Peyton Manning

New Orleans native Peyton Manning might be the best quarterback in the NFL. If his statistics are any indication, the Indianapolis Colts veteran is virtually unstoppable. Along with a slew of individual career records, Manning holds various season records including 49 touchdowns in 2004, which beat out the 48 TDs passed by Dan Marino in 1984. Though he hasn't yet led the Colts to a Super Bowl, Manning is undoubtedly one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history, not to mention one of its highest paid.

Born on March 24, 1976 in New Orleans, Manning comes from a family of football stars. His father Archie Manning is a former New Orleans Saints quarterback, his older brother Cooper was a high-performing receiver for the University of Mississippi, aka 'Ole Miss', and his younger brother Eli Manning is the starting quarterback for the New York Giants. With QB blood clearly in the family, Manning first hit the gridiron for the prestigious Isidore Newman School, a well-known and wealthy prep school in New Orleans. It came as a surprise that he ultimately chose the University of Tennessee for college ball due to his father's legendary status at Ole Miss, in addition to the fact that every NCAA football recruiter was knocking on his door. Unsurprisingly, Manning was a superstar at Tennessee, breaking the school's all-time passing record and earning an award for being among the top eight student-athletes at the university.

Manning has played for the Colts since being selected as the #1 draft pick in 1998, and will likely remain in Indianapolis for years to come after signing an unprecedented seven-year $99.2 million dollar contract in 2004. Manning has helped the Colts achieve eight terrific seasons, and in 2004 he not only broke Marino's touchdown pass record but also passed a whopping 4,557 yards, earning him the year's NFL MVP award before a notorious spanking from the New England Patriots kept the Colts out of the Super Bowl.

Though Tom Brady devotees may vehemently disagree, many believe that Manning is not only the best QB in the NFL today, but also one of the greatest of all time. His unfortunate 3-6 playoff record has allowed many commentators to criticize his abilities during 'important' games, but anyone who has seen Manning clean up in the early games of the 2006-07 season knows that he's far from giving up hopes of a ring.