Many people can agree that Manning is one of the smartest and greatest QBs in NFL history. With the possible exception of Tom Brady, all QBs have playoff failures and some of their worst performances are in the playoffs. Do you recall the criticism of Manning? It was that he put up great stats in the regular season and failed in the playoffs.
- In his first three playoff games, Manning was 0-3 with 1TD and 3 INTs.
- On his way to winning Super Bowl XLI, Manning threw 3 TDs and 7 INTs in the playoffs.
- In the Super Bowl, the running game with Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai rushed for over 200 yards to lead the offense. Manning was not the catalyst behind that Super Bowl playoff run
- Even in the Denver Super Bowl win, a washed up Manning only threw for 141 yards.
My point? With only 33 games under his belt, you have made your mind up about Watson's career. I'm not saying Watson is Manning, but not even the great Peyton Manning would meet some of the expectations you are putting on Watson. Manning threw 81 INTs in his first four seasons. As a GM, you would have claimed he can't read defenses, not progressing and traded him for a bag of peanuts. That's my point.