February 16, 2014

MVP Profile: Peyton Manning, 2009

Quarterback, Indianapolis Colts



Age:  33
12th 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 2008, he was selected to his seventh straight Pro Bowl (ninth overall) and was over 4000 passing yards for the ninth time, and again received MVP recognition (AP, PFWA, Sporting News), although the team lost to the Steelers in the AFC Championship game.

2009 Season Summary
Appeared and started in all 16 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Passing
Attempts – 571 [2]
Most attempts, game – 50 vs. Houston 11/8
Completions – 393 [2]
Most completions, game – 36 at Tennessee 10/11
Yards – 4500 [2]
Most yards, game – 379 at Arizona 9/27
Completion percentage – 68.8 [2, 1st in AFC]
Yards per attempt – 7.9 [8, tied with Brett Favre & Eli Manning]
TD passes – 33 [2, tied with Brett Favre, 1st in AFC]
Most TD passes, game – 4 at Arizona 9/27, vs. New England 11/15, vs. Denver 12/13, at Jacksonville 12/17
Interceptions – 16 [7, tied with Matt Cassel]
Most interceptions, game – 3 vs. Denver 12/13
Passer rating – 99.9 [6]
300-yard passing games – 9
200-yard passing games – 14

Rushing
Attempts – 19
Most attempts, game - 3 (for -4 yds.) vs. Jacksonville 9/13, (for -3 yds.) vs. Denver 12/13, (for -3 yds.) at Jacksonville 12/17
Yards – -13
Most yards, game – 3 yards (on 1 carry) at Miami 9/21
Yards per attempt – -0.7
TDs – 0

Postseason: 3 G
Pass attempts – 128
Most attempts, game - 45 vs. New Orleans, Super Bowl
Pass completions – 87
Most completions, game - 31 vs. New Orleans, Super Bowl
Passing yardage – 956
Most yards, game - 377 vs. NY Jets, AFC Championship
TD passes – 6
Most TD passes, game - 3 vs. NY Jets, AFC Championship
Interceptions – 2
Most interceptions, game - 1 vs. Baltimore, AFC Divisional playoff, vs. New Orleans, Super Bowl

Rushing attempts – 3
Most rushing attempts, game - 2 vs. Baltimore, AFC Divisional playoff
Rushing yards – -2
Most rushing yards, game - 0 vs. NY Jets, AFC Championship
Average gain rushing – -0.7
Rushing TDs – 0

Awards & Honors:
NFL MVP: AP, PFWA, Sporting News
1st team All-NFL: AP, PFWA
2nd team All-NFL: Pro Football Focus, Sporting News
Pro Bowl

Colts went 14-2 to finish first in the AFC West with the best record in the conference while leading the AFC in touchdowns (53). Won AFC Divisional playoff over Baltimore Ravens (20-3) and AFC Championship over New York Jets (30-17). Lost Super Bowl to New Orleans Saints (31-17).

Aftermath:
Manning was again a Pro Bowl selection in 2010, but after starting 208 regular season games at quarterback, he was 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, and had an even bigger year in 2013 as he set records with 5477 passing yards and 55 TD passes, again attaining MVP honors while the Broncos won the AFC title. Through 2013, he had passed for 64,964 yards, with 13 seasons over 4000, and 491 TD passes.

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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). 

[Updated 12/2/14]