Yesterday was the first day of the new league year in the NFL and boy, did it start out with a bang. Money was flying around, and guys were changing teams so fast it seemed impossible to keep up. Now, one day later, the dust has somewhat settled, but there are still some very important questions that need to be answered. Before I address those, I want to address why people who are using yesterday as an indictment on the league or the players or the executives are dead wrong.
The NFL is a multi-billion dollar enterprise. That means there is a whole lot of money constantly coming in, and therefore a whole lot of money to be spent by all 32 teams. Yesterday was a prime example of that. There were really not any huge names that changed teams as far as the casual fan goes. No Reggie White or Drew Brees or Peyton Manning. But for the hardcore football fan, there were a whole lot of very interesting names that were moving all over the place. And the fact that many of the names on the move yesterday were not one of superstar status, yet they were still signing deals for unprecedented amounts of money is why I have heard so many people today criticize the teams that were writing all of those checks.
Now, part of this probably has to do with the fact that the Giants were at the forefront of the spending spree, and I want to justify the moves that my team made, but they were surely not the only team emptying their pockets.
Professional sports in the United States have gotten to the point where there is so much money that it is coming to the point where there is almost too much to go around. Baseball players having been signing contracts for hundreds of millions of dollars for years now. The same goes for basketball players, and like we saw yesterday, football players as well. That is why when people say that these players are being overpaid, it shows that they have no clue as to what they are talking about.
As is the case in any field of work, you are worth what someone is willing to pay for you. That doesn't just go for people either. If Home Buyer A wants to spend $1 million on a house, but Home Buyer B wants to spend $1.5 million on it, then the house is worth $1.5 million. Home Buyer A is more than welcome to increase his or her offer if they feel so inclined, but if they don't, that is their choice.
If a law firm wants to hire a defense attorney and pay $100,000 for their services, but another law firm wants to pay $125,000 for their services, then the lawyer is worth $125,000. That is the way the American economy works. The same goes for the NFL. The Denver Broncos thought Brock Osweiler was worth $15 million per season. The Houston Texans felt he was worth more than that. They offered him more, and Osweiler decided to sign with Houston. Is it Osweiler's fault that he was being offered that much money? No, because the current market in the league said he was worth that much. Is it Houston's fault that they had to offer that much money in order to sign him? No, because once again, the market said that was what they needed to offer him.
Now, you can call me biased here, and you would be correct, but the same goes for the spending spree that the Giants went on. Olivier Vernon was not forced to sign with the Giants. Neither were Janoris Jenkins or Damon Harrison. Maybe they had offers from other teams that would have paid them more money, or maybe the Giants were the highest bidders. I don't know the answer to that. Maybe Jenkins could have signed elsewhere but simply wanted to play for the Giants instead of the other teams that made offers to him.
And don't get me wrong, I am not saying this only about the guys that signed with the Giants. I would have loved to see the team sign Kelechi Osemele, because the Giants still need help on the offensive line. I would bet that the Giants made him an offer, but instead he decided to sign with the Oakland Raiders. If I had to guess why he signed with Oakland, I would say it was because they offered him more money than anyone else did, and in my mind, he made the right decision. The Raiders also made the right decision. If they felt that they needed help on the offensive line and thought adding Osemele would fill a hole, then they had to offer him the money that he signed for.
The critics that I have heard today are using Osweiler as the most glaring example of how unproven players are being extremely overpaid. They bring up the fact that Osweiler is making a salary similar to Tony Romo. Osweiler has started seven games in his NFL career, while Tony Romo has made multiple Pro Bowls and is a top-flight, franchise quarterback. Romo signed his deal in 2013. This is 2016. The league, and therefore the Houston Texans as well, have made billions of dollars since the time Romo signed his current contract. If Romo were available yesterday, he probably would have made a salary double what Osweiler got because the market would have made him worth that much. However, he wasn't. And in a league that is generating so much money, the market inflates the value of these guys, and it inflates the value of quarterbacks exponentially.
So don't sit here and criticize how much money these teams spent to get guys who are not elite level superstars. I would bet that the Texans have already sold thousands of Brock Osweiler jerseys, and he hasn't even been a member of the team for 24 hours. So the move is already paying dividends for Houston. Add ticket sales to that thanks to more interest in the team in Houston, as well as what is likely to be more national exposure since the Texans seem to be getting close to a true contender, and Osweiler will absolutely be worth every penny that the team spent on him. Training camp sessions will have higher attendance numbers. Ticket prices will increase. Therefore the team will be able to increase prices at the concession stands in the stadium. And what does that mean? More money. Thanks to Brock Osweiler and a hope for a brighter future among the Texans fanbase.
