Manning writes another record-breaking chapter

It would be easy to take what Peyton Manning does for granted. Not a year goes by without the Broncos quarterback shattering another few records, from the obscure – no signal caller past or present can match his tally of six games with 400+ passing yards and no interceptions – right through to the kind he claimed this weekend, when he became the NFL’s all-time leader for most career touchdown passes.

But he still has a few left to go. In fact, the Associated Press put together a handy list on Monday of major passing records that Manning does not yet hold (at this point, it might be easier to do things that way around) including most passing yards, attempts and completions.

All three belong to Brett Favre, as did the career touchdowns mark until this weekend. Confronted with the prospect of being surpassed by Manning, the former Green Bay Packers quarterback was candid. “I don’t really care to be honest with you,” said Favre on NFL Network’s Gameday Morning. “And I mean that with no disrespect.”

Coming from Favre, such words are easy to believe. He is not a man who obsessed over numbers and records in his career. Favre has admitted before now that one of the biggest reasons that he played on for as long as he did, padding out those statistics, was because “the money was too good” not to.

A similar confession from Manning is hard to imagine. Few athletes show such a keen interest in sports history – and their place within it – as the Broncos quarterback, who celebrated his record-breaking 509th touchdown pass with a nod to one of basketball’s all-time greats. By writing the number down on a sheet torn from a notepad, and posing with it in the locker room after the game, Manning was imitating Wilt Chamberlain, who did the same thing after scoring 100 points against the New York Knicks back in 1962.

Peyton Manning takes page from Wilt's book- photo with Demaryius Thomas of record 509 TD ball before Canton-bound pic.twitter.com/hyeBDF5ZWO

— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) October 21, 2014

Unlike Chamberlain, whose achievement appears unmatchable in the modern NBA, Manning knows his records will eventually fall. But his response to that prospect was telling. “I just hope whoever breaks it years from now has an appreciation for history, and for quarterbacks,” he said to Peter King.

Of course, every time Manning claims another record, one familiar debate rears its head. Is he the greatest quarterback of all time? His supporters argue that it is a clearcut case. The doubters contend that records alone cannot be enough as long as he has only one Super Bowl ring to show for them.

It is an argument that will never truly be settled, reflecting as it does two fundamentally different points of view about what constitutes achievement in a team sport. Instead of going round in circles again on this occasion, why not just kick back and enjoy the show? PB

Rams remind us of special teams’ importance

They say offence wins games and defence wins championships. But it was neither of those things that provided the Rams with the impetus for their victory over Seattle on Sunday. Instead, the game turned on three remarkable special teams plays.

The first – a 75-yard kick-off return by Benny Cunningham which set St Louis up for their first touchdown – was the least remarkable. It was the Rams’ longest such play in four years, but there was no trickery here; the second-year running back simply saw an opening down the right sideline and showed sufficient elusiveness to capitalise.

After scoring again on their next possession, the Rams led 14-3 early in the second quarter, as they lined up to return a punt. Seattle’s coverage team raced down the field towards where blockers were setting up in front of Tavon Austin. What they could not see, until it was too late, was that the ball had been travelling in the opposite direction.

The Rams had outfoxed their opponents with a simple bluff, executing a trick play called “Mountaineer”. While Austin signalled for a fair catch and fell over backwards to distract Seattle’s players, Stedman Bailey fielded the ball on the far side of the field, and ran it back 90 yards to the end zone.

His touchdown put St Louis up 21-3, yet they still might have lost without one last act of misdirection. Their advantage had been trimmed to just two points by the time they faced a fourth-and-three at their own 18-yard line with 2min 55sec remaining. The Rams’ punt unit came out on to the field, but instead of booting the ball back to Seattle, Johnny Hekker threw a short pass to Cunningham, who sped away for a first down. From there, the Rams could run out the clock and seal a 28-26 victory.

