Manning Up: Father vs. Son

The 2007 NFL
season kicks off with the Indianapolis Colts playing host to the upstart
New Orleans Saints on Thursday, September 6th.  What better way
to celebrate this event than to make a head to head comparison
of the all-time greatest Saint and the all-time greatest Colt? 
They just happen to be related.  Not surprisingly, the results
were extremely close.


Criteria

Archie
Manning

Peyton Manning

Advantage

Measurables Height:  6′ 3″      
Weight:  212 lbs.
Height:  6′ 5″      
Weight:  230 lbs.
Manning Up: Father vs. Son

Good Looks


Manning Up: Father vs. Son


Manning Up: Father vs. Son

Manning Up: Father vs. Son


College Career
Archie Manning played
in the first national prime-time broadcast of a college football
game in 1969.  He threw for 436 yards and three scores. 
He also rushed for 104 yards, but in spite of his efforts Ole Miss
fell to Alabama 33-32.  Ole Miss went 15-7 during Mannings
final two seasons and he was named to the All-SEC team in 1969 and
1970.  Archie was named SEC quarterback of the
quarter-century by several publications.

Manning Up: Father vs. Son

Peyton Manning
rewrote the Tennessee record-books during his time playing at Neyland
Stadium.   Manning threw for over 11,000 yards on his way
to leading the Vols to three bowl-game victories.  In April of
1997, he thrilled Tennessee fans by announcing he would return for
his senior season, although he finished his degree in three years. 
In 2005, Manning became only third Volunteer to have his number
retired while still living.

Manning Up: Father vs. Son

Manning Up: Father vs. Son

Heisman Campaign Slogan

“Vote for
Archie!”

“Vote for Peyton
because he’s a lot better than Charles Woodson.”

Manning Up: Father vs. Son

Pro Career

Manning Up: Father vs. SonArchie Manning was chosen
second in the 1971 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints.  Manning never played on a team
with a winning record in his 13 seasons as a pro. Though sacks were
not an official statistic during his NFL career, it has been
speculated that Manning was sacked more than any player in league
history.
Peyton Manning
was chosen first in the 1998 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts.  Manning boasts a 7-6
postseason record and he was the MVP of Super Bowl XLI.  He is
a two time league MVP and holds the NFL record of 49 passing
touchdowns in a single season. 
Manning Up: Father vs. Son

Workplace
The Superdome
is the largest fixed domed structure in the world.  Best known for its
role as a primary refuge for Hurricane Katrina victims, the dome seats
72,003 grocery-bagged Saints fans.  The historic building witnessed
NCAA championship winning shots by both Michael Jordan and Keith
Smart.  The fate of the New Orleans Saints will likely be tied to the
city’s willingness to replace the aging structure.


Manning Up: Father vs. Son


Manning Up: Father vs. SonOriginally named
The Hoosier Dome, The RCA Dome opened in 1983 and seats 57,980
screaming Colts fans.  Unfortunately, the upper half of these
fans are forced to sit on the only remaining bench seats in the NFL. 
Yes, this is as painful as it sounds. 

Largely due to Peyton
Manning’s success, the Colts will relocate to the newly built Lucas Oil
Stadium for the 2008 season.  He will play the twilight of his
career in a $675 million, state of the art retractable roof stadium,
sure to become known as the house that Manning built.     

Manning Up: Father vs. Son

Arch Nemesis



Manning Up: Father vs. Son
Jack Youngblood of the Los Angeles Rams
is most famous for playing the entire
1980 playoffs (including Super Bowl XIV) with a fractured

fibula. 
Youngblood and his teammates on the defensive line terrorized
Manning each season.  In fairness, it could also be argued that
Archie’s nemesis was any defensive end from any team of the 1970s.

The
press set up the Florida
Gators as Peyton’s nemesis, only to have the New England Patriots
far surpass Spurrier’s boys as the object of Manning’s ire.  The Pats had
all of the
necessary ingredients:  the Super Bowl Rings, the genius coach, the
pretty boy quarterback, and most importantly a legendary defense.

