹
=‹
= ª­}
™+
+
©
ª ‹+=‹\
\=‹•=\
¡£
=
˜=†}+= ª™}¡
=>©
ª ‹=‹+‹
}
=§‹‹
=<
‹=
˜‹\\= ª§
\ž}•©
ª \}=
<=‹‹
‹
+
‹= ª‹}¤‚=
+
+
=<©
ª ‹‹‹\ +
=‹=‹
=~
+=‹
\\‹\
=‹=™}\+
=‹+}žœ––}
{=‹}‹=™
=‹\+£
‹›
{= ª†“\
+
©
ª ‹=‹\\=‹
=‹—=
†=†=†=‹
=™+=<=‹
=˜\\=
‹\= ª˜\©
ª ‹•=‹=‹\\
+
’”™=‹=<\
=\‘£+
=<++
=™•+
=‹•=<=<
=<\=‹\=
<
=}‹=
†\‹+•}‹\= ª˜+›©
ª ‹=‹=
–=‹^
=‹‹\+
+‹
+=‹‹
+
\}•}‹=‹
‹+‹
=‹\
=
+‹}=<+
‹
+=<‹
+=<
\
=
‹}\}\•©
<+=‹‹\=‹
+=‹=‹
+
+‹
=˜+
=^=<
+
=˜\™ˆ‚}+
=‘–+}+
=\
•£
©†=‹
+=˜\\
}\‹¡=
<++
=<
¡= ª˜+©
ª †
=‹
\¡}
}=‹
+= ª§\
©
ª <‹‹
+
=‹
\+=‹>’^>\
>\”ˆ
\
–
=˜
++
+}
–
=‹
+++
>=<
––
=‹
+=<}}©
‹
‹
+=<=™‹
‹=<+\‹
+\=‹++
=‹= ªˆ\’”\©
ª ‹’<ˆ
“
+”<‘`=‘
\+\
=˜
++
=<=‘}{–+=
˜\=§‹=<•–\=
‹
+=‹+
=†=<
–=§–\=‘‹=‹
+‹\’+
›”=¤\§+‹++
=‹
== ª‹
=
ª ‹}=<}\
=<
‹‹+‹
}
}¡
‹+=‹
\
=†‹‹+
=ˆ
+
‹
=<‹=‹}
‹+
=™‹‹©™= ª‹—•\}
++
–+£
ˆ\
+}
©
ª ˜=`‚
•=†}=‘
+
=‹\=–
<“ “– ˜–= ‘
£
}+
+–=‹}¡}
©
‹‹
“}
+–}
= ª>\+
++£
\©
ª \}
=<+=§
\\=}
‹=‹=‹
=<
‹
=‹‹
= ª†©
ª ‹^’‚}
<¤‚”=‹‹}
©‹
‹=‹
+++––=‹
+‹
+\
=‘+‹
\= &$3"
+&
$
$
™§
¤‚=
}
§+=‚
=>
©
<
–+
§+^=
‘–}£
=‡+}
\£
=‹£
=<}
+=‘+=‘
+‹+}
§+^=
^\•}+
++}
=™}}
£
•=
˜}>\^
^“\
+
}\\}
=
‹}^
++
+­ §‹=
=<^­} ‹\\
} =
‘
ª†}\=
˜}}^^^
“\
+=^\+
=
=
–}+––
–––
–+=^}}ž–ž=
‚+=
~+}
++««˜=§‹
‹\ª~––‘¤}
––
=~¦–+£
}
§+^\
+}^
–
=™~
+
^
}++^¤\™
“—+=
Ÿ}
ª>
§+
^
^}``
~©
‡\+‹} ‘\=§+
=†© ‘\}+
}
‘=‘=^+
=<<’^”}=‘}
`= ““\––
}}+=^+
+
}>\•
©ˆ
`¤¡©¤\
ˆ©‡©‡+––
+–
+–\
––©
‚++
^
=
<–‡
§>ˆ
¤}›+}+
=‹¤‚=
^
™¤ˆ†}+
}}‹=>\+
=
=<^
§+^=
™}=
<}\^
=
>+‹=<^
™¤ˆ†\}
+
+^––††=^
¡
+}\~\>\=‹\
^}
+\=}
‹\
ˆ’++
\
‹
>¤+
”
­ˆˆ
=™>\}
+“\\}
–
=
‡\}‹§¤
›}§§}™
¤
}^
}~‘<¡
>\++=
‹=‹
––+––
£
=^–={
+
§+^=+
–
}
+
–=‘=‚
\++=
‹}
=
<\=
.&
&&
‚‘=`