The same goes for the Giants. Sure, they spent a ton of money yesterday. But you know what that means? Giants fans are excited. I have not spoken to one Giants fan in the past 24 hours that was disappointed in what happened yesterday. The team filled holes that they desperately needed to fill, and in doing so, they made me want to go to a game next season and spend money for tickets and concessions and memorabilia. And I promise you that I am not the only Giants fan who feels that way.
After a string of unsuccessful seasons, Jerry Reese's job may be on the line going into this year. He had a ton of cap space, and a lot of needs. So why would someone ever blame him for using the resources he had at his disposal to try to turn his team around? The same goes for the front offices in Houston and Jacksonville and all of the other places that dished out a ton of money yesterday.
And then why would the players ever be at fault for taking that money? Brock Osweiler left the defending Super Bowl champions to join a borderline playoff team. Maybe he felt slighted when he was benched after going 5-2 in the seven starts he had with the Broncos. Maybe he prefers to be in Houston since it is warmer than Denver. Maybe his family likes the city of Houston more than Denver. Maybe houses are cheaper there. Or maybe he just wanted to go to Houston because they were offering him more money. Maybe he signed with the Texans for some, all, or none of those reasons. What I do know is that he shouldn't care what anyone else thinks. He should be happy with the deal he just signed, and based on his statements yesterday, that clearly is indeed the case.
The Texans needed a quarterback. The Giants needed help on the defensive line. The Raiders needed help on the offensive line. They might have paid a lot of money to address those needs, but at the end of the day, they did address them. Just because one guy in Anywhere, USA thinks they spent too much money is of no concern to them. The teams spent what they needed to spend. Not because I said that was the right price, but because in the NFL, where there is so much money to go around, that was the right price.
Daily Giants Update: I will start here since the Giants were the team making headlines yesterday. They did a heck of a job improving what was a terrible defense last season, but there are still more holes to fill. I have been an advocate of cutting Jason Pierre-Paul and Victor Cruz, but my mind has changed over the past few days. In comparison to what the team gave Vernon and Harrison, getting Pierre-Paul back on a one year deal is okay with me. Give him the offseason to adjust, and then next year to really be able to play with the self-induced limitation, and if it works we can try to re-sign him. If it doesn't work, then we are off the hook.
As far as Cruz goes, he took a massive pay cut, and I have to say as a fan that I really respect that. He then immediately posted a picture on Instagram that said "Once a Giant, always a Giant," and it told me that he was still dedicated to the team. I still need to see him actually get on the field and play, but what he did yesterday at the very least made me feel better about his commitment to the team.
Daily Rangers Update: The Rangers next seven games are against teams with serious postseason hopes, and that includes a trip to California to face the Ducks, Kings, and Sharks. With 15 games left to play, there is no such thing as a margin for error.
Daily Diamondbacks Update: Zack Greinke has been pretty good thus far, and guys like Brandon Drury and Socrates Brito, both of whom are fighting for roster spots, have been hitting well. It is still somewhat early in the spring, but the weather is actually starting to get nice here in New York, so that means real baseball is getting closer and closer.
Daily NBA Update: Add the Portland Trail Blazers to the list of teams that are positioning themselves for nice futures. However, I still find it hard to believe that any of the lower seeds will knock off any of the top four teams in the Western Conference in the first round of the playoffs. Golden State won again last night, and they stand at 57-6 with 45 consecutive regular season home wins. And speaking of those Blazers, the Warriors next game is tomorrow night at home against Portland, so let's see how the Blazers stack up against the best the NBA has to offer.
Thursday, March 10, 2016
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
A big deal or no deal at all?
After writing about a Denver Broncos quarterback yesterday, another Broncos quarterback was making news at the same time. Because it is 2016 and pretty much everything done by anyone with some sort of notoriety can become public, we saw video of Brock Osweiler involved in a minor confrontation outside a pizzeria in Scottsdale. Depending upon who you ask, this could be a huge deal, or it could be no deal at all. And if you ask me, I will admit that it isn't the greatest look for Osweiler, but if I had to choose one side, I would choose the side that classified it as no deal at all.
