The Manning Decade
Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts is on track to obliterate every single NFL quarterback record there is … but that still hasn’t resolved the debate over whether or not he is the best quarterback in the league.
First, the numbers.
Manning became the first quarterback in NFL history to pass for 40,000 yards in a decade on Sunday, a game that also saw him tie former Minnesota great Fran Tarkenton for fourth place on the all-time wins list with 125.
Additionally, Manning needs just three touchdown passes to become the first quarterback in league history to throw for 300 touchdowns in a decade.
Amazing, huh? And you don’t even have to be a pseudo-homoerotic Manning man-crusher (like our founding editor, or for that matter Titans coach Jeff Fisher) to appreciate that.
Of course, as our bud “Nate-dog” out in the Great Northwest frequently reminds us, Manning trails New England Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady 3-to-1 in the only statistic that really matters: Super Bowls.
In fact, prior to the last few years, Brady (a.k.a. “Poopie“) and the Patsies have owned Manning’s Colts – particularly in the playoffs.
Plus, to add insult to injury, Brady broke Manning’s single-season record for touchdown passes two years ago.
Why bring all this up now?
Well, this Sunday night on NBC, Brady and Manning face off against each other for the eleventh time – with Brady owning a 7-3 advantage in the superstar series. Of course, Manning has flipped the script in recent years, taking three of their last four meetings.
Both teams are playing extremely well, as usual, with the Patriots record standing at 6-2 and the Colts’ 8-0 mark one of only two undefeated records in the league.
To read more about the match-up, check out these links from the Boston Herald, Boston Globe and Indy Star (nice graph included).
Oh, and GO COLTS!!!!!
Comments
By Liberty For Me on November 11th, 2009 at 11:00 am
I think this proves that Fits is a hiddent VOLS fan!!…
By Eric on November 11th, 2009 at 12:23 pm
There is no arguing that Peyton Manning is one of the greatest quarterbacks to play in the NFL of all time. He does however carry that stigma of not winning the big game (like when at UT). But simply having 1 SB I think fits the bill for him.
P. Manning, Brady, and Roethlisberger are all sure fire HOFs.
By Rufus Pinochle on November 11th, 2009 at 4:54 pm
Manning is far and away the best passer — and by that I mean he doesn’t have the luxury of getting 20 TDs a year by throwing alley-oops to a 8′10″ wide receiver like Randy Moss. Manning’s accuracy and knowledge of the game leave Brady in the shade, in my opinion, but Brady has an edge in intangibles (not to mention talent and size at the wideouts).
By sid on November 11th, 2009 at 11:02 pm
At least Manning can say he hasn’t (yet) been on the losing end of a SB. Nor do people complain that the league has actually made a rule to protect him, and seems to let him dictate when penalties will be called to enforce said rule.