Football Super Bowl 2014: Peyton Manning Is Mr. Annoying

**Donger** · 02-02-2014, 10:10 AM

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/...ightTopStories

The only thing more terrifying than playing against Peyton Manning is playing with him.

Let's be clear: Players love everything that comes with playing with Manning. He's a great quarterback and by all accounts a fine fellow. Teammates get Super Bowl appearances, eye-popping statistics and big contracts out of playing with him.

There's only one problem. He's kind of annoying.

Walking by Manning in Denver's locker room is a source of anxiety for all Broncos players, they say. Running back Ronnie Hillman said he tenses up when he brushes past him. This is because Manning is known to give passersby a pop quiz about Denver's upcoming opponent. Backup quarterback Zac Dysert said the questions Manning asks him usually focus on where the ball should go against a particular coverage. It is "definitely easy to be scared" of Manning, he said.

"It seems like he's going about his business, and then all of a sudden he'll stop and ask a question," said guard Louis Vasquez. "Usually when guys are in the locker room, it's time to take a break, but his mind's always going."

Scenes like these are common in Denver since Manning joined the team in 2012. This season, at age 37, Manning threw for the most yards in NFL history with 5,477 yards. He did it with a mixture of natural talent and preparation. Lots of preparation.

"I don't think Denver had any idea of what you get in Peyton Manning. You have to stimulate him mentally or you'll lose him," said former NFL quarterback Rich Gannon, now an analyst for SiriusXM Radio. "Equipment guys, trainers, video guys, coaches—everyone has to be on edge."

The practice field is Manning's main laboratory for overbearing behavior. Manning often doesn't wait for the Broncos' assistant coaches to correct the players' mistakes—and that doesn't apply to just the offense.

Safety David Bruton said Manning can get irked when a special-teams player drops a punt on another field, off in the distance. "Or even if we miss blocks during the kicking phase of practice," Bruton said. Manning won't even tolerate mistakes that fail to take advantage of his mistakes: Bruton said the quarterback will get perturbed if a defensive back fails to catch Manning's own potential interception.

"The important thing to remember is that he's not mad at you. He just gets frustrated," Hillman said. "He's trying to make us pay attention to details."

Gannon, who as a CBS analyst gets to watch practices, said Manning runs the best Friday practices he has seen. (In the NFL, Friday is typically the last practice day before the game, and the most competitive one.) In one practice Gannon saw earlier in Manning's career, a pass hit a receiver in the chest. Manning yelled, "We do not drop balls on Friday!" At another practice, a player ran the wrong depth on a pass route. On the way back to the locker room, Manning rushed over to the receiver to address the mistake before a coach could.

"A coach was probably sitting right there, but at the end of the day, who is steering the ship? It's Peyton," Gannon said.

At practice, the Broncos have a drill in which, as an experiment, players will switch to positions they don't ever play. On one occasion, tight end Jacob Tamme was playing a deep wide receiver, which a blocking tight end like Tamme wouldn't dream of playing. Before the play, Manning saw a coverage from Denver's defense and adjusted Tamme's route. Tamme failed to execute the route perfectly. Manning was angry. Tamme replied, "I haven't run a route like that in six years." Manning didn't accept the excuse.

"There was a quick burst of correction," Tamme said, laughing, "and then it was onto the next play."

This ceaseless attention to detail extends to the film room, too.

Most NFL teams watch their opponents' three previous games to get a handle on their tendencies. That isn't quite enough for Manning, especially in the playoffs. One coach said that before the team's AFC Championship Game against the New England Patriots this month, Manning joined the coaching staff to watch video. They kept watching games until they figured there were no more to watch. So Manning said they should watch a Patriots-Rams game—the Patriots-Rams Super Bowl from 12 years ago.

Manning's devotion to film study and game-plan ideas keeps the rest of the team up at night. He records voice memos with stray thoughts and sends them to coaches late into the night so everything can be sorted out early in the morning. "He's really taking advantage of modern technology," said quarterbacks coach Greg Knapp. "You'll get a message that says, 'Let's do this drill tomorrow; I think my left foot needs to open up more.' I have my own ideas that he wants to do but he'll give me that and I'll say 'Good idea!"'

Manning's use of modern technology is legendary. Last month, a photo of Manning multitasking went viral. He was watching plays on his iPad…while soaking his ankle in a cold tub…with a helmet on. Manning was injured that day, so he listened to the radio of the play calls in his helmet headset while practice went on without him. He refused, teammates say, to be out of the loop for a second.

