The 2023 NFL Draft is almost upon us. Time has certainly flown since the Indianapolis Colts drafted the greatest quarterback in franchise history 25 years ago – Peyton Manning.

Let’s reminisce about the memorable events leading up to the Horseshoe drafting The Sheriff.

 

The Colts Were An Up-And-Down Team Prior to the Peyton Manning Era

The Indianapolis Colts had several up-and-down seasons since moving to Central Indiana from Baltimore, MD, in March 1984.

The Colts were a terrible team in their first three years in the Circle City – Indy averaged just four wins per season from 1984 to 1086.

Worse, they had four head coaches during that forgettable three-year time frame: Frank Kush, Hal Hunter, Rod Dowhower, and Ron “Slick” Meyer.

Meyer, the former SMU Mustangs head football coach, was instrumental in bringing former Mustangs running back Eric Dickerson to Indy in 1987.

With Meyer and Dickerson in tow, the Colts averaged four wins in the next four seasons. The pinnacle was winning nine games and reaching the 1987 AFC Divisional Round. Unfortunately, Bernie Kosar’s Cleveland Browns beat the Colts in blowout fashion, 38-21.

Nonetheless, Indy finally earned that elusive postseason berth. It wouldn’t be until 1995 that the Colts tasted postseason football again.

Although the Colts reached the 1996 AFC Wild Card Game, they mustered just three wins under head coach Lindy Infante the following season.

Before long, management fired Infante and replaced him with former New Orleans Saints head coach Jim Mora.

 

Peyton Manning Ended His College Football Career On A High Note

While the Colts were struggling mightily, Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Peyton Manning was thriving.

Manning returned for his senior season in Knoxville, TN, and promptly threw 3,819 passing yards and 36 touchdown passes during the 1997 NCAA campaign.

Behind Manning’s brilliance under center, Tennessee won eleven games and made its fourth consecutive bowl appearance that year.

To nobody’s surprise, Manning racked up a slew of accolades, including First-Team All-SEC, Consensus All-American, and SEC Player of the Year honors following his senior year with the Volunteers.

Peyton also won the William V. Campbell Trophy, Davey O’Brien Award, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, and Maxwell Award in 1997.

Despite falling short in the 1997 Heisman Trophy voting, Manning was ripe for the picking – many NFL aficionados predicted the No. 1 overall selection came down to him or the Washington State Cougars’ Ryan Leaf.

 

The Peyton Manning Era Became Official in Indianapolis 

Peyton Manning or Ryan Leaf?

That was the question Colts team president and general manager Bill Polian, the architect of the famous Buffalo Bills dynasty that made four consecutive Super Bowl appearances in the early 1990s, tried to answer prior to the 1998 NFL Draft.

When Polian first sized up Manning, the latter’s prospects of wearing the Horseshoe seemed bleak.

According to Polian’s book, Game Plan: The Art of Building A Winning Football Team (via ESPN), rumblings of Manning’s inaccuracy built to a crescendo when Polian watched game tape one Sunday morning.

To Polian’s shock, Manning had issues connecting with his receivers beyond 60 yards.

Polian promptly summoned quarterbacks coach Bruce Arians and offensive coordinator Tom Moore the following day. He told them they should not allow Manning to pass more than 60 yards downfield in case they decided to draft him.

Arians and Moore looked at Polian in disbelief. Moore, who eventually won a Super Bowl ring with Manning and Polian in 2006, told his boss in jest they would make sure Manning would throw a maximum distance of 59 yards.

When Polian and Co. arranged a private workout with Manning two or three weeks prior to the draft, the former Volunteers signal caller squashed any doubts about his arm strength.

Manning breezed through Moore’s arm strength drill that required him to pass without stepping back or relying on his footwork. Peyton threw 50-yard passes to receivers with relative ease.

When Polian saw Manning at work, the former thought his arm strength, while not at par with Bills great Jim Kelly, could hold its own in the pro ranks.

Tennessee head football coach Phillip Fulmer also stated a strong case for the Colts to draft Manning. He told Polian and his group Peyton’s football IQ and preparation were on the same level as most college football coaches – he was that good.

Polian and the other Colts coaches worked Leaf the next day at his alma mater Washington State University. Although Polian thought Leaf’ did okay, it was obvious Ryan’s fitness levels weren’t the same as Manning’s.

Leaf also refused to remove his sweatpants during his private workout. It was a red flag for Polian, who thought Leaf was trying to conceal the shape he was in.

New Colts head coach Jim Mora also told Leaf the team expected him to show up for team workouts on May 10, 1998, if they wound up drafting him.

Nothing prepared the Colts’ brass for Leaf’s answer.

He told them he couldn’t make it because he and several of his buddies had previously planned a six-day trip to Las Vegas, NV, that conflicted with the Colts’ workouts, per Polian’s book.

For all intents and purposes, Ryan Leaf sealed his falling out with Colts management as soon as he finished uttering that statement.

Indy’s Fortunes Changed Dramatically After Making Peyton Manning Its Franchise Quarterback

While Ryan Leaf was about to party hard after the 1998 NFL Draft, Peyton Manning was eager to know where he’d end up.

Manning showed up at Polian’s office shortly after a pre-draft physical at the Colts’ training facility in the spring of 1998. Peyton knew Polian was going to decide his fate prior to the draft. Manning wanted to have an idea of what the Colts team president was leaning toward.

Polian told Manning he was taking his time to make a decision that would alter the long-term fortunes of the Horseshoe.

Manning told him he had to know the decision before he flew to New York City that week. Polian confirmed he would let him know on the condition it would not leak out to the public before the draft. Peyton gave him his word.

Just before Manning left Polian’s office, Peyton made a profound statement that ultimately tipped the scales in his favor.

“Listen, I just want to leave you with one thought: if you draft me, I promise we will win a championship. And if you don’t, I promise I will come back, and I will kick your a–,” Manning said, per Polian’s book (via ESPN).

Polian met with Mora and team owner Jim Irsay in the next several days. It was unanimous – the Colts were going to make Peyton Manning the No. 1 overall selection of the 1998 NFL Draft.

Manning wore an undersized Colts hat on draft day, April 18, 1998. It didn’t matter at that point – he went on to represent the Horseshoe in 14 of his legendary 18-year pro football career.

Behind Peyton’s exemplary work ethic, he led the NFL in passing yardage twice and passing touchdowns and passer rating three times each during his time in the Circle City from 1998 to 2011.

With Manning under center, Indianapolis won eight division titles from 1999 to 2010. With Manning at the top of his game, the Colts became a juggernaut during the memorable Tony Dungy era from 2002 to 2008.

Indy won an average of 13 games per year during that seven-year stretch and won Super Bowl XLI at the end of the 2006 NFL season. It was only fitting that Manning, who completed 25 of 38 passes for 247 yards and one touchdown, earned Super Bowl XLI honors.

Peyton Manning made good on his promise to Bill Polian almost nine years earlier.

Peyton also earned four of his five career NFL MVP awards, five of his seven First-Team All-Pro selections, and 11 of his 14 Pro Bowl berths with the Colts.

Manning, whose 71,940 career passing yards currently ranks third all-time behind Tom Brady (89,214 yards) and Drew Brees (80,358), eventually became a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2021. He is also a member of the Indianapolis Colts Ring of Honor.

The Colts eventually retired his No. 18 jersey and unveiled his statue outside of Lucas Oil Stadium in October 2017.

Peyton Manning not only helped the Colts become a perennial Super Bowl contender, but he also helped transform the state of Indiana (long known as a basketball and racing hotbed) into a football state.

It all started with the Colts’ monumental 1998 NFL Draft.

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