Super Bowl 2016: This stat perfectly shows Peyton Manning's greatness
Peyton Manning's going to his fourth Super Bowl with a fourth different head coach.
By
Will Brinson
•
1 min read
When he suits up for the Denver Broncos for Super Bowl 50 on Sunday, February 7 (on CBS, and streaming online only at this link!), Peyton Manning will do something no other player in NFL history has ever done.
Manning will play in his fourth Super Bowl and will be the first player to play in a Super Bowl for four different head coaches.
Peyton played in his first Super Bowl in 2006 (XLI) with the Colts against the Bears, while coached by Tony Dungy. He would win in a nasty, rain-filled game, despite posting an 81.8 quarterback rating.
Manning's second Super Bowl came with the Colts again, only this time coached by Jim Caldwell (now with the Lions) in 2009 (XLIV). Sean Payton and the Saints pulled off an onsides kick to start the second half and stunned Manning's Colts in a loss.
The third trip to the Super Bowl for Manning was just two years ago, when he and the Broncos, then coached by John Fox, were absolutely blasted in Super Bowl XLVIII by Pete Carroll and the Seattle Seahawks.
Fox was chased off after a disappointing 2014 season ended short of a Super Bowl. A year later, Peyton and the Broncos are back in the Super Bowl, this time coached by Gary Kubiak.
It's hilarious because this is edition of the Broncos is the total opposite of a "Peyton Manning team." He nearly led the league in interceptions this season and looks like a game manager most of the time. If Denver wins it's because of a running game and defense.
But the fact Manning can get to a championship game in four different situations with four different head coaches is a testament to Manning's intellectual approach to the game and his ability to elevate his teammates, even if he probably won't be shouldering the load this time around.