Dave Magazu, Denver's offensive line coach, said Manning makes everyone smarter with his challenges. He recalled a game when the opposition's defensive front was giving the Broncos a problematic formation. "So I said, if they give us this look again, check [change the play] to this," Magazu said. "The look comes back, we check to it, we screw the whole thing up."

Manning bided his time before strolling over to Magazu and sarcastically saying "nice check."

Magazu said he had no choice but to yell at his offensive line for putting him in a bind with Manning.

BlackHelicopters · 02-02-2014, 10:12 AM

Manning can eat a a bag of dicks.

'Hamas' Jenkins · 02-02-2014, 10:14 AM

ThaVirus · 02-02-2014, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

Holy shit, that is fantastic.

milkman · 02-02-2014, 10:27 AM

Can we just erect the monument now and just get it over with?

BlackHelicopters · 02-02-2014, 12:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by milkman

Can we just erect the monument now and just get it over with?

FloridaMan88 · 02-02-2014, 12:08 PM

Chris Berman just said that rooting against Peyton Manning seems un-American.

JFC.

tk13 · 02-02-2014, 12:09 PM

htismaqe · 02-02-2014, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KCChiefsFan88

Chris Berman just said that rooting against Peyton Manning seems un-American.

JFC.

Chris Berman is a moron.

BlackHelicopters · 02-02-2014, 12:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KCChiefsFan88

Chris Berman just said that rooting against Peyton Manning seems un-American.

JFC.

People still watch the four letter network?

**Easy 6** · 02-02-2014, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KCChiefsFan88

Chris Berman just said that rooting against Peyton Manning seems un-American.

JFC.

yeah, had to grimace at that.

The best part of the entire broadcast so far was Caliendo, that was his best spot ever, he was nailing everybody.

**Baby Lee** · 02-02-2014, 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThaVirus

Holy shit, that is fantastic.

There's a clip of him saying '**** _____" when one of his guys got a false start in this years playoffs. Can't find it right away, but it was on deadspin

Jimmya · 02-02-2014, 01:33 PM

Get after their a** Peyton!

BlackHelicopters · 02-02-2014, 01:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by milkman

Can we just erect the monument now and just get it over with?

Heh. You said erect.

**Easy 6** · 02-02-2014, 01:35 PM

Howie Long just said he thought that all of these pick/rub routes are out of control right now and that Seattle didn't care for the way Welker smashed Talib, said he better "keep his head on a swivel" because the Hawks will target him.

Coolest thing Howie has ever said, he might be alright, for a Fader.

