Manning was selected in the 1971 NFL draft by the New Orleans Saints with the second overall selection. The Saints were at that time – and throughout Manning's stay there – one of the worst teams in the league, and Manning's supporters have often speculated that this was the reason that his career was less successful than it otherwise might have been[citation needed], while others believe that the fact that he played for a bad team allowed him to pad his stats because losing teams are forced to pass more[citation needed]. Nevertheless, he was well respected by NFL peers; Sports Illustrated senior writer Paul Zimmerman recalls opposing defensive linemen, "Jack Youngblood in particular" taking it easy on the poorly protected Manning. Manning played for the Saints for ten full seasons, none of them winning. In 1972 he led the league in pass attempts and completions, and led the NFC in passing yards, though the team's record was only 2-11-1. In 1978, he was named the NFC Player Of The Year by UPI after leading the Saints to a 7-9 record. That same year, Archie was also named All-NFC by both the UPI and The Sporting News. Manning was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1978 and 1979. He went on to conclude his career with the Houston Oilers (1982-83), and the Minnesota Vikings (1983-84), where the teams posted a collective record of 6-35. He ended his 13-year career having completed 2,011 of 3,642 passes for 23,911 yards and 125 touchdowns, with 173 interceptions. He also rushed for 2,197 yards and 18 touchdowns. His 2,011 completions ranked 17th in NFL history upon his retirement