Ÿ§™<‡>™˜§+
}
~‚~†‡‡>}ˆ=¢™}+\
+=+\
§+^}
=
¤
–\+^“\}
^
§+^¡+
>\=<
œ}
=
†=‹—
}} Ÿ§™<‡>™˜
§+<= <}\=†
}
•}\’”¢\
++= ¤} +
+
=
<\
\+
\}+
><}~
>
\††=™++“†
\‘‹+}\
¡
+=
£¢‹+\\
}
} =
£
>
<}+
†=
‘’†”}£‹
+¤=‹+}
\}}‹}‹
—£
} = †}‹
}\
+
}¡+
<’^”}+
+
+= ‚
^
}
} }
\
=˜
+
–+}
+}
–+
¨\^
=
™¤ˆ=

=
+“\}
£}\+^
=
‹\\}\
\} =
‡+£=

}£} =
˜}•}£
}\
=‘`¤}}
+\
=
‹\
•
}+–•=‹•=‹
\+\‹
}}
+=˜
+
•}
+}•+} = <£‹\
+\}‹+\}‹
‹++= }ž}£
=^}
Ϫ
=}
\}‹+
ˆ
™‚
}•
+=
+£
}¢
“‹‹‹}“†ˆ­+
¢+
^=
\}
+
}+–+
¡
=
˜++
‹=‹
+
+
£
+=‹
¤‚}\} =
JKN=
$
U!
^­
<>\
œ}
‚}^
£
\¥{}
§¤™—‰>=
<}‰^
¤¥{¦}
–
—ˆ}‹}
<‚=
™+¥=¦+
=
Š<^
¤\
+}Œ=
Š†+ˆ\
++\
+
–—}‹}
<‚}\
=Œ
‹ˆ}ž–
\¥¦¦}ž{=
<\—‹
\¥{}{{‚
—
\¥ž¦}ž{{<—
\
¥œ}=
<^
¤}+
–+
+}
+
\
++\+++
=<
^
¤¥œ={
+
+=
+$.Y$
JKN=Z
‰^
¤
–—
‰
=
§¯
>\^
=
œ}
~‚~†‡‡>}ˆ=š
\
<=
<–
—ˆ}‹}<‚=
Š<^
¤\
+}Œ}‰+=Š†
+ˆ\
++\+
–—}‹}
<‚}\
=Œ
‚
}ˆ
\¥¦¦}ž{=<+
^^^§ˆ}^®ˆ>\}>\
§
¤}§§“
>
}˜ˆ™
>\–—=
<¥{}{—‹}
+›+‹+ˆ}¥ž¦}ž{{
—‚}+¥œ}{+
<}+
=
<^
¤}+
–+
+}
+
\
++\+++
=<
^
¤¥œ={
+
+=
“£
+–+
—
\\
\
ˆ}‹}
‚<=™£
\
^
¤}
£\
}=
~
—
+^
¤++
=++
\
=+=
§+=
1;+$
[
3"
™§
­Ÿ§™š<¨
{}
­Ÿ§™–>\^
£
–
}
†§+‹=‘
+•
¥}¥¦
¥=
–+¤‚}
¤{}
{=‡§
£
>^–
\¥ž–
¤‚+¡+
=^\
+{
=
+
+^===
™
+} §‹= “}†}>
<¨}}+`
^
ž––^= ^¡¤`=++¤{
\=‘+•
¥–
·=
§} §+‹= ‹
= <†–=\›}
\={}¥{=¦=<‘
‚^`}¡+
¥{œ={}
+
}¥–=
<¤{
+>“}–+¤
—=<
}}}
“
+
}
}
}
=~
¡
\}¡+=
<{+}+}
+}}¡™§ˆ™“\=¤
\
}=
<˜˜+++\+=<<+
^^
¤‚++
’¨
`
={ˆ
=”=
*;&"
".
^^†
~§=
¦}
£+
>\=
‘
+
‰
+=‘+
\~
>
>+=‹
}
‡¤
£
+\=
<}¤‰‰\
=™++}
>
\
+¤‰
\ˆ“
–˜˜=
‰=
‹¤‰+•
–=
Š>
}}Œ¤+
>\†=Š‹‰\+=‹
‰+=<+}‹‹‰
=‹•+
++=§‰\•+
=Œ
ˆ`>
=‘
++=>
}
+
£
=
Š‹
=‘
‹
ª}Œ>=Š²‹³
––‰
––‰\
\=‹‹}±}‰
‹‰+=‰§‹
‹¡
}±‘}‹ª=<=‰
‘‰}±™
}‹‰=‰§\
¡
ª±‘}=‰§‹=‹
=‹
µ‹\=Œ
§}>\
=
+$$
".
