Peyton Manning Is Not the Greatest NFL Player Ever ... Here Are Just a Few Reasons Why

by Eric Fulton
Peyton Manning announced his retirement from the National Football League (NFL) on Monday (March 7) after 18 years. Manning owns just about every single passing record in NFL history including completions, touchdowns and passing yards. Manning was also one of the greatest clutch comeback quarterbacks ever with more game-winning drives than any other QB in NFL history. For those who have followed his career in college at Tennessee to becoming the first overall pick with the Indianapolis Colts in 1998 to spending his last four years with the Denver Broncos many of these fans think he is the greatest player in NFL history.

No doubt Peyton Manning is one of the greatest players in NFL history, but exactly the greatest player ever is a bit of a stretch. Though he had a great 18-year career and he is a first ballot Hall of Famer, Manning never really had the best career in NFL history. Take his rookie year for example. He threw more interceptions than any rookie quarterback in league history. That is a record that still holds today. Also, if you think Manning is still the greatest player ever, think about his playoff history. Throughout his last 16 years, his teams were usually Super Bowl contenders. They would have home-field advantage in most of the games, but his teams would lose those games and when you consider that they would lose to young quarterbacks such as Ben Roethlisberger, Philip Rivers and Joe Flacco, a couple of them going on to win Super Bowls, you would think that something was wrong with Manning’s game.

It was not all Peyton’s fault losing all those playoff games, including the ones against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots (Manning only won 6 of 17 games all-time versus Brady), but considering he was the face of the franchise in both Indianapolis and Denver, just about all the blame would be pinned against him. Some of it was not fair, but the majority of it indeed was. He could have led his teams to more Super Bowl titles.

Yes, all Manning lovers can say John Elway won just two Super Bowls, Brett Favre only won one and Dan Marino didn’t win any. True, but remember Peyton owns all of their records so the hype and expectations are greater. Another interesting fact is that Manning finished his career tied for the most wins with Favre at 196 and his little brother, Eli with two Super Bowl champions. If I am considered one of the best ever, shouldn’t I pass people instead of finishing tied, especially in Super Bowls with a lesser QB. Eli will have at least one more good crack at forever passing Peyton at Super Bowl rings. Eli also beat Brady twice to get those rings. Another insult to injury.

Peyton Manning will forever be one of the all-time greats. There are a few cloudy issues he is dealing with off the field now that he is riding in the sunset. No doubt he achieved a lot in his great career and we will see in Canton, Ohio in the year 2021. But the greatest ever? Fans of Peyton would say yes (well, most of them), but everyone else who loves to see the whole picture, he is just not the greatest ever. 

---