02-02-2014, 10:10 AM
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $6819900 VARSITY	Super Bowl 2014: Peyton Manning Is Mr. Annoying http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/...ightTopStories The only thing more terrifying than playing against Peyton Manning is playing with him. Let's be clear: Players love everything that comes with playing with Manning. He's a great quarterback and by all accounts a fine fellow. Teammates get Super Bowl appearances, eye-popping statistics and big contracts out of playing with him. There's only one problem. He's kind of annoying. Walking by Manning in Denver's locker room is a source of anxiety for all Broncos players, they say. Running back Ronnie Hillman said he tenses up when he brushes past him. This is because Manning is known to give passersby a pop quiz about Denver's upcoming opponent. Backup quarterback Zac Dysert said the questions Manning asks him usually focus on where the ball should go against a particular coverage. It is "definitely easy to be scared" of Manning, he said. "It seems like he's going about his business, and then all of a sudden he'll stop and ask a question," said guard Louis Vasquez. "Usually when guys are in the locker room, it's time to take a break, but his mind's always going." Scenes like these are common in Denver since Manning joined the team in 2012. This season, at age 37, Manning threw for the most yards in NFL history with 5,477 yards. He did it with a mixture of natural talent and preparation. Lots of preparation. "I don't think Denver had any idea of what you get in Peyton Manning. You have to stimulate him mentally or you'll lose him," said former NFL quarterback Rich Gannon, now an analyst for SiriusXM Radio. "Equipment guys, trainers, video guys, coaches—everyone has to be on edge." The practice field is Manning's main laboratory for overbearing behavior. Manning often doesn't wait for the Broncos' assistant coaches to correct the players' mistakes—and that doesn't apply to just the offense. Safety David Bruton said Manning can get irked when a special-teams player drops a punt on another field, off in the distance. "Or even if we miss blocks during the kicking phase of practice," Bruton said. Manning won't even tolerate mistakes that fail to take advantage of his mistakes: Bruton said the quarterback will get perturbed if a defensive back fails to catch Manning's own potential interception. "The important thing to remember is that he's not mad at you. He just gets frustrated," Hillman said. "He's trying to make us pay attention to details." Gannon, who as a CBS analyst gets to watch practices, said Manning runs the best Friday practices he has seen. (In the NFL, Friday is typically the last practice day before the game, and the most competitive one.) In one practice Gannon saw earlier in Manning's career, a pass hit a receiver in the chest. Manning yelled, "We do not drop balls on Friday!" At another practice, a player ran the wrong depth on a pass route. On the way back to the locker room, Manning rushed over to the receiver to address the mistake before a coach could. "A coach was probably sitting right there, but at the end of the day, who is steering the ship? It's Peyton," Gannon said. At practice, the Broncos have a drill in which, as an experiment, players will switch to positions they don't ever play. On one occasion, tight end Jacob Tamme was playing a deep wide receiver, which a blocking tight end like Tamme wouldn't dream of playing. Before the play, Manning saw a coverage from Denver's defense and adjusted Tamme's route. Tamme failed to execute the route perfectly. Manning was angry. Tamme replied, "I haven't run a route like that in six years." Manning didn't accept the excuse. "There was a quick burst of correction," Tamme said, laughing, "and then it was onto the next play." This ceaseless attention to detail extends to the film room, too. Most NFL teams watch their opponents' three previous games to get a handle on their tendencies. That isn't quite enough for Manning, especially in the playoffs. One coach said that before the team's AFC Championship Game against the New England Patriots this month, Manning joined the coaching staff to watch video. They kept watching games until they figured there were no more to watch. So Manning said they should watch a Patriots-Rams game—the Patriots-Rams Super Bowl from 12 years ago. Manning's devotion to film study and game-plan ideas keeps the rest of the team up at night. He records voice memos with stray thoughts and sends them to coaches late into the night so everything can be sorted out early in the morning. "He's really taking advantage of modern technology," said quarterbacks coach Greg Knapp. "You'll get a message that says, 'Let's do this drill tomorrow; I think my left foot needs to open up more.' I have my own ideas that he wants to do but he'll give me that and I'll say 'Good idea!"' Manning's use of modern technology is legendary. Last month, a photo of Manning multitasking went viral. He was watching plays on his iPad…while soaking his ankle in a cold tub…with a helmet on. Manning was injured that day, so he listened to the radio of the play calls in his helmet headset while practice went on without him. He refused, teammates say, to be out of the loop for a second. Dave Magazu, Denver's offensive line coach, said Manning makes everyone smarter with his challenges. He recalled a game when the opposition's defensive front was giving the Broncos a problematic formation. "So I said, if they give us this look again, check [change the play] to this," Magazu said. "The look comes back, we check to it, we screw the whole thing up." Manning bided his time before strolling over to Magazu and sarcastically saying "nice check." Magazu said he had no choice but to yell at his offensive line for putting him in a bind with Manning.
Posts: 191,135

02-02-2014, 10:12 AM	#2
BlackHelicopters Spiraling down the Drain Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Dante's Ninth Circle Casino cash: $-879412	Manning can eat a a bag of dicks. __________________ "We're both part of the same hypocrisy, Senator, but never think it applies to my family." "Fredo. You are my brother, and I love you. But never take sides against the Family again. Ever." 2019 Adopt a Chief - Travis Kelce #87
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02-02-2014, 10:14 AM	#3
'Hamas' Jenkins Now you've pissed me off! Join Date: Jan 2006 Casino cash: $7149572	__________________ "When the Know-Nothings get control, it will read 'all men are created equal, except negroes, and foreigners, and Catholics.' When it comes to this I should prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretense of loving liberty – to Russia, for instance, where despotism can be taken pure, and without the base alloy of hypocrisy.”--Abraham Lincoln
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02-02-2014, 10:27 AM	#5
milkman Dumbass! Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Leading the Marty bashing Casino cash: $10029395	Can we just erect the monument now and just get it over with? __________________
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02-02-2014, 12:08 PM	#7
FloridaMan88 Mahomes: We Are All Witnesses Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Miami, FL Casino cash: $-717094	Chris Berman just said that rooting against Peyton Manning seems un-American. JFC.
Posts: 50,203

02-02-2014, 12:09 PM	#8
tk13 ... Join Date: Nov 2001 Casino cash: $-1867500
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02-02-2014, 01:33 PM	#13
Jimmya Veteran Join Date: Dec 2012 Casino cash: $10014530	Get after their a** Peyton!
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02-02-2014, 01:35 PM	#15
Easy 6 pie is never free Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: the drivers seat Casino cash: $-152225	Howie Long just said he thought that all of these pick/rub routes are out of control right now and that Seattle didn't care for the way Welker smashed Talib, said he better "keep his head on a swivel" because the Hawks will target him. Coolest thing Howie has ever said, he might be alright, for a Fader.
Posts: 98,465