Peyton Manning Reveals Advice to NFL Players Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

The NFL offseason has been disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, but Peyton Manning believes players should use the time as an opportunity to improve.

The five-time MVP has spoken to several teams this offseason, including the Los Angeles Rams, Chicago Bears and Buffalo Bills, and provided advice on how to handle what has become a virtual offseason, per Peter King of Pro Football Talk:

"My message was to the quarterbacks. 'Hey, organize your own Zoom meetings without the coaches, just get you and the tight ends, you and the receivers.' It's actually an opportunity to even have better communication. Because there's nothing else to do, right? Hey, every Tuesday, 9 a.m., quarterbacks and the offensive line, Zoom, watching film. Instead of complaining about it, see it as an opportunity to really improve. There's no reason you shouldn't have every play from last year studied down to the T."

Quarterbacks Jared Goff and Josh Allen both said they would take his advice about leading meetings.

Manning also broke down the specifics about how quarterbacks should approach film study.

"I always watched the interception tape first. Then the sack tape. All the bad things," he explained. "You figure out why you're throwing these interceptions. What drill do I need to incorporate into the offseason to fix that?" 

The challenge for players has been to stay active without any organized team activities, with team facilities closed because of the pandemic.

Manning has taken some advice from his brother, Eli Manning, who compared the situation to the lockout in 2011 when players weren't allowed in the building. Eli organized team practices at a high school to help keep his team on schedule.

The New York Giants went on to win the Super Bowl that season.

Although there are significant differences compared to this offseason, including social distancing restrictions, Peyton believes the next few months will have a major impact on the 2020 season.

"I think the team that wins it all this year is gonna be the team that's really getting an edge during this time—kind of like the Giants in 2011."