CaptainHook Posted January 9, 2010 Share Posted January 9, 2010 (edited) link Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning added to his growing and historic resume today by claiming a record-setting fourth NFL Most Valuable Player Award. Only one other player, Minnesota quarterback Brett Favre, has been honored three times by the Associated Press’ 50-member panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. Manning previously won the award in 2003, ’04 and last season. Manning got 39 1/2 votes to 7 1/2 for Drew Brees as only quarterbacks who received any backing. Other votes went to San Diego’s Philip Rivers with two, and Minnesota’s Brett Favre with one. Advertisement The face and foundation of the franchise since being selected with the first overall pick in the 1998 draft, Manning has helped direct the Colts to a league-best 14-2 record, the No. 1 seed in the AFC and an eighth consecutive playoff berth. “It’s been a different season,” said Manning, who guided the Colts to a 14-0 record before they rested starters in the second half of two games and finished 14-2. “Like I’ve said all along, it’s been a challenge, it’s been a grind at times, but guys have stepped up and played well.” The Colts posted just the third 14-0 start in league history this season and set an NFL record with 23 consecutive regular-season wins. They lost their final two games as coach Jim Caldwell limited the playing time of Manning and several other front-line players in losses to the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills. Caldwell has helped nurture Manning’s development since 2002, first as the Colts quarterbacks coach and this season as their head coach. He has witnessed excellence on a daily, weekly, yearly basis. “He’s been such a highly accomplished performer year-in and year-out,” Caldwell said earlier in the week. “Just when you think you’ve seen his best, he improves upon it. This year is one of those when you look at his numbers and how he’s been able to play consistently well over a long period of time. “It’s been remarkable. He keeps getting better. He just has an innate sort of will to excel. He never gets bored with it. That, I think, is highly unusual.’’ Manning finished the season with 4,500 yards and 33 touchdowns, the second-highest totals in his 12-year career, and broke his own club records with 393 completions and a 68.8 completion percentage. He orchestrated seven fourth-quarter comebacks, a league record for a single season. Manning pulled the trigger for the league’s No. 1-ranked passing attack, one that saw wide receiver Reggie Wayne and tight end Dallas Clark become just the fourth set of teammates to have at least 100 receptions in a season. Wayne said there’s no secret to Manning’s success and amassing of MVP awards. “You see it every week,’’ he said. “Everybody sees the way he approaches each game. He’s a true student of the game. “He wants everything to be perfect even though you know it’s not going to be. He studies film and studies every play.” The only other Colts to have won the NFL’s MVP, which was first awarded in 1961, are quarterbacks Bert Jones (1976); Earl Morrall (1968); and John Unitas (1964, ’67). from indystar.com Edited January 9, 2010 by CaptainHook Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainHook Posted January 9, 2010 Author Share Posted January 9, 2010 NEW YORK -- Maybe the award should be renamed Most Valuable Peyton. Peyton Manning became the first player to win The Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player honors four times. The Indianapolis Colts' sensational quarterback romped to the award Saturday in balloting by 50 sports writers and broadcasters who cover the league. He got 39½ votes to 7½ for Drew Brees as only quarterbacks received any backing. Manning adds the 2009 honors to the awards he won in 2003, 2004 and 2008, breaking a tie with Brett Favre at three MVPs. "It's been a different season," said Manning, who guided the Colts to a 14-0 record before they rested starters in the second half of two games and finished 14-2. "Like I've said all along, it's been a challenge, it's been a grind at times, but guys have stepped up and played well." No one more so than Manning, who threw for 4,500 and 33 touchdowns and, perhaps most impressively, led the Colts to a record seven fourth-quarter comeback wins. The 33-year-old Manning also has started every game in his career, 192 in the regular season and 15 in the playoffs. He is durable, dynamic, dependable and decisive. In other words, most valuable. "He's been such a highly accomplished performer year in and year out. Just when you think you've seen his best, he improves upon it," said Jim Caldwell, who replaced Tony Dungy as coach and benefited from the same kind of performances Manning gave Dungy. "This year is one of those in terms of when you look at his numbers and how he's been able to play consistently well over a long period of time. It's been remarkable. "I think a lot of it has to do with his drive. He just has an innate sort of will to excel. He never gets bored with it. That, I think, is highly unusual." So unique that Manning has joined the truly elite of team sports: Wayne Gretzky (9), Barry Bonds (7) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (6), the leaders for most valuable player awards in each of their sports. Not surprisingly, Manning, the 2007 Super Bowl MVP when he won his only league championship, briefly reflects before looking ahead. "To win 14 games this year, if you had told me we were going to 14 games at the beginning of the season, I might not have believed you," he said. "So, it has been rewarding from a team standpoint because of what we have done. Hopefully, we can keep it going." The Colts play in the divisional round next week and have home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. The Super Bowl is Feb. 7 in Miami, the same place they won it three years ago. Manning lost his longtime favorite receiver, Marvin Harrison, this season. Harrison's replacement, Anthony Gonzalez, went down with a right knee injury in the opener. Manning simply turned to his latest fave, Reggie Wayne, who had 100 catches for 1,264 yards and 10 touchdowns. And to Dallas Clark, who joined Tony Gonzalez as the only tight ends with 100 receptions in a season when he grabbed exactly that many for 1,106 yards and 10 scores. Plus, Austin Collie tied for the rookie lead in receptions with 60 and scored seven times. Pierre Garcon, nurtured in dozens of passing