February 16, 2022 • 37 mins
Host Andrea Kremer takes us back to 1997 when NFL Films Steve Sabol interviewed Hall of Famer Peyton Manning and his father, Archie Manning. Peyton talks about growing up with his brothers while their Dad was playing in the NFL. The interview highlights the interesting dynamic between a football father and son and examines how Archie put more value in his relationship with his sons rather than trying to be their coach. Peyton gives insight to his decision to finish his college career before heading to the NFL, even after consulting several NFL QB's who often told him that they would leave school. Steve also asks Peyton what he learned from watching Archie as a professional football player and what were some of the favorite plays he watched his Dad make in the NFL.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
Welcome to NFL Films Tales from the Vault. I'm your
host Andrea Kramer. On this podcast, you'll hear some of
the greatest interviews ever done by the man who was
the heart and soul of NFL Films, Steve Sable. These
interviews are raw, unedited, and none of them have ever
been heard before. In their entirety. My role is to
(00:26):
guide you through the NFL Films Vault, providing perspective, insights, context,
and a few anecdotes along the way. You know how
we say this show is like a time capsule, Well,
this week it really feels like that. Today we head
back to Peyton Manning was a one year old starting
(00:48):
quarterback for the University of Tennessee the fall before Peyton
was drafted by the Colts ye Inn. Peyton Manning was
(01:10):
in the midst of his senior season, where he would
lead the volunteers to the SEC Championship and a birth
in the Orange Bowl. In November of that year, Steve
Sable traveled to Tennessee and sat down with Peyton and
his father Archie, to talk to and about to have
the greatest college quarterbacks of all time. Archie and All
(01:30):
American at all miss in the seventies and Peyton. Now,
everyone knew at that point that Peyton was going to
be a high draft pick, and most experts will tell
you that they knew Peyton was going to be an
all time great pro. But there's still some things people forget.
First off, surprisingly Peyton did not win the Heisman Trophy.
(01:50):
He finished second to Charles Woodson. And secondly, there was
actually a lot of pre draft debate about who would
be selected first overall Manning or Washington States Ryan Leaf, who,
by the way, actually finished right behind Peyton in the
Heisman voting. I remember this very well, like I was
right in the middle of covering this hole who's going
(02:11):
to go first debate? And I recall a Newsday poll
of twenty NFL general managers who favored Leaf over Manning.
To quote from that poll, the overwhelming consensus Manning may
have the more recognizable name, but Leaf clearly is the
preferred quarterback among league executives. Fourteen of the twenty polled
(02:33):
said they would draft Leaf over Manning, setting the Washington
State quarterbacks stronger arm, better mobility, and more promising long
term prospect as a franchise caliber player for Archie the
idea of which quarterback gets picked first may have seemed
eerily familiar. Hearkened back to first pick in the NFL
(02:56):
draft quarterback Jim Plunkett, second pick quarterback Archie Manning, third
pick quarterback Dan Pastorini, the first time in NFL history
quarterbacks went in the first three picks. So as much
as this interview is about a young Peyton Manning, it
also showcases the special dynamic between father and son. It
(03:19):
is illuminating. I think the way that Archie talks about
his role as a sports dad, especially in this day
and age of the helicopter sports parent. Archie Manning knew
the best way to ensure his son's football success was
to get out of the way. But he also knew
when to involve himself in intra family disputes, which were
inevitable when he had three competitive sons, Cooper, Peyton, and
(03:43):
of course the baby Eli. So let's go to the
vault for Steve Sable and Peyton and Archie Manning be Marcat, Marcat.
So we're shooting film, so we changed film every every
ten minutes, stun like video that Peyton. I've known your
your dad since he was a player and through a lot,
and I've never seen him angry. You can remember one
(04:05):
time as a kid that you did anything that really
pissed him off, really upset him. Well, Uh, I was
the cooper and I tried to stay out of trouble
as kids. But I remember, Um, we used to play
a lot of one on one basketball together. We played
a twenty and the first guy that got the eight
team wasn't gonna get another shot off without getting the
bloody nose or just without being fouled foul to death.
But really really used to bother my decks, and he
(04:27):
was trying to get us to become closer and be
tight brothers. We were just so competitive to one another,
so anytime we did that, he always threatened us with
a big number eight belt. It was just a big
belt with the number eight belt buckler right here, and
he never used him. It was always a big threat,
and that big number eight was threatening enough to stop
and trying to make us get along. When you look
back now, with in your gradual maturing as a quarterback,
(04:48):
what's the best advice that Archie ever gave you as
a quarterback? Yeah, Um, he's giving me a lot of
Just one thing he always told me, as a football
players quarterback, as you gotta have fun playing this game.
You're not having fun, you're playing the wrong musician. So
that's one thing I've always remembered in the intense workouts,
the morning runs, you know, the hot practice, you gotta
(05:08):
have fune what you're doing. But the best advice is
ever giving me it is probably to be a student
of the game. You can't go out there in today's
game and just try and wing it and try and
use your arm strength or just try and throw it
up to grabs. You got to study during the week,
prepare yourself for what defensive are doing, and learned everything
you can about the game. That's something I've tried to do,
something I'll continue to do throughout my career. Archie, I
want to ask you that what was the first time
(05:30):
that you saw Peyton's ability as possibly, you know, an
All American quarterback. Can you remember time when when he
was little that you saw him throw or as an
athlete and said, you know, this kid's got some potential. Well, yeah,
I know when he I really didn't believe in playing
ground football, you know, in the third fourth grade. Now
that I mean, I thought kids gonna play football. Study
(05:52):
that I just choose up in the backyard playing get
a buddy knows or whatever, but not the pads and
the coaching. And so they didn't really play ended about
the seventh grade, but they had a nice little team
and coach did a good job and use at that age,
you know, you just turned around, pitch it to your fastest,
biggest guy, and you just run run and round. But
they threw the ball a little bit when he's in
sound grade, and they coordinated a little passing game. You know,
(06:13):
nothing great, would dump off passes and long ones and
and uh he was a quarterback. He could always throw
it out there when he was when he was a
little boy, he used to get older brother so he
played with older kids and they used to get him
to show off his drop. He could he could take
the ball and take a five step drop. You know
he was where'd you learned to take that? Well, just
(06:35):
growing up in a football environment, and uh, you know
I was younger, but just always I was aware that
my dad played quarterback. And the five step dropping something
I heard of on TV and sing on sing on
game day, something I always tried to try to work on.
Did you watch your dad play, Well, I did, I was.
I was younger obviously when he was playing. I remember
more his later years with the with the Oilers and
(06:56):
with the Vikings. But uh, it was fun experience growing
up from the environment. Archie was saying that in the
beginning that you just go out in the yard when
you're a kid, and every kid that's done that always,
you know, if you're a quarterback or running back, you're
always somebody. You know, Now, when you were playing quarterback
as a kid, who were with you? You John Elway
or Dan Marino or Roger Staubach or Archie Manning. Well,
(07:17):
I was living before the Elway Marino era, but you know, Um,
obviously my dad was one of my heroes. Rider Star
that was always one of the guys we looked up to.
Dan Fouts was in that era also, so uh we
were always a big fan of the quarterbacks. But my
dad was always your favorite. So which one in the
family would get to be Archie? Uh? See, I was,
I was probably my dad. Cooper always had somebody different
every week. It seemed like he's kind of the front runner.
(07:41):
When when you look at films of Archie playing, how
would you evaluate him as a quarterback now knowing what
you know about the position. Well, it's funny. When I
first got here to Tennessee, the first thing I did
was get a couple of his college games they played
against Tennessee, and I sent two tapes. So I sent
the two copies of the games you played and everyone, Dad,
you were awful. Just this became as we're just so off,
(08:01):
they were so bad. But that was kind of a
different error back then. But obviously his pro days were
always fun to watch, you know, just scrambling all over
the field, makes a lot of plays. What do you
remember as a kid when Archie played after the after
the games, I mean, what was that like, you know,
on a Sunday night after a game. Well, I remember
it was tough. Um. Elder brother Cooper and I used
always come down to the locker room after the game
(08:22):
and we we get all the candy bars and all
the chewing guns and all the players lockers and just
kind of be playing around. But we always got a
big tape ball, made a tape ball, go out into
the dome and play a hundred yards one on one
football and that's the greatest game in the world. And
it'd be after a tough loss, my Da would always
have to come out there and get us and say,
hey guys, let's go home. But the thing I do remember,
as he always took the time to sign all his
autograss and do all his interviews after a tough loss,
(08:44):
you know, but at home that night he never brought
the you know, the tough loss home. He was always
really good to us, real good to my mom. And
so you never, you know, you couldn't really tell whether
they want or lost. If you could have the power
they go back in time and change one thing about
your dad career. What would it be? I had to
bring about five all all profits lining with me man
(09:08):
and put him on the Saints. That would have helped out.
