ESPN’s Aaron Schatz and Seth Walder recently penned out the best 53-man roster using players from the past 25 years, with two former Volunteers on the list.
Tennessee has produced some legendary players in the history of the National Football League, but two stand out among the rest in recent years.The first, and most notable, is quarterback Peyton Manning. The Tennessee legend and Hall of Fame quarterback was listed as one of three signal callers on the list alongside Patriots/Buccaneers QB Tom Brady and Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes.
“Close your eyes, and you can still picture Manning audibling behind the line of scrimmage, moving his players around before the snap to take advantage of his incredible ability to read defenses,” Schatz wrote about the former Vol.The next one is for the Vol-Titan fans out there, getting one of their own on the list.
Tennessee’s Morgan Cox, a one-time All-Pro and one-time Super Bowl champion with the Baltimore Ravens, lands as the lone long-snapper on ESPN’s All-Quarter Century roster.
“We’re not going to act like long-snapper experts, but Cox is a five-time Pro Bowler and earned his lone first-team All-Pro award in 2020 — the first year long-snappers were added to the team. He has played 15 years in the league for the Ravens and Titans,” Walder wrote.Manning’s list of accomplishments is long and impressive. The 18-year veteran passed for 64,066 yards, 487 touchdowns, was a two-time Super Bowl champion, a five-time MVP, and a nine-time All-Pro selection.
“Manning ranks second behind Brady in DYAR [defensive-adjusted yards above replacement] since 2000. He has three of the top five seasons for total passing value — 2013, 2004 and 2006,” Schatz wrote. “His 2004 season has the highest passing DVOA (value per play) of any season since 1978. And while QBR doesn’t go back as far, Manning’s 2006 season is the second-highest QBR behind Brady’s 2007 season
Cox began his career with the Baltimore Ravens, where he played for a decade from 2010 to 2020. The Collierville, TN, native then returned back to the Volunteer State as he joined the Titans in 2021 and his been with the organization ever since.
The 6-foot-4, 233-pound stout snapper has had 233 professional starts over the course of his career, and his still building his legacy going forward. Cox played at Evangelical Christian School in Memphis before playing in Knoxville with the Volunteers from 2006 to 2009.
Manning and Cox were the only Tennessee players on the roster, but one other former Vol did receive an honorable mention. VFL Cordarelle Patterson was listed as the reserve pick for the return specialist spot behind the Chicago Bears’ Devin Hester. Patterson had 284 career returns for 8,229 yards, for an average of 29.0 yards per return. He also took back nine returns to the house in 12 seasons with six teams.
