Why Can't More NFL Players Today Conduct Themselves As The Mannings Have Done For Two Generations?

Contrast all of the pictures of the Manning family shown above as they delighted, and continue to delight, NCAA and NFL sports fans of all ages, backgrounds, and walks of Life, with the following pictures of many NFL players during the last several seasons:

These sights are all too common on today's NFL playing fields. Even though I am a staunch advocate of the freedoms enjoyed by Americans and guaranteed by the Bill Of Rights,

the first ten amendments to the Constitution Of The United States Of America,

I feel we have gone way too far in many instances over the last several years. There is no need to belabor the specifics, as any number of pictures, live interviews, written articles, and television and online videos capture the moments forever. This is both good and bad, as it allows us to see and read and hear the expressed issues and choose whether or not to get involved and try to better the situation.

The Manning family members, by and large, are the antithesis of many of the athletes of today. Archie Manning and his three sons - Cooper, Peyton, and Eli - used said athletic talents to better themselves by getting a good college education first and foremost.

Archie Manning attended the University of Mississippi in Oxford, and was the starting quarterback at Ole Miss for three years. Back in those days, freshmen could not play varsity football, else Archie Manning would have probably started at quarterback for Ole Miss for four years.

Archie Manning was coached by Johnny Vought, a legend in his own time.

In the first-ever national prime-time broadcast of a college football game (4 October 1969), Ole Miss and the University of Alabama played one for the ages.

Archie Manning threw for 436 yards and three touchdowns, and also rushed for 104 yards behind a very good offensive line. Suffice it to say that 540 yards of total offense by a quarterback was unheard of back in them days!

Ole Miss suffered a devastating 33–32 loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide,

who were coached by the legendary Paul "Bear" Bryant.

A partial video of this game is shown below. I do not own this video and claim no rights to it.

In the manner of a "happily-ever-after" story, Archie Manning met Olivia Williams while they attended Ole Miss together. Archie, as quarterback of the Ole Miss football team, adhered to every stereotype in the book when he began dating Olivia Williams. Olivia was chosen as the Ole Miss Homecoming Queen in the Fall of 1970, her senior year and, fittingly, Ole Miss quarterback Archie Manning was her escort.

Archie Manning (#18 in the picture below) finished third in the 1970 Heisman Trophy balloting; Stanford University QB Jim Plunkett (#16) took the honors. The other 1970 Heisman finalists were Joe Theismann (#7) of Notre Dame and Rex Kern (#10) of Ohio State. I was a senior in high school at this time, and I was rooting for Archie Manning, but was equally satisfied with Jim Plunkett being the eventual awardee of the 1970 Heisman Trophy.

Archie Manning had one more shootout at Ole Miss before turning pro: the 2 January 1971 Gator Bowl matching the Old Miss Rebels and Archie Manning against their Southeastern Conference (SEC) rival, the Auburn Tigers and eventual 1971 Heisman Trophy winner Pat Sullivan. Back then, it was unheard of to place two teams from the same conference in the same bowl, but somebody made the awesome decision to pit Ole Miss against Auburn in the 1971 Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, FL.

This game quickly became an offensive shootout, with the Auburn Tigers eventually prevailing by a score of 35-28. In the following picture, Archie Manning (center) meets Pat Sullivan (left) after a hard-fought victory by Auburn.

Shortly thereafter, Archie Manning was drafted by the National Football League (NFL) New Orleans Saints with the 2nd pick in the April, 1971 NFL draft.

In May of 1971, shortly after the NFL draft, Archie Manning graduated from Ole Miss. Later in May of 1971, Archie Manning and Olivia Williams were married.

Archie and Olivia had their first son, Cooper, in 1974, with Peyton and Eli born in 1976 and 1981, respectively.

Cooper Manning (#18 in the picture below) played football for Isidore Newman School in New Orleans, LA as a wide receiver. He had a breakout year his senior year of high school, with his brother Peyton Manning (#14 in the picture below) - two years his junior - throwing all of the passes to his older brother.

Cooper Manning was a highly-ranked prospect out of high school, and ended up signing with the University of Mississippi, his parents' alma mater.

https://www.si.com/vault/2003/11/10/353298/the-other-brother-like-his-famous-father-archie-and-younger-siblings-peyton-and-eli-cooper-manning-had-nfl-caliber-talent-then-his-body-betrayed-him#

When practices at Ole Miss started in the Summer of 1992 before school started in the Fall of 1992, Cooper Manning felt some numbness in his fingers and toes, so he went to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota to be diagnosed and evaluated. 

