Best of Both Worlds 🌟
A Manning with speed would be the ultimate weapon to see in the NFL…
While Texas fans may have been disappointed to see starting quarterback Quinn Ewers leave Saturday’s game against UTSA with an injury in the second quarter, they had to be delighted to see Arch Manning in his biggest performance yet.
The young Manning was absolutely dynamic in the game, a 56-7 win that shook up college football news in Week 3 and helped the Longhorns to the No. 1 ranking. Arch Manning’s stats included 9-of-12 passing for 223 yards, four touchdown passes, and this dazzling 67-yard touchdown run that broke the internet:
CAN’T TOUCH HIM 😮💨@ArchManning pic.twitter.com/65nR57qIR5
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) September 15, 2024
Granted, the athletes at UTSA aren’t going to compare to the elite college football teams or what he’d see in the NFL down the road. But that’s still a Manning putting on a move, breaking a dude’s ankles, and easily racing two-thirds of the field for a touchdown.
Peyton and Eli, Arch’s famous uncles, were never doing that in their college football games, let alone in the NFL where Eli’s longest career run was 18 yards.
But today’s quarterbacks have to be able to move, and that’s what has some of Manning’s former teammates and peers very intrigued by Arch’s potential. Hard to beat those advanced genes from football’s royal family.
Might end up being the best Manning yet… WILD to think about pic.twitter.com/wdxrGqyvxJ
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) September 15, 2024
The Ultimate Manning?
If you could build the perfect quarterback, you would start with Peyton Manning’s prototypical size, accuracy, quick release, and decision-making. You want his work ethic, the cerebral part of his game that allowed him to practically serve as a coach on the field, his consistency, and his ability to get rid of the ball quickly to limit pressure/sacks.
But to make a perfect quarterback, you’d want him to have Michael Vick’s legs instead of someone who ran like his cleats were made of cement.
The Manning family watching Arch Manning rush for a 67 yard TD for Texas pic.twitter.com/I1rLFbioIo
— Conald Peterson (@WhyGarth) September 15, 2024
Like most pocket passers, Manning was largely limited in how much he could move around, extend the play, and escape pass rushers. Go back to the biggest losses in his career and you’ll find quick edge pressures were often the way to beat him.
So, we end up settling for Patrick Mahomes as the closest thing to a perfect quarterback who can beat you in a variety of ways while being so highly efficient, elusive, and consistent.
But a Manning with speed would be the ultimate weapon to see in the NFL. On the other hand, it wouldn’t be the first time.
Maybe It Skips a Generation?
Arch is Cooper Manning’s son, and he’s named after his grandfather Archie, who was the quarterback for the Saints in 1971-82. Old NFL fans will tell you Archie was a superior athlete to his sons Peyton and Eli. He was a scrambler more in the mold of Fran Tarkenton, and he had to often run for his life behind some very poor offensive lines with the Saints.
Archie Manning would kill in today’s NFL with his athleticism. Imagine Peyton or Eli trying to make this same play. pic.twitter.com/PMyQBuq0FT
— Funhouse (@BackAftaThis) March 20, 2021
Archie rushed for 2,197 yards in the NFL, but he never had the polished passing metrics Peyton had. But maybe the 19-year-old Arch can bridge the gap with his grandfather’s athleticism and the passing prowess of his uncles.
College football rumors suggest Ewers’ oblique injury isn’t that serious, but Arch is the near future in Texas. He may even be the one to rival Mahomes in the NFL down the road.
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