Back in 2019, when Peyton Manning was announced to host and star in a football-themed documentary called Peyton’s Places, many were confused as to what to expect from it. The docu-series was themed around revisiting seminal moments in American Football History through conversations with former players, coaches, and relevant stakeholders. The first season drops and boom, everyone is taken aback by Peyton’s charm and the way the documentary seamlessly transitions between awareness and fun.
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Since releasing in 2019, Peyton’s Places has had 4 seasons. However one of the most iconic episodes to date remains the second episode of season 1 featuring the legendary WR Cris Carter. The Episode titled “The Greatest Catch” revisits the 1926 PR stunt by NY Giants players Lynn Bomar and Henry Haines. For the PR stunt, Bomar climbed to the top of the Radiator building in midtown Manhattan and threw the ball from there to Haines, who was standing 35 yards adjacent to the building. The pass was a success and to date remains one of the memorable fan engagement activities.
Interestingly, Peyton and Carter decided to recreate this from the exact location albeit with a catch. Carter stood 85 yards away from the building which meant that Manning had to throw a total of 112 yards through the air to get there.
Safe to say, most of us wouldn’t even be giving this a chance if it were not for one of the greatest QBs and WRs attempting it. Still, the first throw that Peyton made only managed to graze Carter’s hands.
The ball traveling with such velocity and furiousness would have obviously been hard on the hands and the graze did make Carter uncomfortable. Likewise, subsequent misses made the WR’s fingers hurt. Moreover, an attempt also saw the ball hit Carter’s groin leaving him in immense pain.
Yet, the duo refused to give up. A crowd had gathered to watch them and the two had to put on a show for those cheering. Hence they went on to take multiple tries before Carter finally caught the ball cleanly much to everyone’s jubilation.
Seeing an iconic moment like this recreated in the modern day was truly mesmerizing. However, this was only possible due to Carter’s immense skill. Catching a ball at this force and distance, which is double a normal punt, post-retirement is no joke. Thus it only shows how good the WR was in his hey days!
A Look Back At The Legendary Career of Cris Carter
Cris Carter made his NFL debut in 1987 when he was picked by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth round. The RB then went on to have an illustrious 16-year-long career in the NFL, setting multiple records in different facets of the game.
For starters, Carter is one of the most prolific TD scorers and has scored a whopping 130 TDs in his career, the second-highest for an RB in NFL history back then. Likewise, his stint with the Vikings saw him home his skills as a pass receiver when he set a record of eight straight 1000-yard seasons along with eight straight Pro Bowl berths.
In 1994, Cris Carter set a then-NFL record for the most receptions in a season by hauling in 122 passes for 1,256 yards. He continued his exploits the next year by having a 122-catch season. Thus, his two-year total of 244 catches was the most in NFL history at that time.
Carter’s exploits over his 234-game career saw him get inducted into the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1990s. Safe to say, Carter is one of the most illustrious WRs of the 90s and it was fitting that Peyton chose him to recreate one of the most iconic moments of the last century. After all, only a select few like Carter could have pulled it off!
