We may as well call him Perfect Peyton, because he is playing the position of quarterback better than anyone has played it at any time, in any era. Perfect Peyton Manning has been so dominant that already the bandwagon embarking on the road to a perfect season is filling up rapidly.
Perfect Peyton is 37, his neck surgeries and what they took away from his fastball a distant memory. Consider that his boss, John Elway, was the same age when he won his first Super Bowl. Elway completed 55.2 percent of his passes that year, with 27 TDs and 11 INTs. Perfect Peyton (16 TDs, zero INTs) will have 27 TD passes by midseason. He is bound, of course, to throw an interception by then.
Who else has played at this high a level at this high an age? Mariano Rivera, of course. Bernard Hopkins. Big George Foreman. Derek Jeter at 38, but not at 39. Tony Gonzalez is 37. Floyd Mayweather is 36. Muhammad Ali won the heavyweight title for the third time at 36 over Leon Spinks, but he was well past his prime. Pete Rose hit .331 at 38 with the Phillies.
Beyond his arm and his computer mind, what separates Perfect Peyton from every other quarterback not named Tom Brady is a commitment to excellence that he demands — and gets — from everyone around him. Only if Eli Manning’s offensive linemen were as devoted and obsessed with protecting their franchise’s crown jewel.
“You don’t want to let him down,” Broncos guard Louis Vasquez told The Post.
So they strain to keep him up at all costs.
“You can’t be in a better position than to be in the huddle with him, I believe,” Vasquez said.
What is the Perfect Peyton like in the huddle, you ask?
“For the most part, he’s all business,” Vasquez said. “Occasionally he’ll crack a joke to lighten the mood and loosen everybody up.”
There has been plenty to laugh about, and plenty more to come.
Now, can Perfect Peyton engineer a perfect season? Let’s take a look:
Oct. 6: at Cowboys: Jerry Jones clearly is trying to light a fire under cornerback Morris Claiborne, who has one NFL interception and temporarily lost his job to Orlando Scandrick. Stephen Jones has called last week’s shredding by Philip Rivers a wakeup call and expects better from defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin. Tony Romo can do some damage with Dez Bryant and Jason Witten. But a cannon blows away a six-shooter.
“The scheme Peyton is running might be the best in the NFL,” CBS analyst and former Giants QB Phil Simms said. “When you are playing Denver, don’t worry so much about how you are going to get to Peyton, just worry about how you are going to score enough points to win.”
Oct 13 vs. Jaguars: Could the point spread reach 30?
Oct. 20 at Colts: Peyton could stumble here in his much-ballyhooed return to Indianapolis to face off with his successor Andrew Luck. Except Peyton won’t have to worry about Von Miller, his six-game suspension over, chasing him. Luck will.
Oct. 27 vs. Redskins: Jim Haslett’s defense can stop the Raiders. But certainly not Peyton.
Nov. 10 at Chargers: Imagine if the resurgent Rivers had the weapons Peyton does. He doesn’t.
Nov. 17: vs. Chiefs: A trap game (of sorts) only in that Brady and Bill Belichick are in the horizon. This will be the best defense Peyton will have faced, and Dexter McCluster checkmates Trindon Holliday in the return game. But Mile High is the 12th Man.
Nov. 24 at Patriots: It isn’t likely to be toasty in Foxborough, and we’ve seen how little Peyton enjoys the cold. Remember Brady is likely to have TE Rob Gronkowski back, as well as WR Danny Amendola, and if Aqib Talib can neutralize Demaryius Thomas, you know Belichick will do everything in his power to prevent Wes Welker from exacting revenge.
Who knows? Perhaps the Patriots will be unbeaten. Or perhaps be one game back of Peyton desperately seeking a victory that could enable them to capture the No. 1 seed and avoid a January playoff trip to Denver.
Dec. 1 at Chiefs: Let’s say that Peyton has survived and advanced to 11-0. The last defense he should want to face immediately following a primetime Sunday nighter against the Killer Bs is this one, and the last place he should try to silence is Arrowhead. Figure that the game will mean more in the playoff picture to Andy Reid’s boys, too.
Dec. 8 vs. Titans: Does it really matter whether Jake Locker or Ryan Fitzpatrick is the quarterback?
Dec. 12 vs. Chargers: The Bolts had enough trouble rushing the passer before LB Dwight Freeney was lost for the season. If Peyton is 13-0, he won’t be 13-1 after this one.
Dec. 22 at Texans: J.J. Watt can wreck the game, and he and Brian Cushing may need the game to keep the division title away from the Colts. Can Arian Foster eat clock and keep Peyton on the sidelines? More importantly, do you trust Matt Schaub in a big spot?
Dec. 29 at Raiders: What if the Raiders need the loss for a shot at Jadeveon Clowney or Teddy Bridgewater?
CONCLUSION: As much as he would lobby for perfection four years after then-Colts GM Bill Polian opted against one, Peyton’s magnificent obsession isn’t a perfect season. It’s a perfect ending in MetLife Stadium, holding up the Lombardi Trophy for the second time. He can ask Brady and Belichick about that. No perfect season. It ends in Foxborough on Thanksgiving night.