I think Archie when you when you see Payton play now,
does he have certain abilities that you wish you had. Well,
he's so much more advanced in code. He talked about
how awful I was, and he was talking about my
mechanics as as a drop back pastor. Our system was
(09:30):
kind of sprint out thing, and and I could run
a little bit and I could throw on the run.
But when we did go to drop back us, it
was only we got way behind or something, and I
had I mean, I do. We do football camps now
and we coach young kids these things not to do
as a drop back past, you know, don't take a
false step, don't look behind you as you drive him back,
look downfield, don't pat the ball before you throw. I
(09:51):
did all those things. I guess that's how I learned.
When I got to pro ball, I had to just
correct so many things. And it was funny when he
sent me those temps that was from when I played
against Tennessee. Also through six interceptions that day. It's rather
the worst game I've ever had. But I watched him
and I was awful. I mean, he's just you know,
he's had a great coach and so much. Your mechanics
(10:13):
were bad. I mean, people look at you, said, one
of the greatest quarterbacks. You to learn and when I
went when I went from college, I had to learn
the whole process. I just I played under a college system.
I mean, I had great coaches, were put on good teams,
but I didn't know anything about the drop back passing
game mechanics or the reds and so forth. So I
had learn a rollout. The rollout. He you know, even
(10:34):
in high school. Uh, he was. He was a good
drop back pastors a high school player. But coming to Tennessee,
he's big and he's a drop back pastor, and he's
working on his mechanics and his quickness and all those things,
and he's just so much further along. You know, I
don't go out and bragging on Peyton, but you asked
me so, like, you know, I like the way he
(10:54):
plays the game. He works at it hard, but he
also plays it hard. And I thinking, I'm not saying
that really is his father. I'm saying that as a
as a quarterback. I would say I say it about
other quarterbacks too, because there's a lot of good ones
in college football. But I like the way they played
the game. But when you realized that Peyton was going
to be a quarterback, what was the first piece of
advice Archie that you gave him something about the position fundamentals?
(11:22):
I think, do you think? Uh? Probably some of the
try not just throw a lot of advice out there.
You know, he really had to ask, you know, because
I just thinking that you can get yourself in trouble
as a father. And yeah, I played, and now he's
coming along with one thing I didn't want perception of
people thinking I'm trying to mold him into this corvette.
(11:42):
He and his brothers they really like to play the game.
And if they asked me to go out and play
with him and go out, let's go, let's go go
play catch at run routes something I love to go.
But I really didn't want to be the coach. I
just kind of wanted to be another guy and their father.
I guess though, when it came to football, pay Nascar
out of questions, and it was probably some of the
early things is protect the football. And I think that
(12:04):
is the quarterbacks, which what you gotta do in situations,
you know, uh, don't throw the interception, protect the ball,
be smart as a player, and take the be conscious
of the cerebral approach to the game, not just the
athletic part. Now when you see Peyton play, now, is
there anything about his game that reminds you of yourself? Well,
(12:28):
I said, and looking at him in college, and because
it's been so long since I played college, there's not
many not many similarities there, and the college game has
come so far. I mean that you know that the
passing systems in the in the passing game today in
college football is in a lot of schools is so
(12:48):
close to what the pros are doing and admire. It
really wasn't. But um, a lot of people think that,
you know, they see something in Payton. It maybe the
way kind of our swagger, the way to walk up
to the line or something like that. I gets sometimes
I've kind of seen that, but I don't see many
similarities in the game because I have such a different
(13:09):
style of quarterback at the college of level. Do you
think having your dad as at a quarterback Peyton has
helped you or has it been a burden sometimes? Or
you know, sometimes if you go into the same profession,
even if it's one football, if you're going to the
same profession of your as your father, that everybody compares
you to your father, right, Um, It's never been a
(13:29):
burden to me. I've always realized that I was the
son of a former quarterback, and uh, you know, most
of the articles about me or TV interviews started off
with peytonon and son of former Saint Sinoma's quarterback Archer Mary.
I've kind of accepted that, but I'm proud to be
his son. So it's never been a problem. But I
realized when I chose to come and play football in
the sec that the comparisons would be there. But I'm
not trying to be better than my father. I don't
(13:50):
think I ever will be as good at quarterback as
he was. All I want to do is playing good
football and be as good as I can be. But uh,
I've kind of taken advantage of him as a quarterback,
kind of milked him for all his knowledge and try
to learn anything I can from him. What does Archie
review your games after you play? I mean that if
he comes when the game's over and you talk, does
he ever give you any kind of critique about not really?
(14:11):
You know, in high school here I used to talk
about a little bit, But now that I've come to college,
he's really turned me over to the Tennessee coaches. He
and I would talk about the game because I want
to talk about some things, and He'll just kind of listen,
but on the phone during the way, because the night
before the game we don't talk XS and OS. All
will talk about is Mabe, how to handle certain situations
after the game, how to handle certain interviews, just how
to handle all the attention that comes with being a
quarterback at a major college program. Uh, if you were
(14:34):
going to judge, how would you say that you judge
a quarterback success success? Um? Obviously, his win loss record
probably has a lot to do with it. Um. You know, statistics, UM,
give me misleading, um. Um. You know in today's game,
I think the win loss record just you know, you
kind of have to watch him play to see how
he plays the game, how he handles himself, how he
(14:55):
handles himself in tough situations when the deefense is coming
after him the entire day in a tough law us,
whether he quits at the end, whether he comes back.
You got to see him play a bunch of games
something to get a good feel for how good of
a quarterback years? How about you, Archer, how would you
answer that? You know, I think a lot of these
things we can't really see just watching on TV sometimes
and stand Steve, but um, Peyton has been involved in
(15:15):
the game that you know four years here at Tennessee.
He's worked hard at it, studied the game. I think
there's there's a level you get to as a college
quarterback where the coach can really kind of take some
reins off. Obviously, when a freshman, sophomore you don't give
them the whole package to read. You know, you you
try to. You can pinpoint one to that then as
(15:37):
a material and get older or sometimes they never do.
But he can by watching a game, watching another quarterback,
watching their system, he kind of knows if their coaches
turn them loose or they've got them just doing a
little definitely throwing here, watching the guy they're gonna throw too.
And it's all levels of development for quarterbacks and college systems.
(15:57):
But I think if you played the game game, I think, uh,
and we get those of us who got to play
at a pro level, we appreciate seeing a college quarterback
that we know he is doing the whole package there,
that he's he's managing the game. He's coming to the
line of scrammage, he may be running check with me.
He may be coming out of runs and going to pass.
(16:18):
Is what he does against split situations. I guess more
of the things that the that the pros have to do.
And in some college systems they're they're more developed or
the quarterback is they give them, they give them more
to do, and that that's impressive for for young people,
twenty one year old young people, it's really interesting listening
to Archie say how much the college game is like
(16:38):
the pro game in but not so much when he
played back in the sixties and seventies. One thing I've
always learned from coaches today is that NFL offenses have
evolved based on the players they get from the college game,
the unique skill sets that those college quarterbacks have. So
(16:59):
in the years since this interview, there isn't any college
style or pro style of quarterback play anymore. In fact,
the straight drop back passer which Peyton typified, isn't the
template for quarterbacks in the game today. Now you still
need the same mental acuity to be a great quarterback,
(17:19):
but in today's game, the physical skill set can vary widely.
When we come back, Steve talks with Peyton about why
he chose to stay at Tennessee instead of going pro
after his junior year and the role that Archie played
in making that decision. Welcome back. When Peyton Manning finished
(17:39):
his junior year at Tennessee, there was a lot of
speculation about whether or not he would turn pro. The
Jets have the number one pick, and after they hired
new head coach general manager Bill Parcels. Manning said that
made his decision a lot harder, but on March five,
Peyton held a press conference announcing he would return to
(18:01):
Tennessee for his senior season. And I quote, if I'm
good enough to play in the NFL, as many experts
say I am, then I can only be better after
one more season. By the way, over the years, Parcels
has said that he would have taken Manning number one. Boy,
can you imagine that Hall of Fame combination? So meanwhile,
(18:23):
let's head back to Steve with Peyton and Archie talking
about why Peyton shows to finish his four years of
Tennessee and enter the draft in the spring of Now,
when you look at your career, it seems like everything
you've done has been escalated. Everything you're in a hurry.
