In this Boil-Down, I illustrate the reason why none of these ideas ever make it out of the concept phase! I’ve put together a rough outline for the Peyton Manning/Tom Brady movie concept that will serve as a skeleton for the first draft of the script. I’ve separated it by year and grouped years together into three acts. It’s hard to know where to end it, though Peyton getting cut from the Colts is probably the most logical spot if not for the fact that Peyton and Brady play each other several more times, including when Peyton beats Brady at Mile High to go to Super Bowl 50 and ride off into the sunset. A lot of this will have to be cut, and several events should probably be flexed into the same year so that the passage of time isn’t completely insufferable on-screen. A lot of the material is dramatic and poetic all on its own, and I have plenty of reference material for all of it, so in theory the script could be pretty compelling if it ever gets past this stage.
Q: Alex, this post is just a bulleted list of things that happened in the NFL over 18 years. How do you justify posting this garbage to the wonderful Door Flies Open website?
A: IF YOU SQUINT REAL HARD AND LISTEN CLOSE, THE BULLETS TELL A STORY. USE YOUR IMAGINATION! DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG THIS TOOK ME TO RESEARCH!?
“Legacy” Timeline
ACT I
1998
- Peyton is #1 overall pick in the draft over Ryan Leaf
- Manning to Colts GM Bill Polian: “If you take me, I promise you we will win a championship. If you don’t, I promise I’ll come back and kick your ass.”
- Brady at University of Michigan, taking over for Brian Griese at QB. He’s called the ‘comeback kid’ for his 4th quarter comebacks.
- Belichick is Bill Parcells’ asst. head coach with the Jets. Patriots want him.
1999
- Belichick introduced as Jets new HC; at his announcement press conference, he resigns.
- Due to contract disputes, Patriots have to give Jets their 2000 1st round draft pick to hire Belichick as their HC and GM.
- Brady is an intern at Merrill Lynch; dramatic win against Ohio State sets up overtime win against Alabama in the Orange bowl, a big comeback game.
2000
- Brady’s dramatic draft
- He and his family had believed that Brady would be drafted in the second or third round; they watched the draft on TV, stunned as six other quarterbacks were drafted before him. Brady was so embarrassed that he briefly left the family home during the sixth round, and cried when recalling the experience
- Belichick is Patriots HC, Brady is 4th string QB behind Drew Bledsoe; Brady goes 1/3 for 6 yards
- Colts win 6 of first 8 games
- Peyton beats New England w/ Brady on sideline – Peyton posts perfect passer rating
- Peyton throws two touchdowns in the Pro Bowl
- Patriots go 5-11, miss playoffs; Belichick’s only losing season
2001
- Patriots win first SB in team’s history
- Brady replaces Bledsoe as QB in late 4th q of game 2 at home against the Jets after rough injury.
- Brady named starter for game 3; his first NFL start is against the Manning and the Colts. Patriots win 44-13
- Three weeks later in game 6, Brady/Manning rematch goes 38-17 for Patriots.
- Brady’s first playoff game against the Raiders – the tuck rule
- Brady faces Rams in SB XXXVI, becomes youngest QB to win a Super Bowl, and is named MVP
- Manning/Colts Offense introduce no-huddle offense
- Week 2 games were pushed back a week due to 9/11 attacks
- Colts lose 40-21 to 49ers at home, Peyton throws 4 INTs.
- Jim Mora’s ‘Playoffs?!’ press conference
- Tony Dungy replaces Jim Mora at end of season
- Patriots move to Gillette Stadium
2003
- Manning leads 24-point rally in final 5 minutes of MNF to beat defending champ Buccaneers
- Brady/Manning rivalry is born in Indianapolis
- Peyton throws 3 TDs in 6 minutes to tie the game, Pats D stops Colts from getting the win.
- Colts/Pats rematch in AFC title game, Manning had 4 INTs and 4 sacks, Pats win
- Brady builds a 12-win streak starting week 5
- Brady loses NFL MVP to Manning/McNair tie
- Pats beat Panthers in SB XXXVIII, Brady is MVP again; had a game-winning drive with 1 minute left in 4th quarter
- Belichick wins NFL Coach of the Year
- Belichick/Pats lose in week 1 to Bills, 31-0; week 14, beat the Bills 31-0
ACT II
2004
- Pats go 14-2, beat Colts in AFC title game, beat Eagles in SB XXXIX
- only 2nd team to win 3 SBs in 4 years
- Belichick becomes only coach to win 3 SBs in 4 years
- Pats set NFL win-streak record, with 21 wins in a row (carried over from 2003 wins)
- Peyton defeats Chargers week 16 after trailing by 15 in 4th quarter
- facing a 4th & 4 at their own 26, Manning waved the punt team off the field and completed a 19-yard pass to Reggie Wayne for the first down. He finished the drive with a 21-yard TD pass to Brandon Stokley, his 49th TD pass of the season, breaking Dan Marino’s record of 48.
