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peyton manning

Reflections on a Rival: Happy Trails, Peyton Manning

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A rivalry for the ages is over and even Patriots fans should appreciate Peyton. (AP Photo/ Charles Krupa)

As you might’ve heard already, Peyton Manning is retiring. It’s hard to imagine an NFL landscape without Manning, much less being a Patriots fan and knowing Manning will no longer be in the way in the AFC. Aside from all the Brady vs. Manning debate, Peyton was the ultimate rival and ended Tom Brady and the Patriots season more times than anyone else.

This isn’t going to be another Brady vs. Manning article, nor will it be one where we dive into all the allegations that surround Manning as he calls it quits. This is about tipping the cap to a rival who enhanced all of our football viewing experiences over the last 15-plus years.

The painful place to start with Manning are the six times he beat the Patriots, the most painful of which were the 2006, 2013 and 2015 AFC Championships. Then there’s the most infamous regular season loss of Belichick’s reign, the 4th-and-2 game. Of those, the 2006 AFC Championship and the 4th-and-2 game stand out the most.

In 2013, the decimated Pats were a shell of themselves in the AFC Championship, and in 2015 Manning was a shell of himself. Those weren’t defining Patriots vs. Peyton games. But 2006’s AFC Championship was one of those infamous Patriots dynasty games where I remember every single ebb and flow of the game, and the 2009 4th-and-2 game played out much the same way — Patriots get a big lead, Manning hits unstoppable mode and the Pats run out of gas right at the end. There aren’t many worse ways to lose a game, especially if it’s to go to the Super Bowl, but those two games embodied everything about what made Manning great, and a terrifying opponent to face.

Beating Manning was what defined the early days of the Patriots dynasty. In 2003 and 2004, Manning was lighting up the rest of the NFL, but it was the New England defense, a veteran squad perfectly in tune with Bill Belichick, that got the last laugh four times in those two seasons, including twice in the playoffs. Those were the years that established Brady-Manning, despite them meeting twice in 2001 to little fanfare.

Then came 2005, when the Patriots’ defense had started to come apart. That made it open season for Manning as he led the Colts to three-straight wins – including 2006’s regular season win in Foxboro, the last time Manning would beat Brady in New England. And after capturing his first Super Bowl in 2006, Brady-Manning/Patriots-Peyton truly became a rivalry.

Then came the Pats’ offensive retooling in 2007 that set the stage for another one of the best games in the Patriots recent history. Both teams were undefeated when they faced off in the middle of the season and the Pats would come from behind to knock Manning off in Indy, the last time they’d ever beat Peyton on the road.

Manning’s Bronco years saw Denver travel to New England three straight seasons from 2012-2014 and lose all three in epic fashion. In 2012 the Pats put up 250 rushing yards on the Broncos in a 31-21 win. In 2013, the Pats erased a 24-0 halftime deficit to win 34-31 in overtime. Finally, in 2014, the Patriots left no doubt, hammering the Broncos in all aspects 43-21.

It was that game in 2014 when I knew it might be last time to catch a Brady-Manning game. I met up before the game with Nick Stevens (aka Fitzy), George Kippenham (aka the “other” Pats guy”) and Jerry Thornton. Then we watched the Pats destroy Manning and the Broncos in a game that featured just about everything you could ask for. It was pretty much the perfect day and one I’ll never forget. We hoped at the time it would be the last ever Brady-Manning game, but we just had to settle for it being the last Brady win over Manning. I’ll take it.

As the venue shifted back to Denver, starting with the 2013 AFC Championship, things unfolded differently, culminating with two fluky games in 2015 that defined (and ended) the Patriots’ season.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8bEE0X58Ss

For all the talk of the Brady-Manning rivalry, after 2007 all that really mattered was who was playing at home. In each game from that point the home team always seemed to get the bounces, or catch fire with unstoppable momentum at the key moments.

What will I remember most about facing a Peyton Manning team? That no lead, no matter how large, was ever safe. Manning always seemed to know exactly where to go with the ball and who to pick on. Bill Belichick got plenty of criticism trying to close the 4th-and-2 game out by going for it in his own territory, but that sums up facing Peyton Manning. Once he got a read on things it was near impossible to stop him.