You go through college into years net when it came
to count in the NFL, you sort of put the
(18:44):
brakes on. Why was that? Well, I kind of did
my career in reverse. I mean, I mean, everything happened
so fast. Most guys come in and read shirts or
freshman and start off real slow. Then they play the
sophomores junior senior years. I played so early, and I
was taking a lot of classes earlier. Graduated in three years,
and I played so much I kind of wanted to
slow things down and say, hey, I don't want to
rush my college career. So that's why I stayed one
(19:06):
more year to be a senior here at Tennessee and
just enjoy college's life one more you, because otherwise I
felt like I would have rushed right through college. Did
you ask any of that you know other than your
father Roger Staubacher. You mentioned that you talked to any
other quarterbacks say should I come out earlier? Should I
stay in college? Well? I did. My dad and I
sort of sat down and formed a list of people who,
(19:26):
you know, who we thought would have good knowledge of
football in the NFL or just good decision making knowledge.
And we talked. Talked to Troy Man, I talked to
bled Drew Bleds so Rick Meyer and know what they said?
What they tell you, Um, most of them had kind
of mixed opinions. Most of them, I asked, I said,
what would you do if you were me? And in
the majority of them said they probably leave. This is
what they said. But they said, if you want to stay,
(19:48):
I don't think twice about it, go ahead and stay.
Do what you want to do. So you were saying, Peyton,
don't show me the money. I guess. I guess. Yeah,
the Jeremy Byre slogan, I guess. But the fact that
they said do what you want to do, that was
the best advice to game, because then I thought, I'm
gonna do what I want to do, what it feels
strong in my mind, in my heart, and so I
decided to stay. Now, when you look back on your career,
(20:09):
there's been so many high points. What do you look
back on your career now and says the biggest disappointment
of your career? Well, I think all the losses are disappointing.
Obviously we've lost the floor in the past couple of years.
We had a really disappointing lost in Memphis last year,
which is a big upset, and so you always hate
to lose. But uh, you know, there were so many
highlights too, so you're try and have those to overcome
your low lines, Aren'tie. When Peyton leaves for for training
(20:31):
camp next next summer, what's the last words of advice
that you're going to give them. I don't know, Steve,
I had thought about it. Um. Uh, you know the
thing I've always told young quarterbacks, and it give me
one piece of advice, and I always say, find that
thirty second clock there. You know, for the game starts,
you can really go crazy there. I guess you'll probably
(20:53):
know where that is. Kind of like you said before,
you know, it's a it'll be a huge transition for him,
just like high school to college was. But just just
take it day by day and keep having fun, you know.
I know, I felt like in my pro career, I
saw a lot of guys coming to the league who
probably loved college football, had fun playing and it got
(21:17):
weird wide and fun, and maybe our teams maybe you know,
we struggled at times. But I just think it is
a business and it's and it's serious stuff, but it's
still a game too, And I would encourage him to
always remember that that it's a game. Uh to play hard,
compete hard, but you gotta you gotta have fun playing football.
(21:38):
That's interesting how you keep stressing fun in your career
because there's a lot of professionals that you know, they
say there's the only thing that you can do is
winning is winning, and yet you never had that opportunity,
and yet you still look back and the most important
thing to you was fun. And there will be some
people say, how could you have fun? I mean that's
really I'm saying very unusual is you try to you know,
(21:58):
I think you try to have funny if it if
it just uh overcomes you and I you know, and
I struggle with it. I mean I had to really
make some make some transitions in my day to day thing,
and I was taking I was taking it and maybe
before I had children, but I was taking it home
with me. And Mondays were horrible in your day off.
Tuesdays were horrible. You just living with it, losing. You know,
(22:20):
the best day was Wednesday when you got to think
about a different team and prepare for a different team.
And I guess the best thing on Sunday, the school
was always nothing to nothing. When the game started, you
got another you got another chance. Um, I didn't really
see the bright side of pro football. But now years later,
when I reflect on it, I really did enjoy the trip.
(22:43):
It's what I wanted to do as a kid. And
I had goals to play the game. I wish we
had one more. I wish I'd accomplish more, but I did.
I did keep trying and I did really love playing
the game, you know, and it never got to be
Losing was miserable, but going into Sunday was never miserable
for me. I was always upbeat. I always thought we
(23:04):
had a chance to win. I was always trying to
have a sanguin feeling about the next game and the
next season or the next era we were going through it.
I really loved the game, and I'm glad I had
the opportunity to play it. So I think people that
get to play it should appreciate that opportunity. Don't ever
take for granted. Enjoy the trip. You know it's gonna
it's gonna be a yo yo, and it's gonna be hard. Yeah,
(23:26):
but everyone's gonna struggle when they first began. You try
to get better and progress, but you really should try
to look at the overall picture and enjoy the trip.
It's a great profession because people think, think of your
career and the first thing said arch me terrific quarterback,
terrific talent, terrible timing. Do you think where are you
worried that the same thing could happen to Payton? Because
(23:48):
he's going to be picked by the by the worst
team in the NFL. And do you have a feeling
at all at all? This is this gonna be my career,
you know, duplicated the same thing that he's gonna be
put in the situation were as good as he is,
he's never gonna experience winning. No. I really think that's
just that's negative thinking right there. And I know that
(24:09):
can happen, um, but you know that's the that's the system.
U the team that's having the worst year picks and
if he's forced enough to be picked early, I think
that's a great compliment. I do think in this in
this time in football, and football, as you know, has
gone through, in my opinion, the most drastic change in
the last four or five years in the history of
(24:30):
the game. But I do think one thing, and it's
not all good, but one thing about it. I think
a team does have a greater chance now that's on
the bottom or they didn't win many games to turn
it around. And there's no you don't hear anyone talking
about long range a building programs anymore. There's no five
year programs all that. Maybe there should be. I mean,
I think what we do to coaches today is unbelievable,
(24:53):
the insecurity they have. But I think teams can can
turning turning around with the proper structure, the management, the
coaching and so forth. And you know, I'm being selfish
as a parent. I want him to play on as
good a team as he can play for, and I
hope he can be successful. But hopefully he can he
can stay healthy and have a long career and and
(25:15):
enjoy and see the bright side of profile. But how
about your opinion of that page? Because it's not like
going to college where you can pick where you want
to go and you know the coach, you know the program,
you know the enthusiasm. This is different. You know this
is you know you're gonna get picked by a team
that that that's probably the worst team of all thirty.
How do you what's your mental approach going into that situation? Well,
(25:37):
still earlier, still have no idea where I'll be picked,
But if it does come about, I've always just just
growing up. And you know, I realized you can choose
a college when the NFL, you go to whatever team tasso.
So all you can do is go there and make
the best side of the situation, work hard as you
possibly can. Hopefully some other good players are coming around
you and just believe in the program and just work
hard and hopefully trying to do your best. That's really
(25:57):
all you can do. If you have a bad attitude
about it, you dread the situation. Obviously you won't do well.
To Steve's point, there's no way Archie would have wanted
Peyton to duplicate his career. Remember those images of the
Saints fans with bags over their heads. Well, Archie Manning
played his entire thirteen year NFL career and never finished
(26:17):
his season with a winning record. In fact, his career
mark was thirty five, one oh one and three. Now,
speaking as a parent, we always want our kids to
do better than us, No question that's the case for
Archie Manning, but there were still many highlight moments in
his career. When we come back, Peyton recalls his favorite
(26:38):
Archie Manning plays. Plus, here's the story you're gonna want
to hear Peyton and Pizza, stay tuned, Welcome back to
Tales from the Vault. So this is not a news flash.
Peyton Manning is a perfectionist and I experienced this firsthand
(26:59):
when Peyton was with the Cults. I was doing a
story on the unique way that he warmed up pregame
with star receivers Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne running precise
patterns in their route tree. So Peyton shows up for
the interview and he had actually gone through pregame tape
and analyzed the length, depth, and every aspect of the
(27:23):
route tree so that he could give me the perfect
information that ladies and gentlemen is called preparation. But for
all his intensity, there's also that Southern gentleman aspect to
his personality. Archie and Olivia Manning brought their sons upright
like they wanted them to share, even if it was pizza.
