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Henderson: As Quarterbacks Go, Manning One Of The Best

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 4, 2007

Updated: 10/04/2007 01:12 am

One of the first things Peyton Manning did Monday was to place a congratulatory phone call to the new king of quarterbacks, Brett Favre. That's one time you'd love to have a bug in that phone, just to listen in as two of the best to ever play the position chatted it up.

The day before, Favre became the National Football League's all-time leader in touchdown passes. Perhaps only a fellow quarterback can fully appreciate what it took to do that.

Especially a quarterback who might one day break Favre's record.

'I think he will break it if he stays healthy,' Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy said.

Well, that's a useful and interesting discussion because, obviously, we're talking about one of the best to ever throw a football. But when the Colts are next on your schedule, which they are Sunday for the Bucs at Indy, the matter of Manning's long-term brilliance takes on new meaning.

'What he does on game day at the line of scrimmage, from the films I've seen and the games I've been in, is unprecedented. It's a no-huddle attack. He has a lot of freedom to pull the trigger on whatever he feels is right for the Colts offense,' Bucs coach Jon Gruden said.

'He's got the ability, the courage and the whole persona to pull it off. We're looking forward to the challenge, what can I say?'

There are a lot of things they can say, but what matters most is what they do. Any discussion of the Bucs' chances at Indy starts with Peyton and ends with Manning.

Runs The Show

The Bucs have gotten off to a fine start defensively, but this is a whole 'nother animal here. The Colts will spend much of the game in the no-huddle offense, and Manning will have virtually no restrictions on what he wants to do. He will bring the Colts to the line of scrimmage and start a series of hand gestures to signal a play that, more often than not, winds up in a completion.

'He has great control of his offense. He has been fortunate that he has been able to be in the same offense for his entire career and he has had great players around him. He understands what defenses are trying to do against him,' Bucs quarterback Jeff Garcia said.

'Because of the way they play, they force defenses to show their cards early. And teams don't get to him a whole lot, so he is allowed to stay in the pocket, make his read, and he is accurate with the football. He just has great presence on the football field. He is a true leader and an exceptional quarterback. He is one of the best to play the game.'

Want to blitz? You risk getting burned big, but laying back in coverage allows him time to make decisions. Teams have had success roughing him up a bit - most notably, then-Pittsburgh linebacker Joey Porter in the AFC playoffs two years ago - but even that tactic is iffy.

'He can keep you off balance. He's so good at getting his offense into the right look and the right formation for the particular defense. And he makes accurate throws,' said Bucs linebacker Cato June, who until this season was Manning's teammate.

As Good As It Gets

While his body of work will more than compare with the likes of John Elway, Troy Aikman, and any of a handful of other quarterbacks you'll want to name, Manning will have carved his own identity. He doesn't have the mad-bomber arm of a Terry Bradshaw or Dan Marino, for instance, and he doesn't move around like Joe Montana or Elway.

But few quarterbacks ever can match Manning's grasp of the game. The ball consistently goes to the right spot at the right time. The Colts are a threat to score every time Manning takes a snap.

'The guy has a good arm, he has all the tools, but a lot of guys have that and they still can't get the job done,' Bucs defensive end Greg Spires said. 'He has that switch you can turn on to make it happen.'

Do that as well as Manning has for as long as he has done it, and you can expect questions like the one that was posed to him Wednesday. Right after he mentioned the congratulatory call he made to Favre, Manning was asked if he can imagine a day when he will hold the record.

'You're talking about a guy who is in his 16th year in the league; I'm in my 10th, so breaking it is kind of far-fetched,' he said.

Not so far, really. He has averaged nearly 31 TDs per year during his first nine seasons. He is right on that pace this season, having thrown eight through four games. Assuming Favre finishes his career with about 450 touchdowns, Manning would be closing in on that mark in six more seasons at his current pace.

'Peyton is going to be on pace to break it. I don't see him slowing down in his productivity if he doesn't get hurt,' Dungy said. 'We've got a lot of good players around him. He knows the system, the system is not going to change, so I think injury would be the only thing that stops him - unless Favre plays for eight more years and puts the number out of sight.'

We'll shelve that topic for another day. The Bucs have more pressing issues.

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