The AFC just won’t be the same without Peyton Manning. No matter how he looked at the end of last season, just knowing that the Patriots won’t have to face him and all the storylines and attention the game would receive is both exciting and sad. Exciting because it’s one less thing to worry about on the way to the Super Bowl, but sad because we’ll never see two of the great QBs to ever play the game face off again.

He is one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game. I don’t care to convince anyone which quarterbacks were better or worse than him. He will always be a huge part of the Patriots history and his legacy is unavoidably enmeshed with Belichick and Brady’s.

The Pats had their moments vs. Manning, and he had his moments against them. Now, at the end of it all, it’s easy to say he made football better for even Patriots fans, whether they were beating him or losing to him. He gave you a million reasons to watch, to be nervous, to want to beat him, and almost every single game was an epic battle. Whether you loved or hated him, he reset the bar for NFL quarterback play and it was a privilege to watch him compete.

Peyton Manning retires from NFL; Tom Brady: ‘He set the standard’ | The MMQB with Peter King

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“What just happened, winning the Super Bowl in his last game, is a perfect way to end a career. But what he’s accomplished through all these years, what makes it so admirable, is the pressure he’s had on him his whole life. He was the highest-rated recruit in high school. He was the biggest quarterback in college football. He was the first pick in the draft. Who has lived up to the expectations year after year after year as well as Peyton? He’s done it so gracefully, so admirably. He set the standard for how to play the quarterback position.”

Source: Peyton Manning retires from NFL; Tom Brady: ‘He set the standard’ | The MMQB with Peter King

Nothing has been clearer in the last day how much mutual respect Tom Brady and Peyton Manning have for each other. From this piece from The MMQB with Brady praising Manning, to Manning specifically mentioning post-game handshakes with Brady in his final press conference, these two and their rivalry has defined the AFC for the last decade-plus.

Now, on the verge of Free Agency, you wonder how the Manning vacuum will be filled. No, he wasn’t the same threat anymore by the end, but the weight of Manning’s presence could always be felt even when his arm was toast. Now it’s hard to argue that Brady and the Pats stand alone in the AFC. Plenty of teams will make free agency splashes that will be spun as making a new contender or two in the AFC, but free agency rarely wins championships and a healthy Patriots team in 2016 is still easily the class of the conference.

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Brady vs. Manning is out! Pick up a copy below!

Brady vs Manning: The Untold Story of the Rivalry That Transformed the NFL

https://www.patspropaganda.com/brady-vs-manning-is-out-pick-up-a-copy/

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Under Manning, the Denver offense is based on precise timing and effective route-running. Defensively, there is one prescription: impeding the Broncos’ receivers at the line of scrimmage. Not every team is equipped to do it, but when it’s done right, Manning becomes mortal. Only one other time this season have the Broncos been held to so few points: their 26-20 overtime defeat in Week 3 to Seattle.

This isn’t an accident. The Patriots spent the off-season trying to emulate the Seahawks, going so far as to sign 6-foot-4 cornerback Brandon Browner, who was part of Seattle’s dominating defense last season until a substance-abuse suspension kept him out of the playoffs. Not surprisingly, he was the key to stopping Manning on Sunday. According to Pro Football Focus, a statistical tracking service, Manning had a 49.4 quarterback rating when throwing toward Browner.

Kevin Clark | The Problem Facing Peyton Manning

(via writtenbyrj)

https://www.patspropaganda.com/under-manning-the-denver-offense-is-based-on/

Patriots vs. Broncos All 22 Thoughts: Defense Edition

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There’s nothing more fun that taking an All-22 look at a Bill Belichick defense against Peyton Manning. The Patriots did what they often have done against Manning – make him look mortal with a mix of disguise and pressure.

There wasn’t anything overly exotic or new, but there were some new faces stepping to the forefront in roles we’ve never seen them in before. That bodes well for the versatility of this defense going forward.

Here’s what I saw on the All-22 rewatch…

Jamie Collins was a standout on the first possession for the Broncos, a three-and-out. He came downhill with a strong fill against the run on second down, then ran the crosser stride-for-stride with Emmanuel Sanders and tackled him short of the first down.

The mix-and-match was apparent from the first three plays, most surprising was Browner going inside on Julius Thomas. I didn’t think we would see that but the Patriots declared it was part of the game plan immediately.

