Despite breaking away from the team’s tradition of refusing to add helpful players in Free Agency, have the Colts done as much as they reasonably could have to improve their team’s chances of success in 2011?

Notable pick-ups include the likes of Tommie Harris, Jamaal Anderson, Ernie Simms, and Kerry Collins.

Anthony Costanzo and Ben Ijalana (drafted in the first and second rounds respectively) have been added to help protect the team’s billion-dollar investment.

Though Manning’s awareness and ability to utilize a quick release resulted in him becoming the least sacked quarterback of 2010 (sacked only 16 times), the Colts offensive line was one of the worst the National Football League had to offer; often providing Manning under two seconds to stand upright in the pocket before his frightened remains were thrown to the turf.

While the Colts sported the number-one passing offense of 2010 (averaging 288.1 yards per-game), Pierre Garcon’s 784 receiving yards were good enough to rank second on a team that moved up and down the field a lot.

Injuries to Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark, Pierre Garcon, and Austin Collie forced the Colts to turn to late-round draft picks and undrafted practice squad players in an effort to remain competitive.

Jacob Tamme impressed me with efforts in relief of the injured Dallas Clark.

Blair White did not; and it’s the wide receiver position in particular that the Colts stood to benefit from not only in 2010, but in 2009 as well.

True to their tradition, the Colts refused to “fix what ain’t broken” and instead depended upon Anthony Gonzalez and Pierre Garcon to step up and take the place of former Colts’ great Marvin Harrison.

That’s never even come close to happening.

Though Manning seems to throw for 4,500+ yards in his sleep, his ability to distribute production has masked the Colts deprivation of consistent playmakers.

Reggie Wayne has been, but Dallas Clark has only surpassed the 850-yard mark once in his eight year career, and Pierre Garcon is yet to crack 800 yards receiving.

2011 appears to be another year (provided Manning can remain healthy) where the Colts passing offense promises to be productive, but less dangerous than they could be if the team had made greater efforts in the offseason to address a receiving corps that cumulatively, is not nearly as talented as their quarterback’s total production would seem to indicate.

Too many oft-injured parts and too much distribution of production to justify a reliable and consistent number-two option for Manning to turn to.

Terrell Owens could be that option.

Coming off perhaps the most impressive season a 36 year-old receiver has ever had in the history of the NFL, a recovering, hungry Terrell Owens has all the motivation needed to succeed on a team like Indianapolis.

With the exception of Steve Young during the very early years of his career, Owens has never had the opportunity to be paired with a quarterback of Manning’s caliber.

And it’s never really mattered.

With Jeff “wobbles are my specialty” Garcia throwing him the football, T.O. became a multiple-time First Team All-Pro selection.

With Donovan “I struggle to throw for over 3,300 yards” McNabb, Owens helped instantly transform McNabb’s level of production while becoming the most dangerous receiver in the NFL and being selected First Team All-Pro again.

With Tony “I’ve never started an NFL game in my life” Romo, Owens thrived to become the most productive receiver in the history of the Dallas Cowboys; being selected First Team All-Pro with a third different quarterback.

Sure his 55 receptions for 829 yards and five touchdowns on a Bills team that ranked 30^th in passing were nothing to drop your jaw at; but it’s hard to stay motivated knowing that even if your touchdown production doubled, you’d still have no chance at competing for a championship (the only thing left for Owens to accomplish anyway).

Only the uninformed will scoff at his 72 receptions for 983 yards and nine touchdowns in Cincinnati last year.

It’s easier to ignore the fact that he only started 11 games and played injured throughout the final quarter of the season. It’s easier to focus on his dropped passes while ignoring the fact that Owens played part of 2010 with a broken hand.

Prior to injury against the Jets in week twelve, Owens was on pace to have a 2001-esque season.

That is, if you take a moment to do the math (as I did):

Owens (2001): 93 receptions for 1,412 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Owens (2010): 99 receptions for 1,435 yards and 13 touchdowns.

I guess he had a “pretty good year” with All-World quarterback Carson Palmer throwing him the ball within the scheme of the Bengals’ cerebral and calculated passing attack.

Try this one on for size: how productive would Owens have been with Peyton Manning throwing him the football in 2010?

With Manning, the combination of Jacob Tamme and Blair White caught more touchdowns then the combination of Randy Moss and Brandon Marshall last year.

Remember those extremely productive Jerry Rice-like years Marvin Harrison had from 1999-2002, when he often seemed like the only quality target Manning had to turn to?

Imagine if a younger Owens (with no broken hands) had the opportunity to play with Manning during an era where he would have been both Manning’s number-one and number-two target to throw to?

The production could have been unreal.

But this is 2011, and this is about the Colts making the team better for this season.

In 2010, the Colts receiving corps was built of glass and it seemed like whether your name was Wayne, Clark, Garcon, Collie, or Gonzalez, missing time due to injury was a prerequisite.

With Austin Collie heading into 2011 with concussion-related concerns (in the event that he were to sustain another), why not add some depth beyond Blair White to a receiving corps that collectively could really stand to improve?

Owens may not be ready for opening weekend; and that’s fine.

It usually takes the Colts a week or two to begin their tradition of adding to the team injury report anyway.

Owens has played for contracts well beneath his level of production in years past, so I don’t think it’s beyond the realm of reason to assume that he would jump at the chance to join a team that would actually give him an opportunity to accomplish the only left for him to accomplish.

Win a Super Bowl.

Had the Colts strolled into Super Bowl XLIV with Terrell Owens in the starting lineup, they might be saying “Peyton Manning, dat’s who” in New Orleans instead of “Who dat?”.

How many times will the Colts insist on beating themselves in the back of the head just because?

I’ve yet to see anyone substantiate an argument as to how the Colts would have been worse with Terrell Owens in 2009 or 2010; and I’m sure the same will be the case this year.

Low dollar one-year contracts provide little risk when the upside is obtaining the services of the second most productive receiver in NFL history.

Allow Owens to heal up through the first few games of the season and in the event that your number-two receiver is either injured (nah, that would never happen in Indianapolis) or on-pace to produce at a mediocre level, throw Owens (who was on pace to put up All-Pro caliber numbers with a terrible team last year) into the starting lineup to catch passes from the most productive quarterback in NFL history.

If something goes wrong, they could just cut him; a would-be idiotic move that I would dare the Colts organization to try to justify if it ever reached that point.

Oh yeah, I’m sure that a potential “Manning to Owens” passing combination would never promote further ticket sales, television ratings, and the sale of team merchandise.

The National Football League is not a business after all, so what value would additional team revenue and stimulated fan-interest bring to an organization allergic to profits?

If I were the Colts and I aspired to not be one-and-done again in the postseason, I’d seriously consider making a move to acquire a playmaker that could improve the team’s chances of success.

That is unless of course, anything short of winning the Super Bowl has become completely acceptable in Indianapolis.

Ryan Michael is a Senior Writer for Bleacher Report.

Professional inquiries can be directed to his email: bleacherreporter@yahoo.com

Follow him on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/#!/theryanmichael

Read more Indianapolis Colts news on BleacherReport.com

Given the current state of affairs in the NFL today, why would the four aforementioned prove worthy of discussion and what if anything, could be the connection?

With Peyton Manning, it’s about the ”contract talk”; subject of much scrutiny for as long as the question first became relevant.

With Jim Irsay, it’s about keeping face amidst uncertain times until he manages to secure the future of his franchise.

With the rest of the Colts, it’s about sitting back and awaiting the inevitable (sans the details); their saving grace.

And with Ray Lewis, it’s about utilizing one’s qualified credentials to state the obvious.

Allow for me if you will, to take you back to a video clip I caught on NFL Network earlier this week.

Perhaps nothing apparently out of the ordinary; “par for the course” as most would expect during the legal Super Bowl that is the owners vs. players.

When prompted to develop an explanation as to why future Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning never accepted the Colts’ most recent contract-offer, Jim Irsay expressed frustration filtered through a confusion brought upon by either poor analysis (very unlikely), or PR-related falsehood (a safer bet).

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-total-access/09000d5d81edfd79/Irsay-on-Manning-talks

“You’d have to give me a reason why, you know, it wouldn’t get done. In other words, you can’t think of one negative you know: to be with a great franchise, with a legacy city. You know, I know those things mean a lot to him. The money is there. I’m already offering more than any player that’s being paid in the league. So why wouldn’t it get done? You know, you’d have to ask yourself or them.”

Mr. Irsay, with all due respect (and I mean that sincerely); you cannot be serious.

As far as you’re concerned, “you can’t think of one negative”?

I watched the product that you and Bill Polian (President of the Indianapolis Colts) put on the football field in 2010 and there were “negatives” aplenty; none of which were even slightest bit reminiscent of a “great franchise”.

I’ll start with the obvious.