(27:45):
I'd read something where there was was before a Florida
game and there were people standing in line, and you
bought everybody pizza. What happened was that there was some
students white in the land for tickets before the game.
They were probably six people white in the lane for
tickets and three we're gonna get tickets, and so there
were three hundred people. It was raining. They were just
in line for a miserable night with you know, with
(28:05):
no rewards. And so, uh, I just heard the idea
from I think Duke basketball does, and I just uh
called Domino's pizza and told him to come send some
pieces over there and start in the back of the
line a lest those people can only get tickets. They'll
get fed well that night. And so it's just an idea.
I told them, don't tell them if I did it,
just something I'd like to do for the students because
they are a big part of our program here. And
(28:25):
obviously word he got out that I did it, and
it was a lot of fun for me to try
and help those people. Archie, when you're when you're watching
Peyton play, what kind of a spectator you sitting and
watch the game where you wanted to? There's just pacing
around on the back of that probably place. But but
I I, um, I hadn't done as well in his
(28:46):
last year that I've done earlier. I mean, I had
a basic theory about my kids playing sports when they
were young. Steve just overall, you know the Little League
parents syndrome is is um sit on the top row
and keep your mouth shut. And I tried to do that.
And and he and Cooker played together in high school
in here and they got into the finally got to
(29:06):
the quarterfinals, semifinals. I was a bit, a bit nervous
for him, but we handled that fine. And when he
was a freshman playing college football, big time college football,
I was I was concerned. I felt far him because
I know how tough that position can be, and you know,
right out of a small high school. But he's handled
it well and we've had a lot of fun washing
him play. I think in his in his last year,
(29:28):
it's been a little tougher, um, just because everyone just
put him up here and it seemed like a lot
of people waiting for him to fail, you know, or
do poorly and take their shots. Um. I just I
think the position. I have so much respect position, but
the quarterback position, I know hack can be good to
(29:48):
you and hack and some days that can go against you.
So I'm a little nervous far him, and I think
people that watched me, I kind of withdraw a little bit.
I get I don't have much personality during that three hours,
and I don't hower and scream, and uh, sometimes I
sink down in my chair. I get. Uh. I think
I get a little stress over a holding call. You know,
(30:09):
I see a big game come back, just like when
I played. I mean, I hate holding calls, I hate
kick off returns where you're gonna get a good field
position and there's a hold and you start on the
ten yard line. I sink a little deeper in the chair.
Then if you were a scout and you were scouting Peyton,
what would you fill out on the chart as a
as a scout? People fashing this forward? And then I
(30:30):
get into this thing where I said, I don't go
around bragging on Payton. Uh, I guess I don't have
some negatives to say about paid If I did, I
probably wouldn't wouldn't tell you. See, I think, first of all,
what I said before, I really like the way Peyton
plays the game. He just he plays the game the
way he's supposed to play. He understands the game, he
understands that, he studies, that he's worked at it, and
(30:52):
he tries to always get better on the middle part
of the game, be prepared for the team he's playing.
But it's something else, and I think, you know, I
see it, and I'm not I shouldn't even say I'm
not comparing him to any of the quarterbacks, but I
see it in the in the pro quarterbacks that I
and my my most time, I really respect that position.
(31:14):
But it's something about that you go out there and
you you play the game hard, you compete real hard,
and you there's a there's a toughness. You've got to
have a mental toughness, physical toughness. Uh, there's a there's
a leadership, uh, personality that has to and there's different
types of that, but that has to come out. There's
(31:36):
there's a reaction after an interception or after a missed
third down where you've got to settle for a field goal,
have to punch the ball away. But um, overall, I
like the way he plays game. He's got good, good size,
he's got good good arm uh And when he said,
I think he appreciates the fact that you do have
to understand the the surrebral part of the game. But
(31:58):
then after that, I just I like the way he
goes about his business and place Pyton. You've obviously seen
a lot of our films. If your dad plan, is
there one or two plays that stand out in your
mind that when you see him one film you just
say it, man, that is unbelievable. How did he do that? Well?
Probably the most popular one is the is the side
is the underwarmed uh, the underhand throwing it for the
(32:20):
old thing. They're playing the Eagles, So that's when you
see all the time with just it's funny. It's usually
you see just the tail end of the play, but
the first part of the plays is a funny part.
It's a tight end reverse I think or Dave Casper
throws it back over my dad's head hoping he's like, here,
you take it. I don't want it, and my dad
picks it up on the run and it has no
way to throw it with those underhand. And the funniest
part is the guy should have scored to the score
(32:42):
one of the greatest of all the time. But but
that one sort of stands out. And I guess his
first game because a rookie they're playing the Rams, kind
of stands out. The story. He kind of tells they
call it time out before the before they play them
three hour line with about three seconds to go and
kind of waiting for a play, and the coaches don't
really give him a play. They're kind of confusing. He
just says, hey, we gotta go. He goes in the
hole and calls one of their college plays, you know,
(33:03):
called his quarterback sprint out left. But he runs in
the end zone and scores on the last play the
game against the Rams, who had had the great defense
those times. So those two plays always stick up. But
the obviously there are a lot that he made the
great plays. Archie, is there been one play in in
Peyton's college career that that you've seen and that you've
just looked at over and over against I can't believe
(33:24):
he did that. Um, I guess against Georgia his his
junior year. They had they were in the red zone
and um, he had a quarterback sneak. You know, I
guess it's about a third and short. I could have
been fourth, but um, he ran the quarterback sneak, and
I guess felt like, uh, he was stuffed and amin't
(33:46):
gonna make it, so he he ran out of it
and scrambled around and his receiver went out into a touchdown.
Because that's play that you would have made. Well, I'm
like sure I would have ever thought about that on
a quarterback sneak. And I just said, I don't go
around and brag about Payton, but I think it is.
It's a good example of his the way he competed.
I mean to anyway he thinks that you and I'm
sure i'd advise quarterbacks to do that. Like he didn't
(34:08):
get in big chances of a receiver going out on
a lot of times on a quarterback sneak or not good.
But uh, he was competing and thinking, and uh it was.
It was a critical time in the game, and uh
it was. It was a big play. Uh I I
had heard I think Cordell Stewart one time, but it
(34:28):
was kind of a design play. You know, they were
kind of gonna fake that and then do it. But
just I think he probably shocked his coaches a little
bit that day. And I don't think it's a big
part of the game plan. But I enjoyed. I enjoyed
that last question. It's it's a unique situation that you're
in having a father that that was in the same
not only same profession, but the same position. Um, when
(34:50):
you look back on your career now, Peyton, what have
you learned from Archie that you've been able to apply
to your own situation. Well, the thing I've always tried
to do, I was say I wanted to be the
same kind of quarterback. My dad was always playing the
game the right way. But most importantly, I think part
of being a quarterback as being the right kind of
person off the field. My dad has always done that,
always handled himself with a lot of class during those
(35:12):
tough times with the Saints. Uh, it could have been
easy for him to to to you know, to walk
through the interview room or not signed as aut of ask,
but you always took the time to do that, and
so I always wanted to be that kind of person.
So whether you play well or you play badly, you
always take the time to sign out of ask for
your fans, do your interviews, and just keep your head
on the same level. So I've always trying to do that,
and I learned that from watching him and from learning
(35:32):
from him. That's it can and then a better statement
than that. Peyton truly revered his dad, and I think
that we could hear that throughout Steve's interview. But making
a mistake. He was also a mom's boy growing up.
In fact, the great Olivia Manning once told me that
her pet name for her middle son, and I can't
really do justice to her southern accent, was pat Pie.
(35:57):
Did that come out right? Um? Sorry, Olivia? I try
my best. One final quick story for you about Peyton
emulating his dad being the quote right kind of person
off the field. In October of the Colts unveiled a
statue of Peyton outside Lucas Oil Stadium. There was a
big ceremony. Tony dunj is there, David Letterman, just several
(36:18):
of the luminaries extolling the virtues of Peyton manning. It
was a nice event, but not much different than most
ceremonies of that nature. The next day, prior to the
Colts game, as folks were milling about the new statue
taking pictures, Peyton snuck up behind the unsuspected fans and
began taking selfies with them. No entourage, no security, completely unannounced.