There he was told that he had spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spine and pinching of the nerves. Cooper Manning accepted the diagnosis and immediately ended his collegiate football career before it began.

Peyton Manning amassed a 34-5 record as the quarterback of Isidore Newman School, with part of his years there spent throwing passes to his older brother, Cooper, as discussed earlier. Peyton Manning went to the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, and played under long-time head coach Phillip Fulmer.

Some people were surprised that Peyton did not pick the Ole Miss Rebels, for whom his father, Archie, played. For whatever reason(s), Peyton elected to go to the University of Tennessee instead of Ole Miss. He became the Volunteers' all-time leading passer, with 11,201 yards and 89 touchdowns, and won 39 of 45 games as a starter, breaking the Southeastern Conference (SEC) record for career wins.

Peyton Manning was the runner-up in the 1997 Heisman Trophy balloting, finishing a close second to defensive back, Charles Woodson, from the University of Michigan.

In addition to athletics, Peyton Manning excelled in the academic world as well, witnessed by his graduating from the University of Tennessee in three years, as well as his esteemed induction to the Phi Beta Kappa Society scholarship honorary in 1997. Folks, it don't get no better than this!

Peyton Manning was awarded the National Football Foundation National Scholar-Athlete Award as well. He obviously keeps some mighty good company.

Thirty-five former National Scholar-Athletes have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, including 2017 electee Peyton Manning of the University of Tennessee.

Peyton Manning was the first pick of the Indianapolis Colts in the 1998 NFL draft, and he was their starting quarterback right away. In the span of just a few years, Peyton Manning won Super Bowl XLI in 2007, beating the Chicago Bears, as the quarterback of the Indianapolis Colts and while playing under his awesome Head Coach Tony Dungy. Like Peyton Manning, Tony Dungy is a true class act in his own right.

Not long after the Indianapolis Colts won Super Bowl XLI, with Peyton Manning at the helm, the Colts bet their franchise's success on the number-one pick in the 2012 NFL draft, Andrew Luck,

who had previously been the highly-successful quarterback of the NCAA Stanford Cardinal,

and traded Peyton Manning to the Denver Broncos in 2012 as well.

John Elway, former Stanford Cardinal quarterback great and,

at this point in time, Director of Player Personnel for the Denver Broncos,

traded Tim Tebow, former Heisman Trophy-winning (2007) quarterback of the Florida Gators,

and who was presently the quarterback of the Denver Broncos,

to the New York Jets

to make room for the aging Peyton Manning on the Denver Broncos' roster.

At the time, Manning had some very touchy health issues, so I wondered if the top brass of the Denver Broncos had lost their minds.

They had not.

Peyton Manning got his health issues addressed and soon became a fully-functional NFL quarterback again. In 2013, at the tender young age of 37, Peyton Manning was the NFL's Most Valuable Player (MVP)! Absolutely amazing! Incredible!

In February of 2016, in what would turn out to be his last game, Peyton Manning played in Super Bowl L against the Carolina Panthers as the ageless quarterback of the Denver Broncos. And, he had a game for the ages!

Note that Peyton Manning wore jersey #18 throughout his NFL playing career with the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos. This display is a very heartfelt tribute to his older brother, Cooper, who wore jersey #18 while he was able to play football in high school, but who never really got a chance to showcase his talents on the college and professional football playing fields, as Peyton and Eli have been able to do quite well.

After his second Super Bowl win during his NFL career spanning eighteen (18) years, Peyton Manning retired and went out on top, with his head held high. As well he should! No doubt!

Peyton's and Cooper's younger brother, Eli, was the second son of Archie and Olivia Manning to excel on the football field as a quarterback. Like his dad, Archie, Eli went to Ole Miss and really added a lot of spice to that program.

Eli Manning finished third in the 2003 Heisman Trophy race behind QB Jason White of the University of Oklahoma and WR Larry Fitzgerald of the University of Pittsburgh.

