Tag: Peyton Manning (Page 20 of 41)

      Is Drew Brees the new face of the NFL?

      August 8, 2010 /
      LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 14: NFL quarterback Drew Brees speaks onstage after winning the ESPY for Best Male Athlete during the 2010 ESPY Awards at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on July 14, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

      The Legend of Cecilio Guante (to find out who Cecilio Guante is, click here) argues that Drew Brees is the face of the NFL.

      It probably hit many fans long before I’ve come to the realization — or should I say the strong opinion. There is no real way to assert that someone is or is not the face of the NFL. Such a thing is inherently not a fact-based proposition. But it occured to me today that despite the omnipotence of Manning, the allure (no matter the counter current of hatred) that surrounds The Gunslingerm, and the magnetism of young players like Chris Johnson and Adrian Peterson, there is only man who has emerged as the new IT representative of the National Football League.

      Yup, Peyton may still deliver “cut that meat” lines better than any player in the game and sport a sick Sprint-inspired mustache time and again, but Brees has, at least temporarily, knocked him off the pedestal. Super Bowl MVP. Leader behind one big part of a city’s emotional resurrection. Endorser to more and more brands by the day. Madden cover boy. Brees is everywhere, and it’s not hard to see why. His numbers are off the chart. The story of the Saints is one of the best in rececnt team sports memory. Plus, he’s been highly involved in the NO community and is a former Walter Payton Award Winner, all of which were factors in SI naming Brees Sportsman of the Year in 2009.

      ‘Cecilio’s Scribe’ makes a strong argument, but Peyton Manning is still the face of the NFL, and will be for some time, barring a two- or three-Super Bowl run by Brees or Tom Brady. Manning is arguably the league’s best player and he’s has tons and tons and TONS of national endorsements, and that’s a strong combination.

      So who do you think is the face of the NFL? Vote after the jump…

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, Fantasy Football, NFL

      How does the NFL expect teams like the Rams and Lions to compete?

      July 31, 2010 /
      St. Louis Rams newest member, quarterback Sam Bradford, holds up his jersey with head coach Steve Spagnuolo (L) and general manager Billy Devaney as he is introduced to reporters at Rams Park in Earth City, Missouri on April 23, 2010, one day after being selected No. 1 in the first round of the NFL. Bradford played his college football at Oklahoma. UPI/Bill Greenblatt Photo via Newscom

      Quick math question to start your Saturday morning: If Sam Bradford is worth $50 million guaranteed, then how much should Peyton Manning make?

      I know it’s a tough question, so I’ll throw out some facts to better assist you while you think:

      Peyton Manning:

      – 50,128 career passing yards
      – 366 career passing touchdowns
      – 95.2 career passer rating
      – 2 Super Bowl appearances, 1 championship

      Sam Bradford:

      – Went to Oklahoma

      Look, nobody blames Bradford for cashing in (six years, $78 million). It’s not like any of us would have said, “You know what, Rams? I haven’t proven anything yet, so to be fair why don’t I just accept a modest starting salary of $40,000-a-year plus dental?”

      The system is broken in the NFL and it’s one of the many things that the NFLPA and owners need to resolve before signing a new collective bargaining agreement (assuming they do sign one, of course) in the next couple of months/year. And it’s not just a Bradford vs. Manning financial thing, either.

      How can the league expect a team like the Lions to field a competitive roster when they gave quarterback Matthew Stafford over $41 million in guarantees last year and they still have to sign No. 2 overall pick Ndamukong Suh this year? Last year, the Rams signed offensive tackle Jason Smith (the No. 2 overall pick) to a $61.775 million contract worth $33 million in guarantees. Between Bradford and Smith, the Rams now have $83 million in guaranteed money wrapped up in two players.

      And they don’t even know if Bradford and Smith can play yet.

      Again, how does the league expect teams like the Lions and Rams to compete with the likes of the Colts and Saints when they have to break the bank for unproven players? What happens when Calvin Johnson (a player the Lions actually know can play) needs a new deal in two years? Will the Lions be able to sign him? What if they can’t? They let one of their best players go because they have all of their money tied up into high draft picks?

      Talk about a vicious cycle – it needs to end.

      External Sports, NFL

      Talks between Colts, Manning going slowly

      July 5, 2010 /

      Feb. 07, 2010 - Miami Gardens, Florida, USA - PEYTON MANNING direct his offense in the first quarter of Super Bowl XLIV at Sun Life Stadium.

      While catching the Red Sox-Orioles game on Saturday night, Colts’ president Bill Polian admitted that contract talks between the team and quarterback Peyton Manning are going slowly because of the uncertainty of the new CBA deal.

