Peyton Manning appreciation thread

[Apparition]

11 hours ago, TecmoSuperJoe said:

I know 2013 Peyton had the best total numbers of his career for a season in terms of touchdowns/yards, but I still think his 2004 season was his peak. His Y/A, and TD% were higher. His TD% was actually near 10% which is insane. I'll have to go back and watch some games again from that year. Still can't believe the Patriots completely shut him done in the AFC Divisional round. 

That felt so unbelievably satisfying. 

I still think he was a very different QB when he had to play in bad weather. And honestly I don't know why.

[Freeman McToon]

On 2/4/2021 at 8:48 PM, BayRaider said:

Why wouldn't I? No QB really stood out in 2002, including Manning. Gannon was easily the best QB in the league that year. He won MVP and it wasn't close, made a Super Bowl Appearance, #2 Overall Offense, and #1 Pass Offense (#2 Pass Offense wasn't even close).

In Ryan's case in 2016, Brady was right there, and in the middle of a reign. 2001 was the end of Warner's reign, and 2003 was the start of Manning's reign.

If Pennington plays all 16 games for the Jets instead of the last 11, and if his stats from those 11 games extrapolates to a full 16, he's giving Gannon a big run for his money for league MVP. Dude was a monster that season and it still KILLS me to this day that the career of the one QB we had since Namath who looked like he could win a SB got derailed big time in Buffalo in 2004 (first shoulder injury). His first playoff game (41-0 win over Manning's Colts) was an absolute masterpiece.

Chad stays healthy and I guarantee him, Manning, & Brady make up the Holy Trinity of NFL QBs from 2000-2010. Such is the life of a Jets fan, and my Pennington admiration doesn't stem from homerism.

Edited February 6, 2021 by Freeman McToon
I typed in Brees when I meant to say Brady in the 2nd paragraph. Just changed it to Brady.

[ChazStandard]

On 2/5/2021 at 6:05 AM, TecmoSuperJoe said:

I know 2013 Peyton had the best total numbers of his career for a season in terms of touchdowns/yards, but I still think his 2004 season was his peak. His Y/A, and TD% were higher. His TD% was actually near 10% which is insane. I'll have to go back and watch some games again from that year. Still can't believe the Patriots completely shut him done in the AFC Divisional round. 

Game was before my time, and will always the Patriots game I wish I’d seen, even more than the SBs I missed. They literally changed the rules to stop the Pats making Peyton look bad, and they did it again anyway. That’s good stuff.

[lancerman]

4 hours ago, ChazStandard said:

Game was before my time, and will always the Patriots game I wish I’d seen, even more than the SBs I missed. They literally changed the rules to stop the Pats making Peyton look bad, and they did it again anyway. That’s good stuff.

It was a fun game for the result. The best part was just that you had Peyton in his big historic season and the story of the game was that the Pats basically kept him off the field the entire game with long methodical drives and getting the most out of small mistakes on the Indy offense. It was 13-3 and the Pats had a drive starting at thier own 6  with the entire 4th quarter to go and they cut it to 7 mins with a touchdown drive while you jut saw clips of Manning on the sideline looking miserable. And then right away on the Colts next drive within 2 plays they had a fumble. So the Patriots went right back out, bled the clock to 3 minutes and punted and pinned the Colts on the 4 yard line. Then the announcers spent the last 3 mins of he game doing damage control for Peyton because they knew that after the season he had it was going to be a bad look only putting up 3. 

Edited February 6, 2021 by lancerman

[SkippyX]

I think this was where the national media really started to go after the Patriots.

Belichick made sure they did not cover the field on a rainy Wednesday night before the game and the speedy Colts had to play on tundra / ice rink.

No rules were broken but people got really salty. (you have to cover the field on Saturday night for a Sunday game if there is bad weather)

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/14/sports/football/after-a-long-rain-delay-tarp-finds-patriots-field.html

[MWil23]

On 2/5/2021 at 1:23 PM, Starless said:

That felt so unbelievably satisfying. 

I still think he was a very different QB when he had to play in bad weather. And honestly I don't know why.

