Peyton Manning is good at many things on the gridiron, including being one of the best pure passers, decision-makers, and natural leaders. But he wasn’t known for his athleticism or unconventional play, a staple of many quarterbacks today. Yet that didn’t stop him from pulling off something truly audacious this one time.
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Peyton once pulled a trick out of his sleeve and tried to be flashy, but it failed. Facing the New Orleans Saints during the 2001 season, Manning tried a fake spike and botched the play. And who better to discuss this with than Dan Marino?
Marino, the Hall of Fame quarterback for the Miami Dolphins, is well-known for his fake spikes. He is known for pulling off the ‘Clock Play’. In it, Marino pretended to stop the clock with a fake spike but instead threw a game-winning touchdown pass that resulted in a 28-24 win over the New York Jets in 1994.
Manning opened up to the legendary Dolphins QB about his failure while attempting a fake spike and how Marino influenced him to try out the trickery.
“You’ve influenced so many other quarterbacks trying to do the fake spike. I did it one time, we played the Saints. I kind of faked it,” said Manning.
“The ref was so confused. Instead of giving us a touchdown or saying the half is over, he just kind of gave us a do-over, you know, like in recess. They let us kick a field goal, and we got it, but it was influenced by you and your fake spike,” he added.
With seconds left to go in the first half, Manning rushed to the line of scrimmage and quickly snapped the ball. He pretended to spike the ball and then tucked the ball. He then scrambled to the outside for a 33-yard touchdown run as time expired.
The referees were confused about what had happened, and a whistle was blown prematurely. After the refs discussed what had happened, they gave the Colts one second on the clock, which they attempted and converted into a field goal. The previous play was ruled an incomplete pass.
The four-point difference is something that will always be on Manning’s mind and the 2001 Colts team. After the game was tied 17 apiece at halftime, the Saints gained momentum and dominated the second half.
New Orleans’ defense forced two punts and a field goal from the Colts before Sammy Knight picked off Manning for a pick-six with just under two minutes remaining in the game.
In the end, the Saints defeated the Colts 34-20, and Manning was stripped of a 33-yard touchdown run.