Despite a limited sample size of games, Brock Osweiler is about to be handed a check for more money than most of us could ever imagine. Because of a number of reasons, Osweiler has simply found himself in the right place at the right time. Peyton Manning has retired, so the Broncos obviously need a quarterback. The market at the position is so devoid of capable bodies right now, that whoever signs Osweiler is going to have to pay him a ton of money. The quarterback position is so important to winning in the NFL, that when you get any sort of player who has the ability to play it at a high level, you need to do whatever you can to keep him. Combine all of these, and that is why Osweiler, despite a limited sample size of work, is still going to be paid a lot of money very soon by some team, with the most likely one being the Denver Broncos.
If you watch the video and have no idea who Osweiler is, then you are likely to make a bigger deal of it than football fans will. It is pretty obvious that Osweiler is drunk, and he shoves a woman before walking away into a taxi. When you find out that the woman is trying to confront Osweiler's wife, then your thought process should change at least somewhat. At face value, that is not exactly a good look for him. However, let's look at this case a little more closely.
Osweiler is a 25 year old, already successful young athlete. Should he be careful how he acts in public? Absolutely. However, does he have the right to defend his wife if she is being confronted by another person? Absolutely. I am not married, but if I were and my wife was being confronted by another person, male or female, I would have a problem with it. I don't care if it is physical or verbal confrontation. A man should defend his wife, and that is exactly what Osweiler did. The heckling woman was the aggressor, and Osweiler shoved her back to protect his wife. Any man faced with the same situation would do the same thing.
I listened to people today talk about, "What if the lady had fallen and hit her head? That would be terrible." Really? Anyone who thinks that way has blinders on and is living in a fantasy world. Those people should also watch the part of the video when another man shoves Osweiler from behind into the taxi cab and Osweiler refuses to reciprocate. Instead, he gets his wife and friends into the cab as the heckling man and woman continue to yell and scream. In my opinion, not only did Osweiler show incredible restraint in not going back at the man, but he also showed love and respect for his wife as well.
As the NFL has been dealing with all sorts of domestic violence issues in the past few years, I think what happened with Osweiler the other night is not a cause for concern. We have seen video of Ray Rice punching his wife in the face. Ray McDonald and Greg Hardy have been guilty of assaulting females. Major League Baseball just suspended Aroldis Chapman for domestic violence. What Osweiler did is nothing compared to Rice, Hardy, Chapman, or McDonald.
I actually feel stupid having to write about this video, but I couldn't help it because of what the people who criticized Osweiler were saying. What if the lady had fallen and hit her head? Really? What if she had some class in her and didn't act like a fool? Maybe that is a more important question. Sure, Osweiler was not in the right place at the right time, but because of his status as a growing celebrity, he can't help it if more idiots out there try to get their fifteen seconds of fame at his expense.
Brock Osweiler is about to get paid a lot of money. That lady and her fellow male heckler in Scottsdale are not going to have that luxury. If they can't accept that fact then, well, I'm sorry for them. If they can, I'll buy them dinner. I live in New York too, so how about pizza? I might not know either of them personally, but one thing I do know is that the pizza in Scottsdale is nothing compared to the pizza here. Osweiler is probably going to make a lot of money. But the pizza here is definitely better than the pizza in Arizona, and that isn't my opinion. That is a fact.
Daily Giants Update: The team just re-signed Jason Pierre-Paul to a one year deal. He is going to undergo surgery this offseason to try to make his hand more...like a hand I guess...and hopefully that means him not having to wear that club that he used last year and made him pretty much unable to wrap up and tackle. He was just as explosive as ever when he returned last season, but his handicap was obvious on countless occasions. I like the one year deal because it means he will have to prove himself next year with no guarantees for the future. That means he will be giving it all on every snap. I still think the team is paying him too much money, but I like the fact that what this deal does is basically make him have no choice but to prove his worth each and every play next year.
Daily Diamondbacks Update: Welington Castillo had a big day at the plate yesterday, and while he has been a backup throughout his career up until joining the Diamondbacks, I really like what I have seen from him since he joined the club. We still need a serviceable backup, but I feel far better going into 2016 behind the plate than I did in 2015 when Tuffy Gosewisch was the top choice.
Daily Rangers Update: Coming off a bad loss to the Islanders, the Rangers go to Buffalo tonight to face a struggling Sabres team. I have continued to say it, and I stick by it. The Rangers are not playing well enough right now to win a Stanley Cup. That is all.
Daily NBA Update: Ok, for anyone saying that the Raptors are a threat to win the Eastern Conference, I say this: Let me see that team win a playoff series before I consider them as a true title contender. Until that happens, get out of here with those title aspirations.