The Colts’ offensive line, running game, run defense, special teams, and head coach.

There’s more; but I’ll refrain for a moment and stick to the basics.

Where within the five above-mentioned aspects could any logical owner, analyst, or fan not find “one negative”?

You speak of your “great franchise” as though you’re offering Manning the 1970’s Steelers or the 1980’s 49ers; franchises as a “whole” that I’d genuinely consider to be “great”.

Did you mean “great” by past association firmly affixed to the coattails of your own un-signed quarterback’s success?

Yes, the Colts have won more games in a single-decade than any team in NFL history.

Yes, the same Colts who went 10-6 in 2002, 12-4 in 2003, 12-4 in 2004, 14-2 in 2005, 12-4 in 2006, 13-3 in 2007, 12-4 in 2008, 14-2 in 2009, and 10-6 in 2010 have extended an NFL record of consecutive seasons with ten or more victories, to which there is no close second.

Sure, two conference championships and one Super Bowl victory during that span might not be quite “up to par” with the golden glory of some of the truly “great” franchises; but it’s nothing to scoff at either.

To me, a “great franchise” would remain “great” with the absence of one player; or at the very least, they’d have to remain respectable.

Which brings me to Ray Lewis.

Considered by many to be the greatest defensive player of his entire generation (heck, perhaps the past two); surely his opinion regarding the caliber of Peyton Manning and the Colts would be qualified enough to consider.

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-total-access/09000d5d81bdf64c/Top-100-Peyton-Manning

“You can put in whatever piece you want with 18, 18 will make it work; all he says is just find your way open, I’ll get the ball there. And that’s where the Reggie Wayne’s, the Dallas Clark’s, the Marvin Harrison’s; that’s how dominant he is. If you take him out of the game, no disrespect to nobody else on the Colts, but you make them a very below-average ball club.”

Keep in mind of course that Ray’s narration and comments were likely produced prior to the 2010 season; making his judgments at least partially reflective of a Colts team that had just made it to the Super Bowl.

Yet, he considers the same team that Jim Irsay called a “great franchise” to be “a very below-average ball club” without one player?

That’s a monumental difference.

We’re not talking about comparing the 2007 Patriots to the 2008 Patriots, where the drop-off in caliber was significant in the absence of Tom Brady; yet the team remained competitive (going 11-5) without him.

Ray Lewis just called a Super Bowl team (though he was likely referring to the Colts during the totality of Manning’s tenure) a “very below-average ball club” if they were to ever be without their currently un-signed quarterback.

And Mr. Irsay cannot think of “one negative” that might detract Manning’s eagerness to sign up for more of the same?

REALITY CHECK.

Peyton Manning is the most productive and consistent player in NFL history.

He moves his team up and down the field more than anyone in the 90-year history of the sport.

He puts more points on the board than anyone in the 90-year history of the sport.

He “coaches” and runs his offense more so than any quarterback in the league today.

He’s led his team to more victories during the course of a single decade than any other quarterback in NFL history; and he didn’t have to take over a good team to do it.

He took over the worst team in the entire league to do it.

The actual quality of support provided to help Manning accomplish this has been discussed ad nauseum.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/437583-peyton-manning-has-become-the-greatest-quarterback-in-nfl-history

As poor front-office decisions have continued to cost Manning’s legacy, personally.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/403187-why-peyton-mannings-indianapolis-colts-need-to-sign-terrell-owens

Which brings us to the final contract of his career; his final opportunity to solidify the greatest legacy in NFL history to those who fail to comprehend its reality (unfair perhaps, but that’s how it goes); and you wonder why he hasn’t accepted this generous offer?

You lose potential Hall of Fame head coach in Tony Dungy, and look who you’ve replaced him with; a man who failed miserably at the NCAA level.

Bill Polian admits that the Colts offensive-line played a significant role in losing Super Bowl XLIV, yet they bolster up Manning’s pass-protection with un-drafted failure.

Your running backs are terrified that they might run into their own confused linemen, as they sprint with caution and at times, a complete and utter lack of field vision.

You forget the defensive-tackle position even exists.

You abandon the special teams return game all together.

And you still can’t think of “one negative”?

Child please.

I’ve never seen an individual athlete so dedicated to his craft, so dedicated to his team, and you reward his efforts by offering him the keys to the mansion he built under the guise that you’re being generous by giving him a place to live.

People act like it’s all about the money; but do you really think that if there was stability in Indianapolis (which clearly, there isn’t), that Manning would scoff at the opportunity to become the highest paid player in NFL history backed by a truly “great franchise”?

You get another child please.

Assuming Manning ends up with another million or two per-season added to his contract; that’s a blip on his radar.

The money he makes from endorsements will overshadow any “additional” salary that might be earned by holding out.

Try this one on for size: if you hire competent coaching-staff to ease the need for Manning to “over-coordinate” on the field, those extra hours out of the film room (which would still leave him as the most studious player in the league) could be invested into a few more commercials that would certainly prove to be more lucrative that what he’s already doing.

Misinformed people have been salivating at the opportunity to paint Manning as “selfish” at the defense of his poor Colts who now have to pay well for a solid foundation to hold up their very shaky home.

The same “selfish” Manning who sat back, kept his mouth shut for years as less qualified quarterbacks were rewarded with greater contracts. There was no escalation with Manning who could have demanded re-negotiation in light of an ever-evolving salary cap.

Yet, some insist that it is Manning  who owes the city of Indianapolis a hometown discount.

Keep in mind that we’re not talking about an actual “great franchise” that has provided an un-qualified Manning to ride the coattails of their success.

If ever there were a team that didn’t deserve the proverbial hometown discount, it’s the Colts.

If ever there were a player that does deserve to be compensated for his overtime, it’s Peyton Manning.

Though it may be politically incorrect, though it may violate the idealistic notion that being “team-first” is always the correct standard of thinking, there are exceptions to the rule.

If you really want to be “fair” that is.

Manning’s too classy to ever verbally detail the team’s shortcomings in public and because of such, Mr. Irsay has been enabled with the opportunity to create a public-perception of generosity towards his star quarterback, all the while the media has been served up a fresh opportunity to paint the legend selfish.

Right now, there is plenty wrong in Indianapolis.

And truth be told, if Peyton were given the opportunity to do the unthinkable, to explore options with more competent franchises, just imagine the possibilities.

Could you imagine Peyton Manning playing for the New York Jets?

What kind of conversations would we be having today if last season, Peyton Manning ran the Jets offense while Rex Ryan ran the Jets defense; all the while Mark Sanchez was blessed with the opportunity to play behind the Colts vaunted offensive line, backed on the other side of the ball by Indy’s suffocating defense?

And while better opportunities might have very well become available had the Colts not placed the franchise-tag on Manning (that’s of course assuming the tag is even legally applicable given the current state of affairs between the owners and players), the bottom line is that Peyton suffers from “Marinoism” and will remain loyal to the franchise until the very end of his career.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing as loyalty (especially in the face of adversity) is an admirable trait.

What bothers me about Manning remaining so loyal is the innuendo that suggests that he owes it to the Colts, and that anything that deviates from that notion should be branded a selfish act on Manning’s behalf.

The situation is what it is: you have a future Hall of Fame quarterback coming off an under-appreciated season (perhaps more impressive than even his MVP year in 2009 given the circumstances), being faced with a contract situation in which he himself remains under the microscope.

Due to Manning’s over-compensating performance for years, the franchise has been able to run-rampant with an inflated perception of caliber, all the while using that belief to paint an inaccurate picture of what they’re offering their greatest benefactor during his hour of need.

The countless members of the media, reporters, and analysts alike with little ability to rationally evaluate Manning’s career have forced the need for him to adhere to a flawed criteria in order to firmly establish a legacy that is in actuality, already complete.

Fine.

But given the reality of the above-stated situation Manning faces as a result of incompetent analyzation, logical critics should then forfeit the right to criticize the ways in which Manning handles his means to get there.

No doubt he will remain active in the NFL for years to come; but while his passion for the sport he was born into will always serve as the primary motivation for a continued dedication to his craft, he still plays for the naysayers who demand he live up to their billing regardless of their own inability to comprehend the circumstances he’s played (and will continue to play) under.

Could it be possible that while Manning is without question the best thing for the Colts, the Colts might not be the best thing for Manning?

Sacrilege, I know; and I’m speaking as a Colts fan who very much wants our star quarterback to remain with the team for the rest of his career.

But if it be his destiny to dedicate the final years of his career to the city of Indianapolis, I’m being generous by stating that the franchise could do a lot more for Peyton.

Within no team will you find every aspect of their roster to be perfect, but if Jim Irsay and Bill Polian can sit back and sincerely tell themselves that they’ve done everything they practically could to provide the team with the best head coach available, best offensive line available, best running game available, best run defense available, and best return game available, then I must say that it’s time for a serious wake-up call.

