by Darren Rueb

Created on: January 19, 2011

The most overrated player in the NFL is Peyton Manning. There are a number of reasons for this ranking.

To be overrated you must be hyped a lot. Manning certainly is. However, he doesn't deserve it. In today's world a lot of people just look at stats. Manning has those. They are impressive. Smart football fans know to look beyond this though. Throwing 4 touchdowns against a weak defense is not evidence that you are a great quarterback.

Manning has added to his extraordinary statistics against mediocre teams. Those stats drop off a lot though when he plays a tough defense. For example, when the Colts and the Patriots were rivals at the top of the AFC, Manning would throw for a lot of yards and put a lot of points on the board throughout the regular season. Then the Colts would go to New England and they would put up three points.

Even the year the Colts won the Super Bowl, Manning struggled against a tough Ravens defense. Of course, the Colts did win so you have to give him credit. That is actually the whole point of this. The point of the game is to win. Stats don't mean anything unless you win. That is the problem with Manning. He can never seem to win a tough game. He's great when he can throw for a ton of yards but as soon as it becomes a street brawl he can't be tough and win a sloppy game.

All the great quarterbacks can win the tough games. That is what makes them so great. The quarterback is suppose to lead his team to victory. It falls on them. That is their main job. If a guy doesn't do it, he can't be considered great. However, Manning is given great praise because of his stats but what do they really mean if you don't win?

Manning has had great teammates so that can't be an excuse. Some years, his offensive line allowed less than 20 sacks. Manning had all time to throw to good receivers. He's had good running backs behind him too. The defense hasn't always been the greatest but that is because the Colts have given Manning numerous weapons on offense and dumped their salary on their part of the team. That right there shows why Manning has great stats. The part about him not winning falls right on him. Manning, for all the credit he gets, should have won a lot more.

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