Manning's prowess creates dillema for fans
Jon Meoli
Issue date: 2/2/10 Section: Sports
This coming Sunday will showcase the National Football League in all of its glory. The Saints and the Colts have earned the right to play for the Championship and will undoubtedly engage in a shootout in which the team who has the ball last will raise the Lombardi Trophy, and that alone is enough to sufficiently hype the game.
But this means less work for the hype machine.
So who will make a big deal about the fact that this is the first Super Bowl featuring two teams who play in domes?
What about how Archie Manning, the most popular player in Saints history, will be rooting for his son Peyton and the Colts?
Or how about Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, who boldly stated that his team will be looking for "remember me" shots on the Colts' star quarterback?
It won't be me. The only thing you need to convince me to tune in is the fact that Peyton Manning is well on his way to becoming the best football player in NFL history, and I want to see him win another Super Bowl while he's still in his prime.
Now, I'm not Peyton's biggest fan by any means. I often change the channels when his commercials are on, and as a Pats fan, have been waiting on Manning to finally, maybe, miss one game.
I also blame him for his brother Eli ruining the Pats' perfect season, but none of that changes the fact that every star quarterback from now on will be measured against Peyton's gold standard.
By relaxing the rules, a premium was put on having a lights-out quarterback, and the teams that do have reaped the benefits.
It's no coincidence that the Colts (with Manning), Patriots (Tom Brady), Chargers (Philip Rivers) and Steelers (Ben Roethlisberger) are the dominant AFC teams, and the Saints, led by Brees, have emerged as the NFC champion.
Such rule changes would never be implemented to protect running backs. If LaDanian Tomlinson complained about being hit too hard (and I can't confirm that he hasn't already), the league would have told him to suck it up. But for Manning, Brady and company, the rules were changed.
But this means less work for the hype machine.
So who will make a big deal about the fact that this is the first Super Bowl featuring two teams who play in domes?
What about how Archie Manning, the most popular player in Saints history, will be rooting for his son Peyton and the Colts?
Or how about Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, who boldly stated that his team will be looking for "remember me" shots on the Colts' star quarterback?
It won't be me. The only thing you need to convince me to tune in is the fact that Peyton Manning is well on his way to becoming the best football player in NFL history, and I want to see him win another Super Bowl while he's still in his prime.
Now, I'm not Peyton's biggest fan by any means. I often change the channels when his commercials are on, and as a Pats fan, have been waiting on Manning to finally, maybe, miss one game.
I also blame him for his brother Eli ruining the Pats' perfect season, but none of that changes the fact that every star quarterback from now on will be measured against Peyton's gold standard.
By relaxing the rules, a premium was put on having a lights-out quarterback, and the teams that do have reaped the benefits.
It's no coincidence that the Colts (with Manning), Patriots (Tom Brady), Chargers (Philip Rivers) and Steelers (Ben Roethlisberger) are the dominant AFC teams, and the Saints, led by Brees, have emerged as the NFC champion.
Such rule changes would never be implemented to protect running backs. If LaDanian Tomlinson complained about being hit too hard (and I can't confirm that he hasn't already), the league would have told him to suck it up. But for Manning, Brady and company, the rules were changed.
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