(36:42):
The mutual gratitude that Peyton and the fans had for
one another was on full display. Well, next week we
have another gem from as Steve sits down with the
aforementioned Bill Parcels the summer after Parcels took over as
Jets head coach stable and Parcels. That's entertainment personified. I
(37:06):
sure hope you'll join us. Thanks for listening. I'm Andrea Kramer.
Welcome to NFL Films Tales from the Vault. I'm your
host Andrea Kramer. On this podcast, you'll hear some of
the greatest interviews ever done by the man who was
the heart and soul of NFL Films, Steve Sable. These
interviews are raw, unedited, and none of them have ever
been heard before. In their entirety. My role is to
(00:26):
guide you through the NFL Films Vault, providing perspective, insights, context,
and a few anecdotes along the way. You know how
we say this show is like a time capsule, Well,
this week it really feels like that. Today we head
back to Peyton Manning was a one year old starting
(00:48):
quarterback for the University of Tennessee the fall before Peyton
was drafted by the Colts ye Inn. Peyton Manning was
(01:10):
in the midst of his senior season, where he would
lead the volunteers to the SEC Championship and a birth
in the Orange Bowl. In November of that year, Steve
Sable traveled to Tennessee and sat down with Peyton and
his father Archie, to talk to and about to have
the greatest college quarterbacks of all time. Archie and All
(01:30):
American at all miss in the seventies and Peyton. Now,
everyone knew at that point that Peyton was going to
be a high draft pick, and most experts will tell
you that they knew Peyton was going to be an
all time great pro. But there's still some things people forget.
First off, surprisingly Peyton did not win the Heisman Trophy.
(01:50):
He finished second to Charles Woodson. And secondly, there was
actually a lot of pre draft debate about who would
be selected first overall Manning or Washington States Ryan Leaf, who,
by the way, actually finished right behind Peyton in the
Heisman voting. I remember this very well, like I was
right in the middle of covering this hole who's going
(02:11):
to go first debate? And I recall a Newsday poll
of twenty NFL general managers who favored Leaf over Manning.
To quote from that poll, the overwhelming consensus Manning may
have the more recognizable name, but Leaf clearly is the
preferred quarterback among league executives. Fourteen of the twenty polled
(02:33):
said they would draft Leaf over Manning, setting the Washington
State quarterbacks stronger arm, better mobility, and more promising long
term prospect as a franchise caliber player for Archie the
idea of which quarterback gets picked first may have seemed
eerily familiar. Hearkened back to first pick in the NFL
(02:56):
draft quarterback Jim Plunkett, second pick quarterback Archie Manning, third
pick quarterback Dan Pastorini, the first time in NFL history
quarterbacks went in the first three picks. So as much
as this interview is about a young Peyton Manning, it
also showcases the special dynamic between father and son. It
(03:19):
is illuminating. I think the way that Archie talks about
his role as a sports dad, especially in this day
and age of the helicopter sports parent. Archie Manning knew
the best way to ensure his son's football success was
to get out of the way. But he also knew
when to involve himself in intra family disputes, which were
inevitable when he had three competitive sons, Cooper, Peyton, and
(03:43):
of course the baby Eli. So let's go to the
vault for Steve Sable and Peyton and Archie Manning be Marcat, Marcat.
So we're shooting film, so we changed film every every
ten minutes, stun like video that Peyton. I've known your
your dad since he was a player and through a lot,
and I've never seen him angry. You can remember one
(04:05):
time as a kid that you did anything that really
pissed him off, really upset him. Well, Uh, I was
the cooper and I tried to stay out of trouble
as kids. But I remember, Um, we used to play
a lot of one on one basketball together. We played
a twenty and the first guy that got the eight
team wasn't gonna get another shot off without getting the
bloody nose or just without being fouled foul to death.
But really really used to bother my decks, and he
(04:27):
was trying to get us to become closer and be
tight brothers. We were just so competitive to one another,
so anytime we did that, he always threatened us with
a big number eight belt. It was just a big
belt with the number eight belt buckler right here, and
he never used him. It was always a big threat,
and that big number eight was threatening enough to stop
and trying to make us get along. When you look
back now, with in your gradual maturing as a quarterback,
(04:48):
what's the best advice that Archie ever gave you as
a quarterback? Yeah, Um, he's giving me a lot of
Just one thing he always told me, as a football
players quarterback, as you gotta have fun playing this game.
You're not having fun, you're playing the wrong musician. So
that's one thing I've always remembered in the intense workouts,
the morning runs, you know, the hot practice, you gotta
(05:08):
have fune what you're doing. But the best advice is
ever giving me it is probably to be a student
of the game. You can't go out there in today's
game and just try and wing it and try and
use your arm strength or just try and throw it
up to grabs. You got to study during the week,
prepare yourself for what defensive are doing, and learned everything
you can about the game. That's something I've tried to do,
something I'll continue to do throughout my career. Archie, I
want to ask you that what was the first time
(05:30):
that you saw Peyton's ability as possibly, you know, an
All American quarterback. Can you remember time when when he
was little that you saw him throw or as an
athlete and said, you know, this kid's got some potential. Well, yeah,
I know when he I really didn't believe in playing
ground football, you know, in the third fourth grade. Now
that I mean, I thought kids gonna play football. Study
(05:52):
that I just choose up in the backyard playing get
a buddy knows or whatever, but not the pads and
the coaching. And so they didn't really play ended about
the seventh grade, but they had a nice little team
and coach did a good job and use at that age,
you know, you just turned around, pitch it to your fastest,
biggest guy, and you just run run and round. But
they threw the ball a little bit when he's in
sound grade, and they coordinated a little passing game. You know,
(06:13):
nothing great, would dump off passes and long ones and
and uh he was a quarterback. He could always throw
it out there when he was when he was a
little boy, he used to get older brother so he
played with older kids and they used to get him
to show off his drop. He could he could take
the ball and take a five step drop. You know
he was where'd you learned to take that? Well, just
(06:35):
growing up in a football environment, and uh, you know
I was younger, but just always I was aware that
my dad played quarterback. And the five step dropping something
I heard of on TV and sing on sing on
game day, something I always tried to try to work on.
Did you watch your dad play, Well, I did, I was.
I was younger obviously when he was playing. I remember
more his later years with the with the Oilers and
(06:56):
with the Vikings. But uh, it was fun experience growing
up from the environment. Archie was saying that in the
beginning that you just go out in the yard when
you're a kid, and every kid that's done that always,
you know, if you're a quarterback or running back, you're
always somebody. You know, Now, when you were playing quarterback
as a kid, who were with you? You John Elway
or Dan Marino or Roger Staubach or Archie Manning. Well,
(07:17):
I was living before the Elway Marino era, but you know, Um,
obviously my dad was one of my heroes. Rider Star
that was always one of the guys we looked up to.
Dan Fouts was in that era also, so uh we
were always a big fan of the quarterbacks. But my
dad was always your favorite. So which one in the
family would get to be Archie? Uh? See, I was,
I was probably my dad. Cooper always had somebody different
every week. It seemed like he's kind of the front runner.
(07:41):
When when you look at films of Archie playing, how
would you evaluate him as a quarterback now knowing what
you know about the position. Well, it's funny. When I
first got here to Tennessee, the first thing I did
was get a couple of his college games they played
against Tennessee, and I sent two tapes. So I sent
the two copies of the games you played and everyone, Dad,
you were awful. Just this became as we're just so off,
(08:01):
they were so bad. But that was kind of a
different error back then. But obviously his pro days were
always fun to watch, you know, just scrambling all over
the field, makes a lot of plays. What do you
remember as a kid when Archie played after the after
the games, I mean, what was that like, you know,
on a Sunday night after a game. Well, I remember
it was tough. Um. Elder brother Cooper and I used
always come down to the locker room after the game
(08:22):
and we we get all the candy bars and all
the chewing guns and all the players lockers and just
kind of be playing around. But we always got a
big tape ball, made a tape ball, go out into
the dome and play a hundred yards one on one
football and that's the greatest game in the world. And
it'd be after a tough loss, my Da would always
have to come out there and get us and say,
hey guys, let's go home. But the thing I do remember,
as he always took the time to sign all his
autograss and do all his interviews after a tough loss,
(08:44):
you know, but at home that night he never brought
the you know, the tough loss home. He was always
really good to us, real good to my mom. And
so you never, you know, you couldn't really tell whether
they want or lost. If you could have the power
they go back in time and change one thing about
your dad career. What would it be? I had to
bring about five all all profits lining with me man
(09:08):
and put him on the Saints. That would have helped out.
