Peyton Manning

Despite concerns about his arm strength and mobility, Manning was selected first overall in the 1998 NFL draft by the Indianapolis Colts. Although many considered Washington State quarterback Ryan Leaf to be his rival for the first selection in the draft, as Leaf had a higher quarterback rating, all six experts Sports Illustrated consulted believed that Manning was superior. Five said that they would take him first in the draft; Sid Gillman said about Manning, "this is a pro quarterback."

The Colts' scouts initially favored Leaf, but the team's management and coaches liked Manning's attitude, particularly as Manning showed up prepared to a scheduled interview meeting with the Colts' staff while Leaf arrived late. Colts general manager Bill Polian, who had the final say on the draft selection, recalled Manning saying "I'll leave you with this thought. If you take me, I promise you we will win a championship. If you don't, I promise I'll come back and kick your ass." Contrary to what he heard about their athletic ability, Polian said that Manning "far and away had the stronger arm, threw a tighter ball" than Leaf.

Despite three interceptions, Manning completed 30 out of 38 passes for 268 yards and a touchdown as the Colts beat the Kansas City Chiefs in the Wild Card Round by a score of 23–8. The following week, the Colts were limited to five field goals and no touchdowns, but defeated the Baltimore Ravens, 15–6. Manning was 15 of 30 for 170 yards and two interceptions in the Divisional Round victory. In the AFC Championship against the rival New England Patriots, the Colts trailed 14–3 when Manning threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown by Asante Samuel to give New England a 21–3 lead. Manning led the Colts to 32 points in the second half for a 38–34 victory, the final score coming late in the fourth quarter as Manning led the Colts on an 80-yard touchdown drive to take the lead for the first time in the game. He finished the game with 349 passing yards, one passing touchdown, and one rushing touchdown. The comeback was the largest deficit ever overcome in a conference championship.

Completing 25-of-38 passes for 247 yards, a touchdown, and an interception, Manning led the Colts to a 29–17 victory over the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI and was named Super Bowl MVP. He became the first Colts player to receive the honor, as Dallas Cowboys linebacker Chuck Howley was MVP of Super Bowl V, the franchise's previous title. For his role in the Colts' championship run, Manning won the ESPY for Best Championship Performance. Manning was also named to the Pro Bowl and named Second-team All-Pro. After the Super Bowl win, Manning restructured his contract to save the Colts $8.2 million in salary cap space.

Source: Wikipedia, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License