2008 Woodie Awards
With the monkey off his back, sky is the limit for Manning
Joe Engler
Issue date: 2/9/07 Section: Sports
- Page 1 of 1
Before the AFC Championship game between the Indianapolis Colts and the New England Patriots, my friend and coworker Will Holden asked me who I thought would win. Easy answer, the Patriots. I mean, c'mon, Tom Brady 11-1 in the playoffs, combined with the scheming personnel mastermind of Bill Belichick, not to mention the fact that the Pats always seem to have the Colt's number.
Will was quick to disagree. The Colts have unlimited weapons on their explosive offense, and are led by the best quarterback in the NFL, Peyton Manning (even though he had three less Super Bowl rings than Brady, meaning he had zero).
But Will did not have to preach to me about how good the Colts were, and, for that matter, how good they have been in recent years. I knew that they were consistently atop the league in offensive production. I knew that Manning is already a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer. And I knew that the Colts have gone to the playoffs seven of the last eight seasons.
However, I also knew what the Colts struggled the most with when they got to the playoffs: winning. Prior to the Super Bowl on Feb. 4, Manning was a mere 3-6 in the playoffs, with his team averaging about 13 points in their six losses.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm a firm believer in the old phrase, "on any given Sunday," but the history was just too convincing. Basically, I had given up on the Colts. They have always had the potential and opportunity to come away with a world championship, but repeatedly came up short.
Well, history proved me wrong. The Colts outlasted the Patriots in a barn-burner and then proved to the world on Sunday that they were champions by defeating the Chicago Bears 29-17 on a soggy field in Miami, Flor.
The game was nothing special. It went from exciting, to sloppy, to exciting, to boring in what could be deemed a mediocre performance overall. But a statement was made, a statement that NFL enthusiasts all over the world argued about every season. Manning can win the big one. He had only one touchdown, accompanied by one interception, but he consistently moved his team into field goal range and controlled the huddle like we have seen him do time and time again.
Manning's steady, methodical play was overshadowed by the Colts impressive running game and the plethora of turnover by both teams, but it was enough to earn him Super Bowl MVP and get the huge monkey off his back. Also, Manning's performance looked like pure poetry when compared to Rex Grossman's meatball-lofting airshow. Critics will be hard-pressed to find a better quarterback, a better player, in today's game than Peyton Manning.
Many football lovers, including myself, have long chosen Brady over Manning as the best signal caller in the league, largely because of the championship difference. It was like comparing Dan Marino and Joe Montana. Marino has the numbers, but Montana's got the rings. Now Manning has both, and he has plenty of years left in him. Brett Favre will be entering his 17th NFL season come next spring. Just imagine what Manning can accomplish if he plays as many seasons, scary.
• Joe Engler is also scary.
Will was quick to disagree. The Colts have unlimited weapons on their explosive offense, and are led by the best quarterback in the NFL, Peyton Manning (even though he had three less Super Bowl rings than Brady, meaning he had zero).
But Will did not have to preach to me about how good the Colts were, and, for that matter, how good they have been in recent years. I knew that they were consistently atop the league in offensive production. I knew that Manning is already a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer. And I knew that the Colts have gone to the playoffs seven of the last eight seasons.
However, I also knew what the Colts struggled the most with when they got to the playoffs: winning. Prior to the Super Bowl on Feb. 4, Manning was a mere 3-6 in the playoffs, with his team averaging about 13 points in their six losses.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm a firm believer in the old phrase, "on any given Sunday," but the history was just too convincing. Basically, I had given up on the Colts. They have always had the potential and opportunity to come away with a world championship, but repeatedly came up short.
Well, history proved me wrong. The Colts outlasted the Patriots in a barn-burner and then proved to the world on Sunday that they were champions by defeating the Chicago Bears 29-17 on a soggy field in Miami, Flor.
The game was nothing special. It went from exciting, to sloppy, to exciting, to boring in what could be deemed a mediocre performance overall. But a statement was made, a statement that NFL enthusiasts all over the world argued about every season. Manning can win the big one. He had only one touchdown, accompanied by one interception, but he consistently moved his team into field goal range and controlled the huddle like we have seen him do time and time again.
Manning's steady, methodical play was overshadowed by the Colts impressive running game and the plethora of turnover by both teams, but it was enough to earn him Super Bowl MVP and get the huge monkey off his back. Also, Manning's performance looked like pure poetry when compared to Rex Grossman's meatball-lofting airshow. Critics will be hard-pressed to find a better quarterback, a better player, in today's game than Peyton Manning.
Many football lovers, including myself, have long chosen Brady over Manning as the best signal caller in the league, largely because of the championship difference. It was like comparing Dan Marino and Joe Montana. Marino has the numbers, but Montana's got the rings. Now Manning has both, and he has plenty of years left in him. Brett Favre will be entering his 17th NFL season come next spring. Just imagine what Manning can accomplish if he plays as many seasons, scary.
• Joe Engler is also scary.
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