Tag: Peyton Manning (Page 27 of 41)

      Should the Colts rest their starters?

      December 14, 2009 /

      One question that always pops up around this time of year is whether or not a team should rest its starters. This season, with two teams that have their sights on finishing 16-0, there is some added weight to that question.

      The Saints have already come out and stated that they want to run the table and finish strong heading into the playoffs. So don’t expect Sean Payton to rest his starters over the next couple of weeks.

      But the Colts are a different animal (no pun intended).

      According to SI.com’s Peter King, Indianapolis will likely begin the process of resting its veterans on Thursday night at Jacksonville. Players dealing with small injuries like Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis will likely see some time off, and Peyton Manning usually rests in Week 17.

      If the Colts do decide to rest their starters, it would be a wise decision. Being a part of history is nice, but the Patriots have taken some of the luster out of going 16-0 and besides, winning a championship is the only thing that matters in the end. What’s the point of a team going 16-0 and not winning the Super Bowl? (I just made a lot of Giants fans happy with that last line.)

      When players convene for training camp every year, they usually don’t have a goal of going 16-0. Their goal is simple: Win the Super Bowl. Just because the Colts are undefeated, doesn’t mean players like Freeney or Mathis should risk their health. If they need time off, then they should get it before the postseason (the real season – the only that matters) starts.

      If the players need it, should the Colts rest their starters?
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      NFL

      Brandon Marshall sets NFL-record for catches

      December 13, 2009 /

      Although it was in a losing effort, Broncos’ receiver Brandon Marshall hauled in an eye-popping 21 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns in Denver’s 28-16 loss to the Colts in Week 14. Marshall broke Terrell Owens’ 20-catch performance from 2000.

      The Colts had Tim Jennings covering Marshall at most times. Who the hell thought that matching the 5’8” Jennings up with a freak like Marshall was a good idea? They might as well set up a rocking chair and hoped Marshall tripped over it coming out of his break.
      (Although hey, who am I to question the coaching staff of an undefeated team?)

      Indy raced out to a 21-0 lead in the first half, but Peyton Manning kept the Broncos in the game by throwing three interceptions. Denver just couldn’t convert on the opportunities that were given to them and their defense had no answer for Manning and the Colts’ offense inside the red zone. (Indy was 4-4 once they got inside the 20.)

      Dallas Clark also had a great day, finishing with five catches for 43 yards and a hat trick of touchdowns. He had some great catches, including a diving grab (pictured above) on a 4th and 4 in the second half that set up the Colts’ third touchdown of the game.

      With this win, the Colts locked up a first round bye in the postseason.


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      NFL

      NFL Week 13 MVP Power Rankings

      December 12, 2009 /

      The way the Saints have been winning each week has been like a gift to their fans. That is, it’s been a SURPRISE each week. Sometimes they dominate, sometimes they make it more interesting than it should be, and sometimes they flat out get a, well, gift, from the opposing team. Last Sunday it was the latter against a Washington team that let the Saints back in the game by missing a chip shot field goal. Drew Brees and company took care of the rest, and that’s why our man remains atop this list, with Peyton Manning right there behind him.

      1. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints—He’s got a 111.3 QB rating to lead the NFL—3536 passing yards, 69% completion percentage and 29 touchdowns to 10 picks. Oh, and yeah…his team is 12-0 and has already clinched the NFC South.

      2. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts—Not much different from Brees’ numbers—3685 passing yards, a ridiculous 70% completion rate, 25 TDs and 11 interceptions…and the same 12-0 record for his Colts, with a clinched AFC South.

      3. Brett Favre, Minnesota Vikings—A much more human game for Favre against Arizona Sunday night, but despite those 2 interceptions, he still threw for 275 yards and two scores. It just wasn’t enough, and even worse, the Cardinals may have gotten into the Vikings’ collective head.

      4. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers—Despite being sacked a league high 45 times, Rodgers had led his team to four straight wins and has them in position for a wild card berth. And he probably hates this comparison, but his numbers are very Favre-esque: 3399 yards, 25 TDs, 7 picks.