      From WEEI.com:

      “It’s bound to have some effect,” Polian told WEEI.com. “What we don’t know is what the system is going forward. It makes it really difficult working out a deal that makes sense for everybody because you don’t know what the [salary] cap will be, what the ramifications are, how things count. All of that makes it a little difficult. We’ve been going slowly along with [Manning’s agent] Tom Condon because we’re trying to formulate some things that will fit no matter what the system is.”

      Signing Manning to a new contract is only a matter of time for the Colts, much like the owners and NFLPA agreeing on a new CBA deal. It appears as if one won’t happen until the other gets done, but they both will happen.

      But what’s interesting is the potential domino effect that will transpire once the new CBA deal is signed. Manning would probably be the first to get a new deal and it’ll likely be the biggest contract in NFL history. Then the Patriots, in typical Patriot fashion, will wait until the parameters of Manning’s deal are in place so that they can give slightly less to Tom Brady, who is also playing in the final year of his contract. Then, once Tom Terrific is signed, Donovan McNabb can get the contract extension that he’s seeking from the Redskins.

      Once all of that happens and the entire state of Alaska melts, I’ll finally get my millions. I’ve put together a diagram below to show the sequence of events that I just wrote about, just in case things were a little confusing above.

      New CBA Deal
      |
      Peyton Manning
      |
      Tom Brady
      |
      Donovan McNabb
      |
      Alaska Melts
      |
      Me

      It’s science.

      External Sports, NFL

      The Colts have a potential mess on their hands regarding Wayne

      June 4, 2010 /

      Peyton Manning needs a new contract, as do 18 other Colts players that are set to become free agents in 2011.

      Reggie Wayne doesn’t need a new contract, but he wants one. He’s also willing to skip the team’s mandatory three-day mini-camp this weekend in order to show the Colts that he’s unhappy with his current deal.

      Wayne has two years remaining on the six-year, $39 million contract he signed in 2006. He’s making less than $6 million per season, which is where the root of the issue comes in. Larry Fitzgerald, Brandon Marshall and Randy Moss – three players that Wayne outperformed last year – are just some of the receivers that are making more than Indy’s star receiver. Those three are all making $9 million a year, while four other receivers had multiyear contracts in 2009 that reached more than $8 million annually.

      The problem is that the Colts’ main focus (and rightfully so) is on Manning. The quarterback that has led them to two Super Bowls over the past five years needs a new deal to help him finish out his career in Indianapolis and the Colts have made re-signing him priority No. 1 on their to-do list.

      No matter how good they may be, the Colts’ front office doesn’t make it a habit of re-working players’ contracts that still have two years remaining on them. Wayne may be one of the team’s most productive players, but Manning, Joseph Addai, Antonie Bethea, Melvin Bullitt, Clint Session and Adam Vinatieri all need new deals when 2010 wraps up. Wayne is set through 2011.

      There’s no doubt that Wayne is underpaid. But the Colts’ hands are tied at the moment until Manning gets his new deal and they have a plan in place to retain the other potential free agents. He may have to show some patience and have faith that the team will re-work his deal after the season. That said, if he continues to hold out through training camp, he may force the Colts into a making a decision that they didn’t think they’d have to make for another year or so.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, NFL

      Colts face tough personnel decisions following 2010 season

      May 18, 2010 /

      Ever since Peyton Manning’s second year in the league, NFL fans have just grown accustomed to the Colts being in the playoffs every season. Manning is, and will be until he retires, the catalyst for the horseshoe helmet’s success.

      But as the Indianapolis Star points out, Jim Irsay and Bill Polian will be faced with several tough decisions after the 2010 season because the Colts will have 19 players seeking new contracts. There’s no doubt that the team will make sure Manning retires a Colt, but will his contract impede Irsay from signing other free agents?

      That might be a reference to the size of Manning’s signing bonus. It undoubtedly will surpass the $34.5 million bonus he received as part of his seven-year, $98 million contract in 2004.

      Funneling too much up-front money to Manning, though, could make retaining other critical players difficult.

      “We have to be wise in that we don’t corner ourselves and make sure we have room to keep some of the key guys,” Irsay said. “It’s a myth to say you can just have Peyton and you’re automatically 12-4.

      “Peyton gives you such an edge . . . but we need the supporting cast if we want to do what we really want to do, and that’s win another world championship.”

      As long as Manning remains under center, the Colts will always be competitive. But as Irsay points out, he needs to be able to field a competitive team around his quarterback if the franchise wants to win another Super Bowl before Manning hangs up his cleats. Aside from Peyton, several key starters including Joseph Addai, Antoine Bethea, Melvin Bullitt, Clint Session and Adam Vinatieri (among others) will need new deals. The Colts can’t bring everyone back, especially after they get done paying Manning.

      It’s only May, so this is obviously not a problem that the Colts need to concern themselves with right now. But it’s worth noting that after this season, the Colts will have a ton of internal decisions to make – ones that will certainly affect the future success of the franchise.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, NFL

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