On the second possession Vince Wilfork set the tone, exploding into the backfield and blowing up the run. Wilfork is always an X-factor when he has games like this. He looked explosive here.

Brandon Browner threw an arm back and broke up Manning’s third down pass to Demaryius Thomas. That’s what 6’4" corners can do. Pats fans used to having 5’8" corners might be surprised.

The third possession got moving with a crosser to Sanders. Hightower probably would’ve laid him out but got pulled a bit out of position jamming another guy. Pressure could’ve been better.

Really blown away by how involved Chung was in this game. In my gameplan I wondered if he’d take a back seat to Harmon for more coverage ability. Instead Chung was saw plenty of man coverage against a variety of receivers. He’s gotten plenty of attention this week for it.

Seems like this coverage scheme (here in Cover 3) was a big part of the gameplan. You have 2 LBs and 2 DBs forming a four-man zone area, waiting for the crossers to come. It worked well and forced a lot of checkdowns.

Jamie Collins continued to show up in the run game on this drive. He’s getting better at managing his speed to get around tackle but not overpursue. If he keeps improving vs. the run look out.

I thought Arrington would return to prominence in this one to cover Welker, and not only did he, but Chung did too. One of the advantages of having guys who got plenty of reps in practice vs. Welker is they are comfortable covering him. 

Still didn’t think Browner’s PI penalty was overt but that’s the NFL today.

Yet Chung getting spun around on the touchdown play because he was held so badly goes unnoticed. 

Nink’s interception has gotten plenty of love in the analysis this week and really he almost had one the play before if he had widened out a little more.

Collins hasn’t gotten enough credit on the Nink interception. It was his pressure that forced the throw a bit. It was really the first pressure Manning saw in the game up to this point. That’s something that I wish had been better so far.

On the next possession Manning went to Demaryius on a crosser from the slot as he was manned up by Browner – again, something we haven’t really seen Browner do. But Browner ran with him and made the tackle.

Stopping the run from the nickel defense was so so huge in this one. Everything was clicking on defense (and the Broncos still made some plays, credit to them).

The Pats threatened Double A pressure by Hightower and Collins a lot more than they actually sent it. Here in the second quarter they sent both and it forced a hurried throw that fell incomplete. The defensive gameplan was simple and complex at the same time. The initial looks were almost always the same, but the coverages and blitzers were constantly rotating.

Good coverage by Malcolm Butler, running stride for stride with Emmanual Sanders on third-and-20. Never thought he’d be such a big part in this game.

It’s amazing how hard it is to get pressure on Manning (and Brady too). A defender has to win at the LOS immediately to have any chance, otherwise the ball is already out.

Continue to be impressed with Jamie Collins. If last year’s playoff game against the Colts was his coming out party, this was nearly as impressive. He’s all over the place.

Pressure started to cause problems for Manning at the end of the second half,culminating with Ayers fourth-down sack. Hightower is quite a load coming up the middle for a running back to block.

Ayers sack was part Wilfork walking the left guard into the backfield and good coverage to take away the quick throw. Overall I thought Ayers was okay. Hasn’t blown me away with anything special but was generally solid in the first half and I’ll take that.

SECOND HALF

Check out this look on the first Broncos offensive possession of the second half – now Nink and Ayers are showing interior pressure.

Just a perfect throw and catch on Julius Thomas’ touchdown. Browner might’ve been able to defend it due to his size but Chung was screwed from the moment he lined up on an island with the big tight end.

Even McCourty looked shaken up after hitting Welker on the Browner interception. Welker really should’ve caught it and gotten down. 

There was no consistency to who New England was matching up with. The interior guys (Chung/Arrington/Hightower/Collins) all were switched around.  I’m kind of left wondering why we only save this stuff for Peyton Manning.

There were some big passing plays on first down, culminating with a 41-yarder to Demaryius Thomas in the fourth quarter, which was really somewhat lucky as Manning just threw is up and it managed to find Thomas through a crowd.

As if this one didn’t already have enough good stuff, here comes a four-down stand inside the ten yard line. Things like this only build a defense’s confidence.

For as bad as this defense has looked at times this year, it was amazing to see them put it all together in this one. Guys were setting the edge, getting off blocks and tackling. When you do those simple things it’s amazing how much better a defense can look.