PIGDivot

Nah, it isn't worth being nit-picked over. Stats alone, not a player make. He deserves the HOF, but he didn't deserve the Super Bowl MVP in SB XLI.

      brsmith They had to give it to somebody. Manning's stats in that game are pretty pedestrian but it was played on a wet, sloppy field. I don't think anybody was going to have a great offensive game that day. And in that situation Manning's gonna get it.

          mcavoy

          Dominic Rhodes, 21 carries 113 yards on a sloppy field against the 6th best rushing defense in the NFL vs. the run which averaged 99.4 YPG.

          Manning was average at best in that game. The passing defense and the rushing offense won the game for Indy. Manning did little more than he did in SB L, but there was no way Miller wasn't getting the MVP.

              brsmith LIke I said in that scenario Manning is gonna get it. 113 yds is a nice performance but to wrest the MVP from Manning he woulda needed 150+. Its Manning. And the MVP is almost as much about marketing as it is about performance.

                NFL career passing touchdown record: 539
                •Most passing yards, career: 71,940
                •Single season touchdown record (2013): 55
                •Most passing yards, season (2013): 5,477
                •Most wins (including playoffs): 200
                •Most games throwing for 300+ yards: 93
                •Most passing touchdowns in a single game (tied, 2013): 7
                •Most games with a passing rating higher than 105: 97
                •Most games with a perfect passer rating of 158.3: 5
                •Most seasons with 350+ completions: 10
                •Most games completing 80-percent passing: 19
                •Most game-winning drives: 56
                •Most comeback wins: 45
                •Highest completion percentage in a postseason game with 450+ yards (2005): 81.8
                •Highest yards-per-game, season (2013): 342.31
                •Most games with 4+ touchdown passes: 25
                •Most seasons passing for 4,000+ yards: 14
                •Most consecutive seasons with 25+ touchdowns: 13
                •One of two quarterbacks to ever beat all 32 teams (along with Brett Favre)
                •First quarterback to beat 31 franchises: 2007
                •Most Associated Press NFL MVP awards: 5 (2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2013)

                  Manning has an impressive resume.

                  However, there are several QBs I would pick ahead of him if I had to win one game.

                    brsmith Yes. No disagreement there. And that's considering Manning in his prime and the alternatives in their prime as well. That said his stats and achievements are mind boggling.

                      I always loved watching Manning play and his chess match with the defense.

                      He always played on an enemy team and so I've never been a fan. The part of his career I enjoyed most was a brief couple of years when the Titans had a great defense and shut the Colts down. A great player though and I'm glad to see him leave on a high note. I admired the way he played and the great timing he and his receivers developed with each other.

                      FauxAmish He definitely needs to prove more

                      Yeah; walk on water and feed 5,000 with five loaves and two fishes and then I'll be impressed. Oh, and turn water into wine. That's at a minimum.

                        How about: made 19 different 1000 yard receivers!

                        Muhammad Ali had it. Magic Johnson had it. Michael Jordan had it. LeBron James has it. Steph Curry has it. Tiger Woods had it, back in his prime anyway.

                        Awareness. Understanding the moment, understanding the game, the ability to sense things long before they ever happen. For Ali - it was his ability to sense where the next punch was coming from and countering based on his opponent's tendencies. For Magic - it was his innate ability to see the entire basketball court and sensing exactly where his teammates were on a fast-break. For LeBron, Curry and even Tiger - their respective abilities to block out everything going on around them long enough to focus on a specific target.

                        And in Peyton's case - an awareness of his teammates, his ability to sense the opposing defensive schemes, his effectiveness with utilizing great judgement in changing certain plays on the fly from the line of scrimmage, and knowing what to expect the moment the ball was snapped.

                        You don't get mentioned in the same sentence with Tom Brady, as often as Manning does, and not be considered a great player. For most of his career, Peyton controlled just about every game he played in. Even in the Super Bowl a few months ago - he at least had enough awareness and showed enough control to not make huge mistakes and let the Patriots steal the win. Considering the player that he's been all these years - it had to be tough swallowing his pride in that last game and recognizing that he needed to play his diminished role in the shadows of a great defense that would hold them steady.

                        The argument that he should've won more Super Bowls is valid, indeed, but he's got 2 of them. I take nothing away from Peyton simply because he happened to be on a team with the best defense in the league last season, no more than I take anything away from Russel Wilson the year Seattle won with not only a heralded defense, but also six pro-bowlers on the roster that season.

                        It was a great ride, Peyton. Enjoy your retirement - you've more than earned it.