Matt Barkley is a curious case. If he would have came out last year he would have been a Top 10 pick, he still might be, but a lot of questions remain.
There seems to be a USC curse on quarterbacks in the NFL and Barkley is trying to break the trend. In Peter King’s Monday Morning Quarterback, he says he received some valuable advice from Peyton Manning.
“Sometimes, you have to be a dick,” Barkley said.
Barkley is referring to the fact that Manning has shown a command over his teammates, telling them what to do and when to do it — especially in the offseason.
“Doing what is asked is not enough to win in the NFL, I know that,” Barkley said. “You’ve got to do more. And I intend to.”
The reason Manning can do that is because be wins, if Barkley wants to command that type of respect he has to show and prove on the field.