Peyton Manning (1976- ), the long-time quarterback of the Indianapolis Colts and later of the Denver Broncos, is one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history.
Playing Career
The son of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning and the brother of fellow NFL quarterback Eli Manning (himself also a major star), Peyton starred for the University of Tennessee Volunteers before being drafted by the Colts as the number one overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft.
Manning battled through a difficult rookie season in 1998, throwing 28 interceptions and stumbling to a 3-13 record that was not helped by one of the worst defenses in the league. But he still managed to throw for a very respectable 26 touchdowns and an outstanding 3,739 yards, en route to setting five records for an NFL rookie. Since that season, Manning has never thrown for less than 26 touchdowns or fewer than 3,739 yards.
Manning's breakout year came the following season, when passed for 4,135 yards and again threw 26 touchdowns, but limited opposing defenses to only 15 interceptions, leading his team to a 13-3 record and the AFC East championship before losing to the Super Bowl-bound Titans in the playoffs.
For the next 10 seasons, Manning was one of the two best quarterbacks in football, alongside New England's Tom Brady, tossing for more than 4,000 yards in every season except one and leading the Colts to a 125-51 record, 10 playoff appearances (including nine straight, from 2002 to 2010, and two Super Bowl appearances, including a Super Bowl championship in 2007 over the Chicago Bears.
In 2004, Manning had a season for the ages, statistically, setting all-time NFL records for touchdown passes thrown (49) and passer rating (121.1). Although both marks were later superseded (by Tom Brady and Aaron Rogers, respectively), setting both marks in one season means that Manning's 2004 campaign is still a strong candidate for the greatest season of all time by a quarterback.
Following a successful 2010 season, Manning underwent experimental "spinal fusion" to heal a degenerative neck injury that was sapping his throwing strength, and wound up missing the entire 2011 season to recover, thus ending his streak of 227 consecutive starts at quarterback (including playoff games).
In Manning's absence, the Colts stumbled to an abominable 2-14 record, demonstrating just how crucial Manning's immense talent had been in papering over weaknesses in a team that had been allowed to atrophy in the shadow of his stardom. The weak showing also sealed Manning's exit from Indianapolis, as it gave the Colts the first overall pick in the 2012 draft and allowed them to select star Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck to be Manning's replacement.
Manning was released by the Colts and huge hype built up over which team he would go to before he signed a lucrative, 5-year pact with the Denver Broncos, who gambled that Manning would be able to recover in time for the season even though he still could not throw a football when they signed him.
By a few games into the 2012 NFL season, Manning looked to be fully healthy and was again one of the top quarterbacks in the league, statistically speaking.
Image and Style of Play
Manning is a pop culture figure in the United States. His public image as a cool, calm, and collected leader and one of the brainiest quarterbacks in the NFL has led him to become one of the most successful and ubiquitous endorsers of commercial products in the league. Many TV commercials featuring Manning wryly play upon his "boring" public persona.
On the field of play Manning is widely hailed for the incredible accuracy of his throws as well as his skills as a "field general." In particular, Manning is a master of the no-huddle offense and is especially adept at the art of the "audible," which is when the quarterback quickly reads the alignment of the opposing defense and changes the play at the line of scrimmage by shouting out a new play at the last second, just before the ball is snapped.
Career NFL Statistics
Year Age Tm Pos G GS QBrec Cmp Att Cmp% Yds TD Int Lng Y/A AY/A Y/C Y/G Rate
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1998 22 IND QB 16 16 3-13-0 326 575 56.7 3739 26 28 78 6.5 5.2 11.5 233.7 71.2
1999 23 IND QB 16 16 13-3-0 331 533 62.1 4135 26 15 80 7.8 7.5 12.5 258.4 90.7
2000 24 IND QB 16 16 10-6-0 357 571 62.5 4413 33 15 78 7.7 7.7 12.4 275.8 94.7
2001 25 IND QB 16 16 6-10-0 343 547 62.7 4131 26 23 86 7.6 6.6 12.0 258.2 84.1
2002 26 IND QB 16 16 10-6-0 392 591 66.3 4200 27 19 69 7.1 6.6 10.7 262.5 88.8
2003 27 IND QB 16 16 12-4-0 379 566 67.0 4267 29 10 79 7.5 7.8 11.3 266.7 99.0
2004 28 IND QB 16 16 12-4-0 336 497 67.6 4557 49 10 80 9.2 10.2 13.6 284.8 121.1
2005 29 IND QB 16 16 14-2-0 305 453 67.3 3747 28 10 80 8.3 8.5 12.3 234.2 104.1
2006 30 IND QB 16 16 12-4-0 362 557 65.0 4397 31 9 68 7.9 8.3 12.1 274.8 101.0
2007 31 IND QB 16 16 13-3-0 337 515 65.4 4040 31 14 73 7.8 7.8 12.0 252.5 98.0
2008 32 IND QB 16 16 12-4-0 371 555 66.8 4002 27 12 75 7.2 7.2 10.8 250.1 95.0
2009 33 IND QB 16 16 14-2-0 393 571 68.8 4500 33 16 80 7.9 7.8 11.5 281.3 99.9
2010 34 IND QB 16 16 10-6-0 450 679 66.3 4700 33 17 73 6.9 6.8 10.4 293.8 91.9
2011 35 IND - 0 0 0-0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2012 36 DEN QB 7 7 4-3-0 176 257 68.5 2113 17 4 71 8.2 8.8 12.0 301.9 109.0
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Career IND/DEN QB 215 215 145-70 4858 7467 65.1 56941 416 202 86 7.6 7.5 11.7 264.8 95.4