The Colts were once a formidable team that even beyond the efforts of their star quarterback, possessed a talented roster with a heart and passion to become competitive in our modern-day NFL.

Whether or not they can recapture that is yet to be determined.

But if you want to put your best foot forward, you cannot begin by playing oblivious to the fact that there might actually be legitimate reasons why you’re quarterback isn’t enthralled with this alleged “great franchise” you’ve offered him.

Most (if not all) of these discussions will be made behind closed-doors; so for those in the media scratching their heads in confusion as to why Manning hasn’t signed a contract-extension yet, I suggest that you lay off the senseless and impractical notion that money is the heart of the matter and take a greater look at the issues that stand to plague Manning’s future if he does indeed make the decision that everyone else has already decided for him to be the “right” decision to make.

There’s a lot to consider, opinions will differ, and the truth might lie somewhere in between.

But just understand that when it comes to Peyton Manning and his contract-talk, there’s a lot more at stake than most people will take the time to concern themselves with.

It’s just easier to paint the dedicated selfish.

It just “sounds right”, which is all most ever needed to begin with.

Read more Indianapolis Colts news on BleacherReport.com

He did NOT need to break the record for passing attempts to do it.

Speaking of attempts, Manning’s 66.3 completion percentage ranked second in the NFL (first in the AFC); higher than that of Tom Brady, Philip Rivers, Michael Vick, Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan and Ben Roethlisberger; all of whom failed to better Manning’s completion percentage despite having the benefit of attempting fewer passes while throwing into nickel+ defensive coverages at a lower rate.

While Manning averages more passing yards per season than anyone in NFL history (4,218 yards per-season despite being statistically-punished for securing playoff position by being forced to warm the bench during the end of six different seasons), his 4,700 yards in 2010 was a career high.

Must Read: NFL Mock Draft: Predicting the Entire 1st Round

Speaking of 4,700 passing yards, Manning missed out on the passing championship by ten yards (to Philip Rivers’ 4,710), which has to make him wonder: Did playing with a receiving corps that specialized in dropping the football during 2010 account for a 10 yard difference over the course of the entire season, or was he just unlucky?

Unlucky might be putting his Week 11-13 stretch mildly. During that period, Manning accounted for 11 interceptions, four of which were returned for touchdowns.

You could take into consideration the fact that during that span, the Colts averaged 45.3 rushing yards per-game (2.8 YPC) while their defense allowed their opponents to average 169.7 rushing yards per-game (4.8 YPC).

But why would that be relevant?

Therefore, I refuse to get into why starting off with quick double-digit deficits combined with throwing to practice-squad players swamped with nickel+ coverage’s at a rate above double the league average, led Manning to remain interception-free for 137 of his 148 attempts during that “slump.”

Speaking of “interception-free,” could that be one claim, one compliment, that just for once we can avoid giving to Peyton Manning?

I mean, we can’t forget the interception stretch (even though during that period, he somehow managed to post a higher quarterback rating than Tom Brady did during his undefeated 3-0 postseason run in 2001 that culminated in a Super Bowl MVP).

Manning (Weeks 11-13 in 2010): 77.7

Brady (2001 Postseason): 77.3

Most may not want to forget about those three games; perhaps more specifically the two “interception-return” games which accounted for an entire 12.5 percent of the Colts’ 2010 season.

On the other side of the coin, don’t ask me how Manning managed to go nine entire games without throwing a single interception this season, while turning the ball over at a rate well under his essentially undefeated 2009 MVP season.

During those nine games, Manning was 239 of 360 for 2,582 yards, 19 touchdowns and zero interceptions.

Still, Manning wasn’t the only quarterback to have multiple games with zero interceptions in 2010. Drew Brees did so three times this year. Sure, he threw three interceptions against the ferocious Cardinals’ D and four against the vaunted Browns defense, but everyone has off-days.

Philip Rivers managed to post five interception-free games; Aaron Rodgers had seven!

But don’t sleep on Philip Rivers, who finished strong by going 48 of 77 for 569 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, while posting a 78.3 quarterback rating during his final two games.

Maybe he didn’t have the “big numbers” but when the time came, he got the job done; leading his Chargers to 33 points against a suffocating Broncos defense during the “San Diego Super Bowl” vs. Denver in their season finale…and he did so without the burden of having to throw a single touchdown pass.

But let’s forget about the quarterbacks for now and take a moment to talk about Arian Foster.

Certain to be a likely Offensive Player of the Year candidate, Foster rushed for 1,616 yards and 16 touchdowns. While his Texans only managed to win six games all season, voters should not concern themselves by worrying about team records; 6-10 was plenty impressive by Houston’s standards.

With the Colts season on the line, Indianapolis almost matched the Texans win total for the entire season by going 4-0 down the stretch to secure the number three spot on the playoffs; a place which they’ll be returning to for an NFL record 9^th consecutive season—extending another of their NFL records to nine consecutive seasons of ten wins or more (10-6 in 2002, 12-4 in 2003, 12-4 in 2004, 14-2 in 2005, 12-4 in 2006, 13-3 in 2007, 12-4 in 2008, 14-2 in 2009 and 10-6 in 2010).

It might prove to be a close call between Manning and Foster, even though we won’t see the Texans take another snap until this coming July. Of course, Manning accounted for 2,498 more yards and 15 more touchdowns (105 additional points) than Foster; but moving your team up and down the field while putting points on the board isn’t that relevant to the Offensive Player of the Year award, is it?

Still, some will feel Foster to have been the greater offensive contributor in 2010 and he will thus, earn their votes nevertheless. If both the Colts and Texans share that same point of view, perhaps we’ll see the Indianapolis attempt to trade Manning for Foster during the off-season.

And then we have Michael Vick, with that exciting, explosive offensive running style that places his team at zero risk every time he runs down field without (admittedly) the knowledge of how to slide and protect himself.

Call Manning whatever you’d like for studying film instead of partying and avoiding injury-inducing hits at the expense of a down; but in 13 consecutive seasons, he’s missed one snap.

Blair White and Jacob Tamme who both came into this season with zero touchdown receptions in their respective careers, used their immaculate physical gifts to produce more touchdowns together than the combination of Randy Moss and Brandon Marshall in 2010.

Go ahead, give the Offensive Player of the Year award to the player who produced 1,024 fewer yards (yes, even counting the rushing yards), because playing “skirt-style” football has enabled Manning to be there for his team every Sunday; and rushing yards should be valued much more than passing yards due to the excitement it brings us.

I’m certain that the Colts would have done fine without Peyton Manning.

Don’t believe what Ray Lewis would tell you (for those who watched the NFL’s Top 100), the Indianapolis Colts would be a very above-average football team without the only four-time league MVP in NFL history…

Who certainly didn’t produce enough or carry his team far enough to warrant the league’s consolation prize.

Peyton Manning: Michael Vick, Arian Foster and Philip Rivers are your masters; as every defensive coordinator in the league would undoubtedly conquer.

That’s why one of the three is likely to walk away with the Offensive Player of the Year award; people have grown tired of seeing trophies with your name on it.

It doesn’t matter if your performance on the field warrants another; the public’s yearning for something new trumps all of your meaningless yards, touchdowns, and victories.

17 players on the injured reserve; ha!

Excuses, excuses; better luck next year.

Read more Indianapolis Colts news on BleacherReport.com

If at any point during the 2010 season you have had to sincerely ask yourself that question, then you may fall into the following category.

The general public.

A group rarely without the desire to provide examples as to why their very own misconceptions continue to dominate mainstream thinking.

It’s nothing to be ashamed of.

It’s simply the reality; a tradition decades old, so firmly established in the public’s subconscious that even the most overly-optimistic practicalists must continue to shrug their shoulders in disappointment.

Much like Peyton Manning.

It’s been no secret; suffice to say that the cat’s officially out of the bag.

Peyton Manning is struggling and the Indianapolis Colts are losing games.

It was tough in New England, got much worse versus San Diego, and became embarrassing against Dallas.

This is not the Peyton Manning that we (or at least some of us) all know and love; or at least that’s what they would have you believe.

The reality, shocking though it may be, is that this is very much the same Peyton Manning that became the single most productive player in NFL history.

He’s simply wearing a different uniform.

Out with pass-protection.

Out with creating running-holes.

Out with runs of positive yardage.

Out with playing defense.

Out with advancing the ball past the 20 on kickoffs.

Heck, out with Dallas Clark, Austin Collie, Joseph Addai, Mike Hart, Bob Sanders, Gary Brackett, Kelvin Hayden and company.

In with Blair White, Jacob Tamme, Jarvarris James, Brandon James, Gijon Robinson, Aaron Francisco, Justin Tyron, Kevin DeVan and Jeff Linkenbach.

It’s okay, don’t worry…they have Peyton Manning.