‚‘=`
Ÿ§™<‡>™˜§+
¦}
~‚~†‡‡>}ˆ=š<>\^
+}
=
+
+
—+
\~
>
’–\
\”
‡
¤’+–––
<ˆ“
”}
+£
•=
‘+
\} ¤†=
<`>–+\\
=>
>+
=
‹
=‹}
†© >†= ‘
=‘+
+
¢ˆ\= ‚
^
ª‚
+=
>
–
>
=>}
\}==š
=
^+
}>+
=‘—
+}>¡
=
‹
} >=
>
++++¤ˆ
¤}+\£
=™¤
=
‹•+++} ¤= §
\•+
= $
;
"
*[[\=
"
U
¤§
˜§+
}
<\
`‘}¨
}
>
=
‘
—<£
\
}>\
^
}•£
++œ
\=
™
‘}
\+œ=
<}‘
™+’+˜<\<
ˆ
§
=
”}¡+
\=
‹+
++‹
£}‹}‘©
‘}©}} ‘= <ª‹œ}
<+‡+}£+
¤+
“>}¬}¤“¦^
§+
=‹+}‹
—‹>\}=
~¡
++= †=
<\+<}
+
^
+
=>\=
++
\
<}‹+ˆ^
=<+\
‘+\
¡+
=
™
+++•
<=§
}+§+
^}^}¨
+
¦}{{›¤‚+=^¡
+
+
‡+=
‹—} ‘=
#$.!
]"
“

^ˆ–<¨
™+ž}
¤ˆ£
•
¤~¡
‘‹+‹™+=<>\
^
£
ˆˆ}
ˆ‘+§=¨
=ˆ
‚^+\\}
=
†} }
\=
†
\=†
\+
++= +
++
‹
=<ˆ^
^ˆ§
¤‡
¦ª+==
‹
\‡
} }
£= ‹\
‹=‹<¨}‹=<
++
= \‚
‡§=<^
+>\<}§+{}
§+^ˆ+^“\=
~
^
\˜=
^+
‹+=
‹\+} = ^^
¤
‹+=
ˆ‘+
\= =<ˆ
\–}¥œ^
=‹
>\}^
–
™¤ˆ†
\=‘
+›{¦+›}œ{=<^
\“\+=
< = ‹
=<‹
=™‹+}++
+}
‹+>\=
‹\>
=‹•
+++= œ¤‚=
‹\
+–•} = +–•=
=+ž=‹
‹\
+= 2$Y3"
3$
7
+†
\=
§¯
>\^
=
™+ž}
>~¨~“š™+¡}–+
†­–¦§
+
+=
‹^
£
¡+–
+=
<¡
\
>\¨=
Š‹‰
\}Œ\+^
‰
++¤‚œ=Š
\š
\
}+
\
=†\
+
=™}‰\‰
=Œ
—++
\
}>\
+•
–\=
>\~¡
\>
™†\
++—+\=
Š‹‰
}Œ=Š‡
+
+
\
\=‘\+++
+
\\+
•
+
+=Œ
™\\+
\}
+=
™+—
š
š+¡
+\=
Š^
\+}Œ=Š‹‰\
\
‹
=˜\
\++•=’œ”
+¤‚=‹‰
^
++
+=‹‰†=†\=Œ
†\
+}
‘§
™}ˆ=<\=
} \ +\
}•
‰=
‘+
––
^
+™=
§+++
+=
+}+•
\\
=
Š<\}Œ†
+`}
+
+=Š<=‹‰=Œ
!#
^
_*&
¡+
+\+
¡+
>\=
§¯
>\^
=
™+{}
~‚~†‡‡>}ˆ=š™+}
+¤‚=
}
+
–
^
\=‚
}•
=
™}
~
>
}><††>Ÿ\=
Š‹‰}\
+
+
}Œ=Š‹‰‹‰
\
š‹+‹‰
‹}
‰+}‹‰+\‹
++=‹‰\+
+=Œ
†
\•
}‰++—+<‰
=
Š‹‰}‹
‰}
‰
+£
}Œ<=Š‹+}
‹‰\
=‹
‰
}
‹\+
=‹‰=Œ
+
\
+}‰‰\+
+=
†¡+
>\}+
\+=
Š‹
+‹
}Œ=Š™+‰
+++=Œ
ŠŒ
\+<>
¡+
+=
<>‰+}
+\+
=
Š‹‰+
£
\
}Œ=Š~¡+
+•
‰\=^\
¡
}
‹++
=Œ
+++
=‚}
>
<
}–=
¡+
¡}
=
Š‹
}Œ=Š^}‰+
=‹
¡
+=Œ
†–\}
+=
Š‹
++
\
}‹+
}Œ=Š‹
++
+=‹+}
}‹
}=Œ
