February 05, 2007


Manning Gets His



Watching the Super Bowl without your favorite team (don't worry, Buffalo will be back in five years!) could leave you caring less about what happens. Not the case this year. If you are a fan of football, you should have cared about this Super Bowl for the simple fact that one of the most deserving athletes of our time has finally reached the pinnacle of his sport.

True, I might be biased being a Vols fan, but I believe Manning's first Super Bowl closely resembles John Elway's first title where everyone felt happy and relieved for him.

Manning has been criticized since his college days at Tennessee due to his inability to beat arch-rival Florida. Then Gators' coach Steve Spurrier once said "you can't spell Citrus without UT," to add insult to injury since every loss to Florida meant Manning and the Vols would have to play for the second best bowl for an SEC team, the Citrus Bowl.

Despite winning two Citrus Bowls, Manning's college career came to a bitter end. Even though the Vols lost to Florida, they made it to the Orange Bowl due to two conference losses by Florida. This was Manning's last chance to win a big game as a Volunteer, but things did not go as scripted as Nebraska pounded Tennessee en route to winning a share of the National Title. Other than losing his last college game, Manning also had to settle for second place in the Heisman voting despite going into the season as the favorite.

When it was time to put his college career behind him, Manning became the number one draft pick of the Indianapolis Colts in 1998. It would be a blessing for many, but could also be a curse having to deal with lofty expectations. Manning lived up to those expectations by turning the Colts into a 13-3 team in his second year in the league. Despite leading the Colts into the playoffs as a high seed consistently over the years, being a perennial Pro-Bowler, and winning the MVP twice, Manning's sub-par post season performances are what people remember. His inability to beat counterpart Tom Brady and the Patriots has critics labeling Manning as one of the great athletes to never win the big game much like Dan Marino and Jim Kelly.

But just as it seems like Manning's window for redemption is shrinking with the departure of workhorse running back Edgerrin James, the Colts are again off to a fast 9-0 start in 2006. However, the Colts' slowed down as the regular season came to a close as their run defense struggled mightily. Even the lowly Texans were able to beat the Colts with Ron Dayne powering the running game.

By the time playoffs finally began, the Colts drew a tough matchup against one of the best running teams in Kansas City. Not many teams gave Indy a chance while many expected Larry Johnson of the Chiefs to go for 200 yards on the ground. Manning's critics were out again as the quarterback threw three interceptions in the game. However, the Indianapolis defense held Johnson to a meager 32 yards in a 23-8 victory.

Manning threw two more interceptions against the Ravens the following week, but once again, the Colts won with defense and the best kicker in football, Adam Vinatieri, who scored all 15 points for Indianapolis.

The following week had Manning facing arch rival Tom Brady and the New England Patriots who are coming off a huge win to knock off number one seeded San Diego. Manning finally outshined Brady by passing for over 300 yards and accounted for two touchdowns. Colts reached the Super Bowl after beating New England 38-34.

Sunday's game against Chicago spelled doom for Manning and the Colts' offense as non-stop rain drenched south Florida. It looked like deja vu all over again for Manning as he threw an interception in the first series while trailing 7-0. Even after scoring, the clutch Vinatieri uncharacteristically went on to miss the extra point and a field goal later in the game. In the end, what was considered the weak link in the Colts' offense during the preseason clinched and sealed the Super Bowl win for Manning. The combination of rookie running back Joseph Addai and James' long -time backup Dominic Rhodes combined for 190 rushing yards and 74 receiving yards.

Peyton Manning's Odyssey towards the Super Bowl was complete when it was most unexpected. It brings joy to not just the Colts fans, but also Vols fans like myself and football fans regardless of their allegiance, because this is the story of a nice guy finally finishing first. Manning's Super Bowl win not only unloaded the immense weight of expectation from his shoulders, it also alleviated pressure built up from his father's career. Peyton's dad Archie was also a great NFL quarterback, but was never on a competitive team. I'm sure Peyton will enjoy this win with his father and brother Eli who plays for the Giants.

So to Peyton Manning, congratulations!

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