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Greatness Falls At The Hands Of A True Legend
By Alex Fitzsimmons, Thu Dec 8th
It’s implausible to imagine the player who broke the mostcoveted record in football being remembered as the guy thatcouldn’t win the big game. Peyton Manning bears that ugly scar.After shattering Dan Marino’s single season touchdown passingrecord, throwing for 49 TD passes, Manning’s legacy was almostguaranteed to be that of one of the greatest signal callersever. That is, until last Sunday, when in three repugnant hoursof chaos and confusion, it all melted away. Previously known for his audacity, fieriness, passion for thegame and his methodically deliberate decision-making ability,Manning was undoubtedly the most dominant player at hisposition. He seemed carry a certain aura that few before himever possessed. The way he could read a defense, stare thelinebacker in the eyes, shoot a factiously sly grin at him, andin an instant, he’d turn into a magician, and the football wouldend up 50 yards downfield, with the defender wondering when theplay was going to start. Not only was Manning such an artisan at reading coverages, hisarm strength and accuracy was and still is superior to anyquarterback playing now. It’s not his arm that proved to be hisundoing, the problem was his swagger. Winning back to back MVPawards demands a degree of respect from the league, and prior tobeing tumultuously exploited by the New England Patriotssecondary, a decimated secondary lacking it’s best player, TyLaw, Manning yielded a power that said he was the man and nobodycould stop him. Looks like someone shut the power off.
But that was the old Manning, the truly “special” Manning. Now,Manning’s nothing more than a shell of his former self. He’s nolonger a truly elite quarterback, just a good passer that wiltedwhen his team needed him most. As touchdown passes rained in Indy, numerous bandwagon hoppingfans considered Manning one of the greatest quarterbacks to everplay the game. He isn’t even the best quarterback in the gameright now, never mind one of the greatest ever. Patriots’quarterback Tom Brady proved once and for all that he is abetter player than Manning, last Sundays 20-3 dismantling of theColts confirmed that. And last season, the seemingly infallibleManning was picked off four times in the AFC Championship Gameagainst none other than Brady and the Pats. The only stat infootball is wins, and trophies. Brady is a perfect7-0 as a starting quarterback in the playoffs.
But what’s evenmore astounding, he’s 6-0 lifetime against Manning. Brady isalso a two time MVP, at only 27 years old. Manningdoesn’t have any wins or even appearances, and he’s ayear older than Brady. Some argue it’s not Manning’s fault for his inconsistent play inthe playoffs, that his defense doesn’t give him a chance to win.That may be some of the reason. But to be truly considered anelite quarterback, Manning should be able to carry the burden ofthe team even with his defenses’ shortcomings. In the AFC Divisional round of the playoffs this year, the Coltswere held to their lowest offensive output of the season, ameager three points against the Patriots under the bitterFoxboro air, with a snowy white field; all the conditions whichManning loathes. Manning was held touchdownless, if that’s evena word, while running back Corey Dillon was running amok againstthe soft Colts defense. And who was the catalyst, the drive, theunstoppable force behind the Pats’ success? Not Head Coach BillBelichick, not defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel, none otherthan the never-break-a-sweat Tom Brady. The debate is over: Brady is better. But what about Manning? Setting the record for most touchdownsin a single season certainly speaks volumes, but carrying theburden of a “chronic loser” your entire career won’t help yourchances for the Hall of Fame. So is Manning Hall of Fame worthy? The initial response would be, “of course, he broke the record”.But analyzing the scenario further would create a stickysituation for Hall of Fame voters. Assuming Manning doesn’tsuffer some shocking career ending injury, and his numbers stayconsistent, a voter might actually consider not voting Manninginto the Hall. The reason: Manning lacks a ring. Onecan argue Marino got into the Hall without any Super Bowlvictories, but considering that Manning and Brady will mostlikely be Hall of Fame eligible at about the same time, could avoter actually vote for Manning knowing that the guy next to himalso vying for a Hall spot dominated him for most of his career?A sticky situation indeed. But either way you look at it, Manning’s legacy in the footballworld will never be the same. And his remarkable 2004 campaignwill always be remembered not for his incredible reads andpotent throws, on his way to record breaking status, but ratherfor his inability to come through when his counterpart, Brady,was flawless. About the author:Alex Fitzsimmons is a writer for http://www.footballavenue.com
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