=+$^$;6./
*
\><}
~
>
††>Ÿ\=
§¯
>\^
=
™+}
~‚~†‡‡>}ˆ=š‚§+}£
>
Ÿ\
‰+=
<}
=
}
>‰
+
+
}^
\ˆ=
‹‰
}Œ
~§‰ˆ=Š‹‰
\š~
’>
”}
†’†”>’<”=‹
’>‘”
ˆ
’>\”ˆ
}‰
=‹‰
=Œ
™£^
>}=ˆ=}~
\š‘
}¨
ˆ—‚+š
ˆ
}
~
=
‹ˆ
<‡}Œ
=Š‹}
\
= <‰>
†^=
<–•^
¦+}{›¡
=
<
•\} †= ‘
+}
+}
}+
+
~}+=˜
+
\+=‘=‘\= <+^
‰+}™+{=
•
‰+=
‹++\}Œ
=Š‹++£
= 3Y);$
"$!$
30
­
<>\
™+¦}
<§¤}
™—‰
>Ÿ\<
}
^
£
™\
++¥{}=
‰+
—
§¤
+
++™—‰=
Š™}§
\\
\‰‰
+™—‰}Œ`‘‹‹}
§¤=
§\`†
=
§+£
}¦–¦
¨‰
+™
–™—‰=
+<¨
§‰
=
§++}
+=
^‰
+
+
+=¥¦
^
=‘¥{}¥¦
+¥¦}¥{}=‡
+
™
}+¥}
¥}{=
‹‰‹\+¥
=}‰
=<}
–
§¤‰\
•
¢+
=
Š‹\
+
ˆ
§}
<¨+
}Œ
=Š‹+
–
+™—‰
}++\
+
\}
=
Š^™‹\‰+\+
\
\\
+
=†+‰
\™
+
=Œ
Ÿ+ª<¡+
¡+}—‹
§=
+$
JK=3Y
‚‘=`
Ÿ§™<‡>™˜§+
™+¦}
>\^
£
}™}\
\\§¤
=
<
++¥{}}
+
™—=§
–
¦
Ÿ\
<=+£
¨›–ž}
\
–
§¤\=
<
\=
^™‹\+\+
\
\\
+
} = †+
\™
+
= +§™™ˆ™~§˜
™=
‹\
™¤
+} §<§
=
1JK=3
Y
‡}
™\
¥{}<§¤=
ˆ
>\^
=
™+¦}
~‚~†‡‡>}ˆ=––
+
+
§}Ÿ\<
=
‡}
––\
–
––™\¥{}<§
¤=
Š‹‰+\™} §= ‹‰
£¡+
\\+™—‰
=<’§”‹
+
\™—‰= <}~<¤}§
\=‹++™—}
\
+\
}+\
+++}
\
+
+
=
§}ˆ™™
++
<‚¨}
+\
––=<£
++\
<=
Š‹\
+
ˆ
§}
<¨+
}Œ
=Š‹+
–
+™—‰
}++
\
+
\}
=Œ
<•
=
‹\
™¤
+}Œ<§=
‹}\\
}\
–
†^™™–§
~§­‚=
Š^™‹\‰+\+
\
\\
+
} = †+‰
\™
+
=Œ
§==
@3/`
^
^}+¡+
+\
^
§+
~§
œ}
‡}+•}
–‹+ˆ}
>\^
=
¤–+=•
++•
Ÿ§‡}\Ÿ=§=
–
\=
‡¤={
}
+™=
`†}\
`ˆ§
–
Ÿ=§==
†ˆ£
ˆˆ}+
–
\™ˆµ<+^^
\¨
`
}µ•
+
ˆ§
}Ÿ§‡
=
+•\=†
+
}
+
+=
‘\\+ª
}¤={
‡+}“}§+=†\+}
+}‹}<\+=<
†“‘+\
=‹\+
+
=<}
\+=§
+
=‹‹\
+\}
‹=
‡Ÿ§‡™=`†=‹\
++}+\‹\\
=‹£+
+£
}=‡
\=
<=™\†“}
ˆ§
}ˆˆ›––`
+
=™}+™ˆ
<Ÿ§`¤­=‹
+\=†
=‘=
=<
+}‚=`=†+™
¤
‡=
<}¤=œ
†•§+\™§§
‹=†++=‹“}+
+›+=<
+^—§++
™=‹
=
†\+=†\
\+=‚\
\+\=<
™}=‚=‹+
+\
=‹
\
}•+=++
+
=
<
\
‹+
––}™ˆ¨
`
=<
=<}~
†}}‚}
+++
=<
}
}
=<++
+=†++
+++}+++
=<\
}‹=‹¡§
+=‘}+=‘
˜¡
+=
‡
\
=<
+
=‚}\
\§+=†‹
=