Besides, how can defenses possibly stop this guy anyway?

Hasn’t worked over the past decade, and 2010 will be no different.

COME BACK TO REALITY and we realize they may have actually been right—for half the season at least.

It took time for guys sick, tired, hurt and injured. It took time to call up the practice squad to invite undrafted talent to block our billion-dollar investment, run behind non-existent holes, and catch passes while being smothered in nickel defenses.

It was looking great at first.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, after Week 6 of the NFL season, the average NFL team recorded 19.8 touches per-game against defensive sets featuring five or more defensive backs.

At that same point in time, the Colts averaged 42.3 touches per-game against defensive sets swamped with the same pass-coverage.

Essentially, Peyton Manning was facing defenses loaded up to prevent passing production at a rate above double the league average.

And he was phenomenal…

Peyton Manning (Thru Week 6)

171-of-254 (67.3) for 1,916 yards, 13 touchdowns and two interceptions.

Quarterback Rating: 103.4

That was of course, before Austin Collie (fourth round draft selection turned NFL’s leading receiver at one point in 2010) fell victim to concussion, after concussion. And before Joseph Addai was replaced with backs that refuse to run forward; no easy task while running behind a line allergic to creating holes.

Peyton Manning (Weeks 9-13)

156-o-235 (66.4) for 1,525 yards, nine touchdowns and 13 interceptions.

Quarterback Rating: 74.2

Declining performance that’s skewed a bit given how well Manning performed against New England (yes, 396 yards and four touchdowns even taking into consideration the three picks); a game in which Collie was partially active for before re-concussing himself. Remove the “exception” from the equation and…

Peyton Manning (Weeks 9-10, 12-13)

118-of-183 (64.5) for 1,129 yards, five touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

Quarterback Rating: 67.9

Manning goes from being on-pace to produce one of the greatest seasons in NFL history to an interception-streak worse than anything we’ve seen in almost ten years.

How does that happen?

The obvious explanation (the key word here) is due primarily to injuries.

When any NFL team (Indianapolis or otherwise), resorts to making practice-squad players their starters without any time to even break them in as legitimate backups, they are in for drastic trouble.

Peyton carried them for as long as he could, but the injuries took their tolls.

The countless instances of having under two-seconds to release the football before taking a sack, took its toll.

Having his two starting wide receivers ranked first (Reggie Wayne) and fourth (Pierre Garcon) in the entire league in dropped passes, took its toll.

Being backed by the league’s 32nd ranked rushing offense (79.1 yards-per-game) took its toll.

And for the doubters who believe that dead-last ranking is only due to a lack of carries, the Colts come through with the league’s 32nd ranked rushing offense in terms of yards-per-carry (3.5) to counter your argument.

Sprinkle a little bit (let’s say double the league average or so) of nickel defensive schemes to be swamped with as Blair White is running in the wrong direction and…

WHAM!

Peyton produces heavy amounts of turnovers (11), four times for touchdowns in a three-game span.

Some of them fall on Peyton, and he’d be the first to admit it.

He’s making bad reads, throwing to the other team and forcing passes into places and during times that he shouldn’t.

Reality-wise, he’s only been pick-friendly for 25 percent of the season.

Reality-wise, he may have very well helped cost his team two victories against San Diego and Dallas (17 percent of the season).

There were other times in which he was far from perfect, but throwing the majority of the blame on his shoulders during those instances would be less than logical; although that wouldn’t appear to bother most people who certainly don’t watch the entirety of these games.

The unfortunate reality is…most people just watch the highlights (if even that).

And certain analysts often appear to do little justice to reality; with “prime” (no pun intended) examples coming from Deion Sanders and Michael Irvin (both of whom would be incapable of bias in this instance) following the Colts loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

Michael Irvin (12/5/10):

“And you talking about Peyton doesn’t have anybody to throw to, he has Reggie Wayne to throw to.”

I take no issue with Irvin taking the time to point out how fantastic Reggie Wayne is. While I had no expectation for him to make any mention of Wayne leading the league in dropped passes (why take the time to make reference to that?), his praise of Wayne was warranted nevertheless.

The issue here was the tone—and forgive me for taking notice.

You heard no mention to the effect that while Wayne may be an incredible receiver individually, the Colts receiving corps collectively at this stage of the season could be considered “poor.”

Irvin’s sentiments are not uncommon as many fans and analysts alike seem to be salivating at the opportunity to point out why they feel Peyton might not really have it that bad.

“Primetime” would conquer.

.

Deion Sanders (12/5/10):

“You keep saying Peyton, he doesn’t have the receivers. Reggie Wayne will one day be a Hall of Famer.”

A “Hall of Famer” Prime?

Reggie Wayne has been a phenomenal athlete and a consistently productive player for a number of years now, but to talk about his Hall of Fame potential with such absolute certainty appeared to be quite misinformed at best.

Is Sanders himself not a semi-finalist, probable first-ballot selection for 2011?

Wouldn’t you think a player of Sanders’ caliber would be more aware of the likelihood of possible induction?

Cris Carter, a player multiple times to the caliber of Wayne (who produced 130 touchdowns to Wayne’s 68, without the aid of a Peyton Manning) has struggled (and to-date, failed) to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame; yet Sanders is confident that “Reggie Wayne will one day be a Hall of Famer” without providing a single ounce of hesitation (in tone or verbal content) to the contrary.

I mention this not to pick on Sanders and certainly not to strip Reggie Wayne of his just due, but to illustrate an issue that Sanders (and other analysts) seems to share with a great percentage of the general public.

That being, the desire to magnify Manning’s support in an effort to minimize the realization of the lack thereof.

No fan, analyst or player with any respectable understanding of the game is insinuating that Reggie Wayne individually isn’t a formidable target for Manning to throw to. The implication (or should I say, practical understanding) is that at this point in the season, the Colts receiving corps collectively are not of a “formidable” caliber. 

That taking players off of the practice squad with zero experience at the backup level and having them thrown into NFL games without even so much as an impressive NCAA resume is going to lead to serious issues.

That’s what logical people are “saying” Deion; not ignoring the obvious talent of the one individual named Reggie Wayne.

But it didn’t end there.

Deion Sanders (12/5/10):

“Peyton Manning has only been sacked 13 times this season; the second fewest in the NFL. Tom Brady’s been sacked 15 times. When you talking about Peyton Manning against this game with the Cowboys, PEYTON MANNING WASN’T EVEN SACKED VERSUS THE DALLAS COWBOYS TODAY.”

And yes, I CAPPED a portion of that quote to illustrate the strong emphasis and emotion Sanders’ emitted while he was emphatically delivering evidence that he unlikely had the time to watch the entire game and presumably, relied on just the highlights to derive his “expert analysis.”

Allow me to ask the readers this, why do you feel Sanders took the time to refer to Tom Brady’s 2010 sack-total?

What relevance was there to be had in that instance?

Keep in mind that he didn’t take the time to mention the name of a single Colts offensive lineman.

He didn’t take a moment to refer to a semi-important aspect of football that I’d like to refer to as “time in the pocket.”

No instead, he pointed out that Tom Brady has actually been sacked more times than Manning.

What Sanders appeared to be doing is what most people do while sitting at home on their sofas reading statistics they don’t truly comprehend off of the television screen.

He made assumptions based on a flawed method of evaluating an aspect of the game foreign to most viewers.

He used sack-totals as his primary tool of evaluating pass protection.

After all, your offensive line has to be good if opposing defenses are incapable of sacking your quarterback.

Essentially take one of Manning’s greatest attributes (his ability to utilize his quick-release and pocket-presence to avoid unnecessary sacks) and credit his offensive-line with the results, regardless of what actually happened to yield those results.

Again Deion, the argument has not been that Peyton Manning is sacked too frequently (we’re not talking about Jay Cutler); it’s that his offensive line all too often provides him under two seconds to stand upward in the pocket before an opposing defensive player is given the opportunity to to throw his frightened remains to the turf.

It’s that while this is happening, Manning has to rely on the route-running prowess of Blair White to get open in under two seconds as defenses double-cover Wayne and Garcon.

It’s about the amount of time available to Manning in the pocket, not the sack totals, a point which no intelligent person watching the entirety of these games would attempt to make.

And to use “Tom (my o-line blocks like the difficulty is set to “Rookie” in Madden 11) Brady” as an example of a quarterback who is sacked more often (implication again being, Peyton ain’t got it that bad), typifies the issues created directly at the source of alleged expert analysis that’s being force-fed to millions of unsuspecting (and quite frankly, unaware) viewers who trust that current and future Hall of Famers would have an “expert” understanding of what is happening to the subject matter.

Besides, who is going to take the time to read the Wall Street Journal when we have NFL Network available to us?

I did and call me “different” for so doing.

