Sports Notes EXTRA EXTRA - THE NFL's MANNINGS - Archie, Peyton and Eli Are Family - January 2007

James Loving - National Radio Text Service

Should Peyton be successful in leading his team to victory over the three time Super Bowl champion Patriots (2005, 2004,2002) he will add a new branch to the Manning football family tree.

Friday January 19, 2007

Peyton Leads the Family Manning & Indianapolis Colts

What's that that Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho said? "Football is football but for you it's a different football?"

Well that statement is certainly true in the USA where football in the NFL is much different than Mourinho's and that which is considered by FIF as the World's Game..

In the USA it's playoff time in the NFL where hitting an opponent with your body is legal as long as it's not with your hands. In American football the objective is to win the playoff games and get to the big dance called the Super Bowl.

This weekend the AFC championship game will pit the Indianapolis Colts against the New England Patriots. The winner will go to the NFL's championship Super Bowl game.

For one player this could be a significant match since he has been accused of not being able to win the big game. The Colts Peyton Manning will be trying to reach the Super Bowl for the first time in his career.

One thing to note is that Manning comes from a lineage of NFL quarterbacks being the son of Archie Manning and older brother of the New York Giants Eli Manning.

All three Manning's were selected in the first round of the NFL draft. Pa Pa Archie was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the 1971 NFL Draft as the number 2 pick overall after playing for a University of Mississippi team that didn't have a spectacular record during his stay there.

He is the Saints All-time Passing yards leader (21,734) during his eleven-year career with the club from 1971-1982. During that time the Saints never had a winning season. The embarrassment reached the point that the fans came to the games with paper bags over their heads that had eye and mouth cutouts. The disguised fans called themselves the AINT'S.

Manning ended his 13-year NFL career with the Minnesota Vikings and the Houston Oilers (now Tennessee Titans). He completed 2011 of 3642 passes for 23,911 yards and 125 touchdowns, with 173 interceptions. He also rushed for 2197 yards and 18 touchdowns.

His 2011 completions ranked 17th in NFL history upon his retirement. His teams never made the playoffs but he was selected to two Pro Bowls 1979, 1978.

During his trying stay with the Saints Manning fathered his two sons Peyton and Eli who have gone on to become two of the NFL's leading quarterbacks.

Peyton has had the most success in the league thus far. He was the first overall pick in the 1998 draft. He was born in New Orleans March 24, 1976. He has appeared in seven Pro Bowls 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004m, 2005, 2006, 2007.

During the 2004 season Manning broke several single season passing records, including:

* Most touchdowns: 49 (previously held by Dan Marino with 48 in 1984)[2]

* Passer rating: 121.1 (previously held by Steve Young with 112.8 in 1994)

* Consecutive games with at least 4 TD passes: 5 (previously held by Marino with 4 TDs in 4 consecutive games in 1984) [5]

* 5 TD passes in 4 different games in less than 12 months (previously held by Marino)

* First QB to throw 10+ TD passes to each of 3 different receivers in 1 season (14, Marvin Harrison; 12, Reggie Wayne; 10, Brandon Stokley). The Colts are the only team ever to have 3 wide receivers with 10+ touchdowns in 1 season.

* Although not an NFL record, Manning threw 6 TD passes in a little over a half against the Detroit Lions on November 25, 2004. It was the second time in his career that Manning achieved this (also in 2003), and he has been the only NFL player to throw 6 touchdowns in a regular season game since 1991.

As a result, he was a near-unanimous selection for the 2004 NFL MVP in drawing 49 of 50 votes (Michael Vick received one vote), was named NFL Offensive Player of the Year respectively. He was also the NFL co-MVP in 2003, sharing the honor with then Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair.

Manning and Colts wide receiver Marvin Harrison hold a number of QB-WR tandem records:

* Completions: 677 (set in 2004; previously held by Buffalo Bills QB Jim Kelly and WR Andre Reed)

* Yards: 10,253 (as of November 13, 2005; previously held by Kelly and Reed)

* Touchdowns: 106 (as of December 31, 2006; set October 17, 2005; previous record was 85 by San Francisco 49ers QB Steve Young and WR Jerry Rice)

Eli Manning was born January 3, 1981, in New Orleans, Louisiana. He was the first overall pick in the 2004 draft by the San Diego Chargers but he refused to sign with the club and was then traded to the NY Giants.

The Giants won the NFC East with an 11-5 record, and went to the postseason in Eli's first full season as a starting quarterback in 2005.

This season returned to the NFL playoffs after posting an 8-8 record. They lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in the last minute two weeks ago. He has yet to be selected for a Pro Bowl.

Should Peyton be successful in leading his team to victory over the three time Super Bowl champion Patriots (2005, 2004,2002) he will add a new branch to the Manning football family tree…. That being the first in the family to play in a Super Bowl.

Win or not the Manning family can join the Sisters Sledge in singing, "We Are Family."

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