Perhaps Seattle should have seen this coming. Rams head coach Jeff Fisher has a well-earned reputation for special teams deceit, dating back to his time in Tennessee. He hatched the Music City Miracle to beat Buffalo in a Wild Card Game back in January 2000, but also had his punters throw 16 passes over the course of his decade with the Titans.

Fisher has noted before now that Hekker’s skill in throwing the ball – he is a former high school quarterback – was among the reasons that the punter made it on to the Rams’ team as an undrafted free agent in 2012. “We liked that as a potential additional weapon,” said the coach after Hekker threw a touchdown pass on a fake field goal against the Seahawks during his rookie year. “It tends to keep people off guard.”

Seattle will need to be on theirs if they are to avoid this season slipping away from them. Consecutive defeats have dropped the defending champs to 3-3, and they are already two games behind Arizona in the NFC West. That hardly constitutes cause for panic, but this team has some legitimate concerns.

A defence which was supposed to be the Seahawks’ strength has given up 264 rushing yards in the last two weeks. On the other side of the ball, Percy Harvin’s trade to the New York Jets has deprived them of a deep threat, as well as an explosive return man who, it seems timely to point out, ran back a kick-off for a touchdown during February’s Super Bowl win over Denver.

Admittedly, it does not sound as though the Seahawks’ locker room will be mourning his absence. Russell Wilson also did just fine without him this weekend, becoming the first quarterback ever to pass for 300 yards and run for 100 in the same game. But if Seattle had just been a little sharper on special teams, his efforts might not have been in vain. PB

Rodgers has Packers more than relaxed after remark

The Green Bay Packers are doing more than just executing over the last four weeks. Since Aaron Rodgers’s remarks to simply “R-E-L-A-X” when the Packers were 1-2 and heading for Chicago, the 2011 MVP has been the best quarterback in the league. That is quite a statement when you consider Peyton Manning’s achievements this weekend and Andrew Luck’s scintillating form of late.

Since that roll call - now a high-selling slogan for T-shirts and the alternative slogan to Manning’s “Omaha” – the Packers have won four straight and over that stretch Rodgers has 13 touchdowns, completed over 70% of his passes and most impressively thrown zero interceptions. Following their 38-17 victory over Carolina to leave them in a tie with Detroit atop the NFC North, head coach Mike McCarthy said Rodgers was “clearly a better player than in 2011”. Many may want to remind McCarthy at this point that Rodgers threw for 45 touchdowns and just six interceptions that year, with a quarterback rating of 122.5.

The key difference may be his preparation, supremely justified following his fake spike reminiscent of Dan Marino last week in Miami and ability to both pass with a supreme whip and run for first down yardage. His yards-per-game currently stands at 239.1, the lowest of his career, but that falls in line with a new Rodgers; more realistic and prepared to do whatever in order to win. For the most part, he follows the gameplan. Other times, it’s left to his imagination and talent.

Sunday’s victory was remembered not only for Randall Cobb’s ketchup-fuelled Lambeau Leap but also a record one for the 30-year-old. Nineteen of 22 completions for 255 yards and three scores led to a quarterback rating of 154.5, just the second player in NFL history along with Tom Brady to have a rating of 150 or more in two of the opening seven games. It is now 192 pass attempts since he threw a pick, second best in Green Bay behind Bart Starr who set the franchise record in 1964.

It’s one MVP and one Super Bowl ring for the Californian-born leader thus far. As smooth as a west coast kid, the man who kick-started the R-E-L-A-X merchandise chain is planning for a 2014 Champions brand too. MW

Pair of big market teams struggling

After Week Seven in the NFL, both Chicago and New Orleans are struggling. But which team are you more worried about? The Saints cannot get over the hump in closely fought games while the Bears are now 0-3 at Soldier Field.

