MVP Profile: Peyton Manning, 2008

Quarterback, Indianapolis Colts

Age:  32

11^th 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. Manning received MVP recognition in 2003 after leading the NFL in completions (379), yards (4267), and completion percentage (67.0). He again received MVP honors and was a consensus first-team All-Pro in 2004 as he set a record with 49 TD passes while leading the league in passing (121.1 rating) for the first of three straight years and also topped the NFL in TD percentage (9.9) and yards per attempt (9.2). He 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. In 2007, he was selected to his sixth straight Pro Bowl (eighth overall) and was over 4000 passing yards for the eighth time, but the Colts were upset by the Chargers in the AFC Divisional playoff round.

2008 Season Summary

Appeared and started in all 16 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing

Attempts – 555 [5]

Most attempts, game – 49 vs. Chicago 9/7

Completions – 371 [4]

Most completions, game – 32 at San Diego 11/23

Yards – 4002 [6]

Most yards, game – 364 at Jacksonville 12/18

Completion percentage – 66.8 [3]

Yards per attempt – 7.2 [13, tied with four others]

TD passes – 27 [5]

Most TD passes, game – 3 vs. Baltimore 10/12, at Pittsburgh 11/9, vs. Cincinnati 12/7, at Jacksonville 12/18

Interceptions – 12 [11, tied with four others]

Most interceptions, game – 2 on five occasions

Passer rating – 95.0 [5]

300-yard passing games – 4

200-yard passing games – 14

Rushing

Attempts – 20

Most attempts, game - 4 (for 8 yds.) at Houston 10/5

Yards – 21

Most yards, game – 12 yards (on 1 carry) vs. Jacksonville 9/21

Yards per attempt – 1.1

TDs – 1

Scoring

TDs – 1

Points – 6

Postseason: 1 G (AFC Wild Card playoff at San Diego)

Pass attempts – 42

Pass completions – 25

Passing yardage – 310

TD passes – 1

Interceptions – 0

Rushing attempts – 1

Rushing yards – -1

Average gain rushing – -1.0

Rushing TDs – 0

Awards & Honors:

NFL MVP: AP, PFWA, Sporting News

1^st team All-NFL: AP, PFWA

Pro Bowl

Colts went 12-4 to finish second in the AFC South and qualify for a Wild Card berth in the postseason. Lost AFC Wild Card playoff to San Diego Chargers (23-17).

Aftermath:

Manning was again a consensus first-team All-NFL selection and MVP honoree in 2009 as the Colts won the AFC Championship. He started 208 regular season games at quarterback 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 12^th Pro Bowl. Through 2012, he had 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).