Falcons vs. Broncos: Past, Present, and Future of the no-huddle

September 09, 2012; Kansas City, MO, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (2) goes under center in the second half of the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. The Falcons won 40-24. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-US PRESSWIRE

A lot has been made of the Falcons offense running the no-huddle the past couple seasons. Matt Ryan has been very good since he has been in Atlanta, but he is even more effective and efficient when running the no-huddle. The quarterback Ryan will be facing Monday Night, Peyton Manning, is also fond of and adept at running the no-huddle offense.

There are lots of players and teams who have used elements of the no-huddle attack such as hurry-up, huddling closer to the line, and similar tactics to speed up the game and limit substitutions. However, no player has brought all of those elements as well as calling audibles at the line of scrimmage quite like Peyton Manning. He is the first player who has taken all of those things, melded them together, and come out with a wonderfully operating offense that is hard to stop. It’s so effective, that other teams have taken to using it.

Peyton Manning is the Godfather of the no-huddle attack. Like Don Corleone in the Godfather film, he is still very effective, but is on the back end of his career. New, young, up-and-coming quarterbacks are entering the league and implementing the no-huddle attack that Manning helped develop and makes the offense run so well.Peyton is both the past and the present.

Quarterbacks like Matt Ryan are taking the no-huddle, using it their benefit, and producing huge statistics and wins because of it. These young guys are going to be the present, and future of the no-huddle attack. These young quarterbacks are going to use the no-huddle both now, and for years to come.

This is the most interesting thing about the Monday Night matchup between the Falcons and the Broncos: it represents a player who developed the no-huddle and made it truly popular matching up with a player who is a rising star, and will run the no-huddle for the next decade at least. It’s not so much that Manning is passing the torch as he isn’t retiring from the game yet; it’s going to be a celebration of the past, present, and future of offense in general and the no-huddle offense in particular, from quarterback to quarterback. And that’s a beautiful thing.