†}¤=ž
‡+ˆ+‚}>•}™>}Ÿ™
~=†+¡
+=>•}+=\}
+=>=<+
+=<>•=™‹
+\=
™}
=‹
§}+\=‹ˆ^}
ˆ
^=<\
††‹‹=<
––}}
=<+
=^}
+
+ˆ
‹
}ˆ^
=‘‹
\=
™‹\‹}ˆ+=“
} †+
+}¡
© ‹
\§~™‚}ˆ=†++
}‹
\
}
=<‹
+=^}
¤–œ
–
––
=§}+=‘\\
}\=‹£+
=<
\
=’}§
+=”
‹\§~™‚+
§~™‚=<
~~=<+}
+
=<•+
—•’==‚}
+++
+”=
—=
<}¤=¦
<=¤ˆ–Ÿ™~
}Ÿ§§§=‹+
¡
}
‹
™=†+
\
=™}
=‹+
+=<
™=‹
ˆ§
ˆˆ+++
+–
==
<++
+
=‡
+}
+=
~\=<++––+}
––
=˜–
µµ
}\}
=‹•
+
+
+=
†+ˆ+=““}“™=<= §ˆ+=`^\=<=“§
=¤\}++=†Ÿ§‡
=<
=++
=†++
=++=•‹
++++=‹+
==‘>§=
=
†
<+} —{+
=§
•}^
§=‚
Ÿ™~}
}™>=†
=‡++}+=†
+
‹
+=ˆ
\=¤
=ˆ
—=^
++
™
=<=
¤}
†œ==+=^ˆ–ž+
™>}^™}™=\}+
Ÿ§§§}ˆ–›}
––žž=<
ˆ–ž+=‹–
=‹
+}
}‘}
=‹
+
+}
=<\™
=<+\
‹
}‹} <
+}ˆ++}
=†
›}}
{}™=‹}
£=<\–
²
+³}
}
=²ˆˆ
+
+}
+=³‹
+}‹
}¡}•=ˆ
= \
+}–
}=‹+—
‹••
™¤
+=
<}‹¡+
=‹\
+
=^}+}
}}+}
}
}+}—\}}¤
}
=}‹
\+=™‹–
+=‹{–
Ÿ§‡}§™§++
=‘
+
\\}+
+
‹=‘\
+}\
++=‹ˆ
¤¡¡
++^§=†=‘
=‹‡­}++
}
=‘=<}
+}=¤
}+}}=<
^‘+==
¤++§§=ˆ
=~\+¡
++++=
‡}‹+–}}
=‹+=§
\
£+
=’\
=”<
+
=‡+
=™
+
=
+=
™}›}ˆ+^
™=‘}+=§
\
\=†+}
=§
=`‹+
+
\=‹
}
•=†™¤
^==`+<=
=™=‘¡
=™
+
}
™\=<
}—
=`
=‹+
+=‹
++=
†\
=‡\}\
}¡
+=‹
+
+=<‹
+\
+
=^
+
§=`™=++›{=†
+
=‘›
++
=‹\–++}++‹
+
=‘
}
}++
}++
+}
\+\
=
‚§}>\<>ˆ}+
=™+
}++=§
+
=†¡+}ˆ+
^}™}
+
ˆ+‚
=
ˆ+‚
}+=†
}ˆ+•===†=
==†=<
}¡
+=<
¡+=<
\=‘
}+=™}
+}+
}=>
=‚
ˆ+=“
}
}
{–
++=˜©†}
–œ
=‹\\
‘“†
\=ˆ
++=
‹+}‹
} }= ‹
}}
~^©¤=§\
© ‘
=‹
—
‹\
}‹
\+
>\=‹}~¡
=‘
+
}+=‹
+
‹
=‹‹}
\–
“}=‡£‹
\=§™}
}}+
\}
}}++=‹
\+=
‚=“™¤
^=‚™¤
~+=
¤–\
=†
=™}++=+
}+™
™}
=‡\}\+
=~––¦
=^
––¦
^
•¦ˆ•=’‹
}=”‹
+
~=‘=‹–=†+
+
=
§}
^™>=ˆ=}+++“
^}
‚=†
+=<
}
‹™}
}
=<+
†“‘+=<
\=<
=
^ˆ–›+–>=ˆ=™‹+}
–
+=‹\
+
=‹
‹Ÿ§‡=‹=‹+‹
™
+=‹
\†“=‹
\
=<
+=‹
+}¡+=<+
=‹
+<–=^
\=™=<•
+
+=§
‹+
=™=†}
+\++=†Ÿ§‡=<žœŸ§‡=
\+=<^‘+\+=
+=
6."