I think Archie when you when you see Payton play now,
does he have certain abilities that you wish you had. Well,
he's so much more advanced in code. He talked about
how awful I was, and he was talking about my
mechanics as as a drop back pastor. Our system was
(09:30):
kind of sprint out thing, and and I could run
a little bit and I could throw on the run.
But when we did go to drop back us, it
was only we got way behind or something, and I
had I mean, I do. We do football camps now
and we coach young kids these things not to do
as a drop back past, you know, don't take a
false step, don't look behind you as you drive him back,
look downfield, don't pat the ball before you throw. I
(09:51):
did all those things. I guess that's how I learned.
When I got to pro ball, I had to just
correct so many things. And it was funny when he
sent me those temps that was from when I played
against Tennessee. Also through six interceptions that day. It's rather
the worst game I've ever had. But I watched him
and I was awful. I mean, he's just you know,
he's had a great coach and so much. Your mechanics
(10:13):
were bad. I mean, people look at you, said, one
of the greatest quarterbacks. You to learn and when I
went when I went from college, I had to learn
the whole process. I just I played under a college system.
I mean, I had great coaches, were put on good teams,
but I didn't know anything about the drop back passing
game mechanics or the reds and so forth. So I
had learn a rollout. The rollout. He you know, even
(10:34):
in high school. Uh, he was. He was a good
drop back pastors a high school player. But coming to Tennessee,
he's big and he's a drop back pastor, and he's
working on his mechanics and his quickness and all those things,
and he's just so much further along. You know, I
don't go out and bragging on Peyton, but you asked
me so, like, you know, I like the way he
(10:54):
plays the game. He works at it hard, but he
also plays it hard. And I thinking, I'm not saying
that really is his father. I'm saying that as a
as a quarterback. I would say I say it about
other quarterbacks too, because there's a lot of good ones
in college football. But I like the way they played
the game. But when you realized that Peyton was going
to be a quarterback, what was the first piece of
advice Archie that you gave him something about the position fundamentals?
(11:22):
I think, do you think? Uh? Probably some of the
try not just throw a lot of advice out there.
You know, he really had to ask, you know, because
I just thinking that you can get yourself in trouble
as a father. And yeah, I played, and now he's
coming along with one thing I didn't want perception of
people thinking I'm trying to mold him into this corvette.
(11:42):
He and his brothers they really like to play the game.
And if they asked me to go out and play
with him and go out, let's go, let's go go
play catch at run routes something I love to go.
But I really didn't want to be the coach. I
just kind of wanted to be another guy and their father.
I guess though, when it came to football, pay Nascar
out of questions, and it was probably some of the
early things is protect the football. And I think that
(12:04):
is the quarterbacks, which what you gotta do in situations,
you know, uh, don't throw the interception, protect the ball,
be smart as a player, and take the be conscious
of the cerebral approach to the game, not just the
athletic part. Now when you see Peyton play, now, is
there anything about his game that reminds you of yourself? Well,
(12:28):
I said, and looking at him in college, and because
it's been so long since I played college, there's not
many not many similarities there, and the college game has
come so far. I mean that you know that the
passing systems in the in the passing game today in
college football is in a lot of schools is so
(12:48):
close to what the pros are doing and admire. It
really wasn't. But um, a lot of people think that,
you know, they see something in Payton. It maybe the
way kind of our swagger, the way to walk up
to the line or something like that. I gets sometimes
I've kind of seen that, but I don't see many
similarities in the game because I have such a different
(13:09):
style of quarterback at the college of level. Do you
think having your dad as at a quarterback Peyton has
helped you or has it been a burden sometimes? Or
you know, sometimes if you go into the same profession,
even if it's one football, if you're going to the
same profession of your as your father, that everybody compares
you to your father, right, Um, It's never been a
(13:29):
burden to me. I've always realized that I was the
son of a former quarterback, and uh, you know, most
of the articles about me or TV interviews started off
with peytonon and son of former Saint Sinoma's quarterback Archer Mary.
I've kind of accepted that, but I'm proud to be
his son. So it's never been a problem. But I
realized when I chose to come and play football in
the sec that the comparisons would be there. But I'm
not trying to be better than my father. I don't
(13:50):
think I ever will be as good at quarterback as
he was. All I want to do is playing good
football and be as good as I can be. But uh,
I've kind of taken advantage of him as a quarterback,
kind of milked him for all his knowledge and try
to learn anything I can from him. What does Archie
review your games after you play? I mean that if
he comes when the game's over and you talk, does
he ever give you any kind of critique about not really?
(14:11):
You know, in high school here I used to talk
about a little bit, But now that I've come to college,
he's really turned me over to the Tennessee coaches. He
and I would talk about the game because I want
to talk about some things, and He'll just kind of listen,
but on the phone during the way, because the night
before the game we don't talk XS and OS. All
will talk about is Mabe, how to handle certain situations
after the game, how to handle certain interviews, just how
to handle all the attention that comes with being a
quarterback at a major college program. Uh, if you were
(14:34):
going to judge, how would you say that you judge
a quarterback success success? Um? Obviously, his win loss record
probably has a lot to do with it. Um. You know, statistics, UM,
give me misleading, um. Um. You know in today's game,
I think the win loss record just you know, you
kind of have to watch him play to see how
he plays the game, how he handles himself, how he
(14:55):
handles himself in tough situations when the deefense is coming
after him the entire day in a tough law us,
whether he quits at the end, whether he comes back.
You got to see him play a bunch of games
something to get a good feel for how good of
a quarterback years? How about you, Archer, how would you
answer that? You know, I think a lot of these
things we can't really see just watching on TV sometimes
and stand Steve, but um, Peyton has been involved in
(15:15):
the game that you know four years here at Tennessee.
He's worked hard at it, studied the game. I think
there's there's a level you get to as a college
quarterback where the coach can really kind of take some
reins off. Obviously, when a freshman, sophomore you don't give
them the whole package to read. You know, you you
try to. You can pinpoint one to that then as
(15:37):
a material and get older or sometimes they never do.
But he can by watching a game, watching another quarterback,
watching their system, he kind of knows if their coaches
turn them loose or they've got them just doing a
little definitely throwing here, watching the guy they're gonna throw too.
And it's all levels of development for quarterbacks and college systems.
(15:57):
But I think if you played the game game, I think, uh,
and we get those of us who got to play
at a pro level, we appreciate seeing a college quarterback
that we know he is doing the whole package there,
that he's he's managing the game. He's coming to the
line of scrammage, he may be running check with me.
He may be coming out of runs and going to pass.
(16:18):
Is what he does against split situations. I guess more
of the things that the that the pros have to do.
And in some college systems they're they're more developed or
the quarterback is they give them, they give them more
to do, and that that's impressive for for young people,
twenty one year old young people, it's really interesting listening
to Archie say how much the college game is like
(16:38):
the pro game in but not so much when he
played back in the sixties and seventies. One thing I've
always learned from coaches today is that NFL offenses have
evolved based on the players they get from the college game,
the unique skill sets that those college quarterbacks have. So
(16:59):
in the years since this interview, there isn't any college
style or pro style of quarterback play anymore. In fact,
the straight drop back passer which Peyton typified, isn't the
template for quarterbacks in the game today. Now you still
need the same mental acuity to be a great quarterback,
(17:19):
but in today's game, the physical skill set can vary widely.
When we come back, Steve talks with Peyton about why
he chose to stay at Tennessee instead of going pro
after his junior year and the role that Archie played
in making that decision. Welcome back. When Peyton Manning finished
(17:39):
his junior year at Tennessee, there was a lot of
speculation about whether or not he would turn pro. The
Jets have the number one pick, and after they hired
new head coach general manager Bill Parcels. Manning said that
made his decision a lot harder, but on March five,
Peyton held a press conference announcing he would return to
(18:01):
Tennessee for his senior season. And I quote, if I'm
good enough to play in the NFL, as many experts
say I am, then I can only be better after
one more season. By the way, over the years, Parcels
has said that he would have taken Manning number one. Boy,
can you imagine that Hall of Fame combination? So meanwhile,
(18:23):
let's head back to Steve with Peyton and Archie talking
about why Peyton shows to finish his four years of
Tennessee and enter the draft in the spring of Now,
when you look at your career, it seems like everything
you've done has been escalated. Everything you're in a hurry.