With a chance to be in a virtual tie with Carolina (3-3-1) in the worst division in football, the Saints could not hold on to a 13-point lead with less than 14 minutes to play in Detroit. Calvin Johnson was missing again for the opponents but Rob Ryan’s defence let Detroit receiver Golden Tate break open for a 73-yard catch-and-run score with 3:56 remaining and then Drew Brees, whom the Saints have depended on for so long, threw a critical interception to cornerback Glover Quin to set up the winning Detroit score. On the plus side, 2-4 in the mediocre NFC South means a playoff berth is not out of the question yet.

Meanwhile Chicago, with a weaponry of Jay Cutler, Martellus Bennett, Alshon Jeffery, Brandon Marshall and Matt Forte on tap, are underachieving at 3-4. While not quite as bad as New Orleans record-wise, the Bears fell at home to the Dolphins on Sunday 27-14 and what may have transpired in the locker room afterward could have a negative effect for the remainder of the season. While coach Marc Trestman has disputed it, in a tense locker room afterward reports suggest receiver Brandon Marshall called out Cutler following his two turnovers which led to 10 Miami points.

Cutler was sacked three times, threw an interception and was credited with two fumbles and perhaps Marshall has a point; in Chicago’s three victories, Cutler hasn’t turned the ball over once, whereas the four losses have been privy to multiple mistakes in each.

Stirring up a frenzy in the media isn’t what Marshall intended but a star-studded lineup, inconsistent performance and sluggish play inevitably lead to tension. Trestman should hold an open meeting this week in order for Marshall to explain to his team-mates why he said what he said, and at the conclusion of that, this team should realise that they’re in need of a pick-me-up. This will force the big names to stop producing for themselves and execute for the team instead. MW

Quick outs

• Is there any slowing down DeMarco Murray? The Cowboys running back dominated the Giants this weekend, becoming the first player in NFL history to rush for 100 yards in seven consecutive games to start an NFL season. He was humble about it afterwards, too, insisting that the credit should be shared with his offensive line.

• Don’t look now, but the Arizona Cardinals are 5-1 and threatening to break away in the NFC West. Are they a real contender? On the one hand, they have beaten good teams, including San Diego and San Francisco. On the other, they have allowed bad Washington and Oakland teams to play them close these last two weeks. One thing is certain: after missing the playoffs with a 10-6 record last season, they should not be taking anything for granted.

• It is worth remembering that Arizona are missing some very significant pieces on defence. Calais Campbell continues to rehabilitate the knee he injured against Denver, while fellow lineman Darnell Dockett was ruled out for the year with a cruciate ligament tear in preseason. Still, Dockett has refused to give up his role as trash-talker-in-chief, taunting Raiders fans with a hand-written sign as he patrolled the sidelines on Sunday.

.@ddockett finishes a game long conversation with Raiders fans. #AZvsOAK pic.twitter.com/TqLiHElNjT

— Darren Urban (@Cardschatter) October 19, 2014

• The Bengals have lost a great deal of momentum since the start of the season, but for the Colts to beat them 27-0 was quite stunning. It speaks to the quality of work that Indianapolis are doing up front on both sides of the ball that a first-time observer might have come away from this game under the impression that Trent Richardson was a more effective NFL running back than Giovani Bernard (who, by the way, took an absolute beating).

• Is it just me, or does the AFC West consistently produce the most divisional upsets in the NFL? I would love to do some proper research into this, going back a few seasons, but have not yet had the time. My hunch is that it would, with the Chiefs’ win in San Diego this weekend being simply the latest example.

• Lions-Falcons was supposed to be the pick of the International Series games headed to London this season, but as the game approaches it is now beginning to look like yet another Wembley mismatch. Detroit (5-2) gave further indications that they might be a real Super Bowl contender, as they rallied from 23-10 down to beat the Saints. Atlanta are nothing of the sort after sliding to 2-5 with a heavy loss in Baltimore.

• And finally, hats off to this TV producer who delivered this impressively honest assessment of the Bills beating Minnesota. PB