I enjoyed the read, and the perspective provided.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704156304576003500742870790.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

They noted that while Manning has indeed thrown 11 interceptions over the past three weeks, he has performed at a level never before seen in history for a quarterback turning the ball over at that rate.

Three weeks ago, Johnny Unitas’ 68.4 rating was the highest in NFL history for a quarterback after having thrown ten or more interceptions in a three-game span.

Manning’s rating over the past three weeks: 77.7.

It’s simply not even close and while few might take the time to care as they’re instead being treated to the ”expert analysis” of pass-protection, there’s some serious relevance to be found here.

We know that the Colts have been devastatingly injured, that Manning has been turning the ball over; but how on earth does a quarterback who has thrown 11 interceptions in three games maintain a quarterback rating higher than that which Tom Brady posted during a three-game undefeated 2001 post-season run that resulted in an eventual Super Bowl MVP?

77.3 for those who are curious.

Answer: production without protection.

1,046 yards and eight touchdowns in only three games.

The turnovers have been costly, but Manning’s productivity and pass-accuracy (70.9 percent over the past three weeks) has defied logic in regards to what we expect from a “slumping quarterback.”

We’ve all seen his wrapped-up right elbow. Nobody in the 90-year history of the sport has ever known what it’s like to have to throw this often (on pace to throw 712 passes this season); and he’ll continue to do so until he sets the NFL record for most pass completions in a single season.

Drew Brees shattered the old record of 418 (set by Rich Gannon in 2002) when he completed an astronomical 440 passes in 2007.

Manning’s on pace to complete 471 in 2010; and for his health’s sake, I wish the aforementioned were a typo.

Only the misinformed will scoff at Manning’s 6.9 yards-per-attempt (well below his 7.6 career average).

That would be of course because, many don’t actually take the time to watch the games.

Those who do have seen numerous instances where Manning completes four to five-yard passes from the shotgun on first down.

Evidence of abandoning the most pathetic ground-game the league has to offer in favor of ”passified running;” my own self-created term to define the Colts attempt to start drives off with something more than one to two-yard running plays by completing short passes that pull down Manning’s yards-per-attempt average at an alarming rate.

Passing attempts provide opportunities to produce on the football field. But how many quarterbacks pace themselves to obliterate the completion record and post the third highest passing yardage season in NFL history (4,945 yards projected at this point) while being blocked by un-drafted free agents, throwing to practice-squad players, being backed by the 32nd ranked rushing offense (both in terms of total-yards & yards-per-carry) and throwing into defensive coverages swamped to prevent passing-production?

Don’t ever confuse “explanations” with “excuses.”

Peyton may be too classy to say anything about it, but that doesn’t change reality.

Read more Indianapolis Colts news on BleacherReport.com

Manning Up

If ever there was a possibility of a single player winning five league MVP awards, Manning is your man.

Of course, he’d have to be given that no one besides him has ever won four, but you’ll get the idea.

197 of 299 for 2,184 yards, 15 touchdowns and two interceptions.

QB Rating: 101.4

If he continues to play at this rate, he may have to be suspended for unfair treatment of opposing defenses.

15 touchdowns to two interceptions?

What’s more impressive is that he has continued to manage games, lead and produce on the football field in spite of playing with roster of starters more injured than most Colts fans would care to fathom.

NFL’s Top 100

While some might tend to question if Manning “deserves” to be ranked within the Top 10 players in NFL history, the basis as to why he “shouldn’t” rarely stands in credible opposition to the test of reason.

It has been implied that since his career is not over, we should wait.

For what?

For him to continue to put all other quarterbacks out of reach?

The list was flawed from the moment the first selection was made.

To place Joe Namath as high as No. 100 speaks volumes; but to include him ahead of Len Dawson almost makes you wonder what the criterion was in the first place, and how they arrived at the conclusion that Namath was the superior quarterback of the two.

Heck by the ranking’s standards, Namath had a “greater” career than Drew Brees; although I’d beg to differ.

Is it not a ranking of the “greatest” players?

Namath would be an easy selection for Top 10 if the greatest emphasis was placed upon popularity and NOT performance on the field. That alone earned him a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

And speaking of Hall of Famers, do many realize that Peyton Manning has already started and won more games than either Joe Montana or Johnny Unitas, the other quarterbacks to join Manning in the Top 10?

Productively speaking Unitas would make for worthy and interesting comparison; Montana would not.

Brees Down

Yes, the Saints defeated a tough Pittsburgh Steelers team this Sunday to improve their record to 5-3; but Brees just doesn’t look the same, does he?

Was it not the argument that Brees more so than Manning, was the quarterback to better protect the football; the better decision maker as they say?

Care not that Manning was backed by the 32nd ranked rushing offense in the league; I suppose that had little effect on his interception-ratio; much like the Saints ground-game in 2008 had little impact upon Brees’ 17 interceptions that season.

Suddenly Reggie Bush gets injured, and Drew Brees begins to throw more than five-times as many interceptions as the man whom was deemed by some to be more turnover prone.

Do a few months really make that much of a difference, or do we need to re-evaluate the impact of team support on individual players?

Moss Out

Randy Moss waived by the Minnesota Vikings?

I really wanted Randy to succeed in Minnesota.

It’s the place where his legend began; the place he once called home.

I can only speak for my limited exposure to his on field performance, but it seemed that right from the Jets‘ game, there was something off.

I often find it unfair for writers and analysts to sit back with no NFL playing experience and question a player’s work ethic; but it just seemed to me that Randy appeared to be running at 60 percent.

I didn’t see the eye of the tiger; I didn’t see the hunger.

At this stage in his career, I personally wouldn’t mind if he took some “plays off” (I hate that term though, let’s just say conserve his stamina during less important plays) if that meant that he could turn on the juice when the Vikings needed that big play.

The Vikings needed plenty of them, but rarely did they develop on the football field.

There may be a lot more to the story as this is pure observational speculation on my part; it just might be how it appears to a low of viewers watching in the games at home.

Read more Indianapolis Colts news on BleacherReport.com

What on earth is up with this guy?

A QB rating of 145.5?

After losing by double-digits in spite of his league-leading 433-yard performance against Houston in Week 1, he walks into Manning Bowl II on primetime television and posts a 145.5 quarterback rating.

Isn’t there some sort of rule against that?

Shouldn’t the competition committee look into this?

Damn.

Would it be possible for us to have one season, just one season, without Peyton Manning playing dominant football?

Manning is 60 of 83 (72.3 percent) for 688 yards, six touchdowns, and zero interceptions in two games, and ranks first in passing yards, touchdowns, and interception percentage.

Take this guy off the field or something because if the Colts defense is going to play as well as they did against the Giants on Sunday night, it’s just not even worth it anymore.

Pro Bowl selections over the past 11 seasons?

Eight Pro Bowl selections in a row?

This has never been done in NFL history—not even close.

Consistency?

My god, Joe Montana played in the league for 16 seasons and was fortunate enough to walk away with…zero 4,000-yard passing seasons.

Don’t worry, I know: He didn’t have Mark Clayton or Mark Duper as receivers.

But 10 in 12 seasons?

I’m losing my sense of time; I shouldn’t live decades in the past.

True, it was unfair to allow Dan Marino to play during the 1980s, but at least he only played at an elite level MOST of the time.

With Peyton, it’s to the point where it is ALL of the time.

I’m still scratching my head even though you’d figure that, after a full decade of this, I’d have become used to it by now. 

Read more Indianapolis Colts news on BleacherReport.com

Losing any time during September is “unusual” for the Colts, but perhaps it was the way in which they lost that might prove to be most disappointing.

Peyton Manning remained prolific to say the least: 40-of-57 (70.2 percent) for 433 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions with a 109.8 quarterback rating.

If he continued to play at this pace for the remainder of the season, his production would look like this: 640-of-912 (70.2 percent) for 6,928 yards, 48 touchdowns, and zero interceptions.

While it is not logical to expect any player to continue to produce at that rate, it’s also not often logical to lose by double-digits when your quarterback is on pace to throw for almost 7,000 yards in a single season.

But Manning wasn’t the only statistical-stud of the game. The other was Arian Foster.

Who?

Doesn’t really matter, as the Colts’ run defense took a page out of the 2006 team’s playbook.

Foster had 33 carries for 231 yards and three touchdowns.

At that pace, he’d rush for 3,696 yards and 48 touchdowns this season.

Again, while it wouldn’t be logical to expect any player to continue to produce at that rate, it’s also not often logical to see a player who, prior to this game, had only rushed for 257 yards in his entire career, cut through the Colts defense like Swiss cheese as though he were Jim Brown reincarnated.

The bottom line?

Passing offense, check.

Rushing offense, “aggghhh.”

Passing defense, check.

Rushing defense: Remember Jacksonville in 2006?