You go through college into years net when it came
to count in the NFL, you sort of put the
(18:44):
brakes on. Why was that? Well, I kind of did
my career in reverse. I mean, I mean, everything happened
so fast. Most guys come in and read shirts or
freshman and start off real slow. Then they play the
sophomores junior senior years. I played so early, and I
was taking a lot of classes earlier. Graduated in three years,
and I played so much I kind of wanted to
slow things down and say, hey, I don't want to
rush my college career. So that's why I stayed one
(19:06):
more year to be a senior here at Tennessee and
just enjoy college's life one more you, because otherwise I
felt like I would have rushed right through college. Did
you ask any of that you know other than your
father Roger Staubacher. You mentioned that you talked to any
other quarterbacks say should I come out earlier? Should I
stay in college? Well? I did. My dad and I
sort of sat down and formed a list of people who,
(19:26):
you know, who we thought would have good knowledge of
football in the NFL or just good decision making knowledge.
And we talked. Talked to Troy Man, I talked to
bled Drew Bleds so Rick Meyer and know what they said?
What they tell you, Um, most of them had kind
of mixed opinions. Most of them, I asked, I said,
what would you do if you were me? And in
the majority of them said they probably leave. This is
what they said. But they said, if you want to stay,
(19:48):
I don't think twice about it, go ahead and stay.
Do what you want to do. So you were saying, Peyton,
don't show me the money. I guess. I guess. Yeah,
the Jeremy Byre slogan, I guess. But the fact that
they said do what you want to do, that was
the best advice to game, because then I thought, I'm
gonna do what I want to do, what it feels
strong in my mind, in my heart, and so I
decided to stay. Now, when you look back on your career,
(20:09):
there's been so many high points. What do you look
back on your career now and says the biggest disappointment
of your career? Well, I think all the losses are disappointing.
Obviously we've lost the floor in the past couple of years.
We had a really disappointing lost in Memphis last year,
which is a big upset, and so you always hate
to lose. But uh, you know, there were so many
highlights too, so you're try and have those to overcome
your low lines, Aren'tie. When Peyton leaves for for training
(20:31):
camp next next summer, what's the last words of advice
that you're going to give them. I don't know, Steve,
I had thought about it. Um. Uh, you know the
thing I've always told young quarterbacks, and it give me
one piece of advice, and I always say, find that
thirty second clock there. You know, for the game starts,
you can really go crazy there. I guess you'll probably
(20:53):
know where that is. Kind of like you said before,
you know, it's a it'll be a huge transition for him,
just like high school to college was. But just just
take it day by day and keep having fun, you know.
I know, I felt like in my pro career, I
saw a lot of guys coming to the league who
probably loved college football, had fun playing and it got
(21:17):
weird wide and fun, and maybe our teams maybe you know,
we struggled at times. But I just think it is
a business and it's and it's serious stuff, but it's
still a game too, And I would encourage him to
always remember that that it's a game. Uh to play hard,
compete hard, but you gotta you gotta have fun playing football.
(21:38):
That's interesting how you keep stressing fun in your career
because there's a lot of professionals that you know, they
say there's the only thing that you can do is
winning is winning, and yet you never had that opportunity,
and yet you still look back and the most important
thing to you was fun. And there will be some
people say, how could you have fun? I mean that's
really I'm saying very unusual is you try to you know,
(21:58):
I think you try to have funny if it if
it just uh overcomes you and I you know, and
I struggle with it. I mean I had to really
make some make some transitions in my day to day thing,
and I was taking I was taking it and maybe
before I had children, but I was taking it home
with me. And Mondays were horrible in your day off.
Tuesdays were horrible. You just living with it, losing. You know,
(22:20):
the best day was Wednesday when you got to think
about a different team and prepare for a different team.
And I guess the best thing on Sunday, the school
was always nothing to nothing. When the game started, you
got another you got another chance. Um, I didn't really
see the bright side of pro football. But now years later,
when I reflect on it, I really did enjoy the trip.
(22:43):
It's what I wanted to do as a kid. And
I had goals to play the game. I wish we
had one more. I wish I'd accomplish more, but I did.
I did keep trying and I did really love playing
the game, you know, and it never got to be
Losing was miserable, but going into Sunday was never miserable
for me. I was always upbeat. I always thought we
(23:04):
had a chance to win. I was always trying to
have a sanguin feeling about the next game and the
next season or the next era we were going through it.
I really loved the game, and I'm glad I had
the opportunity to play it. So I think people that
get to play it should appreciate that opportunity. Don't ever
take for granted. Enjoy the trip. You know it's gonna
it's gonna be a yo yo, and it's gonna be hard. Yeah,
(23:26):
but everyone's gonna struggle when they first began. You try
to get better and progress, but you really should try
to look at the overall picture and enjoy the trip.
It's a great profession because people think, think of your
career and the first thing said arch me terrific quarterback,
terrific talent, terrible timing. Do you think where are you
worried that the same thing could happen to Payton? Because
(23:48):
he's going to be picked by the by the worst
team in the NFL. And do you have a feeling
at all at all? This is this gonna be my career,
you know, duplicated the same thing that he's gonna be
put in the situation were as good as he is,
he's never gonna experience winning. No. I really think that's
just that's negative thinking right there. And I know that
(24:09):
can happen, um, but you know that's the that's the system.
U the team that's having the worst year picks and
if he's forced enough to be picked early, I think
that's a great compliment. I do think in this in
this time in football, and football, as you know, has
gone through, in my opinion, the most drastic change in
the last four or five years in the history of
(24:30):
the game. But I do think one thing, and it's
not all good, but one thing about it. I think
a team does have a greater chance now that's on
the bottom or they didn't win many games to turn
it around. And there's no you don't hear anyone talking
about long range a building programs anymore. There's no five
year programs all that. Maybe there should be. I mean,
I think what we do to coaches today is unbelievable,
(24:53):
the insecurity they have. But I think teams can can
turning turning around with the proper structure, the management, the
coaching and so forth. And you know, I'm being selfish
as a parent. I want him to play on as
good a team as he can play for, and I
hope he can be successful. But hopefully he can he
can stay healthy and have a long career and and
(25:15):
enjoy and see the bright side of profile. But how
about your opinion of that page? Because it's not like
going to college where you can pick where you want
to go and you know the coach, you know the program,
you know the enthusiasm. This is different. You know this
is you know you're gonna get picked by a team
that that that's probably the worst team of all thirty.
How do you what's your mental approach going into that situation? Well,
(25:37):
still earlier, still have no idea where I'll be picked,
But if it does come about, I've always just just
growing up. And you know, I realized you can choose
a college when the NFL, you go to whatever team tasso.
So all you can do is go there and make
the best side of the situation, work hard as you
possibly can. Hopefully some other good players are coming around
you and just believe in the program and just work
hard and hopefully trying to do your best. That's really
(25:57):
all you can do. If you have a bad attitude
about it, you dread the situation. Obviously you won't do well.
To Steve's point, there's no way Archie would have wanted
Peyton to duplicate his career. Remember those images of the
Saints fans with bags over their heads. Well, Archie Manning
played his entire thirteen year NFL career and never finished
(26:17):
his season with a winning record. In fact, his career
mark was thirty five, one oh one and three. Now,
speaking as a parent, we always want our kids to
do better than us, No question that's the case for
Archie Manning, but there were still many highlight moments in
his career. When we come back, Peyton recalls his favorite
(26:38):
Archie Manning plays. Plus, here's the story you're gonna want
to hear Peyton and Pizza, stay tuned, Welcome back to
Tales from the Vault. So this is not a news flash.
Peyton Manning is a perfectionist and I experienced this firsthand
(26:59):
when Peyton was with the Cults. I was doing a
story on the unique way that he warmed up pregame
with star receivers Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne running precise
patterns in their route tree. So Peyton shows up for
the interview and he had actually gone through pregame tape
and analyzed the length, depth, and every aspect of the
(27:23):
route tree so that he could give me the perfect
information that ladies and gentlemen is called preparation. But for
all his intensity, there's also that Southern gentleman aspect to
his personality. Archie and Olivia Manning brought their sons upright
like they wanted them to share, even if it was pizza.
(27:45):
I'd read something where there was was before a Florida
game and there were people standing in line, and you
bought everybody pizza. What happened was that there was some
students white in the land for tickets before the game.