In the west, the Warriors got back on track last night to go to 56-6, while the Spurs stumbled, and will play tonight without Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, and head coach Gregg Popovich. Ouch. People are talking about Golden State like the last two games have written the blueprint on how to beat them. Stop them from making three point shots and force them to turn the ball over. With that team, I think hoping for both of those to happen over the course of a seven game series in the playoffs is still extremely wishful thinking. They are still on track to win 73 games, and with a long stretch of games coming up at home, it makes each and every night in the NBA worth watching.
Despite a limited sample size of games, Brock Osweiler is about to be handed a check for more money than most of us could ever imagine. Because of a number of reasons, Osweiler has simply found himself in the right place at the right time. Peyton Manning has retired, so the Broncos obviously need a quarterback. The market at the position is so devoid of capable bodies right now, that whoever signs Osweiler is going to have to pay him a ton of money. The quarterback position is so important to winning in the NFL, that when you get any sort of player who has the ability to play it at a high level, you need to do whatever you can to keep him. Combine all of these, and that is why Osweiler, despite a limited sample size of work, is still going to be paid a lot of money very soon by some team, with the most likely one being the Denver Broncos.
If you watch the video and have no idea who Osweiler is, then you are likely to make a bigger deal of it than football fans will. It is pretty obvious that Osweiler is drunk, and he shoves a woman before walking away into a taxi. When you find out that the woman is trying to confront Osweiler's wife, then your thought process should change at least somewhat. At face value, that is not exactly a good look for him. However, let's look at this case a little more closely.
Osweiler is a 25 year old, already successful young athlete. Should he be careful how he acts in public? Absolutely. However, does he have the right to defend his wife if she is being confronted by another person? Absolutely. I am not married, but if I were and my wife was being confronted by another person, male or female, I would have a problem with it. I don't care if it is physical or verbal confrontation. A man should defend his wife, and that is exactly what Osweiler did. The heckling woman was the aggressor, and Osweiler shoved her back to protect his wife. Any man faced with the same situation would do the same thing.
I listened to people today talk about, "What if the lady had fallen and hit her head? That would be terrible." Really? Anyone who thinks that way has blinders on and is living in a fantasy world. Those people should also watch the part of the video when another man shoves Osweiler from behind into the taxi cab and Osweiler refuses to reciprocate. Instead, he gets his wife and friends into the cab as the heckling man and woman continue to yell and scream. In my opinion, not only did Osweiler show incredible restraint in not going back at the man, but he also showed love and respect for his wife as well.
As the NFL has been dealing with all sorts of domestic violence issues in the past few years, I think what happened with Osweiler the other night is not a cause for concern. We have seen video of Ray Rice punching his wife in the face. Ray McDonald and Greg Hardy have been guilty of assaulting females. Major League Baseball just suspended Aroldis Chapman for domestic violence. What Osweiler did is nothing compared to Rice, Hardy, Chapman, or McDonald.
I actually feel stupid having to write about this video, but I couldn't help it because of what the people who criticized Osweiler were saying. What if the lady had fallen and hit her head? Really? What if she had some class in her and didn't act like a fool? Maybe that is a more important question. Sure, Osweiler was not in the right place at the right time, but because of his status as a growing celebrity, he can't help it if more idiots out there try to get their fifteen seconds of fame at his expense.
Brock Osweiler is about to get paid a lot of money. That lady and her fellow male heckler in Scottsdale are not going to have that luxury. If they can't accept that fact then, well, I'm sorry for them. If they can, I'll buy them dinner. I live in New York too, so how about pizza? I might not know either of them personally, but one thing I do know is that the pizza in Scottsdale is nothing compared to the pizza here. Osweiler is probably going to make a lot of money. But the pizza here is definitely better than the pizza in Arizona, and that isn't my opinion. That is a fact.
Daily Giants Update: The team just re-signed Jason Pierre-Paul to a one year deal. He is going to undergo surgery this offseason to try to make his hand more...like a hand I guess...and hopefully that means him not having to wear that club that he used last year and made him pretty much unable to wrap up and tackle. He was just as explosive as ever when he returned last season, but his handicap was obvious on countless occasions. I like the one year deal because it means he will have to prove himself next year with no guarantees for the future. That means he will be giving it all on every snap. I still think the team is paying him too much money, but I like the fact that what this deal does is basically make him have no choice but to prove his worth each and every play next year.
Daily Diamondbacks Update: Welington Castillo had a big day at the plate yesterday, and while he has been a backup throughout his career up until joining the Diamondbacks, I really like what I have seen from him since he joined the club. We still need a serviceable backup, but I feel far better going into 2016 behind the plate than I did in 2015 when Tuffy Gosewisch was the top choice.
