 |
 |
 |
|
Archie Manning
was the No. 2 pick in the 1971 NFL draft, after Jim Plunkett and before Dan Pastorini. His son Peyton is expected to be one of the top two picks this year, which will do for him what it did for his father -- sendhim to one of the worst teams in the league. That's about all the two drafts have in common, Archie Manning said. When Manning was drafted by the New Orleans Saints there were no combines and no individual workouts for teams. ``I guess they watched film of us, probably scouted some games,'' he said. ``But I don't remember anyone getting in touch with me before the draft.'' He did not go to New York for the draft. ``Someone from the (Ole Miss) athletic department called me the night before the draft and said, `You should probably come over here tomorrow until we hear what's going on,''' he said. Unlike his son, who held a news conference a week and a half before the draft because of the enormous pressure of media attention, the elder Manning did not have to dodge reporters. ``I got married the week before and there were a couple of reporters there,'' he said. ``I think that was more than covered the draft.'' The biggest difference is the salary the draft brings the Mannings. Peyton is expected to earn as much as $10 million. Archie Manning signed a five-year contract worth $415,000, the biggest ever at the time. ``That was signing bonus and everything,'' he said. ``But I thought it was a fortune.'' |