They were probably six people white in the lane for
tickets and three we're gonna get tickets, and so there
were three hundred people. It was raining. They were just
in line for a miserable night with you know, with
(28:05):
no rewards. And so, uh, I just heard the idea
from I think Duke basketball does, and I just uh
called Domino's pizza and told him to come send some
pieces over there and start in the back of the
line a lest those people can only get tickets. They'll
get fed well that night. And so it's just an idea.
I told them, don't tell them if I did it,
just something I'd like to do for the students because
they are a big part of our program here. And
(28:25):
obviously word he got out that I did it, and
it was a lot of fun for me to try
and help those people. Archie, when you're when you're watching
Peyton play, what kind of a spectator you sitting and
watch the game where you wanted to? There's just pacing
around on the back of that probably place. But but
I I, um, I hadn't done as well in his
(28:46):
last year that I've done earlier. I mean, I had
a basic theory about my kids playing sports when they
were young. Steve just overall, you know the Little League
parents syndrome is is um sit on the top row
and keep your mouth shut. And I tried to do that.
And and he and Cooker played together in high school
in here and they got into the finally got to
(29:06):
the quarterfinals, semifinals. I was a bit, a bit nervous
for him, but we handled that fine. And when he
was a freshman playing college football, big time college football,
I was I was concerned. I felt far him because
I know how tough that position can be, and you know,
right out of a small high school. But he's handled
it well and we've had a lot of fun washing
him play. I think in his in his last year,
(29:28):
it's been a little tougher, um, just because everyone just
put him up here and it seemed like a lot
of people waiting for him to fail, you know, or
do poorly and take their shots. Um. I just I
think the position. I have so much respect position, but
the quarterback position, I know hack can be good to
(29:48):
you and hack and some days that can go against you.
So I'm a little nervous far him, and I think
people that watched me, I kind of withdraw a little bit.
I get I don't have much personality during that three hours,
and I don't hower and scream, and uh, sometimes I
sink down in my chair. I get. Uh. I think
I get a little stress over a holding call. You know,
(30:09):
I see a big game come back, just like when
I played. I mean, I hate holding calls, I hate
kick off returns where you're gonna get a good field
position and there's a hold and you start on the
ten yard line. I sink a little deeper in the chair.
Then if you were a scout and you were scouting Peyton,
what would you fill out on the chart as a
as a scout? People fashing this forward? And then I
(30:30):
get into this thing where I said, I don't go
around bragging on Payton. Uh, I guess I don't have
some negatives to say about paid If I did, I
probably wouldn't wouldn't tell you. See, I think, first of all,
what I said before, I really like the way Peyton
plays the game. He just he plays the game the
way he's supposed to play. He understands the game, he
understands that, he studies, that he's worked at it, and
(30:52):
he tries to always get better on the middle part
of the game, be prepared for the team he's playing.
But it's something else, and I think, you know, I
see it, and I'm not I shouldn't even say I'm
not comparing him to any of the quarterbacks, but I
see it in the in the pro quarterbacks that I
and my my most time, I really respect that position.
(31:14):
But it's something about that you go out there and
you you play the game hard, you compete real hard,
and you there's a there's a toughness. You've got to
have a mental toughness, physical toughness. Uh, there's a there's
a leadership, uh, personality that has to and there's different
types of that, but that has to come out. There's
(31:36):
there's a reaction after an interception or after a missed
third down where you've got to settle for a field goal,
have to punch the ball away. But um, overall, I
like the way he plays game. He's got good, good size,
he's got good good arm uh And when he said,
I think he appreciates the fact that you do have
to understand the the surrebral part of the game. But
(31:58):
then after that, I just I like the way he
goes about his business and place Pyton. You've obviously seen
a lot of our films. If your dad plan, is
there one or two plays that stand out in your
mind that when you see him one film you just
say it, man, that is unbelievable. How did he do that? Well?
Probably the most popular one is the is the side
is the underwarmed uh, the underhand throwing it for the
(32:20):
old thing. They're playing the Eagles, So that's when you
see all the time with just it's funny. It's usually
you see just the tail end of the play, but
the first part of the plays is a funny part.
It's a tight end reverse I think or Dave Casper
throws it back over my dad's head hoping he's like, here,
you take it. I don't want it, and my dad
picks it up on the run and it has no
way to throw it with those underhand. And the funniest
part is the guy should have scored to the score
(32:42):
one of the greatest of all the time. But but
that one sort of stands out. And I guess his
first game because a rookie they're playing the Rams, kind
of stands out. The story. He kind of tells they
call it time out before the before they play them
three hour line with about three seconds to go and
kind of waiting for a play, and the coaches don't
really give him a play. They're kind of confusing. He
just says, hey, we gotta go. He goes in the
hole and calls one of their college plays, you know,
(33:03):
called his quarterback sprint out left. But he runs in
the end zone and scores on the last play the
game against the Rams, who had had the great defense
those times. So those two plays always stick up. But
the obviously there are a lot that he made the
great plays. Archie, is there been one play in in
Peyton's college career that that you've seen and that you've
just looked at over and over against I can't believe
(33:24):
he did that. Um, I guess against Georgia his his
junior year. They had they were in the red zone
and um, he had a quarterback sneak. You know, I
guess it's about a third and short. I could have
been fourth, but um, he ran the quarterback sneak, and
I guess felt like, uh, he was stuffed and amin't
(33:46):
gonna make it, so he he ran out of it
and scrambled around and his receiver went out into a touchdown.
Because that's play that you would have made. Well, I'm
like sure I would have ever thought about that on
a quarterback sneak. And I just said, I don't go
around and brag about Payton, but I think it is.
It's a good example of his the way he competed.
I mean to anyway he thinks that you and I'm
sure i'd advise quarterbacks to do that. Like he didn't
(34:08):
get in big chances of a receiver going out on
a lot of times on a quarterback sneak or not good.
But uh, he was competing and thinking, and uh it was.
It was a critical time in the game, and uh
it was. It was a big play. Uh I I
had heard I think Cordell Stewart one time, but it
(34:28):
was kind of a design play. You know, they were
kind of gonna fake that and then do it. But
just I think he probably shocked his coaches a little
bit that day. And I don't think it's a big
part of the game plan. But I enjoyed. I enjoyed
that last question. It's it's a unique situation that you're
in having a father that that was in the same
not only same profession, but the same position. Um, when
(34:50):
you look back on your career now, Peyton, what have
you learned from Archie that you've been able to apply
to your own situation. Well, the thing I've always tried
to do, I was say I wanted to be the
same kind of quarterback. My dad was always playing the
game the right way. But most importantly, I think part
of being a quarterback as being the right kind of
person off the field. My dad has always done that,
always handled himself with a lot of class during those
(35:12):
tough times with the Saints. Uh, it could have been
easy for him to to to you know, to walk
through the interview room or not signed as aut of ask,
but you always took the time to do that, and
so I always wanted to be that kind of person.
So whether you play well or you play badly, you
always take the time to sign out of ask for
your fans, do your interviews, and just keep your head
on the same level. So I've always trying to do that,
and I learned that from watching him and from learning
(35:32):
from him. That's it can and then a better statement
than that. Peyton truly revered his dad, and I think
that we could hear that throughout Steve's interview. But making
a mistake. He was also a mom's boy growing up.
In fact, the great Olivia Manning once told me that
her pet name for her middle son, and I can't
really do justice to her southern accent, was pat Pie.
(35:57):
Did that come out right? Um? Sorry, Olivia? I try
my best. One final quick story for you about Peyton
emulating his dad being the quote right kind of person
off the field. In October of the Colts unveiled a
statue of Peyton outside Lucas Oil Stadium. There was a
big ceremony. Tony dunj is there, David Letterman, just several
(36:18):
of the luminaries extolling the virtues of Peyton manning. It
was a nice event, but not much different than most
ceremonies of that nature. The next day, prior to the
Colts game, as folks were milling about the new statue
taking pictures, Peyton snuck up behind the unsuspected fans and
began taking selfies with them. No entourage, no security, completely unannounced.
(36:42):
The mutual gratitude that Peyton and the fans had for
one another was on full display. Well, next week we
have another gem from as Steve sits down with the
aforementioned Bill Parcels the summer after Parcels took over as
Jets head coach stable and Parcels. That's entertainment personified. I
(37:06):
sure hope you'll join us. Thanks for listening. I'm Andrea Kramer.
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