Daily Rangers Update: Coming off a bad loss to the Islanders, the Rangers go to Buffalo tonight to face a struggling Sabres team. I have continued to say it, and I stick by it. The Rangers are not playing well enough right now to win a Stanley Cup. That is all.
Daily NBA Update: Ok, for anyone saying that the Raptors are a threat to win the Eastern Conference, I say this: Let me see that team win a playoff series before I consider them as a true title contender. Until that happens, get out of here with those title aspirations.
In the west, the Warriors got back on track last night to go to 56-6, while the Spurs stumbled, and will play tonight without Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, and head coach Gregg Popovich. Ouch. People are talking about Golden State like the last two games have written the blueprint on how to beat them. Stop them from making three point shots and force them to turn the ball over. With that team, I think hoping for both of those to happen over the course of a seven game series in the playoffs is still extremely wishful thinking. They are still on track to win 73 games, and with a long stretch of games coming up at home, it makes each and every night in the NBA worth watching.
Monday, March 7, 2016
Riding off into the sunset
As it is now official, Peyton Manning has retired from the game of football. While I said earlier that I thought Manning still did want to play, I think he did and still does. However, as he said in the press conference announcing his retirement, he just thought it was the right time to walk away, and I totally agree with him. He was coming off a Super Bowl title, his skills were clearly diminished, the Broncos seem to be ready to usher in the Brock Osweiler era, and there just are not really any places that would seem like a fit for Manning right now.
As is the case with many professional athletes, saying you will retire and then actually doing so are two entirely different things. Some legends like John Elway and Michael Strahan have left the game on top and not looked back. There is also a long list of guys who have had trouble stepping away from the games that they love. Michael Jordan and Brett Favre come to mind there, but even guys like Jerry Rice and Shaquille O'Neal ended their careers bouncing around to teams we will not remember them for. You don't think of Jordan as a Washington Wizard. You don't think of Favre as a New York Jet. You don't think of Rice as an Oakland Raider. You don't think of O'Neal as a Phoenix Sun. And 20 years from now, maybe most people will not think of Manning as a Denver Bronco. However, it is hard to forget going out on top, and while Manning spent the majority of his career in Indianapolis, he did things in Denver that we had never seen before, and he set records that may not be broken for a very long time.
Manning leaves the game as the all-time leader in passing yards and passing touchdowns. He also has won more MVP awards than any other football player. He is tied with Brett Favre for the most career regular season wins as a starting quarterback. His record setting 2013 season also saw him set the mark for most passing yards and passing touchdowns in a single season. And when you actually look at what he did in 2013, it is really unbelievable just how great he was for that year. 3,000 passing yards in a season seemed like the benchmark not too long ago. Then the game evolved and the magic number was 4,000. In 2013, Manning threw for 5,477 yards. That alone is amazing. Throw in 55 touchdown passes compared with only 10 interceptions, and 2013 alone is the stuff of legends, and that was only a part of the legend that is Peyton Manning.
As he now is officially retired, the obviously instant question to ask is where he ranks on the list of all-time great NFL quarterbacks. That list varies widely depending on who you speak to, but when it comes to numbers alone, if you wanted to argue that Manning was the greatest to ever play the game, I would fully understand you. Manning threw 539 touchdown passes over the course of his 18 year career, the most ever. Tom Brady and Drew Brees are tied for third on that list with 428, and despite Brady's continued defiance of time, as well as his new four year contract extension with the New England Patriots, I have a hard time believing that he still has 111 touchdown passes in him. However, Brady has climbed higher mountains than that, so maybe I am wrong, but barring an unprecedented defiance of time by him, I think Manning seems primed to remain atop that list for quite a while.
Manning leaves the game with 71,940 passing yards. Once again, Brady may have an outside chance to break that record, but if he does not, it will be a long time until anyone comes close to Manning's mark. Manning's five league MVP awards is actually two clear of the nearest competition (Jim Brown, Brett Favre, and Johnny Unitas all won the award three times), so I think that record is one that is safe for a very, very long time. So these numbers present a very compelling case as to why it could surely be argued that Manning is the greatest quarterback to ever play the game.
The elephant in the room though, is Manning's postseason record. As is the case with most sports, being a winner is what really counts, and that is where Manning falls short of some of his competition. It is also why guys like Bill Russell and Yogi Berra are so underrated. Not only were both of those men great at what they did, but they won more than anyone else ever did. And that is why, despite his unprecedented numbers, I still cannot say that Manning was the greatest quarterback to ever play the game.
