The Mouton Show
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Exclusive Interview
 Barry Sanders catches up with Players Voice on Radio Row.
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Half Man Half Machine: Peyton Manning |
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by MARK GREY 10.28.09 Coming into the 2009 season, the title of “Best QB” was very much up for debate. Just about everyone had Tom Brady and Peyton Manning as 1 and 1a with Drew Brees a close second. The argument has always been Manning’s stats or Brady’s rings. No matter which way you went on the issue, there really was no wrong answer because they were both great players. It may have been unclear who was number one entering the season, but the answer couldn’t be clearer now. For those who still don’t know, here’s a hint: his last name rhymes with planning.
In a year where many were looking for Manning’s play to take a step back, he has actually taken his game to a higher level. For years, Manning had found himself surrounded with talent. He has had all pro running backs to hand the ball off to and his choice of pro bowl receivers to throw to. The question was how he would perform this season without his star studded cast. Marvin Harrison, the future Hall of Fame weapon who had been with Manning his entire career, is now gone and the running game ranks 28th in the league; yet Manning hasn’t missed a beat. As if Manning hadn’t already been stripped of enough of his weapons, in week one he lost Anthony Gonzalez before he even got a chance to catch a pass. The loss of all these weapons would be enough to affect most QBs' performances, but Manning is proving he is not most QBs.
The performance Peyton has put on through the first seven weeks of this season is nothing short of amazing. While Brees and Brady have both had record breaking games this season in which they threw for 6 touchdowns, it is Manning’s consistency that has set him apart. Brady and Brees have both had games this season they would like to forget with QB ratings under 60, but Manning's lowest QB rating in any game this season is 94. In most games, Manning resembles a robot more than a human, picking apart defenses with ease. No quarterback has ever finished a season completing more than 71 percent of his passes and Manning is currently at 72 percent.
While it is not unusual to be beaten by a great quarterback on Sunday, Manning has most of his opponents beaten by Saturday night. With the amount of time Manning spends preparing for each team, it’s beginning to look like playing on Sunday is the easy part. Watching Manning play is almost like playing against the computer on a video game; he already knows what you're going to do and how to counter it. There is no one better in the game at making pre-snap reads than Manning and it seems like he is only getting better. For years he put up eye popping numbers while throwing to the likes of Reggie Wayne, Brandon Stokley and Harrison, but now he is having his best season with receivers that most football fans have never heard of. Manning always seems to know the right play to call to get one of his receivers open, and even when there isn’t, he still finds a way to get the ball in there. Last weekend tight end Dallas Clark was double covered and somehow Manning found a way to put the ball where only he could catch it.
Manning appears to have reached a level of mastery that is rarely seen in sports. Michael Jordan once described it as no longer playing a sport, it’s more like a chess match with your opponent; a level in which the game is won just as much mentally as it is physically. You often hear about great players reaching the point when the game begins to slow down for them. If the game gets any slower for Peyton, it will stop. He appears to see every blitz before it comes and is able to read every zone to the T. In 215 pass attempts, Manning has only been sacked twice, which not only speaks volumes about the great job his offensive line is doing, but also shows his ability to avoid the blitzes with his play calling.
It is great to see that Brady is returning to his MVP form and Brees and the Saints seem to put up 50 points every week, but what Manning is doing is truly special. No one player in the NFL is more responsible for his team's success than Manning, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. Manning may look like the least athletic player on the field on any given Sunday, but he more than makes up for it by being the most prepared player every single week. After all, does a robot really have to be athletic?
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Speak On It
 This week Mr. Brewsky talks about NFL free agents, March Madness, The Combine and much more.
Hear it here.
 "The definition of a good trade is one that makes both teams better. By that definition, there are very few trades in sports that are good. Looking back at the Gasol trade now, there is no denying that both teams got what they were looking for" Read More...
All Star Revival
 Horse is a game kids play outside in elementary school at recess. It just doesn’t translate well to grown men playing inside. Watching NBA players shoot one-handed free throws and other dumb shots is like inviting Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson over and seeing who is better at parallel parking. It’s a waste of everyone’s time. Read More...
"Is Orton a better quarterback then Cutler? The combine, the stats, and the highlight reels say no, but the records say yes. Will Orton ever be able to throw the ball 60 yards across his body and hit a double covered receiver right between the numbers? No, but he also won’t try to three or four times a game." Read More ...
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It didn’t take Kiffin long to stir things up at USC as he and his staff have already been reprimanded for recruiting practices. USC will be good because they have the talent. They will be great because, despite all the controversy, Kiffin and his staff are among the best in football. Read More ... 