Z=$;&q!
­
<>\
}
§ª¤^
‰£
\\}=
+}–\
Ÿ§‡=
Š™–
¡+
}Œ=Š~\+
=Œ
‘†>=ˆ=}\–
­ˆ}
\<­ˆˆ™¤ˆ‡\
˜™=‹‰\
\
}
}++
+\=‘
Ÿ\<\
>\ˆ
+
=
<­ˆ’
­ˆˆ+¥}•”=<
+œ=“¤ˆ˜µ
>‚
™¤ˆ˜µˆ~­ˆ‰
^^>\˜µ^
ˆ‰‘§ˆ
˜
+=
`‰™’¤ˆ‡\
˜”}‘‰`=`=†’™¤ˆ>”µ§¤
‰™§’¤ˆ
>”µ§‰ˆ’¤ˆˆ
”‹+‰^
™
ˆ
’™¤ˆ
–ˆ
”=
Š‹‰£‰
}Œ=Š<£+
¤‚£
=Œ
Y]$$7!"
‚
§=^™=
“ˆ§
>\^
=
}
™–
\ˆ+‚
}™=
ˆ™‚~™<‘~“~ˆ­}™––§§=
–>\
^
\^
‰+
+£
}–¤‚¨}
}‰\=
¤‰^
}}
“ˆ<ž}£
\+ˆ+‚
}™}
=
<\+§+<+¨+Ÿ§‡=<+
ˆ+‚
+
\
\
=
<
¤‚
\™ˆ}•
‚^+
–†§ˆ§
}<+
^^
‰
\¨
`
}ˆ‰£
ˆ
ˆµ™
‹‰–+>>
\™
˜>ˆ
`
^
ˆ<=
¨
ˆ`ˆ§™=`™=†}`=}
}}\=
>™=†‰+}+
\
=
Š~\
‰
•}Œ=
<–+™
‹>˜
+}
\=
<}ˆ}
ˆ}
£
\Š
Œ
=
+
¡
+=
‚
ˆ+=<=ˆ}^}<¡}\\
“ˆ<–ž}
=‘
+=
Š‹\}‹‰}Œˆ=
Š­}}Œˆ}
+=
Š¤}Œ=™ˆ}+=
<+}ŠŒ\ˆ
=<}ˆ•}\+=
Š‹‹++}Œˆ}Š
©Œ
™}
•=†=‚}“ˆ
§
}++
¤‚=
Š‹\
+‰}Œ=
<>ˆ
+
>˜™ˆ·>ˆ‰Š˜=Œ
<
++}
++=<>ˆ
‰\
—‰žœ\+
•
Ÿ§‡=
Š<
\+‹\\
}Œ`
^=Š§\
\+
••
=Œ
`
§
=`
‰\
§
‰\}™=
Š†
‰}Œ§
}Š‰
‰
=Œ
`
+}\
}++
}Š+\
\=Œ
`
<+^^
}
=‘
`
™
¦
}
+\
+
¡
+\
=
<
Š^™
}Œ
+\+\+
\¡+=
™‰\}‰
+=‘
Š
=Œ
Š‹‹’”
}Œ=Š‹‰\
<¤‚
=‹
\+=Œ