Peyton Manning won 70% of the games he played and was 2-2 in the Super Bowl. Joe Montana won 71% of the games he played and was 4-0 in the Super Bowl. Tom Brady has won 77% of his career games and is 4-2 in the Super Bowl, with still the chance to improve on both of those percentages. Roger Staubach, the only other quarterback to win over 70% of the games in which he played was 2-2 in the Super Bowl. And in my mind, those numbers are the ones that define the greatest to ever play, and why, in my mind, Joe Montana is still the greatest quarterback to ever play the game. Does Brady have a chance to surpass Montana? Yes, I think he does. Does Manning at least deserve to be mentioned in that conversation? Absolutely.
This past season and the outcome of the Super Bowl really was, in my opinion, a huge notch in the belt of Manning. Prior to the game, most people said that win or lose, Manning was among the all-time greats, and they were correct. However, in my mind, the game was very important in the legacy of Manning. The fact that he won multiple Super Bowls put him in a class that does not have many members. There are only 12 quarterbacks that have won more than one Super Bowl, and when Manning was able to join that list, I thought it was a colossal addition to his list of career accomplishments.
Another part of Manning's legacy is what I mentioned before. He was able to be great with more than one team. Montana, Brady, Bradshaw, Aikman. All of those men have won more Super Bowls than Manning, but they have all done so with one team. Manning stands alone as the only quarterback in NFL history to have won Super Bowls with multiple teams. While that may seem like something that is not essential in defining the greatest to ever play, it is still very unique in its own right. Kurt Warner won a Super Bowl with the Rams and then lost a Super Bowl with the Cardinals. Craig Morton started a Super Bowl with the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos but lost both of them. Manning is the only man to ever start and win a Super Bowl with more than one team. Not only does that speak to his greatness as a player, but I think it also speaks to his ability to lead in multiple ways. He was the face of the Indianapolis Colts for over a decade and delivered a title. Then, he moved to Denver and was just as great, and delivered a title there as well. Reaching the ultimate goal with one team is tough enough, but to be able to readjust and do it again somewhere else is truly something that we have never seen before in the NFL.
I have drifted a bit off topic here, as my initial goal was to focus initially on Manning alone, but I think the fact that you cannot speak about him without mentioning the all-time greats speaks for itself. Older fans will mention names like Johnny Unitas, Bart Starr, Sammy Baugh, Otto Graham, ad Sid Luckman. What they all did was incredible, and in many ways revolutionary. However, what Peyton Manning did was revolutionary as well.
I cannot say that I will think of Peyton Manning as the greatest quarterback of all time, but he is definitely in the top ten, and most likely in the top five. I also cannot say if I will remember him more as an Indianapolis Colt as opposed to a Denver Bronco. Only time will tell how that plays out.
What I can say without question though, is that I will remember him as someone who played the position in a manner I had never seen before. He didn't get in the huddle, walk to the line of scrimmage, and take the snap. I will remember him for how he seemed to always be one step ahead of his opponents. All of those audibles and hand signals at the line of scrimmage meant that he knew what he was doing. It put opposing defenses on their heels. It demonstrated why I think that the single most difficult position to play in all of professional sports is NFL quarterback. Not only do you have to master how you and your teammates play the game, but you have to master how to adapt to how your opponent plays the game as well.
His individual numbers are great. His postseason record is far from so. However, no one can argue that Peyton Manning not only revolutionized how the game of football is played, but he also revolutionized how I watched it as a fan. It isn't just a bunch of Neanderthal men out there crashing into on another. It requires a mental approach just like, if not more so, than any other profession does. Winning games on Sundays is based off of what you do from Monday through Saturday, not just going out and running around on the field. That is what I learned from Peyton Manning, and that is why the game will always be missing something now that he is gone.
Daily Giants Update: The team announced today that they have told Victor Cruz that he will have to take a pay cut in order to remain on the roster, and I completely agree with them in doing so. As much fun as he has been to watch, it has been a long time since he has been on the field, and the Giants need their money to be spent wisely. That means giving less of it to Cruz. If he stays with the team at a reduced salary, then I am fine with that. If he wants anything else, then he needs to be released.
Daily Rangers Update: The Rangers were gashed by the Islanders last night, allowing six goals. Eric Staal got a goal which is nice as he acclimates himself to the team, but I am still not exactly comfortable with how this team is playing. They have 16 games left to change my thinking.
Daily Diamondbacks Update: Zack Greinke looked good in his brief spring debut, which is obviously nice to see. The first round of roster cuts took place today, but there still are plenty of moves to be made, as we still have just under a month until Opening Day. Stay tuned here, because the back end of the roster is still far from being decided.