For the Colts, it would be almost impossible for the passing game to get much better, and it would be virtually impossible for the run defense to get much worse.

The Colts are a very talented team, but when you factor in that an injury-plague is unavoidable (and in Indianapolis, it is) and you know that your quarterback is going to do his job, it’s essential that they be able to correct other issues the team is facing if they hope to make a serious run at Super Bowl XLV.

Read more Indianapolis Colts news on BleacherReport.com

Anything.

Nothing should be their last option; the aforementioned should be their first.

They need another quarterback desperately.

Five completions during an exhibition game against the Buffalo Bills is not enough to warrant holding onto this belief that Curtis Painter is the best possible second-option to Peyton Manning.

I hate to be judgmental and make rash decisions without a greater body or work to evaluate, but I will never forget the 28.6 completion percentage, the zero touchdowns, the four turnovers, or the 9.8 quarterback rating posted during Curtis Painter’s only regular season action last year.

The bottom line: Even if Curtis Painter improves his performance, that wouldn’t make him the best available option to take up the mantle in the event that something ever did happen to Peyton Manning on the football field.

The Colts are favorites to win this year’s Super Bowl and now is not the time to gamble.

They need to prepare for the worst, and I personally do not feel they would be in the best hands if Curtis Painter were to be thrown into the starting position.

The Colts would not be able to replace Peyton Manning, but there are better alternatives.

Enter Sage Rosenfels

With the return of Brett Favre, Rosenfels has slipped down to the number-three spot on the Vikings depth chart, and rumor has it that the team is not thrilled with the idea of paying 2.6 million dollars to have Rosenfels sit on the bench all season.

While it is my opinion that the Vikings are doing themselves a disservice by banking on Tarvaris Jackson instead of Sage Rosenfels, the fact remains that a possible trade may become very likely.

After week-one of the 2010 pre-season, Rosenfels is the NFL’s leading passer after going 23 of 34 (67.6 percent) for 310 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions to post a 125.9 quarterback rating against the St. Louis Rams.

I expect Rosenfels to see continued action against San Francisco on Sunday Night Football as the Vikings will likely continue the trend of showcasing his talents to attract potential bidders.

There are a number of teams in the league right now who are in need of a reliable backup quarterback, but none of them are in greater need than the Colts.

You could argue that it’s unlikely that Rosenfels would ever need to take a snap in Indianapolis, but that’s not why his presence would be so important.

I wouldn’t expect Manning to miss any playing time unless Indianapolis secures their playoff position towards the end of the season; my concern is what could happen if tragedy strikes.

An injury to Manning would be devastating no matter how you look at it, but the presence of a guy like Sage Rosenfels to take over if needed would be far more reassuring than seeing number seven standing behind center.

How comfortable would the Colts be having Curtis Painter walking into Foxboro to face Tom Brady and the Patriots in Week 11?

If you are a Colts fan, how confident would you feel?

Rosenfels has a lot of raw talent, hard work ethic, and a fantastic attitude. His experience in starting games (in the AFC South, no less) could prove to be quite valuable if his services were ever required.

The Colts might have to give up a fourth or fifth round draft-pick and be willing to pay in the range of two million dollars to secure his services; but while that may seem to be a hefty price to pay, it would be more than worth the expense.

This could be the difference between keeping a Super Bowl contending team stable, or fizzling out and missing the playoffs all together.

We’ve seen untimely injuries happen time and time again, especially in Indianapolis.

The Colts should just ask themselves if Peyton Manning were to get injured, do they really feel that he’s backed at a moment’s notice by the best available option the league has to offer?

If the answer is no, it might be time to start considering other options.

Read more Indianapolis Colts news on BleacherReport.com

Peyton Manning is the greatest quarterback in NFL history; and would be whether I proclaim that he is, or others declare that he isn’t.

Opinions are formed by our perceptions, and our judgments are influenced by the aforementioned; heavily.

The reality is, sad though it may be, is that a great percentage of the football-appreciating community does not appear capable of making rational judgments when it comes to the “ranking” of players at various positions.

Especially quarterback.

The product of a lifetime’s worth of misconceptions has given birth to a system fundamentally flawed, and backed to the hilt with substantiation that serves only to reinforce the misconceptions at hand.

We all have our opinions; myself included.

The term “greatness” in and of itself is the by-product of personal opinion; but not a concept in which the “majority opinion” substantiates actual fact.

Peyton Manning can be labeled the “greatest” as a result of his supporters’ opinions; but he would be in reality, the “best” because of what he’s done on the football field, regardless of whether or not the majority accepts it.

There are a number of areas in which to analyze when making such a proclamation; many of which would be impossible to capture in the length of a single article.

I will however, analyze a number of areas critical to the judgment of Peyton Manning’s career; details essential to arriving at the most accurate conclusion.

It’s my opinion, for better or worse, I do not expect everyone to agree.

There are 23 modern-era quarterbacks in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, three first ballot future-inductees active today (Manning being one of them), and a number of promising young prospects who have yet to reach to later chapter of their careers.

There are fans of 31 teams outside of Indianapolis; and the end result will be the predictable…difference of opinion.

My intent is not to stir up a debate, but rather, to illustrate exactly why Peyton Manning is what some people feel him to be and why he still is, what many refuse to accept…

The greatest quarterback in NFL history.

Production

Perhaps the most important aspect of analyzing an individual players’ ability and success.

There are plenty of other areas to be sure (many of which I’ll address later in the article), but it is impossible, logically, to overlook the importance of producing on the football field.

People use the term “numbers” and often, “big numbers” to bypass Manning’s most significant contribution to his team’s chances of winning.

Have you ever heard someone say that so-and-so “might not have the biggest numbers, but he gets the job done”?

I know I have; but the reality is that this concept of “getting the job done” in spite of producing on the football field is, in most instances, unsubstantiated glorification of a player who rides the coattails of his team’s success and wins games in spite of moving his team up and down the field less, and putting fewer points on the board.

“Big numbers” as some like to refer to production as, is what amounts to winning football games.

To win (from an offensive perspective), you need to score points.

There’s no way around it. Passing yards move you up and down the field to give you the best opportunity to score some, and passing touchdowns do exactly that.

From a passing perspective, Manning has become the most productive player in the 90-year history of the sport.

Peyton Manning (1998-2009)

4,232 of 6,531 (64.8) for 50,128 yards, 366 touchdowns, and 181 interceptions.

QB rating: 95.2

An aspect that many people tend to look past is how impressive these figures are given that he has only started 192 (consecutive, by the way) games in his career.

Total production is bound to go up the longer you play, but completion percentage and quarterback rating are not.

It’s common sense, the longer you play, figures that appear high will begin to decline as it’s impossible to keep up with paces of exceptional magnitude.

But Manning has.

To put it in perspective, no quarterback in NFL history has maintained a completion percentage or quarterback rating that high after throwing as many passing attempts as Manning has (6,531); especially quarterbacks facing the ”pass-defense first” defense schemes Manning has.

Along the way, he has set an NFL record with 10 (no, that’s not a typo) 4,000-yard passing seasons.

That figure would have easily been 11 had he not sat out of the majority of the final two weeks of the 2005 season due to playoff position being secured.

Backup quarterback Jim Sorgi attempted 61 passes during that span. If you average Manning’s 8.3 YPA over 61 passing attempts, you’d get an additional 506 passing yards (bringing his total to 4,253).

Maybe he would have thrown for more than 4,253 yards, maybe he would have throw less, but logically speaking, it would be reasonable to assume he would have easily eclipsed the 4,000-yard mark and extended his record to 11 such seasons (speaking of which, six such seasons is second best in league history).

To have eclipsed that figure for 83-92 percent (depending on your perspective) of his entire career defies logic; especially since every other quarterback to have played last decade had been granted the same opportunity, with nobody even coming close.

Many will be quick to point out…”that’s just all in the regular season.”

After all, Manning isn’t the “clutch” quarterback Tom Brady is during the “only time that really matters,” right?

You could point out that his 131 wins in his first 12 seasons is an NFL record (a record reached by becoming the driving force behind transforming the worst team in pro football into the winningest franchise the NFL has ever seen in a single decade); but I suppose it means little while he has a questionable 9-9 record in the post-season.

Manning’s a choke artist, isn’t he?

Sure, he helped set an NFL record with seven fourth-quarter comebacks in a single season; but that doesn’t matter because his Colts didn’t win the Super Bowl and nobody plays for second place.

But just how bad has Manning been in the post-season anyway?

I’ll show you…

Peyton Manning (Post-Season Career)

435 of 692 (62.9) for 5,164 yards, 28 touchdowns and 19 interceptions.

QB rating: 87.6

Surprising production for a post-season choke artist; but he’s still no Tom Brady…

Tom Brady (Post-Season Career)

395 of 637 (62.0) for 4,108 yards, 28 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.

