Indianapolis Colts QB Peyton Manning (Chris O'Meara/AP Photo)
THE DAILY DIGEST | Indy Football Report Editor John Oehser takes a look at what they're saying about and what's going on around the AFC Champion Indianapolis Colts . . .
This may be incorrectly named a Daily Digest today. Mainly, it's about wrapping up post-Super Bowl week, and getting in a position to move forward with all things Indianapolis Colts.
Wrapping up last week means attempting to put something close to a bow on the whole where-does-Peyton-Manning-rank-on-the-all-time-great quarterback list.
One of the more-notable efforts at the argument post-Super Bowl came from Jason Whitlock of Fox Sports, who got a bit off topic in the first part of his column: In the biggest sporting event in the world, with a record number of people watching and on the game's most important play, a black defensive back outsmarted a beloved white quarterback.
Whitlock called that topic the "elephant in the room," but aside from that, didn't spend much time on that issue, so I won't, either, except to say it didn't seem like people ignored the issue so much as it really wasn't an issue. Maybe I'm missing something but it seemed a bit from left field.
Whitlock went in to rank Manning eighth among all-time NFL quarterbacks, writing, "He might one day move into the top five of this list. But not today. Manning is perfect for the Madden video game era. You put him in the 1960s and 1970s -- when defenders could beat up QBs -- and he just might be Jim Everett. Remember the scrambling play Eli Manning made to win XLII? Peyton would have never made that play because he would've fallen to the ground long before a defender touched him. Again, I like Peyton. He just has some work to do before we overlook his shortcomings and anoint him."
Look. I don't know where Manning ranks or will rank. I do think people are tired of arguing it, and I know I am. As far as Manning's legacy, I tend to agree with BigBlueShoe of Stampede Blue when he says Manning's legacy is just fine, and I think to penalize him for one interception in a Super Bowl is as silly as thinking that the Super Bowl XLI victory -- or evena second one -- somehow legitamized his career. It alreay was legitimate, and he's still an all-time great whatever happened Sunday. So, let's put something of a bow on it by saying it really doesn't matter where he's ranked. Does he wish he had the interception in Super Bowl XLIV back? Sure. Would the Colts have been there without him? Certainly not. Is he the best of his era? I believe so. Do people put too much emphasis on Super Bowl titles when judging quarterbacks? Absolutely. Very definitely absolutely.
That won't put a bow on the issue. Then again, nothing will.
But let's do move on. Time to start a new week. Time for the offseason. . . .
It seems a lot of oddsmakers have installed the Colts as the Super Bowl XLIV favorites. That's obviously a year and a lot of offseason speculation away, but it's logical to see why: eight consecutive playoff appearances, six AFC South titles in seven years, seven consecutive seasons with 12 or more victories and they did have the lead in the fourth quarter of the biggest game of the season. Who else would be the favorites? . . .
Comments