Peyton Manning: Pey Day

Peyton Manning: Pey Day
NFL 2012 Football

Peyton Manning

Acquired by the Denver Broncos in March, quarterback PEYTON MANNING ranks among the NFL elite and aims to continue to move up the charts in the league's record book.

"Peyton has had an unbelievable career," says younger brother and New York Giants quarterback ELI. "Since I've been watching football, I haven't seen anybody play at a higher level than he has. It has always been my goal to get to his level of football, to get to his level of play. I've watched him in situations and I'm just amazed at some of the throws and plays he's made in his career."

Manning's success has been attributed to his preparation, focus, dedication, durability and passion for the game. Former Colts head coach and NBC Sports analyst TONY DUNGY spent seven seasons (2002-08) with Manning in Indianapolis and has been a witness to the four-time MVP's formula for success.

"Peyton is a talented player and works hard, but the thing that I feel that separates him from others is his preparation," says Dungy. "He never goes into a game where he is not fully prepared. He believes that if you are prepared and you know what you are going to do, then you are going to have a high chance of success. His preparation is legendary."

Manning, who is entering his 15th NFL season, ranks third all-time in career passing yards (54,828), completions (4,682) and touchdown passes (399). Manning needs 286 completions and 22 touchdown passes in 2012 to surpass Pro Football Hall of Famer DAN MARINO (4,967 completions, 420 TDs) for second place all-time in each category.

Most Passing Yards

QB	Yards
Source: NFL
Brett Favre	71,838
Dan Marino	61,361
Peyton Manning	54,828
John Elway	51,475
Warren Moon	49,325

Most Completions

QB	Completions
Source: NFL
Brett Favre	6,300
Dan Marino	4,967
Peyton Manning	4,682
John Elway	4,123
Warren Moon	3,988

Most TD Passes

QB	TD Passes
Source: NFL
Brett Favre	508
Dan Marino	420
Peyton Manning	399
Fran Tarkenton	342
Tom Brady	300
John Elway	300

Manning needs one 300-yard passing game to surpass Marino for the most 300-yard passing games in NFL history. Manning can also become the first quarterback to throw for 4,000 yards in 12 different seasons.

Most 300-Yard Passing Games

QB	Games
Source: NFL
Peyton Manning	63
Dan Marino	63
Brett Favre	62
Drew Brees	57
Kurt Warner	52

Most 4,000-Yard Passing Seasons

QB	Seasons
Source: NFL
Peyton Manning	11
Dan Marino	6
Brett Favre	6
Drew Brees	6
Warren Moon	4
Philip Rivers	4
Tom Brady	4

Broncos All-Star cornerback Champ Bailey, who has faced many great NFL quarterbacks during his 14-year NFL career, knows the impact Manning will have in Denver.

"He's an amazing leader, and his leadership alone is, bar none, the best in the league," says Bailey. "He demands that accountability from other guys, and you see what he's done. It makes you feel good about coming to work every day, because you know there's a guy on the other side of the ball that's going to give it 150 percent regardless. To have him there leading that offense, it's an amazing feeling."

ESPN analyst and former NFL quarterback RON JAWORSKI says a great deal of Manning's success can be attributed to his high level of football intelligence against complex NFL defenses.

"The thing that always amazes me about Peyton Manning is the speed at which he processes what he sees on the field," says Jaworski. "It's not just all that preparation that he's famous for, it's also how quickly he puts it to use. The speed of processing. It's been years since Peyton has been surprised by a defense. He is second to none in the pre-snap phase of seeing the defenses. He knows where he's going with the ball before it's snapped. He is simply amazing in preparation and speed of processing. There is no one like him and that gives his team confidence, no matter who they're facing, or what the situation is."