Watching film has always been a crucial part of NFL players' preparation. They need to learn their rivals' tendencies, how to react and break down their schemes in real-time, what to expect and how to beat their coverages, and never-ending etcetera.
That's why some of the best to ever do it happens to be some guys obsessed with breaking down film and getting to know their rivals as well as their own playbook. And Peyton Manning was one of those guys.
Former Colts teammate Pat McAfee recently revealed how much of a film-rat Manning was back in the day, stating that he was really fascinated and obsessed with it:
"He dove into it. 'Gotta watch every game the other team's played; every snap they made; every practice clip from your week of practice; every game that your guys have played against a similar defense that they're playing; every single third-down situation broke up in there; every red zone; every first down,'" McAfee said.
Peyton didn't want to leave anything to chance, so sometimes, he could even watch film right before a game:
"I think he went through it all ‒ I think I like, prodded him a little bit ‒ and he was like, '20 hours of film a week? How can I get more information? The more information I have, the better equipped I'll be to beat that defense,'" McAfee added
Watching film was a controversial subject last week. Kyler Murray's new contract included an 'independent study' clause that stated he had to watch at least 4 hours of film per week.
That clause prompted mockery and criticism, up to the point where he had to step up and call out those who question his work ethic:
“To think that I can accomplish everything that I’ve accomplished in my career and not be a student of the game and not have that passion and not take this serious, it’s almost… it’s disrespectful and it’s almost a joke,” Murray said.
The clause was so controversial that the Arizona Cardinals decided to remove it from the contract and defend Murray with a statement:
“After seeing the distraction it created, we removed the addendum from the contract. It was clearly perceived in ways that were never intended. Our confidence in Kyler Murray is as high as it’s ever been and nothing demonstrates our belief in his ability to lead this team more than the commitment reflected in this contract," read the statement.
Clearly, not everyone is like Peyton Manning, though.