sessions with Manning, developed into a prime deep threat and averaged 16.3 yards on 47 catches, with four TDs. "What he's been able to do this year with Pierre and Austin," linebacker and defensive captain Gary Brackett said, "and obviously Dallas had a year that will go down in the record books, and I think it really says something when you can work young guys like that." The other votes went to San Diego's Philip Rivers with two, and Minnesota's Brett Favre with one. link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeeR Posted January 9, 2010 Share Posted January 9, 2010 As nice as this is and as much of a Colt and Manning fan as I am, IMO the voting should not have been so one-sided. Brees should have been closer, and why no love whatsoever for Chris Johnson? I know the Titans aren't exactly a 14-2 team, but w/o him they are vying for the top draft pick easily. Like Manning, teams frequently keyed on him and he still dominated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outshined Posted January 9, 2010 Share Posted January 9, 2010 I think Manning is most deserving by a long shot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irish Posted January 9, 2010 Share Posted January 9, 2010 As nice as this is and as much of a Colt and Manning fan as I am, IMO the voting should not have been so one-sided. Brees should have been closer, and why no love whatsoever for Chris Johnson? I know the Titans aren't exactly a 14-2 team, but w/o him they are vying for the top draft pick easily. Like Manning, teams frequently keyed on him and he still dominated. Yeah we all know Chris Johnson is the MVP in Fantasy Football and should deserve some respect as an NFL MVP but maybe some want to give some of the Titans' ressurgence this season to Vince Young coming off the bench. I think Manning is most deserving by a long shot. I agree with this to a degree. Manning is that team and without him, they'd be fighting from being at the bottom of that division. Take all the other players mentioned for the award away from their teams and the loss wouldn't be nearly as dramatic as compared to removing Manning from the Colts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aterry1979 Posted January 9, 2010 Share Posted January 9, 2010 I think Manning is the greatest QB of all time. Enuff said! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myhousekey Posted January 9, 2010 Share Posted January 9, 2010 (edited) Not saying Manning isn't deserving, but how would the Saints look with Mark Brunell at QB instead of Brees? I think most teams would take a huge step back if they didn't have their franchise QB starting. (Cassell for NWE last year was a recent exception to that.) Edited January 9, 2010 by myhousekey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpholmes Posted January 9, 2010 Share Posted January 9, 2010 As nice as this is and as much of a Colt and Manning fan as I am, IMO the voting should not have been so one-sided. Brees should have been closer, and why no love whatsoever for Chris Johnson? I know the Titans aren't exactly a 14-2 team, but w/o him they are vying for the top draft pick easily. Like Manning, teams frequently keyed on him and he still dominated. CJ is a stud, but the team turned around when they put VY in there - which means it was at the very least a two player effort. Brees is a stud, but there are so many other dynamics to that offense - especially the three headed running game. Peyton doesn't exactly have that support in the running game. I think Manning is the greatest QB of all time. Enuff said! +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeeR Posted January 9, 2010 Share Posted January 9, 2010 I think Manning is the greatest QB of all time. Enuff said! I agree with the "nuff said" part. Good point on CJ, but not so much as a single vote? w/o him, Young or not, they would completely blow. Agree that Brees' value is being under-appreciated as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dope man Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 I agree with the "nuff said" part. Good point on CJ, but not so much as a single vote? w/o him, Young or not, they would completely blow. Agree that Brees' value is being under-appreciated as well. Not saying that he should have won it, but I thought that Aaron Rodgers would have gotten a little love whit the year he had to. The game really seemed to slow down for him this year... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isleseeya Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 (edited) Manning deserved it and not sure it matters much who came in 2nd IMHO or who did not get enough votes to make it closer when you consider what Manning has done yet again this season and would very likely be 16-0 if colts played there players the last two games no one is close to leading his team to that or how he does ...Brees is great and saints are very good but thy stumbled badly at the end and that hurt Brees Edited January 10, 2010 by isleseeya Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chavez Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 I have no problem with Manning. It was a loaded class this year - Manning, Brees, Favre, Johnson, Rivers, and yes, even Aaron Rodgers had pretty arguable cases for the award. No matter who won people were going to complain. Manning had a worthy year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Holy Roller Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 He makes the best commercials, too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeeR Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 Not saying that he should have won it, but I thought that Aaron Rodgers would have gotten a little love whit the year he had to. The game really seemed to slow down for him this year... Yep Rodgers should have gotten at least a sniff. I agree Manning is the clear-cut winner, but not by that margin, that's all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whomper Posted January 10, 2010 Share Posted January 10, 2010 I think Manning is the greatest QB of all time. Enuff said! Im really starting to agree with this. I still have trouble taking the title from Joe Montana IMO but when all is said and done I think Manning may get the nod Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delicious_bass Posted January 11, 2010 Share Posted January 11, 2010 Well deserved, IMO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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