QB rating: 85.5

Wait a second!

That can’t be right; Tom Brady has the best post-season winning percentage in NFL history. He can’t be out-produced by the league’s most infamous choke artist!

But nevertheless, that’s the reality.

I’m waiting for it, I know…Tom Brady didn’t have the same weapons that Peyton Manning had; that’s not fair!

And you’d be right; but you have to look at both sides of the equation at the same time.

Marvin Harrison was unquestionably Manning’s No. 1 target for the majority of his career; but what exactly did he contribute while Peyton Manning was producing during the post-season?

Marvin Harrison (Post-Season Career w/Manning, 15-games)

62 receptions for 812 yards and two touchdowns.

Your eyes do not deceive you; although they may as Harrison’s one “semi-great” playoff performance vs. Denver in 2003 (seven receptions for 133 yards & two TD’s) skews his totals a bit…

Marvin Harrison (Post-Season Career w/Manning, 14 of 15 games)

55 receptions for 679 yards and zero touchdowns.

Per-game average for 93 percent of his post-season career w/Manning…

Four receptions for 49 yards and zero touchdowns.

So while yes, Manning did have more talented receivers to throw to than Brady did for most of his post-season career, let’s not pretend that his No. 1 target was anything short of the most disappointing post-season wide receiver in recent history.

All the while Manning produced anyway and wrote his own chapter of the post-season NFL record book…

*Most 300-yard passing games in post-season history (8).

*Most 400-yard passing games in post-season history (2).

*Most passing yards in 1st half of a post-season game (360).

*Most passing yards in a post-season game (458).

*Most post-season games with 20+ completions (14).

*Most post-season games with 30+ completions (4).

*Most completions in a single post-season (97 in 2006).

*One of only two QB’s to complete over 80% of their passes in two post-season games.

*One of only four QB’s to post a perfect QB rating in a post-season game.

*Led the biggest comeback in conference championship game history (Back from 18 points down in 2006 AFC championship game).

I’m not saying that Peyton Manning has been necessarily better than Tom Brady in the post-season (as you could make a good argument for either QB at this point); but I am saying that it is a lot closer than many people have conceptualized.

Yes, Manning has been more inconsistent in that he’s mixed very bad games in with his record-breaking games; but I’m not sure it says much more when a guy like Brady could go out, play average football, and win his first Super Bowl contributing exceptionally little along the way…

Tom Brady (2001 Post-Season)

60 of 97 (61.9) for 572 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

QB rating: 77.3

When one touchdown pass in two and a half playoff games is all it takes to bring home the Lombardi trophy and 145 passing yards on the grandest stage is enough to earn a Super Bowl MVP, why do we hold Brady in such high esteem for his “three” Super Bowl victories?

He didn’t perform that well while winning one of them; but you’ll never hear people say that he won two championships playing good football, but walked away with another by doing exceptionally little to earn it.

I suppose it’s better than glorifying Ben Roethlisberger for his “two” Super Bowl rings (yes, I watched Super Bowl XL).

But it illustrates very well, the issue fans have with glorifying individual players for the wrong reasons that they do not even understand.

I mean, why do we put such a great emphasis on the post-season anyway?

Is it simply the date on the calendar?

Is it because a team’s season is on the line; the ultimate pressure situations?

But is it only a “clutch” victory when the masses dictate it to be so?

I’ll take you back to 2008 when the Indianapolis Colts sat with a 3-4 record after Week Eight. 

Every game that followed essentially began to hold “season-ending” ramifications; as if the Colts were to lose another game before the season ended, their post-season hopes would have likely come to an abrupt halt.

With their season essentially on the line, how did Peyton Manning fare in the face of such adversity?

Peyton Manning (2008: nine-game winning streak)

209 of 290 (72.1) for 2,248 yards, 17 touchdowns and three interceptions.

QB rating: 109.7

Perhaps the highlight of that streak came when he led his Colts to victory over the eventual Super Bowl champion Steelers; in Pittsburgh no less.

A game in which Manning threw three touchdowns to zero interceptions against the league’s No. 1 defense while Ben Roethlisberger (a man whom many considered to be “Mr. Clutch” by the end of the season) threw zero touchdowns to three interceptions against the Colts defense.

Was Manning really “Mr. Clutch” and Roethlisberger the “choke artist”?

Or did it not matter because it was during the wrong month of the calendar?

After all, we know the Steelers don’t give 100 percent of their effort during important home games in Pittsburgh; right?

Still during the course of this winning streak, Manning continued to break NFL records into December…

Peyton Manning (December 2008)

90 of 110 (81.9) for 1,054 yards, eight touchdowns and zero interceptions.

QB rating: 130.8

His 81.9 completion percentage is higher than any quarterback has ever posted during any single month in the 90-year history of the league; and he did all of this under the pressure of knowing that each game had “season-ending” ramifications.

Does this mean that we should credit Manning with nine additional “playoff-caliber” victories?

I’m not saying we should; but we have seen how well Manning has performed with his season on the line.

The important thing is to take a look at his career totals (both regular and post-season) to get an idea of how well Manning has performed during his 12 years in the league.

Peyton Manning (Career Totals)

4,667 of 7,223 (64.6) for 55,292 yards, 394 touchdowns and 200 interceptions.

QB rating: 94.5

He’s struggled and broken records during the post-season (which has only accounted for under 9 percent of his career); and has become the most prolific player in NFL history during the other 91 percent of his career.

The playoffs are extremely important; but it’s ignorant to lessen the significance of what constitutes the majority of all players’ careers.

But with the combination of both, nobody is in Manning’s league.

It’s not so much about the career totals (as the rules of the game have evolved over the years to become era-specific) as much as it is the consistency.

So for instance, if 4,000+ passing yards has become the measuring stick of how we evaluate productive players during Manning’s generation, but 3,000+ passing yards was the measuring stick used decades ago…

Never in NFL history has an individual player continued to both produce on the football field at an elite level, as efficiently or as consistently as Peyton Manning.

The man has been elected to the Pro Bowl 10 times during his 12-year career; 10 times in the past 11 years (a feat that no one has ever achieved before in history, or will likely ever achieve again in the future).

The Pro Bowl system is flawed, but Manning has nevertheless earned all ten of his selections.

Playing at that high a level for 10 out of 12 years, 10 times in 11 seasons, and eight seasons consecutively, again defies logic…because it’s never been done in NFL history.

As a matter of fact, when throwing for 4,131 yards (in 2001) and 3,739 yards (in 1998; number one in the AFC that season) are the two worst seasons in your career; that more is there to say?

Yes, he threw a ton of interceptions during those two seasons; but that happens to quarterbacks who are backed by 31st- and 29th-ranked scoring defenses.

Playing from behind and having little chance to win even when you are productive aren’t exactly the easiest circumstances to play under; yet he remained productive anyway.

Beyond those two seasons, Manning’s helped lead the Colts to a 122-38 record.

That’s a heck of a lot of winning for a team that wasn’t exactly stacked to the brim with All-Pro talent.

Receiving Support

How many times have you listened to people rant and rave about Peyton Manning and all of his “weapons”?

With the way in which it is often spoken about, you’d think Manning’s been the beneficiary of some of the greatest offensive support in NFL history.

Truth be told, he has been fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to play with some very talented players.

The issue is, talented though they may be, the degree of which the cumulative support is often referred to, has become inflated beyond logic.

It’s not so much that every fan is looking to be unfair as much as it is their adoption of the “name-recognition method” as their primary tool of which to gauge offensive support.

People sit back and talk about how he’s had Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, and Dallas Clark to throw to over the years; so how couldn’t he be successful?

Yet with as easy as it may be to roll the names of Pro Bowl players off of your tongue, what exactly does it mean for Manning to have been throwing to all those players over the years?

Has Peyton been paired with the proverbial Pro Bowl powerhouse of offensive support; or have talented players become great as a result of their pairing with him?

One thing that people need to realize is that when your are receivers playing with one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, someone is going to have to be contributing to the production.

Someone is going to be catching the passes, racking up the yards, and scoring the touchdowns.

But even though we could all debate how talented Manning’s receivers really have been, we cannot debate how productive they’ve been. The result of which is actually contradicts common conceptions.

Indianapolis Colts Receiving Production (1998-2009 annual averages)

No. 1 receiver: 100 receptions for 1,345 yards and 11 touchdowns.

No. 2 receiver: 70 receptions for 862 yards and seven touchdowns.

The top figure will likely come as little surprise to most as the Colts’ No. 1 receiver during any given season was likely selected to a Pro Bowl.

The above figures are a bit deceptive in that I recorded the No. 1 and No. 2 highs in each category; even if they didn’t come from the same player.

