When a quarterback gets kicked the curb, then comes back to play against the team where he became famous, he usually comes with a sizable (and useful) chip on his shoulder. Ian Allan explains.
Go back and look at the last 20 or so years. These kind of matchups have happened before. And when great quarterbacks play against former employers, that's usually enough to get their game a little extra kick in the rear.
Maybe they want to play harder and smarter. Or maybe it's their teammates who want to play better. But regardless, the bottom-line production tends to be measurably better.
Check out the list below. It shows all comparable matchups in the last 20 years. Actually, since 1992 -- I'll throw in a bonus year for you. There have been 24 of these kind of games. I looked only at quarterbacks meeting their original team either the first time, or (if in the same division) I included both of the games. With Brett Favre, for example, the first meeting (in the Metrodome) was memorable, but it makes sense to also include the return game at Lambeau.
What I see is quarterbacks completing 64 percent of their passes, with a win-loss record of 17-7 and an average of 1.75 TD passes per game (a pass that equals 28 in a 16-game season). And 254 yards per game.
Compare that to how the same quarterbacks played in their games the week before or the week after the heralded showdowns. In those games, they completed 61 percent (down 3) and averaged only 227 yards (down 27), with 1.17 TDs per game (and an average of 19 in a 16-game season). And they went only 24-22 in those games.
Indianapolis has a good pass defense, but look for Peyton Manning to be "on" for this game.
| REMEMBER ME? QUARTERBACKS MEETING ORIGINAL TEAM | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | QB | W-L | Yds | TD | Int |
| 1992 | Dave Krieg | W | 231 | 1 | 0 |
| 1992 | Dave Krieg | W | 103 | 0 | 0 |
| 1993 | Boomer Esiason | W | 192 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994 | Jim Everett | W | 206 | 1 | 0 |
| 1994 | Jim Everett | W | 262 | 2 | 1 |
| 1994 | Joe Montana | W | 203 | 2 | 0 |
| 1995 | Warren Moon | W | 289 | 2 | 2 |
| 1995 | Vinny Testaverde | W | 256 | 2 | 0 |
| 1997 | Jeff George | W | 286 | 1 | 0 |
| 2002 | Drew Bledsoe | L | 302 | 1 | 1 |
| 2002 | Drew Bledsoe | L | 328 | 2 | 4 |
| 2005 | Kurt Warner | L | 327 | 0 | 1 |
| 2005 | Kurt Warner | W | 285 | 3 | 0 |
| 2006 | Steve McNair | W | 373 | 3 | 2 |
| 2006 | Mark Brunell | W | 329 | 3 | 1 |
| 2008 | Chad Pennington | L | 251 | 1 | 1 |
| 2008 | Chad Pennington | W | 200 | 2 | 0 |
| 2008 | Drew Brees | W | 339 | 3 | 0 |
| 2009 | Brett Favre | W | 271 | 3 | 0 |
| 2009 | Brett Favre | W | 244 | 4 | 0 |
| 2010 | Donovan McNabb | W | 125 | 1 | 1 |
| 2010 | Donovan McNabb | L | 295 | 2 | 3 |
| 2011 | Michael Vick | L | 242 | 2 | 1 |
| 2012 | Carson Palmer | L | 146 | 1 | 1 |
| 2013 | Peyton Manning | ? | ? | ? | ? |
(The guys in bold, by the way, are either guys who are in the Hall of Fame or who have a good chance of getting to the Hall of Fame). Didn't know whether to include Warner and McNabb in there; I decided to put in Warner but leave out McNabb, but that's another debate.)
--Ian Allan