As was Peyton Manning with the Indianapolis Colts in 1998, Eli was the first draft pick by the New York Giants in 2004, and he turned that franchise around in only a few years. Eli led these same New York Giants to a Super Bowl XLII victory in early 2008 in Phoenix, AZ over the New England Patriots.

Four years later, in Super Bowl XLVI played in Indianapolis, IN,

Eli Manning led the New York Giants to victory against - you guessed it - the New England Patriots led by Tom Brady.

Eli Manning is the only NFL quarterback to beat Tom Brady and the New England Patriots twice in Super Bowls.

Eli Manning is third on the all-time list for number of consecutive NFL game starts as a quarterback (171), trailing only two retirees: (1) Brett Favre [297] of the Green Bay Packers/Minnesota Vikings, and (2) his older brother, Peyton [208], of the Indianapolis Colts/Denver Broncos.

The Mannings have a great work ethic, and a marvelous demeanor on and off the field. You never hear anything bad about them that can be verified and proven.

Here are just a few websites that present their philanthropic causes:

https://www.looktothestars.org/celebrity/eli-manning

https://www.giants.com/news-and-blogs/article-1/Eli-Manning-named-co-winner-of-Walter-Payton-Man-of-the-Year-Award/e0e8b608-9b3f-4e7c-bd51-12a051fc0c2b

https://www.tacklekidscancer.org/tkc_partner/elis-challenge/

https://www.peytonmanning.com/

https://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2015/04/giants_eli_manning_named_one_of_the_top_philanthro.html

There are many more.

Archie and Olivia Manning have every right to be very proud of their three sons' achievements on the gridiron, but more importantly, they can be proud of their three sons who became fine men who willingly and joyously help those in need who are less fortunate than the Manning brothers are.

With all of this having been said and discussed in depth, I am cutting loose now with a few opinions and protests of my own.

You NFL players of today, by and large, do not appreciate what your God-given talents have allowed you to do: your career could end any moment due to an injury (if you read my article, then you know about what happened to Cooper Manning, through no fault of his own). The same thing, or any number of other things, could strike you down at any time with no warning. What are you going to do then? Will you try to get some Government assistance to help you make it through a lifetime of no income, or similar?

Now y'all wait just a minute here! Is this not the same Government and Society that you are saying disrespects you and persecutes you and discriminates against you and oppresses you on a non-stop basis as you kneel in protest during the playing of the National Anthem of the United States of America? Yes, it is indeed the same Government, my friends! So, how would you be able to accept assistance from a Government that you repeatedly disrespect and loath? You cannot have it both ways!!

As such, get off your pompous, pedantic, self-righteous, know-it-all butts, stand at attention, remove your head covering with your left hand and hold it down by your side, place your right hand over your heart, look at the American flag flying so proudly over the stadium. and join in the singing of our beloved National Anthem, and the recitation of our country's Pledge of Allegiance, at every opportunity you get.

Until you do so, and offer a sincere apology to our country and its military, you won't find me wasting my time and money watching a bunch of jerks like you play a game.

That being said, I am protesting too. However, I am protesting in a manner that's gonna get the attention of a lot of folks in all the right ways and places. I have formally complained to a number of your sponsors and have informed them that I will no longer be patronizing their products and services until they cease their support of the NFL. This ain't hard to do at all in the days of Internet and other online services.

I can see you now: you are roaring with laughter and guffaws at my asinine threats of what I am doing as an individual to protest your protests. However, I, and people who think like I do, will eventually get the last laugh. The first steps are beginning to be felt as America is not at all happy with what they see during these pre-game and halftime ceremonies.

Oh, by the way, I have heard that Pampers is an official sponsor of the NFL.

https://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000656431/article/nfl-launches-newborn-fan-club

Quite fitting; no pun intended, but every offense intended!

You need to grow up, NFL!

The Manning's have set a good example for you to follow, as has America's Finest, our military.

You have been issued a hearty challenge to comply.

If you are even close to touting yourselves as grown men, you need to accept America's challenge and right this wrong.

We eagerly await your response.

Godspeed!

SOURCES: www.nypost.com ; www.nytimes.com ; www.espn.com ; www.nfl.com ; www.secsports.com ; www.wikipedia.org ; www.olemisssports.edu ; www.utsports.com ; www.rolltide.com ; www.auburntigers.com ; www.youtube.com ; www.gettyimages.com ; www.google.com ; www.bing.com