He Who Laughs With More Superbowl Rings, Laughs Last

Mike Reiss came out swinging in defense of Brady as the better pressure QB. I guess I totally missed Dungy's comment about how he'd rather have Peyton in any situation, particularly a drive down the field in the 4th quarter.

How are those SB rings looking there, Dungy? Oh wait, you only got one? Could that be because your QB was one of the great chokers of our generation?

Seriously. Great end. Great game. Geaux Saints!

THAT JUST HAPPENED

Oh lord.

Lord.

Lord.

That's it, I now agree. The NFL is scripted.

First, the Favral choke.

Then, Peyton late in the 4th to give the Saints a 31-17 lead.

Breesus, take the damn wheel. I haven't been this happy, football-wise, since SB 39.

PS - For tonight, I declare myself the Future Mrs. Sean Payton. Just for tonight. I still love you, Pats, but I mean come on. Saints are on freaking fire here.

Eli Manning's foot still bugging him

Yeah, and this is exactly why you shouldn't play when you have plantar fasciitis. It's a nasty foot injury. Rest and let it heal!

*sigh*

Apparently, it runs in the family

Do you remember how Peyton often takes a defeatist attitude after losing in the playoffs? Seems like he taught brother Eli well. Here are Eli's comments after losing last night to the Broncos:

“We can deal with being 6-5, but we need to play better football.”

Well, you shouldn't deal with being 6-5. There is still a chance that they could make the playoffs, I guess, if they win their remaining games. But that seems unlikely. You shouldn't be dealing with it at all, you should be ready to go and start winning.

How much money are you earning again?

And so it begins: Colts vs. Pats, Indy coverage

The IndyStar ran a story today about who is the better QB, Peyton Manning or Tom Brady. How this is even a contest, I don't know (also, how Tom Brady is only getting 13% of the vote, I don't know, but just wait until crazed New England fans uncover this story). They included lots of pretty stats, which are given in the attached photo. Here is my favorite comment so far:

'I'd MUCH rather have Brady and I'm a Colts fan! Did you catch Peyton's scared act yesterday? Two times it showed me he wouldn't do the little extras that a multiple super bowl winning QB needs to do. So many times over the years he could scramble and get the extra yards we need, but he's scared to take a hit. He looks like a scared kid when someone is about to touch him. Cases in point in the game against Houston: 1) He throws an interception and has a chance to get in front of a player and at least slow him down, if not make the tackle. Payton does his best impression of a matador and jumps out of the way at the last second. That could have cost. Second point - key drive late in the game, Peyton is flushed out of the pocket and gets scared and goes down rather than cut the ball up field and get us the crucial 2 yards we needed tha could have salted away the game. There is a reason Manning has only one Super Bowl ring and Brady has multiples and you saw why yesterday.'

(14-3 record in the playoffs....that is insane)

There was one stat missing:

SUPERBOWL RINGS: Brady 3, Manning 1.

Also, I know I'm biased and all, but is Peyton looking especially ugly in that graphic?

And then there was one. . .

It's bye week for the Patriots. Boo!!! I hate bye week.

However, exciting things happened in other games today, including:

1) Miami beat the Jets again. This means that the Patriots stand alone at the top of the AFC East with a 5-2 record. Jets are now 4-4. Sweet!

1.5) What is kind of unfortunate, though, is that Miami is undefeated in the division. This gives the Pats just a wee bit more motivation to win, then. As you may recall, the reason we didn't make the playoffs last year was that our divisional record was worse than the Dolphins'.

2) Tennessee beat Jacksonville, so they are no longer winless. Also, they are clearly not the worst. football. team. ever. So let's all take a moment to savor that 59-0 win just a little bit more.

3) The Rams won too, beating the Lions. I forget the score. But at least the Rams will not be the 2009 equivalent of the 2008 Lions now (if that reference made any sense).

4) Giants lost their third straight. Heh. Eli is sure earning that ridiculously huge salary.

5) Some guy who used to be a Packer went back to Green Bay and played. Game was completely overhyped.

And the remaining winless team is (drumroll please): the Bucs!