      5. Cedric Benson, Cincinnati Bengals—After missing a few starts due to injury, Cedric returned (albeit against Detroit) and promptly carried 36 times for 110 yards. Sure, there are two RBs with more yards per game (Chris Johnson and Steven Jackson), but Benson is making more of an impact for his team…the definition of MVP.

      Honorable Mention—Chris Johnson, Titans; Philip Rivers, Chargers; Adrian Peterson, Vikings; Maurice Jones-Drew, Jaguars, Reggie Wayne, Colts; Jared Allen, Vikings; Vince Young, Titans; Elvis Dumervil, Broncos; Darren Sharper, Saints; Randy Moss, Patriots; Wes Welker, Patriots

      NFL

      NFL Week 12 MVP Power Rankings

      December 6, 2009 /

      Well, we can’t ignore what Drew Brees did to the Patriots on Monday night, can we? It doesn’t even really matter what Mr. Manning and Mr. Favre did. Oh, those guys are all bunched up here, but consider that in their biggest game of the season so far, the Saints’ Brees threw for 371 yards, 5 TDs to five different receivers, and zero picks in leading them to a 38-17 dismantling of New England in the Superdome. Yikes.

      1. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints—See above. Brees now leads the NFL in both QB rating (112.6) and touchdown passes (27). He’s even rushed for 2 scores for good measure. And oh yeah, the Saints are 11-0 and starting to think about Miami in February.

      2. Brett Favre, Minnesota Vikings—Funny how Favre is not getting the love he should from sportswriters in the MVP conversation. Well that’s ridiculous, and you can count this writer among those who think he is extremely deserving. Against Chicago last Sunday, Favre threw for 392 more yards, with 3 TDs and no picks. If you’re keeping score at home, that’s 24 TDs to 3 interceptions on the season, and his team sitting at 10-1 and in line for a first round bye.

      3. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts—Our apologies for dropping Peyton from #1 to #3 here, but he keeps flirting with disaster each week before bringing his team back. Sure, they are 11-0 just like the Saints, but we don’t feel particularly happy about those 11 interceptions so far.

      4. Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans—800 yards in the month of November. 800 yards. Are you freaking kidding me? Apparently LenDale White was not in uniform against Arizona last Sunday because of being late to a meeting. I think it was more like Jeff Fisher didn’t want to make the mistake of putting White in the game for any reason, so he kept the guy in street clothes. And how about this sick run by the Titans?

      5. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers—His numbers are damn near close to the guy he replaced in Green Bay, Mr. Favre…a.k.a. #2. 3136 yards, 22 TDs, and just 5 interceptions. Imagine if Rodgers (44 sacks) wasn’t running for his life most of the time.

      Honorable Mention—Philip Rivers, Chargers; Adrian Peterson, Vikings; Maurice Jones-Drew, Jaguars, Reggie Wayne, Colts; Cedric Benson, Bengals; Jared Allen, Vikings; Tom Brady, Patriots; Randy Moss, Patriots; Miles Austin, Cowboys; Vince Young, Titans; Andre Johnson, Texans; Elvis Dumervil, Broncos; Darren Sharper, Saints

      NFL

      Decade Debate: Greatest Fantasy Players

      November 30, 2009 /

      In the world of fantasy football, a decade is a long time. It’s rare for a player to achieve fantasy stardom for five straight years, much less ten. As part of our Decade Debate series, here is a list of the top players of the ’00s, by position, under a high performance scoring system. The criteria is simple — we’re looking for sustained excellence.

      QB: Peyton Manning, Colts

      Let’s see, from 2000 to 2008, Manning has averaged 4,195 passing yards, 31.2 touchdowns, and only 13.6 interceptions. He is the model of consistency, never missing a start and finishing in the top 6 each and every season. In 2009, he’s on pace for another 4,967 yards and 35 TD. At just 33 years of age, the durable Manning has a shot at being the top fantasy QB of the ’10s as well.

      Honorable Mention: Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Brett Favre, Donovan McNabb, Daunte Culpepper

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