- Peyton’s 2004 season voted second greatest passing season of all time by ESPN (2013)
- Colts end their season in Foxborough for second year in a row; Manning’s 7th consecutive loss to Patriots
- Peyton is 2004 NFL MVP, NFL Offensive Player of the Year, Best NFL Player ESPY award, Best Record-Breaking Performance ESPY award, Pro Bowl MVP (3 TDs)
2005
- Colts win their first 13 games, defeat Patriots 40-21 in Foxborough, breaking Manning’s losing streak at Gillette Stadium.
- Brady plays through sports hernia for 2 playoff games, first playoff loss of his career to the Broncos @ Mile High Stadium
- Belichick’s season opener win against the Raiders is his 54th win with Pats, making him the winningest coach in team history.
2006
- Patriots go 12-4
- Colts/Giants season opener is first Manning Bowl (Eli vs Peyton); first game in NFL history where starting QBs were brothers; Peyton wins
- Colts beat Pats in regular season
- Colts/Pats AFC title game again, this is becoming a regular thing
- Peyton rallies 32 points in 2nd half to win from behind, taking the lead after a late 4th quarter 80-yard TD drive. Biggest comeback in conference championship history
- Colts defeat Bears to win SB XLI, Manning is MVP
- Following his SB win, Manning agrees to restructure his contract to save the Colts $8M in cap space.
2007
- Spygate on 9/9/07, Belichick fined $500K, biggest fine in NFL history
- Patriots acquire 5 big-name receivers in the pre-season
- Brady’s season in contention for greatest season of all time for a QB
- Patriots have the first 16-0 regular season in NFL history, Brady sets many records and first perfect passer rating of his career
- In game against Colts in Indy, Brady throws 9th 3-TD game in a row, breaking Manning’s NFL record of 8 3-TD games in a row. Pats win. Game called SB XLI & 1/2; Brady throws two late touchdowns to win, Manning’s first loss of the season and a big loss of momentum for the Colts
- In the last game of the year, Brady scores his 50th TD of the season, breaking Manning’s record of 49.
- Pats have 4th SB appearance in 7 seasons; Brady becomes fastest QB to 100 wins
- Pats lose to Eli Manning and the Giants in huge upset, preventing Pats perfect season
- Belichick wins NFL Coach of the Year, despite Spygate
- Peyton attended SB XLII and cheered on his brother in his upset of the Patriots
ACT III
2008
- Brady doesn’t play at all in ’08 due to two foot injuries, ending his 111 consecutive starts, a streak just shy of Manning’s
- South Park airs Cartman’s “I misinterpreted the rules” episode, where he worships Belichick’s cheating prowess
2010
- Brady signs 4yr/$72M contract extension, becomes highest-paid player in NFL
- Second Manning bowl, Peyton wins again.
2011
- Pats go 13-3, beat Broncos in 1st playoff game, make 5th SB appearance, but lose SB XLVI in a Giants rematch of SB XLII
- Colts place franchise tag on Manning in preseason, then Manning signs a 5yr/$90M deal, insisting that he didn’t need to be the highest-paid player in the NFL.
- Manning has neck surgery on May 23; due to NFL lockout, he couldn’t use the Colts’ facilities for practice and workouts
- Not wanting to be seen during his recovery, Peyton practices and works out at Coors Field in Denver.
- Peyton will need spinal fusion surgery to return to a playable level, but it wasn’t clear if he’d play again even with the surgery.
- Colts rule him out for season opener, ending his consecutive start streak of 227 games
- Manning ends up not playing any games in 2011
- “To me, he’s the greatest of all time. He’s a friend of mine, and someone that I always watch and admire, because he always wants to improve, he always wants to get better, and he doesn’t settle for anything less than the best. So, when you watch the best and you’re able to learn from the best, hopefully that helps me get better.” —Tom Brady, on Peyton Manning in 2011.
2012
- Colts have #1 overall pick in the draft and release Manning to pick up Andrew Luck and avoid his $28M roster bonus; Manning released shortly after Bill Polian was dismissed (the guy who drafted him)
- Upon Manning’s release, Colts owner Jim Irsay announces #18 is a retired Colts number
- Peyton free agency sweepstakes news coverage
- Goes to Broncos, gets permission to wear retired #18
- Brady beats him in Denver week 5
2013
- 7 TDs in opening game for Peyton
- Peyton beats Brady ACFCCG
- Broncos SB48 omega loss to Russell Wilson
2014
- Brady beats Manning again week 9
- Brady beats Russell Wilson to deny the Seahawks back to back SB wins
- Peyton loses to the Colts in the playoffs
2015
- Peyton returns from injury in week 17 to secure #1 seed – Kubiak uses it to swing the momentum and Osweiler is pissed
- NFL Turning Point episode
- Peyton beats Brady at Mile High in the snow as Manning watches from the sideline
This is approximately 600% too much material for a single movie. You’d be hard pressed to make each act an entry in a movie trilogy. As soon as I start to poke holes in my ideas I want to abandon them and come up with another one and that’s how I ended up with a list of nearly 1,000 ideas that are by and large impossible to realize. But I posted the list so now I’m obligated to actually start banging away at some of these and though some twisted series of unplanned accidents, this has become YOUR problem. Forget Boil-Down, my brain is going to boil over.
