The best year ever?

Marvez thinks Manning’s 09 could go down as the finest QB year ever.

Peyton Manning has already eclipsed Favre and Johnny Unitas by winning an unprecedented fourth NFL Most Valuable Player trophy during the 2009 regular season. Indianapolis finished with an NFL-best 14-2 record and would have vied for a perfect season had first-year coach Jim Caldwell not rested starters in the final two games for the playoffs. Manning ranked second in the NFL in three major categories: passing yards (4,500), touchdowns (33) and completion percentage (68.8).

But here’s the most telling stat: Manning led the Colts to Super Bowl XLIV despite his team’s fielding the NFL’s 32nd-ranked rushing offense.

Mull that over. The Colts were the NFL’s most one-dimensional offense, and opponents still couldn’t stop it. Indianapolis ranked seventh in scoring (26 points a game) and ninth in total offense despite averaging just 80.9 rushing yards.

None of Manning’s predecessors have won a Lombardi Trophy with such little ground support. Manning’s 4,500 passing yards would also be the highest total for any Super Bowl-winning quarterback. Manning would break his own record of 4,397 yards set in 2006. It should be noted, though, that those Colts averaged 110.1 rushing yards during the regular season. And while Manning was named the Super Bowl XLI MVP, Indianapolis rode the 190-yard combined rushing effort of Dominic Rhodes and Joe Addai in a 29-17 victory over Chicago.