Watch: Peyton Manning’s full Hall of Fame induction speech
After 18 sensational seasons on the NFL gridiron, No. 18’s place in football folklore and the Hall was always a mere formality. Beloved by Colts, Broncos and neutral fans alike, Manning endeared himself further to the footballing public with an incredible speech.
At the first attempt, the Sheriff was enshrined into pro football’s greatest fraternity.
After 18 sensational seasons on the NFL gridiron, No. 18’s place in football folklore and the Hall was always a mere formality. Beloved by Colts, Broncos and neutral fans alike, Manning endeared himself further to the footballing public with an incredible speech.
As ever, Peyton carried himself with grace, displaying his typically sharp sense of humor and effortlessly motivating style.
Thousands across social media praised Manning for his incredible speech, with one respected NFL figure going as far as to suggest he would be NFL Commissioner material.
Manning’s career stats:
2x Super Bowl Champion
Super Bowl MVP
5x NFL MVP
2x NFL Offensive Player of the Year
7x First-team All-Pro
Most TDs in an NFL season (55)
Most passing yards in an NFL season (5,477)
Most TDs in an NFL game (7)
And many more, which if we noted, will be finished after Tom Brady’s ninth Super Bowl win.
Bill Belichick reveals the best QB he’s ever faced
The defensive mastermind has seen his fair share of quarterbacks over the years, but he holds one in the highest esteem, above all else. Spoiler: It’s not Tom Brady.
After 46 years in the league and six Super Bowl wins as a head coach, there are none better qualified than Bill Belichick to talk about quarterback play.
The defensive mastermind has seen his fair share of quarterbacks over the years, but he holds one in the highest esteem, above all else. Spoiler: It’s not Tom Brady.
Belichick has never faced Brady, so on a technicality, he’s disqualified from this conversation. Though it would be incredible viewing if he was asked this same question after TB12 and the Bucs visit Foxboro on October 3.
Anyway, back to Belichick. Here he is discussing the greatest signal-caller he’s ever faced and there’s no surprise he hails from football’s finest family. Despite his record against New England, it isn’t Eli, rather his brother and soon-to-be Hall of Famer, Peyton.
“He is definitely the best quarterback I’ve coached against,” Belichick told Ben Volin of The Boston Globe.
“There have been quarterbacks who called their own plays, but it was nowhere near the same as what he did. He basically called every play by adjusting and/or changing the play once he saw what the defense was doing,” he said.
“He (Peyton) excelled at using the cadence and recognizing blitzes, and more than any one single offensive player, he forced us to change and adapt defensive game plans.”
While in a magnanimous mood Belichick praised Manning’s fellow class-men; former NFL coaches and friends Jimmy Johnson and Bill Cowher.
“Jimmy’s command of personnel, coaching, trades, and the draft made him one of the all-time master team builders,” Belichick said.
“He took a team from 1-15 and turned it into a three-time Super Bowl champion. Jimmy’s defenses — his 4-3 split safety scheme — were as good as I have coached against. Jimmy is a great friend who has given me a lot of good advice throughout much of my career.”
Cowher — who won Super Bowl XL with Pittsburgh — was also lavished by Belichick.
”Bill had a tremendous NFL career that encompassed a lot — player, assistant coach, coordinator, and head coach,” Belichick said.
“Schematically his teams were one of the very best over the course of two decades. Our teams had some fiercely competitive battles that made me a better coach. I admire and learned from his complete mastery of coaching essentials — motivation, strategy, fundamentals, and physical play. Bill and I have been close friends for 35 years and I couldn’t be happier for him.”
Philip Rivers reveals he’s open to an NFL Comeback
Despite riding off into the Alabaman sunset after his only season with Indianapolis, Philip Rivers revealed the door is open to come on back in search of another seat at the NFL table.
Despite riding off into the Alabaman sunset after his only season with Indianapolis, Philip Rivers revealed the door is open to come on back in search of another seat at the NFL table.
Currently, Rivers is coaching high school football in Alabama, taking the reigns at St. Michael Catholic High School. Despite loving his time working with the youth in his native state, Rivers revealed the fire hasn’t burnt out.
Jogging out through the tunnel seems more possible than it has at any moment since he walked off the field after Indy’s playoff loss in Buffalo back in January 2021.
“I’m just going to stay ready,” Rivers told Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times.
“I want to make sure I’m very clear: I’m not predicting I will play in December or January, for that matter. One, you’ve got to have somebody who wants you, and two, it’s got to be right.