Where’s the orgy scene where Peyton’s wife thanks Giselle for buying some medicine for her?
Given that she’s made appearances at DFO multiple times, I’m deeply offended that you haven’t learned that her name is “Ashley”.
https://doorfliesopen.com/2019/06/07/request-line-elis-slumber-party-mixtape-volume-4-promises/
Peyton Manning used to shave his pubes into a checkerboard pattern to honor his days at Tennessee.
Source: the voices in my head
LOL. Cody J. has won the internets for the day…
https://twitter.com/drmistercody/status/1613635701752623104
This whole gas stove thing feels like it’s the comic relief C story from an episode of The West Wing.
CJ: “Uh, Mr. President, there’s a chance you’ll be asked a question about why you’re banning gas stoves.”
Bartlett: “Why am I banning gas stoves?”
CJ: “You’re not.”
Bartlett: “Then why would I be asked…”
CJ glares at Josh, who looks sheepish
Josh: “Sir, you really don’t want to know.”
Bartlett: “Because the gas stove was invented by a New Englander, you know. [long Wikipedia article follows] So if I’m banning gas stoves, I’d sure like to know why.”
CJ looks pained, like she is contemplating why she left a lucrative job in L.A. to deal with this crap.
Leo: “Sir.”
Bartlett: “Ok. What’s next?”
Bartlett: “So I’d really like to know why I’m banning gas stoves.”
Josh: “…uh, it looks like there wasn’t enough cocaine left to write this line”
If you’re ever re-watching TWW, check out The West Wing Weekly podcast, co-hosted by Josh Malina. They interview Sorkin and most of the cast at one time or another, and it apparently really was the case that Sorkin was writing scripts practically up to the night before filming. (They kind of gloss over the cocaine part….)
I think Babylon 5 had similar issues in the middle seasons when JMS was writing every episode. There’s a reason why very few shows attempt to have a single writer do every story.
Josh Malina actually responded on twitter to a request I made via the DFO account. It seems like his response was deleted, though.
https://mobile.twitter.com/doorfliesopen/status/1423678346223775752
You don’t ever have to apologize for producing too much content.
This is what the pros call a “treatment”.
–Robert Kraft, to the frightened woman whose hand he’s pulling toward his genitals.
You realize it already, it’s a problem of scope. You need to decide upon what the crux of your project is going to be, focus on that, and winnow out all the extemporaneous stuff.
There are many different possible directions for you to take with this. A few that I thought of were:
1) How Brady turned draft day embarrassment into maniacal obsession and greatness. (as a yinzer, it hurts to say that)
2) How Manning overcame his injuries, being shafted by the Clots, and blown out by Seattle to still come back and win a SB.
3) How Brady, Bellicheck, and Patriots were dirty rotten cheaters and should be stripped of all– Goddammit, sorry ’bout that. yinzer instinct kicked in again.3) Perhaps highlights of just their last head to head game, with flashbacks on differences and similarities in their upbringing and development.
It’s solid advice. My problem is I don’t like the story when it’s scope is reduced. The thing that makes the story so great is how deep and unending the fractal of connections goes when you stare into it. It’s the only way to turn it into a real product, but by limiting it I also divorce myself from interest in it. That’s why the final paragraph here is so blunt. I’m like, why did I bother! It’s frustrating but also a relief that this timeline is out of me and I can move to the next thing.
Well, I found it an interesting synopsis and an enjoyable read, even if it was the literary equivalent of colonoscopy prep.
HAHA glad to hear you got something out of it. That is an excellent description
Glad (& relieved) to hear you didn’t find it insulting. A bit after poasting that I had second thoughts & was wondering if that came across as dickish.
Not at all, I thought it was clever and pretty accurate. This exercise is a pretty big departure from what I would normally write and is intended to lay bare the creative process I go through to get to the final product. So your description is basically what I intended to present
I hear you, then again, I am someone who enjoys 1,400-page Russian novels (like “And Quiet Flows the Don”)
Well there ya go. Hippo to the rescue…
If you don’t want to reduce the scope, change the medium. Might be too much there for a movie, but good for a thick novel… (War and Peace for the football crowd)
Uh oh, that sounds neat
Don’t tempt me, I will drop 600 pages right now mister
Not understanding the last point:
“Peyton beats Brady at Mile High in the snow as Manning watches from the sideline”
Clearly, he means Cooper was on the sidelines watching and placing a bet with the Caesar’s Sportsbook Ap, the official partner of the National Football League!
Yep, my bad. I meant Osweiler but I guess my eyes crossed or something
Ah. That makes sense. Understandable, as you were ROLLIN’
“30 for 30” naw “3,000 for 3,000”
-Alex’s brain
[edit: fixed typo]
Oh damn, that’s accurate
Pro Tip : Include gratuitous pics of baby moms, WAG’s where applicable in order to fill important context.
Noted