Manning Sr. Hopes Wins Come Easy For Son

INDIANAPOLIS (April 19, 1998) -- Archie hopes winning easier for Peyton

Archie Manning rates as one of the top 50 quarterbacks in NFL history.

He also ranks as one of the few to never experience a winning season.

In 14 seasons with the Saints, Oilers and Vikings, his teams compiled a record of 56-130-3.

In that way, Archie hopes his son, Peyton, doesn't have to follow in his footsteps with the Indianapolis Colts.

"I hope he's not preparing for a lot of (bad) years," said Archie, whose Saints managed to win just 27 games in his first seven seasons. "He understands, when you're the first pick, you're going to a team that wasn't successful.

"But we have a different game today, with free agency and so forth. A number of teams, in the last three or four years, have shown big, drastic turnarounds. At the same time, a young quarterback that's going to a team that's kind of starting over, rebuilding, there's a lot to learn. Patience has to be a factor."

When he was the No. 2 player drafted out of Mississippi in 1971, Archie entered an entirely different NFL. There was no scouting combine, no individual workouts for teams. He spent draft day closeted away in the school's athletics department office, not in front of live network television cameras in New York.

He also signed a five-year contract worth $415,000, the richest in the league at the time. Peyton will earn roughly 20 times that amount simply for signing his name to his first contract.

Who's interviewing whom?

Part of the predraft ritual is the formal interview, when a prospect is grilled by team officials.

Peyton Manning, ever the creative thinker, took the opportunity to turn the tables.

When the Colts brought him in, he asked them a number of critical questions. He wanted to know their plan for reaching the Super Bowl, as well as their likely activity in the free agent market. He asked if key players like Sean Dawkins and Tony Mandarich would be re-signed.

"It wasn't the time," Peyton said, "to be bashful."

He also grilled the Carolina Panthers. He asked what they would have to give up in trade to acquire him, and if any such deal would strip the roster of talent, therefore making it difficult for the team to compete.

"One team told me they were glad it was over," Archie said, "because they were afraid he was going to ask them something they couldn't answer."

Things you might not know

He has been the most examined college player of this generation. Still, there might be some things about Peyton Manning you did not know.

• He grew up in the historic Garden District of New Orleans in a home built in 1853. His neighbors included novelist Anne Rice and rocker Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails.

• His favorite quote is from former Steelers coach Chuck Noll: "Pressure is something you feel only when you don't know what the hell you're doing."

• He spent so much time in the film room at Tennessee, his teammates nicknamed him "Caveman."

• The Knoxville Zoo named a giraffe after him.

• For footwear, he prefers black high-tops because, he said, it's "the Johnny Unitas look."

Stat of the week

In the days leading up to the draft, the staff at Logo Athletic was busy taking orders for Colts jerseys bearing the name and number of their No. 1 pick.

Ryan Leaf had 200 pre-orders.

Manning had 2,500.

The Mind-Eraser

When Manning was announced as the Colts' pick, guess who gave the selection a standing ovation at the New York draft center?

Several members of Leaf's family stood, clapped and cheered loudly. They immediately donned Chargers caps and pulled out their foam lightning bolts. At least one already had a San Diego No. 16 jersey with Leaf's name on the back.

Were they prepared with Colts merchandise, just in case?

"I think they just brought the Charger stuff," Leaf said. "I guess they were thinking optimistically. It was a little easier for my aunt and uncle to grab that stuff since they live in San Diego. I don't know what their reaction would've been if Indianapolis would've drafted me. It might've been a little strange."