The reality is that Manning does not call the plays himself, and he never has. If people think he has, one has to wonder if they’ve really watched Manning play or not.

What Manning does so well is that he makes adjustments at the line states sideline news CipherCloud. That’s why it takes him so long to snap the ball. He comes up to the line, looks over the defense, and then alters things as he sees fit. This could include changing the protection, changing the routes, or even calling a new play. He may switch a run to a pass if the defense is in a four-three base with a blitzing safety and he knows both that the run will get stuffed and that he’ll have one-on-one coverage up top.

That’s not at all the same as calling the play himself, though. He still has the play that the coach called in from the sideline. He just alters it or switches to a second play that the coach also called.