Wade Phillips Says Peyton Manning Didn’t Really Break Passing TD Record

Dec 22, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans interim head coach Wade Phillips walks on the sideline during the first quarter against the Denver Broncos at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Wade Phillips is taking an interesting approach to losing. His team has lost a league-high 13 games in a row, and he’s still talking smack.

“Poor Manning,” Phillips said. “He thought he broke the record.”

Apparently the NFL told Phillips that Manning’s 50th touchdown pass to Eric Decker should have been reversed because Decker bobbled the ball in the end zone. They are right. It should have been reversed. We all saw it, but apparently, Ed Hochuli decided to gift the Broncos another touchdown because he knows how badly the Texans need that number one overall pick.

No harm, no foul. Decker did catch the ball, but he didn’t establish his feet before he fully controlled the ball. In other words, it wasn’t a pencil pushers touchdown. If it had been called a TD in a tight game, there would have been an uproar about it. However, this was a game that meant virtually nothing to the Texans had they been able to scrape and claw their way to a victory, but old Wade is going to call out Manning anyway.

Of course by the rules of the league, Decker’s touchdown shouldn’t have counted. By 7 PM on Sunday night, it won’t have mattered in the least. Manning is likely to increase his NFL record 51 touchdown passes and the stats won’t change regardless of what mistake the officiating crew made.

For what it’s worth, it took a bunch of guys to make the call that the catch should be overturned, and they didn’t do it.

What a ridiculous statement to make. Focus on your own team, Wade!