Daily NBA Update: The Warriors laid a total egg yesterday afternoon in a loss to the Lakers, and they now sit at 55-6. They have a long stretch of games at home coming up, beginning with the Orlando Magic tonight. They have not lost at home all season, and their opponents during this home stretch are mostly far from intimidating. However, their few losses this season have all come against lower level teams, so they need to bounce back tonight.
Aside from that, I think teams in the Eastern Conference really need to worry about the Boston Celtics and the Charlotte Hornets. I am not saying that either of those teams will be able to challenge for the Eastern Conference crown in 2016, but I like the way both of those teams are building around young cores.
As is the case with many professional athletes, saying you will retire and then actually doing so are two entirely different things. Some legends like John Elway and Michael Strahan have left the game on top and not looked back. There is also a long list of guys who have had trouble stepping away from the games that they love. Michael Jordan and Brett Favre come to mind there, but even guys like Jerry Rice and Shaquille O'Neal ended their careers bouncing around to teams we will not remember them for. You don't think of Jordan as a Washington Wizard. You don't think of Favre as a New York Jet. You don't think of Rice as an Oakland Raider. You don't think of O'Neal as a Phoenix Sun. And 20 years from now, maybe most people will not think of Manning as a Denver Bronco. However, it is hard to forget going out on top, and while Manning spent the majority of his career in Indianapolis, he did things in Denver that we had never seen before, and he set records that may not be broken for a very long time.
Manning leaves the game as the all-time leader in passing yards and passing touchdowns. He also has won more MVP awards than any other football player. He is tied with Brett Favre for the most career regular season wins as a starting quarterback. His record setting 2013 season also saw him set the mark for most passing yards and passing touchdowns in a single season. And when you actually look at what he did in 2013, it is really unbelievable just how great he was for that year. 3,000 passing yards in a season seemed like the benchmark not too long ago. Then the game evolved and the magic number was 4,000. In 2013, Manning threw for 5,477 yards. That alone is amazing. Throw in 55 touchdown passes compared with only 10 interceptions, and 2013 alone is the stuff of legends, and that was only a part of the legend that is Peyton Manning.
As he now is officially retired, the obviously instant question to ask is where he ranks on the list of all-time great NFL quarterbacks. That list varies widely depending on who you speak to, but when it comes to numbers alone, if you wanted to argue that Manning was the greatest to ever play the game, I would fully understand you. Manning threw 539 touchdown passes over the course of his 18 year career, the most ever. Tom Brady and Drew Brees are tied for third on that list with 428, and despite Brady's continued defiance of time, as well as his new four year contract extension with the New England Patriots, I have a hard time believing that he still has 111 touchdown passes in him. However, Brady has climbed higher mountains than that, so maybe I am wrong, but barring an unprecedented defiance of time by him, I think Manning seems primed to remain atop that list for quite a while.
Manning leaves the game with 71,940 passing yards. Once again, Brady may have an outside chance to break that record, but if he does not, it will be a long time until anyone comes close to Manning's mark. Manning's five league MVP awards is actually two clear of the nearest competition (Jim Brown, Brett Favre, and Johnny Unitas all won the award three times), so I think that record is one that is safe for a very, very long time. So these numbers present a very compelling case as to why it could surely be argued that Manning is the greatest quarterback to ever play the game.
The elephant in the room though, is Manning's postseason record. As is the case with most sports, being a winner is what really counts, and that is where Manning falls short of some of his competition. It is also why guys like Bill Russell and Yogi Berra are so underrated. Not only were both of those men great at what they did, but they won more than anyone else ever did. And that is why, despite his unprecedented numbers, I still cannot say that Manning was the greatest quarterback to ever play the game.
Peyton Manning won 70% of the games he played and was 2-2 in the Super Bowl. Joe Montana won 71% of the games he played and was 4-0 in the Super Bowl. Tom Brady has won 77% of his career games and is 4-2 in the Super Bowl, with still the chance to improve on both of those percentages. Roger Staubach, the only other quarterback to win over 70% of the games in which he played was 2-2 in the Super Bowl. And in my mind, those numbers are the ones that define the greatest to ever play, and why, in my mind, Joe Montana is still the greatest quarterback to ever play the game. Does Brady have a chance to surpass Montana? Yes, I think he does. Does Manning at least deserve to be mentioned in that conversation? Absolutely.
