Read the arguments by Bleacher Fan and Loyal Homer.
If children dream of being NFL players, then what do NFL players dream of being? I’ll tell you. They dream of being Peyton Manning. This year’s Super Bowl only further cements his legacy as the greatest NFL player of all time.
For those who doubt my assertion that Peyton Manning is the best football player ever, I suggest you take a look at his credentials. Most of Manning’s detractors point to his lack of Super Bowl championships as their entire case against his greatness (“Rings? Rings!? He don’t need no stinking rings!”), even though Peyton Manning already has one Super Bowl ring from 2007. He is ranked among the top in every quarterback statistic that matters (passing yards, touchdowns, wins, etc.) and has an unprecedented four league MVP awards as well. While even the biggest Manning-haters will at least admit he is among the best quarterbacks today, I say that he is making a campaign for the greatest player of all time, and I’m not alone. Sports Illustrated writer Ross Tucker points out that Peyton’s accomplishments exceed those of Dan Marino, John Elway, Brett Farve, Joe Montana, and Tom Brady…and I could not agree with him more. Marino never won a Super Bowl - This Sunday Manning attempts to win his second. Two Super Bowl victories would tie those of Elway, and would surpass Farve.
Tucker also makes the argument that Montana played for a stacked 49ers team that preceded the days of free agency, and that Brady benefited from the genius of Bill Billichick’s defenses and strategies. On top of all this, Tucker points out something I covered here on TSD last month, Peyton Manning’s success this year came without the assistance of his usual all-star supporting cast. Manning carried his team to the Super Bowl and he did it without Tony Dungy’s brilliant leadership, or Marvin Harrison’s seemingly ageless hands. Few would doubt the fact that Manning is the brains behind his own success, because his tireless hours of film breakdown and an ability to read defenses and play call at the line of scrimmage are unparalleled. While each of aforementioned quarterbacks are legends in their own right, Manning’s resume boasts superior accolades.
This year’s Super Bowl puts him Over The Top like Lincoln Hawk (don’t tell me you don’t remember the 1980s arm wrestling movie staring Sylvester Stallone, who played a trucker competing for a new big rig and his son’s love).
His greatness transcends the game. Some celebrities’ fame makes them the national face of their city, but Mr. Manning’s relationship the city of Indianapolis even exceeds the wildest of expectations. Like a benevolent Mussolini he controls the education system and makes the buses run on time. Seriously! Peyton Manning controls the opening and closing of schools Indianapolis, a power usually reserved for the weather and natural disasters. Want proof? In 2007 the Indianapolis Public School system actually had to cancel school because of the celebrations of Peyton’s first Super Bowl ring. Apparently the raucous celebrations left the bus drivers so wiped out they could not even drive their routes that day. This year the school district is on a two hour delay. I think all the elementary school students should have to write thank you cards for their extra two hours of Manning Break.
His celebrity is not embraced just regionally, but around the country. As Rod Tidwell might say, “he is an Ambassador of Quan”. He has the love, respect, community, and the dollars too…the Quan. Manning continues to become a cultural icon, but better. He is like Ellen DeGeneres - He makes us laugh and cry, but instead of giving away free stuff he gives away unforgettable moments. The next memorable gift is scheduled for delivery this Sunday during the Super Bowl.
This game holds exceptional meaning and value for the legacy of Peyton Manning. New Orleans is in many respects Manning’s home, and it holds special meaning to the Manning family.
The Manning family, which appears to pass on a genetically enhanced football gene (some have even suggest that Archie Manning be cryogenically frozen in order to produce enhanced players in the future…true story) continue to have a profound connection to New Orleans. It was the stomping grounds for Peyton’s father, Archie Manning, when he played for the Saints. Peyton and his brother Eli have stayed invested in the area as evidence by their assistance with Hurricane Katrina relief. Now so many years later, New Orleans seeks to defeat one of its favorite sons, and in the Super Bowl no less. This is sure to be a big, emotionally charged game for Peyton Manning, to which he usually responds with big outings. Who can forget his decimation of the Saints at the Superdome in 2003 where he put up 6 scores in just 3 quarters, just one shy of the NFL record. He was certainly motivated then by all the attention of a nationally televised game against his father’s old team in his old home town. I think this year’s Super Bowl will just be another benchmark in the storied history of the greatest player the game has ever known.
This debate is supposed to be about the Super Bowl’s biggest winner, and it is abundantly clear that the marquee story is Peyton Manning. Peyton Manning’s legacy will shine that much brighter, not if, but when he leads his Colts to a victory over his father’s Saints in Super Bowl XLIV.
But I think at least on some level, the Super Bowl itself wins because it can feature the greatest player the NFL has to offer—Peyton Manning.
