Peyton Manning had a chance to throw to some of the best wide receivers in NFL history during his Hall of Fame career, but there is one player from a previous generation that he would have loved to play with.
Manning attended an event on Tuesday night for the premiere of Omaha Productions’ new “Receiver” documentary series on Netflix. He was asked at one point which receiver he would choose if he could throw a pass to one player he never threw to during his 18-year NFL career. Manning went old school and picked Baltimore Colts legend Raymond Berry.
“I got to play with a number of them in the Pro Bowl. I got to play with Jerry Rice and Tony Gonzalez, so I guess that eliminates them,” Manning said. “You know, playing with Marvin (Harrison) and Reggie (Wayne) and Demaryius (Thomas) and Emmanuel (Sanders) in real football.
“One? Raymond Berry, old Baltimore Colt. I’m going with Raymond Berry. Got to spend some time with him. He was a true master of his craft, the way he studied film, the way he studied precision route-running. Johnny Unitas and Raymond Berry had great timing. I think it’d be Raymond Berry.”
If Peyton could throw a pass to one receiver in NFL History that he’s never thrown to before, it’d be…
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Berry, who is now 91, played for the Colts from 1955-1967. He won two NFL championships, led the league in receiving three times, and made six Pro Bowl teams. Berry finished his career with 631 catches for 9,275 yards and 68 touchdowns, but keep in mind that the game was played much, much differently back then.
Manning played in a far more pass-happy NFL than Berry, so it is a great compliment that he chose the Colts legend. That shows you the level of respect Manning has for the history of the game and also how much he has studied it.