Because they built their team for speed and finesse in a dome, so his scheme and surrounding cast wasn’t built for it. Pretty obvious IMO...but then again I’m a Great Lakes guy. 😉 

James

Harrison

Wayne

...all finesse guys.

OL: Predicated on outside zone and play action 

Freeney and Mathis were undersized speed rushers

[Apparition]

13 hours ago, Freeman McToon said:

If Pennington plays all 16 games for the Jets instead of the last 11, and if his stats from those 11 games extrapolates to a full 16, he's giving Gannon a big run for his money for league MVP. Dude was a monster that season and it still KILLS me to this day that the career of the one QB we had since Namath who looked like he could win a SB got derailed big time in Buffalo in 2004 (first shoulder injury). His first playoff game (41-0 win over Manning's Colts) was an absolute masterpiece.

Chad stays healthy and I guarantee him, Manning, & Brees make up the Holy Trinity of NFL QBs from 2000-2010. Such is the life of a Jets fan, and my Pennington admiration doesn't stem from homerism.

Okay, I'll be the first to say that if Pennington had remained healthy, him against Brady would've been just as intriguing a rivalry as Brady v. Manning. But you need to slow your roll here. For one thing, he did not play well against the Pats outside of his first start, even before injuries took hold. For another, the Jets' endemic organizational dysfunction would've surely cost him a great deal of success, even if he'd remained healthy. 

[Awsi Dooger]

3 hours ago, lancerman said:

It was a fun game for the result. The best part was just that you had Peyton in his big historic season and the story of the game was that the Pats basically kept him off the field the entire game with long methodical drives and getting the most out of small mistakes on the Indy offense. 

I don't know why it was a surprise. The Patriots did that often all season. There were countless games with huge rushing attempt disparity in their favor. I was living in Las Vegas and warned about this as guest on a sports handicapping program. The over/under on that game was 52, which was very high for that era especially in the playoffs. Everyone assumed a pass oriented shoot out. But New England had deadened the game so many times that season. Belichick was beginning to utilize what he became famous for...severely altering the game plan based on opponent, even if it was opposite of expectation or what he had done the prior week.

Besides, entering that game I was convinced Belichick was determined to learn from the season opener, in which the Colts nearly upset New England at Foxboro by doing the same thing in reverse. Big game from Edgerrin James. Colts had the lead at halftime. Huge rushing attempt edge to Indianapolis. Brady dominated the third quarter to pull out the game.

Months later Belichick didn't want anything that close so he stylistically reversed. 

Then it was funny because the AFC Championship Game at Pittsburgh plunged to an over/under of 36. You almost never see that type of thing, a shift of 16 points from one week to the next. New England went over the total all by itself. 

[SkippyX]

Its fair to say Pennington could have had a very good career if he stayed healthy.

Its also fair to say he does not belong with Brady and Manning, even based on potential.

[Apparition]

3 minutes ago, SkippyX said:

Its fair to say Pennington could have had a very good career if he stayed healthy.

Its also fair to say he does not belong with Brady and Manning, even based on potential.

I think if you look at his skillset and extrapolate that to what a fully healthy career might have looked like for him, his ceiling was probably Philip Rivers or Matt Ryan. He could've been HoVG but just didn't have the organizational support necessary to be an all-time great. 

[SkippyX]

2 hours ago, Starless said:

I think if you look at his skillset and extrapolate that to what a fully healthy career might have looked like for him, his ceiling was probably Philip Rivers or Matt Ryan. He could've been HoVG but just didn't have the organizational support necessary to be an all-time great. 

A QB who makes the playoffs in the AFC East 4 times during Brady's career (with 2 different AFC East teams!) deserves some credit.

[Apparition]

3 hours ago, SkippyX said:

A QB who makes the playoffs in the AFC East 4 times during Brady's career (with 2 different AFC East teams!) deserves some credit.

Oh, for sure. Although one of those was the Matt Cassel year. It's not a knock on Pennington, it's a knock on the Jets. 

Put it this way - if Pennington remained healthy in those early seasons and the Jets consistently remained in the playoff hunt, he probably would've bought Herm Edwards multiple extra years. And does anyone trust a team coached by Herm Edwards to make it to the promised land?