Eli Manning now highest-paid player in football

REALLY?????

Probably the stupidest allocation of salary cap I have heard of. I would even say (and this is not something I would say often) that Peyton has earned a higher salary than Eli.

Eli?????

What has he done for you lately?

Also, I think we're all clear that Eli didn't really win the Superbowl for the Giants, it was their phenomenal defense that did!

(If you're curious: that picture was taken outside Fenway. The t-shirt has the 'I Hate Peyton Manning' on the front and the 'Eli Sucks Too' on the back. And yes, I do now own one).

Take note, Colts fans

So ESPN, an organization that I don't care for, is making an all-decade team for football. I turn it over to Reiss:

"Today, the All-Decade offensive team is unveiled and the lone Patriot is quarterback Tom Brady.

Brady's three Super Bowl championships gave him the edge over Peyton Manning by ESPN.com decision-makers."

The ring, indeed, is the thing. And shows the better QB.

Why are you talking? Why? Why?

Apparently, all is not well in Colts Land. There are some difficulties in the transition from the Tony Dungy regime to now, including the fact that two of their coaches have retired. Of course, that is a great occasion for Peyton to go whining to the media:

“Somebody says one thing, then somebody else says another thing,” he said Tuesday after a minicamp workout. “I’m not sure everybody’s on the same page in this building. I’m just trying to focus on playing quarterback well.” --> so then shut up and don't talk to reporters

“I can’t tell you what’s going on. I will say I don’t think it’s been the most properly communicated scenario around here,” he said. “But we have learned to deal with change and have to be prepared to adjust.” --> it's not up to you to decide what's going on. You are the QB. There are other people in charge of the actual team.

“I wouldn’t say I totally like the way it is right now. It’s not normal not having a full coaching staff,” he said. “I know we hired a couple of guys to come in, but these guys are learning." --> so then let them learn. It's May.

“I think the communication has been pretty poor in my opinion. But that’s what we’re dealing with. The hard work is what’s going on right now. That’s what will carry us through.” --> I was unaware that bitching to the media was hard work.

Here's what Tom had to say in contrast:

“I’m feeling great and just excited to be out there on the field, training with my teammates,” Brady said. “It’s always fun being back in this competitive environment and working with these guys to try to make 2009 our best season. It’s been fun to be back.” --> this is why you have 3 and Peyton has 1.

Rusty Old Man Favre....he still may be back

Rumors continue to fly about Favre maybe coming back. Or maybe not. Either way, he needs to not come back, really.

The Hater Nation's take on the Vikings trying to get Favre: 'The Vikings could be playing a very dangerous game of chicken. Teams are now trying to follow the Giants model of using a horrible quarterback to counter-balance a strong running game and defense. But that's not a long-term recipe for success.'

Anonymous Source makes classic comment

On the possibility of Giants acquiring WR Braylon Edwards:

'Edwards is a bigger guy that [quarterback] Eli [Manning] wants to throw to, like he had with Plaxico. The Giants know they can’t leave Eli with no great receivers. They saw what happened last year.'

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.

Peyton skips Manning Day

Okay, to start, it pains me that there is such a thing as Manning day. Thank GOD I do not live in Mississippi.

What's even better though is that apparently March 10 was Manning Day in Mississippi (did you dust off your old Manning stocking and put up your Manning lights and pick out a Manning tree?). However, Peyton ditched Manning Day to go play golf with Tiger Woods.

Now if Tiger Woods called me up and asked if I wanted to go for a round, I would probably say sure and drop pretty much everything I was doing to go and do so. Or maybe not. I'm not much of a golfer truth be told. However, what kills me here is that Peyton is not the average Joe Schmoe who might never get the opportunity to meet a celebrity like Tiger Woods. No. Last time I checked, Peyton is one of the pre-eminent (*cough*) quarterbacks in the National Football League. I would think that he and Tiger could have their people talk with each other and sort something out, maybe re-arranging for one of the 364 days that is not Manning Day.

Seriously? Manning Day?

Hot dayum!