So for instance, it could have been Reggie Wayne who caught seven touchdowns (second best on the team), but it could have been a tight end or half back who was second on the team in receptions (thus illustrating a greater distribution of production) and inflating the figures of the averages for both the No. 1 and No. 2 receivers.

Nevertheless, it was the annual production posted by the No. 2 receiver that caught my eye.

Impressive though the production may be for a No. 2 target, it’s a far cry from the multiple Pro Bowl receiver perception that many have. A lot of fans seem to think that the way it was in 2006 (when Peyton threw to two Pro Bowl receivers who both ranked high in production) was the way it was during the majority of Manning’s career.

The reality is that years like 2004, 2005, and 2006 were the exceptions; not the rules.

That explains why the overall average for the Colts’ second most productive receiver is no more impressive than Mike Simms-Walker’s production in 2009.

Of course, since Manning’s career has covered three different decades, it might be more fair to take both a modern-day equivalent (or close to it) as well as a productive equivalent from the middle of Manning’s career (I choose 2003).

Colts No. 2 receiver (1998-2009)

70 receptions for 862 yards and seven touchdowns.

David Boston (2003)

70 receptions for 880 yards and seven touchdowns.

Mike Simms-Walker (2009)

63 receptions for 869 yards and seven touchdowns.

So let’s erase this conception that Manning’s been throwing to three Hall of Famers or three Pro Bowlers over the course of his career.

His No. 1 most productive target (be it Marvin Harrison or Reggie Wayne) has produced at that level while the second most productive target has produced no better than a player the caliber of David Boston or Mike Simms-Walker (with no disrespect intended to those two players).

Any other receivers would be below that level of production and a far cry from a Pro Bowl prospect.

Yet even those figures are a bit skewed.

2004, 2005, 2006, and 2009 inflate the overall averages as it was only during those seasons that one could make an argument for Manning being paired with at least two high-caliber productive targets.

Remove those seasons and…

Colts No. 2 receiver (1998-2003, 2007-2008)

62 receptions for 721 yards and six touchdowns

So for 2/3’s of Peyton Manning’s career, that is the level of productive support he had to work with.

Not Hall of Fame support, Not All-Pro support, and not Pro Bowl support.

Given that Manning has become the most productive player in league history, his No. 2 receiver by default is bound to become that productive. That’s simply the logistics of football.

And that it not to take away anything from the contributions of Manning’s receivers.

They have been very productive during a number of seasons; it’s just nowhere near the level that many people perceive it to be.

There have been times when he’s been given fantastic productive support (2006, for instance) and other seasons where he’s played with essentially one impressive productive target (2000, for instance); but Manning has continued to remain productive regardless of his supporting cast.

It has changed to varying degrees (as would be the case for any player affected by team changes) but despite all of this, Manning has become the most consistently productive player in NFL history.

Take a guy like Marvin Harrison, for instance.

He became one of the most consistently productive players in NFL history. It just so happened to take effect after Peyton Manning came along…

I excluded 2007-2008 because Harrison suffered from a knee injury that essentially ended his career.

He wasn’t himself after that injury; so it didn’t honestly capture the degree of productivity he was capable of when playing healthy.

Marvin Harrison (1996-1997, annual average)

69 receptions for 851 yards and seven touchdowns.

Marvin Harrison (1998-2006, annual average)

102 receptions for 1,379 yards and 12 touchdowns.

The differential is staggering.

That’s an average of 33 receptions, 528 yards, and five touchdowns per-season beyond his career averages prior to playing with Manning.

I’m not saying for a moment that Marvin Harrison wasn’t a phenomenal talent.

I’m simply saying that there are some instances where it’s more about the receiver making the quarterback better and other instances where it’s more about the quarterback making the receiver better; and while both may be applicable to this instance, there was far more of the latter between Manning and Harrison.

Rushing Support

Another thing I’m tired of hearing about is all of the Pro Bowl running-backs Manning has played with during his career.

There have been three: Marshall Faulk, Edgerrin James, and Joseph Addai.

With players like that, the “name-recognition method” is quick to come into effect.

Since he’s played with three Pro Bowl running-backs, he has to be getting more rushing support than most, right?

Nobody would say that the running-game in Indianapolis has actually been worse than what the New England Patriots produced in 2009.

And nobody would ever dare say that with name recognition aside, the Indianapolis Colts running game over the course of Manning’s career has been a virtual carbon copy of the 2003 Houston Texans.

Yet public perception cannot change reality…

Indianapolis Colts running game (1998-2009)

423 carries for 1,652 yards (3.9) and 14 touchdowns.

Houston Texans running game (2003)

421 carries for 1,651 yards (3.9) and 14 touchdowns.

New England Patriots running game (2009)

466 carries for 1,921 yards (4.1) and 19 touchdowns.

Is that supposed to be shocking?

Not really; because just as much as “teams” win championships, “teams” produce on the ground as well.

The Colts have long been a team dominated by the “stud-back”: typically one productive rusher backed by few other players who do not produce.

The thing is in football, it doesn’t matter who it is gaining the yards or scoring the touchdowns; a touchdown counts as six points regardless of the name on the back of the jersey.

But because of that name recognition, fans have been under the false belief that the Colts running game has been much more productive than it has actually been.

Blocking Support

Have you ever heard someone say that Manning’s been blessed with the “greatest offensive line of his generation”?

That may be an extreme of course; and it certainly wouldn’t come from the mouth of anyone who has watched a Colts game recently.

The “name-recognition method” has also run rampant in this regard as well.

Never mind that Jeff Saturday and Tarik Glenn have been the only two Pro Bowl blockers in Manning’s career; but their presence has also added a false sense of security to the eyes of the unknowing public.

Jeff Saturday’s been one heck of a center and for a number of years; Tarik Glenn was a solid left-tackle.

But there have been so many issues with the Colts offensive line over the years (especially recently) that it amazes me that as of last season, Manning has managed to become the least sacked quarterback in all of professional football.

People see low sack figures and simply assume that it had to have taken good blocking to make that possible.

This strips Manning of the recognition he deserves for being one of the best decision makers in NFL history.

Manning will take a sack when a play provides him no other option (often dropping to the ground to avoid the unnecessary collisions); but he is also extremely proficient in utilizing his quick release to make gains out of sacks and to make incompletions out of possible interceptions.

Manning has done a whole lot of that during his career; but it’s something only recognized by those who take the time to really watch him play.

He doesn’t run around behind the line like he’s in a Madden video-game (ala, Ben Roethlisberger) or heave the ball into quadruple coverage (ala, Brett Favre).

He’s a sound decision maker who has learned that when he cannot make a good play, it’s better not to make something worse out of a bad situation.

With five linemen blocking him for 12 seasons, there have been 60 opportunities for linemen to be elected to the Pro Bowl; a feat only reached by two of his blockers (Saturday & Glenn) a total of seven times during their combined careers.

Not too shabby for those two players; but it still overlooks the problems the Colts have had with their offensive line over the course of Manning’s career.

Conclusion

As I said at the beginning of this article, Peyton Manning is the greatest quarterback in NFL history.

Has he had the combination of talented and great players to work with?

Yes, and I think Peyton would be the first person to tell you so.

But has the degree of support he’s been given been blown out of proportion?

Yes, and that might be one of the most important aspects for people to reconsider.

Beyond that, his resume speaks for itself.

He’s the most productive player in NFL history.

He’s the most consistent player in NFL history.

He already owns portions of both the regular season and post-season record books.

He’ll likely break every significant career passing record in history; and will have done so playing with a level of consistency never been seen before or likely to ever be seen after.

But he didn’t become the greatest quarterback in NFL history because I said so; he became the greatest quarterback in NFL history through hard work, talent, and performance unlike anything we’ve ever seen in the history professional football.

There’s Peyton Manning, then there’s everyone else.

Perception doesn’t change reality; Manning’s already achieved this by what he’s done on the football field.

I can attempt to illustrate a small portion of that and others could attempt to beg to differ; but nobody can take away what Manning has accomplished during his 12 seasons in Indianapolis.

My opinion is that he’s the “greatest”; and biased though it may seem, the reality is that he’s the “best” to ever play the position.

Sometimes opinion and reality agree to terms with one another and Peyton Manning just so happens to be the catalyst for such a realization.

Read more Indianapolis Colts news on BleacherReport.com

Last season bared witness to a plethora of productive passing, and while it might not be logical to expect the same degree of productivity this year, the NFL is stacked to the brim with talent at the quarterback position heading into 2010.

In all of my years of watching professional football, I have never seen such a vast amount of talent at the quarterback position. Any player to have made my Top 10 is capable of winning the league MVP award, and that’s saying something.

But would you believe that multiple Pro Bowlers were left off the list while multiple non-selections made the cut?

As is the case with most player rankings, readers are bound to agree, disagree and debate. In spite of the various differences of opinion, the Top 10 quarterbacks of the 2010 season are about to be revealed …

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