Richard Sherman labels Peyton Manning "Smartest QB in the NFL"

Sitting king on his list was our very own Peyton Manning:

Before I share my top 5 smartest quarterbacks of 2013, with an emphasis on the most intelligent passers in the game, please understand that I'm not talking about these guys in terms of reputation or highlight reel plays. In Seattle, we chart players the same way scouts do, and we approach games with heads full of tendencies translated from raw data.

For example, we keep track of how many passes the opponent throws down the field 20 yards or more, and what route concepts they like on 3rd and long, medium and short. Does the quarterback go through all of his progressions? Does he stare his targets down? When you're playing a team more than once in a season, you've got to consider that quarterbacks make adjustments depending on the defense they face. They're considering the reads they'll make and the times they'll look to scramble based on their experience against your scheme. Our coaches chart those tendencies and give them to us in scouting reports.

Sherman continues,

When we played Peyton in the preseason, I found a new appreciation for the way he makes adjustments at the line of scrimmage; he controls the protections, and if he sees the blitz coming he slides it. The thing that sets him apart is that he'll change it to a run play if you don't have enough players in the box, and they'll get five or six yards because you're not ready for it. Nobody else has both the authority to do that within their offense and the understanding to know when it's appropriate.

What about his armstrength?

His arm, however, is another story. His passes will be accurate and on time, but he throws ducks.

Well, you can't win em all. Besides we all know that Peyton wins with his anticipation rather than his laser rocket arm.

Perhaps most interesting about his list was who was left off, or rather who was his "honorable mention."

It is what it is. If this were a top 6, he'd be in there. Tom Brady is one of the hardest to intercept, and still has one of the best arms in the league, but this was the year the young guys took a step forward.

I've always liked Sherman, perhaps most of all because of his "U Mad Bro" to Brady after that regular season win a year ago. Most people thought he was some young punk that was jawing at a legend, but Sherman shed some light on that incident:

Sounds like Tommy Boy can dish it but can't take it;)

Sherman is one of the best in the game right now so all kidding aside, it was refreshing to see the young buck show some respect for an old Manning.

GO BRONCOS!!!