Better not be an upset tonight, I'm running out of ways to express 'damn.' Eagles beat Giants in a game that was...man...I don't even know how to describe that! Turnovers, Eli throwing directly to the opposition, 36 yards (or something) for the Eagles in the first half, that was a wacky game!

Note to Steve Smith: when you get the ball, make sure that you hold on to the ball.

The definitive play

If I had to sum up 'Manning being Manning' in one play, it would be that interception that just happened in the Philly vs. Giants game, 1st quarter. It just resulted in a TD for the Eagles.

Also, even though I am not so fond of them, the Giants' defense still seems quite good, particularly so far at stopping the run. Had it come down to Manningbowl, I would have cheered for the Giants' defense.

Peyton Manning Vitriol

If you had asked me to rank myself on a scale of Peyton Manning Despisers, I would have placed myself relatively high. I was prepared to make NO MANNINGBOWL t-shirts and would even wear said t-shirt in front of either Manning (or Archie for that matter). However, apparently hell hath no fury like a divisional rival scorned. From the Jacksonville Jaguars' Vic Ketchman (and yes, this is posted on the Jaguars' website):

'Manning did his job? What is it with you Peyton Manning apologists? He was nearly intercepted four times and three of those should’ve been intercepted and returned for touchdowns. The only play he made in the second half was catching the Chargers off guard and lobbing a touchdown pass to an uncovered receiver. In his last four possessions, with the game on the line and the Colts only needing one more score to clinch the win, Manning managed a total of 20 plays for 38 net yards. Hey, that’s crunch time, baby. A day after he wins the league MVP, he gags with the game on the line and does his usual one-and-done routine. When are you people gonna get off your knees? The guy is 7-8 in career postseason games and six times he’s lost in the first playoff game of that year’s postseason; three times in the last four years. Manning did not do his job. His job is to win. His job is to get it done at crunch time.'

That's some good statistical analysis, there, Vic. Nicely done.

Weekend summary

Due to the fact that I (stupidly) chose to travel on Wildcard Weekend and the fact that, you know, I have a job that sometimes requires my time, I did not manage to see a full game. However, thanks to a remarkable delay at the Atlanta airport, I did see much of the Chargers/Colts game, mostly because we spent the entire first half (and then some) at the gate...which is longer than the entire flight to Tampa. Fortunately for me, the pilot turned on our in-flight TVs and we were able to get NBC, so the delay wasn't as bad as it could have been. Unfortunately for me, my shuttle came right at the end of regulation time, so I missed out on OT. And you know that I would have loved to have seen that.

I need to recommend to you this summary as well, which had me laughing and laughing and laughing and laughing. Just like The Hater Nation, I too questioned what the deal was with the 'Peyton's Haircut' segment (which was especially obtuse for me seeing as I had no volume and was sitting on an airplane). Basically, they said much of what I was thinking about Dungy and Peyton choking, plus the questionable awarding of the MVP.

Arizona beats Atlanta -- unless you are a heartless bastard, some part of you wanted Atlanta to transcend and win this game. They have been a great story this year with a superb team turnaround after circumstances out of the players' control pretty much screwed them last year (Dog fights? Coaches walking out? Parcells?). Not to mention that Matt Ryan has emerged as a real talent and a QB to keep watching in the future. However, Arizona showed up after a month's vacation and quieted all those critics who thought that their relatively lousy record indicated that they were a relatively lousy team. Also, Kurt Warner provided a lesson to all rusty old men in how it's done. If you can still play like that in your late 30s, then by all means, go on playing.
Arizona now meets Carolina next weekend. While I didn't see Carolina play all season, they seem to be pretty strong (and emerged out of a quite strong division). Arizona, as was seen in the game against the Pats, would seem to have some wicked massive weaknesses. I'm picking Carolina.

