'Sometimes you don't see that' – Peyton Manning reveals the foolproof way he can tell if a QB is highly respected by his teammates
Tennessee Vols legend and Hall of Famer Peyton Manning sees the game through a different lens than most folks. So it should come as no surprise that Manning watches some things during games that most fans, and even some football players and coaches, often miss. One thing that Manning pays attention to when evaluating quarterbacks […]
Tennessee Vols legend and Hall of Famer Peyton Manning sees the game through a different lens than most folks.
So it should come as no surprise that Manning watches some things during games that most fans, and even some football players and coaches, often miss.
One thing that Manning pays attention to when evaluating quarterbacks is how the receivers play.
Specifically, Manning likes to see how aggressive receivers are on go routes — either when making a play or when trying to break up a potential interception.
"When I watch an NFL or college game, and I see a quarterback drop back and throw a deep go route down the sideline, and maybe the corner is there and the free safety is over there, I watch how the receiver fights for the ball," said Manning during a recent appearance on ESPN. "Does he go up and make the catch amongst two defenders? Does he tackle the defensive back? Because there's no way I'm going to let my quarterback get this pass intercepted. It's going to be incomplete or (offensive) pass interference. No way it's going to be an interception. And that tells me how much that receiver respects his quarterback — that he's going to fight for him, right?
"Sometimes you don't see that. Sometimes you see the receiver kind of go, 'Hey, I don't really care if it's intercepted and it's double covered – he shouldn't be throwing it anyway'. I want to see him fighting for the quarterback, and that's up to the quarterback to get those guys fighting for him — by the way he handles them in practice, how he handles himself in the locker room. Is he a guy that these linemen want to fight and block for or that these receivers want to go up and get the ball for? So it's not always with the rah rah pep talk, per se. You don't have to give a speech every day as a quarterback. Be there on time. You better stay late. You better be tough. You better be in the conditioning front of the line, right? You're not gonna be the fastest or bench press the most, but you better be kind of setting the example in the conditioning and endurance aspect of it. I think all of those things go into being a good quarterback and your teammates following you."
Peyton knows more than a thing or two about what it takes to be an elite quarterback — from on-field performance to how to handle business off the field. Every young quarterback could benefit from hearing what Peyton has to say about playing the position.