Manning Up: Father vs. Son


Pro Stats

125 touchdowns   –  
173 interceptions

23,911
yards passing

67.1 career passer rating

275
touchdowns    –   139 interceptions


37,586 yards passing

94.4 career passer rating

Manning Up: Father vs. Son


Premiere Coach
Hank Stram (7-21) This legendary
football coach did a heck of a lot of
winning in his career, but not much of it took place in the Big Easy.

Manning Up: Father vs. SonTony Dungy
(60-20)Peyton started his career 25-25 before
Coach Dungy took the reins. 
Their five years together have produced one of the most impressive
stretches in NFL history.
Manning Up: Father vs. Son

Most Famous Teammate



Manning Up: Father vs. SonGumbo the St.
Bernard
 is the official mascot of the
Saints.  For years Gumbo was a real dog who roamed the
sidelines in Saints garb.  He was a gift from the Louisiana Restaurant Association.

 

Marvin Harrison
is an unassuming professional
who is challenging every NFL receiving record on the books. 
Manning and Harrison currently hold the NFL record for most
receiving touchdowns between a quarterback and wide receiver with
106.

 

 

Manning Up: Father vs. Son

Loyal Spouse

Even
before she became part of the Manning family, Archie’s wife, Olivia
Manning
was an achiever.  She was voted homecoming queen at
Ole Miss.  Attractive and
personable, Olivia stands by her men. 
Manning Up: Father vs. SonWe
don’t know much about Ashley Manning.  According to

this interview
, this is at least partially by design.  Peyton was raised
in the spotlight and is well-prepared for it.  By all accounts,
Ashley is an intelligent and kind woman who is more than happy to
let her husband grab the headlines. 
Manning Up: Father vs. Son

Commercial Appeal
Filming commercials was more
difficult in Archie’s day.  In one hot tub commercial Archie
explained that he likes to relax with his friends in his hot tub
after the game.  The camera pans down to reveal Archie’s
friends are really a flock of water fowl.  Unfortunately, ducks
like to relieve themselves while afloat, making for a pleasant
shoot.

Archie has
been a spokesman for many products over the years, most notably
AstroTurf in recent years.  And just to illustrate the dangers
of random googling check out this crazy racist’s


bizarre rant about Archie’s descent into
commercialism.


Manning Up: Father vs. Son

Manning Up: Father vs. Son

Scandal


Manning Up: Father vs. Son
Eli Manning was roundly
criticized by the national media for asking the San Diego Chargers
not to select him with the first pick in the 2004 NFL Draft. 
Eli and his dad, Archie, were concerned because of the team’s prior
history of holdouts with their high picks, including LaDainian
Tomlinson.

In the end, Manning’s point was made for
him when the Chargers’ first-round player, Philip Rivers, had a
significant contract dispute with the Chargers’ front office.

In 1996, Peyton allegedly
mooned
a female athletic trainer for Tennessee. 
According to the trainer’s legal team, she was crouching behind Manning
in the locker room
to determine why he was having
pain in one of his feet
. . .

The incident was settled out
of court by Tennessee before being dredged up again in 2000 after
the trainer accused Peyton of defaming her in the book “Manning: 
A Father, His Sons, and a Football Legacy.”

Manning Up: Father vs. Son

Pop Culture Cameo
Archie’s popularity is so
widespread in the South that he has inspired several folk songs
including
“The Ballad of Archie Who?”
and

“Archie Who at LSU.”

Manning Up: Father vs. SonPeyton
followed up his first Super Bowl win by appearing on Saturday Night
Live
, boosting the show to its highest ratings of the season.
Manning Up: Father vs. Son

Random Fact

Manning Up: Father vs. Son

 


Archie Manning’s uniform number, 18, has become the official
speed limit
of the Ole Miss campus in Oxford.

 


Manning Up: Father vs. SonThe Knoxville Zoo named a
newborn baby giraffe after
Peyton in 1996.


 

Manning Up: Father vs. Son

Nickname

“Arch” or
“Golden Archie”

“Peytie-pie”
(from his mother) or “Pencil-neck”
Manning Up: Father vs. Son

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