San Diego beats Indianapolis -- Peyton must really hate San Diego. Sure, this year he didn't manage to throw 6 interceptions/game against them. But somehow, they definitely have the Colts' number in the playoffs (and for those of you thinking 'Hey! He didn't throw any interceptions,' from my little tiny TV screen in the seatback in front of me, he sure came awfully close). LT is injured (shocking), but Sproles the running back definitely came to play. The Colts' rush defense looked vaguely like it did back in 2003/04, when pretty much anyone could run as far and as often as he wanted. I took great schadenfreudlich joy in this game and am pleased that yet again, I do not have to make NO MANNINGBOWL T-shirts. Peyton's post-game interview failed to unveil any major gaffes, much to my disappointment.
San Diego meets Pittsburgh next weekend. I would say that this is unquestionably in Pittsburgh's favor, except that Rothlisberger has that concussion and all, so we will see.

Baltimore destroys Miami, leaving them to cry little Dolphin tears -- 4 turnovers? On Chad Pennington? Who threw for, like, basically no turnovers all season? They definitely had his number. For anyone who didn't see this coming, Miami had some pretty squeaky wins against some pretty questionable teams during the regular season (and at times got trounced, like, oh, I dunno, around November 23rd to pick a date at random). Baltimore, on the other hand, has played against tough teams and still managed to make the playoffs. The only thing about this game that surprised me was the fact that at the half, it was still close.
Baltimore plays Tennessee next weekend. I have to say that a month ago, I was pretty sure that the AFC Championship game would be Tennessee vs. Pittsburgh. In some ways, I still think that, although Baltimore has fielded a really good team. However, Tennessee was generally strong all year, so nothing is certain. I think that this could be a really good game.

Philadelphia beats Minnesota. Again, not much of a surprise. Minnesota's division was kind of sketch this year and Philadelphia had to overcome some huge obstacles just to get in. Definitely the Eagles are on a roll and that is the best place to be during the playoffs. Minnesota, on the other hand, was pretty inconsistent all season.
Philadelphia plays the NY Giants next weekend. You can guess that I am completely pulling for Philly in this game (and they did beat them during the regular season). Let's see which Eli shows up.

Michael Silver's column

So usually Michael Silver drives me nuts (he was the guy to print the reasons we all hate Tom Brady last season....), but this morning, I actually liked his column. He broke down why the Chargers are so terrible this year (two words: Norv. Turner.). He appealed to Roger Goodell to get rid of Detroit on Thanksgiving and schedule instead Pats vs. Colts (I am pro, or HELL YEAH as Silver's rant ended). He even didn't have the previous feature of him picking apart grammar/spelling from people writing in, which seemed a bit dumb seeing as these are football fans, not Ph.D. candidates (or as they would call them in Russian, aspirants).

However, what got me thinking was his comment about how this year, the two dominant teams in the AFC are the Steelers and Titans. And suddenly, I felt okay about this fact. I don't know why. I guess because they have both really earned these titles. They are two franchises working hard. For some reason, my hatred of Big Ben has subsided. Pittsburgh's defense is fantastic, while the Titans overall are playing very well (except in that game against the Jets, but in a way that was good because it thwarted a potential 16-0...plus I remain convinced Mangini sold his soul for that game, which was a BAD CALL because there is still a lot of football to go). Suddenly, my world is brighter, there are birds singing outside (literally), and I feel okay.

The two dominant teams this year are the Steelers and Titans. They have earned this honor.

The Pats may not make the playoffs (unless my soul-selling scenario is correct and the Jets tank). The Colts probably will, but will hopefully exit early. And the AFC Championship Game might be pretty darned good this year.

On the flip side, if the AFC Championship game pits the Colts vs. Jets, then I may have to give up. Not only would I be unable to choose sides, but either one would likely lead to my two Superbowl nightmares (Manning vs. Manning/NY, NY). So go Titans and/or Steelers!

Dare I dream?

Cleveland is ahead by 1 FG at the half: 6-3.

Okay, this is not much. But Peyton fumbled the ball on the penultimate drive from the 7 yard line when the Colts started with a full set of downs. They came away with no points. He was then intercepted on one of those 'throw it 'way down the field' passes to Dallas Clark.

Derek Anderson, the replacement QB for the Browns, is currently 7/8 with no interceptions and 40 yards passing. Naturally 40 yards passing is not much, but that's okay.

I have a terrible feeling that this game will end with the Colts pulling off some ridiculous play (see: their past few weeks) and winning. But for now I dare to dream.