Quarterback, Indianapolis
Age: 28
7th
season in pro football & with Colts
College: Tennessee
Height: 6’5” Weight: 230
Prelude:
Son of NFL
quarterback Archie Manning and a star in college, Manning was chosen by the
Colts with the first overall draft pick in 1998. It didn’t take long for him to
justify the selection as he set NFL rookie records with 3739 passing yards and
26 TD passes. He led the league with 575 pass attempts, also a record for a
rookie at the time, but also with 28 interceptions on a 3-13 club. The record
turned around to 13-3 in ’99, the Colts qualified for the postseason, and
Manning was selected to the Pro Bowl for the first time as he passed for 4135
yards and, while he again threw 26 TD passes, his interceptions dropped to 15.
A classic drop-back passer, he lacked his father’s mobility but made up for it
with a quick release – not to mention an excellent work ethic. Manning led the
NFL with 357 completions, 4413 yards, and 33 TD passes in 2000 and again was chosen
for the Pro Bowl. Following a lesser year in ’01 as the Colts dropped to 6-10,
he bounced back with a third Pro Bowl season in 2002, passing for 4200 yards
(his fourth straight year over 4000) and 27 touchdowns. The team was back in
the playoffs, but for the third straight time Manning and the Colts came up
short in their initial postseason game. In 2003 he achieved consensus
first-team All-NFL and MVP consideration for the first time as he led the
league in completions (379), completion percentage (67.0), and yards (4267).
This time the Colts advanced to the AFC title game before falling to the
Patriots.
2004 Season Summary
Appeared and
started in all 16 games
[Bracketed
numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]
Passing
Attempts – 497
[8]
Most attempts,
game – 44 at Kansas City 10/31, vs. San Diego 12/26
Completions –
336 [4]
Most
completions, game – 28 vs. Green Bay 9/26
Yards – 4557 [3]
Most yards,
game – 472 at Kansas City 10/31
Completion
percentage – 67.6 [3, 1st in AFC]
Yards per
attempt – 9.2 [1]
TD passes – 49
[1]
Most TD
passes, game – 6 at Detroit 11/25
Interceptions
– 10
Most
interceptions, game – 2 vs. Houston 11/14, vs. Tennessee 12/5
Passer rating
– 121.1 [1]
400-yard
passing games – 2
300-yard
passing games – 6
200-yard
passing games – 14
Rushing
Attempts – 25
Most
attempts, game - 4 (for 20 yds.) vs. Minnesota 11/8
Yards – 38
Most yards,
game – 20 yards (on 4 carries) vs. Minnesota 11/8
Yards per
attempt – 1.5
TDs – 0
Postseason: 2
G
Pass attempts
– 75
Most
attempts, game - 42 at New England, AFC Divisional playoff
Pass
completions – 54
Most
completions, game - 27 vs. Denver, AFC Wild Card playoff, at New England, AFC
Divisional playoff
Passing
yardage – 696
Most yards,
game - 458 vs. Denver, AFC Wild Card playoff
TD passes – 4
Most TD
passes, game - 4 vs. Denver, AFC Wild Card playoff
Interceptions
– 2
Most
interceptions, game - 1 vs. Denver, AFC Wild Card playoff, at New England, AFC
Divisional playoff
Rushing
attempts – 2
Most rushing
attempts, game - 1 vs. Denver, AFC Wild Card playoff, at New England, AFC
Divisional playoff
Rushing yards
– 8
Most rushing
yards, game - 7 at New England, AFC Divisional playoff
Average gain
rushing – 4.0
Rushing TDs –
1
Awards & Honors:
NFL MVP: AP, PFWA,
NEA, Bert Bell Award, Sporting News
NFL Offensive
Player of the Year: AP
1st
team All-NFL: AP, PFWA, Sporting News
1st
team All-AFC: Pro Football Weekly
Pro Bowl
Colts went 12-4
to finish first in the AFC South while leading the NFL in passing offense (4623
yards), scoring (522 points), and touchdowns (66). Won AFC Wild Card playoff
over Denver Broncos (49-24). Lost AFC Divisional playoff to New England
Patriots (20-3).
Aftermath:
Manning was
consensus first-team All-Pro for the third consecutive year in 2005 and, in
’06, finally overcame years of frustration in the playoffs as the Colts won the
Super Bowl. Manning led the NFL in TD passes with 31 that year, against just 9
interceptions. Overall, he started 227 regular season games at quarterback, with
208 straight, until sidelined for all of 2011 with a neck injury. Released by
the Colts and signed by the Denver Broncos for 2012, Manning made a successful
comeback and led the NFL in completion percentage (68.6) while passing for 4659
yards and 37 TDs, garnering consensus first-team All-Pro honors for the sixth
time as well as selection to a 12th Pro Bowl. Thus far, he has
passed for 59,487 yards, with 12 seasons over 4000, and 436 TD passes.
--
MVP Profiles feature players who were named MVP or
Player of the Year in the NFL, AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974), or
USFL (1983-85) by a recognized organization (Associated Press, Pro Football
Writers Association, Newspaper Enterprise Association, United Press
International, The Sporting News, Maxwell Club – Bert Bell Award, or the league
itself).
[Updated 11/30/14]
[Updated 11/30/14]