This past season and the outcome of the Super Bowl really was, in my opinion, a huge notch in the belt of Manning. Prior to the game, most people said that win or lose, Manning was among the all-time greats, and they were correct. However, in my mind, the game was very important in the legacy of Manning. The fact that he won multiple Super Bowls put him in a class that does not have many members. There are only 12 quarterbacks that have won more than one Super Bowl, and when Manning was able to join that list, I thought it was a colossal addition to his list of career accomplishments.
Another part of Manning's legacy is what I mentioned before. He was able to be great with more than one team. Montana, Brady, Bradshaw, Aikman. All of those men have won more Super Bowls than Manning, but they have all done so with one team. Manning stands alone as the only quarterback in NFL history to have won Super Bowls with multiple teams. While that may seem like something that is not essential in defining the greatest to ever play, it is still very unique in its own right. Kurt Warner won a Super Bowl with the Rams and then lost a Super Bowl with the Cardinals. Craig Morton started a Super Bowl with the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos but lost both of them. Manning is the only man to ever start and win a Super Bowl with more than one team. Not only does that speak to his greatness as a player, but I think it also speaks to his ability to lead in multiple ways. He was the face of the Indianapolis Colts for over a decade and delivered a title. Then, he moved to Denver and was just as great, and delivered a title there as well. Reaching the ultimate goal with one team is tough enough, but to be able to readjust and do it again somewhere else is truly something that we have never seen before in the NFL.
I have drifted a bit off topic here, as my initial goal was to focus initially on Manning alone, but I think the fact that you cannot speak about him without mentioning the all-time greats speaks for itself. Older fans will mention names like Johnny Unitas, Bart Starr, Sammy Baugh, Otto Graham, ad Sid Luckman. What they all did was incredible, and in many ways revolutionary. However, what Peyton Manning did was revolutionary as well.
I cannot say that I will think of Peyton Manning as the greatest quarterback of all time, but he is definitely in the top ten, and most likely in the top five. I also cannot say if I will remember him more as an Indianapolis Colt as opposed to a Denver Bronco. Only time will tell how that plays out.
What I can say without question though, is that I will remember him as someone who played the position in a manner I had never seen before. He didn't get in the huddle, walk to the line of scrimmage, and take the snap. I will remember him for how he seemed to always be one step ahead of his opponents. All of those audibles and hand signals at the line of scrimmage meant that he knew what he was doing. It put opposing defenses on their heels. It demonstrated why I think that the single most difficult position to play in all of professional sports is NFL quarterback. Not only do you have to master how you and your teammates play the game, but you have to master how to adapt to how your opponent plays the game as well.
His individual numbers are great. His postseason record is far from so. However, no one can argue that Peyton Manning not only revolutionized how the game of football is played, but he also revolutionized how I watched it as a fan. It isn't just a bunch of Neanderthal men out there crashing into on another. It requires a mental approach just like, if not more so, than any other profession does. Winning games on Sundays is based off of what you do from Monday through Saturday, not just going out and running around on the field. That is what I learned from Peyton Manning, and that is why the game will always be missing something now that he is gone.
Daily Giants Update: The team announced today that they have told Victor Cruz that he will have to take a pay cut in order to remain on the roster, and I completely agree with them in doing so. As much fun as he has been to watch, it has been a long time since he has been on the field, and the Giants need their money to be spent wisely. That means giving less of it to Cruz. If he stays with the team at a reduced salary, then I am fine with that. If he wants anything else, then he needs to be released.
Daily Rangers Update: The Rangers were gashed by the Islanders last night, allowing six goals. Eric Staal got a goal which is nice as he acclimates himself to the team, but I am still not exactly comfortable with how this team is playing. They have 16 games left to change my thinking.
Daily Diamondbacks Update: Zack Greinke looked good in his brief spring debut, which is obviously nice to see. The first round of roster cuts took place today, but there still are plenty of moves to be made, as we still have just under a month until Opening Day. Stay tuned here, because the back end of the roster is still far from being decided.
Daily NBA Update: The Warriors laid a total egg yesterday afternoon in a loss to the Lakers, and they now sit at 55-6. They have a long stretch of games at home coming up, beginning with the Orlando Magic tonight. They have not lost at home all season, and their opponents during this home stretch are mostly far from intimidating. However, their few losses this season have all come against lower level teams, so they need to bounce back tonight.
Aside from that, I think teams in the Eastern Conference really need to worry about the Boston Celtics and the Charlotte Hornets. I am not saying that either of those teams will be able to challenge for the Eastern Conference crown in 2016, but I like the way both of those teams are building around young cores.
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