“But I have not completely ruled that out.”
Right now though Rivers is contented in Alabama and is far from in shape, and in turn, a while away from a return to the NFL.
“I’m not quite there,” the 39-year-old said.
“I’m getting back there. I wouldn’t have made weight if I had to report last week, that’s for sure. But I am getting back into the lifting and running, and shoot, I occasionally throw a ball around out here in this heat. It’s not too hard to get a good lather going.”
It would be romantic to see Rivers back slinging it with a team in with a shot of the Lombardi trophy but whether that occurs won’t just depend on Rivers’ health, but that of a team’s starting quarterback.
NFL announces joint practices - Who your team is playing and why
After practicing against your own same players throughout OTAs and training camp, it is a great opportunity to move through different plays, schemes against foreign opponents.
Not all 32 teams are participating in joint practices though. Only 21 teams are will involve themselves with another organization.
Joint practices aren’t a new phenomenon in the NFL. They essentially act as an opportunity for teams and players to go through scrimmages against different personnel.
After practicing against your own same players throughout OTAs and training camp, it is a great opportunity to move through different plays, schemes against foreign opponents.
Not all 32 teams are participating in joint practices though. Only 21 teams are will involve themselves with another organization.
New Orleans and Jacksonville were set to meet in Louisiana on August 20, but since the release of the schedule both teams have confirmed otherwise.
Teams NOT involved in joint practices this offseason:
Arizona Cardinals
Buffalo Bills
Cincinnati Bengals
Detroit Lions
Houston Texans
Jacksonville Jaguars
Kansas City Chiefs
New Orleans Saints
Pittsburgh Steelers
Seattle Seahawks
Washington Football Team
Some teams will engage in two bouts of joint practices; the Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins, Carolina Panthers, Philadelphia Eagles, and both the New York clubs (Jets and Giants).
Arguably, the most famous joint practice moment of recent memory involved then-Houston’s DeAndre Hopkins and Washington’s DeAngelo Hall getting into it. Things got interesting, real quick…
Thankfully for DB’s everywhere their ankles won’t be tested by D-Hop until preseason at the earliest.
Full list of this year’s joint practices:
Courtesy of NFL Communications
Why Von Miller believes Peyton Manning - and not Tom Brady - is the GOAT
Hold up now, just wait a second.
Before the outcry, we must be fair to Von and point out his thoughts are from late October 2020 -- long before Brady and the Bucs got it together and dominated the Chiefs. Perhaps his opinion has since changed, but judging by his love for Peyton that’s as likely as a flying pig.
What’s perhaps most interesting about Von Miller’s GOAT take is the question was never raised about Manning or Brady was never raised. Von decided to take it upon himself to assert Peyton Manning as the greatest of all time.
Irrespective of who you side with, Von’s love and admiration for Peyton -- both as a player and as a human being -- is palpable.
“He is the real deal and he’s the GOAT,” Miller said of his former Super Bowl winning teammate.
“They have these discussions about Peyton and Tom Brady, and Tom Brady, he’s won a lot of Super Bowl’s and I’m a Tom Brady fan but Peyton Manning, he changed the position of quarterback from an audible position on the line to being a technician, going about his game, knowing the defense and that’s why Peyton Manning is the GOAT in my eyes.”
“Of course we’ve got Tom Brady and I’m a big Tom Brady fan and everything he does man, but I played with Peyton Manning man, and I got to experience what type of guy he was, what type of player he was and what type of leader he was. He’ll always get my vote on being the GOAT, ‘cause he truly was.”
As for what Peyton Manning was truly like, away from the public eye, Von took us into the Broncos locker room, detailing the tendencies and nuances of Denver’s favorite son.
“I’m just taken to the image that I have of Peyton Manning. Him being in the locker room, just being around Peyton Manning, he was just a true leader man, a true leader of men,” he said when asked about Peyton’s most memorable qualities.
“If he did mess up on anything, he went about his business, so professional man and he never made the same mistake twice. He handled adversity off the football field, on the football field, he was the same guy every single day.
“He knew the coaches, he knew the players, he knew the players’ kids, he knew the janitors by first name and had conversations with all these guys. He was a real superhero man, it’s not a facade, it’s not anything fake, it was just him.”
Does Peyton Manning really run around in Von Miller’s backyard?! To find out, along with more of Von Miller’s conversation with Patrick Djordjevic, click here.