Peyton Manning is one of the most intelligent and skillful players to ever grace an NFL Field. And even All-Pro DeMarcus Ware couldn’t outwit the HOF QB.
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Peyton Manning had one of the most prolific careers in NFL history. His accumulated list of accolades is lengthy, but includes items like 5x MVP, 7x first team All-Pro, and 14x Pro-Bowler. And perhaps his best quality was his deatil oriented ability to change plays after lining up and calling an audible.
DeMarcus Ware is a definite future Hall of Famer. He’s a 9-time Pro Bowler, a 4-time Pro Bowler, a Super Bowl Champ, a member of the HOF All-2000’s team, and will likely go down as one of the greatest LBs of his generation.
Back in 2006, Ware even outsmarted the then 2 time MVP, after he faked Peyton Manning and destroyed him from his blindside. But Manning got Ware back in the most epic way possible.
Peyton Manning faked Demarcus Ware and shuffled into the end zone
In an interview with the Players Tribune, DeMarcus Ware had an interesting story about Peyton Manning.
“Peyton was in Denver and I was still with the Cowboys. The Broncos had a third-and-goal on the one-inch line. And if there was one thing I was certain about at that moment, it was that Peyton Manning was not going to run the ball. At least I knew he wouldn’t be running to the outside. They only needed one inch. If anything, he’d run a QB sneak.
So when Peyton hiked the ball and dropped back to hand it off to Knowshon Moreno, I was certain it was a dive play up the gut. There was literally nobody blocking me. So I came clean down the line, and I was thinking, I’m gonna smash this guy and get the stop.
But when I got to the running back, I noticed that … he didn’t have the ball. Then I turned around and I saw Peyton running out to his left, going about two miles an hour, shuffling into the end zone.
He came up to me after that play and said, “D-Ware … I got you, man. You got me that one time, and now I got you.”
He remembered.
And he changed the play at the line of scrimmage to run that naked bootleg, just to get back at me.
That was the thing about Peyton: He was always the smartest player on the field, but he was also the most competitive. He was a master of the chess game, but he also remembered that one time I had gotten him seven years earlier, and he wanted to get me back.
That’s why he’s one of the all-time greats.”
