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Greatness Falls at the Hands of a True LegendAlex Fitzsimmons It’s implausible to imagine the player who broke the most coveted record in football being remembered as the guy that couldn’t win the big game. Peyton Manning bears that ugly scar. After shattering Dan Marino’s single season touchdown passing record, throwing for 49 TD passes, Manning’s legacy was almost guaranteed to be that of one of the greatest signal callers ever. That is, until last Sunday, when in three repugnant hours of chaos and confusion, it all melted away. Previously known for his audacity, fieriness, passion for the game and his methodically deliberate decision-making ability, Manning was undoubtedly the most dominant player at his position. He seemed carry a certain aura that few before him ever possessed. The way he could read a defense, stare the linebacker in the eyes, shoot a factiously sly grin at him, and in an instant, he’d turn into a magician, and the football would end up 50 yards downfield, with the defender wondering when the play was going to start. Not only was Manning such an artisan at reading coverages, his arm strength and accuracy was and still is superior to any quarterback playing now. It’s not his arm that proved to be his undoing, the problem was his swagger. Winning back to back MVP awards demands a degree of respect from the league, and prior to being tumultuously exploited by the New England Patriots secondary, a decimated secondary lacking it’s best player, Ty Law, Manning yielded a power that said he was the man and nobody could stop him. Looks like someone shut the power off. But that was the old Manning, the truly “special” Manning. Now, Manning’s nothing more than a shell of his former self. He’s no longer a truly elite quarterback, just a good passer that wilted when his team needed him most. As touchdown passes rained in Indy, numerous bandwagon hopping fans considered Manning one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game. He isn’t even the best quarterback in the game right now, never mind one of the greatest ever. Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady proved once and for all that he is a better player than Manning, last Sundays 20-3 dismantling of the Colts confirmed that. And last season, the seemingly infallible Manning was picked off four times in the AFC Championship Game against none other than Brady and the Pats. The only stat in football is wins, and Super Bowl trophies. Brady is a perfect 7-0 as a starting quarterback in the playoffs. But what’s even more astounding, he’s 6-0 lifetime against Manning. Brady is also a two time Super Bowl MVP, at only 27 years old. Manning doesn’t have any Super Bowl wins or even appearances, and he’s a year older than Brady. Some argue it’s not Manning’s fault for his inconsistent play in the playoffs, that his defense doesn’t give him a chance to win. That may be some of the reason. But to be truly considered an elite quarterback, Manning should be able to carry the burden of the team even with his defenses’ shortcomings. In the AFC Divisional round of the playoffs this year, the Colts were held to their lowest offensive output of the season, a meager three points against the Patriots under the bitter Foxboro air, with a snowy white field; all the conditions which Manning loathes. Manning was held touchdownless, if that’s even a word, while running back Corey Dillon was running amok against the soft Colts defense. And who was the catalyst, the drive, the unstoppable force behind the Pats’ success Not Head Coach Bill Belichick, not defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel, none other than the never-break-a-sweat Tom Brady. The debate is over: Brady is better. But what about Manning Setting the record for most touchdowns in a single season certainly speaks volumes, but carrying the burden of a “chronic loser” your entire career won’t help your chances for the Hall of Fame. So is Manning Hall of Fame worthy The initial response would be, “of course, he broke the record”. But analyzing the scenario further would create a sticky situation for Hall of Fame voters. Assuming Manning doesn’t suffer some shocking career ending injury, and his numbers stay consistent, a voter might actually consider not voting Manning into the Hall. The reason: Manning lacks a Super Bowl ring. One can argue Marino got into the Hall without any Super Bowl victories, but considering that Manning and Brady will most likely be Hall of Fame eligible at about the same time, could a voter actually vote for Manning knowing that the guy next to him also vying for a Hall spot dominated him for most of his career A sticky situation indeed. But either way you look at it, Manning’s legacy in the football world will never be the same. And his remarkable 2004 campaign will always be remembered not for his incredible reads and potent throws, on his way to record breaking status, but rather for his inability to come through when his counterpart, Brady, was flawless.
| RELATED ARTICLES Erie Steelhead Flies As we stated in our article on Pacific Steelhead flies, the steelhead fisheries of the Great Lakes region has developed differently. First off the Erie steelhead has only been around a little over a hundred years. First planted in the 1880’s, the steelhead nearly died off in the 1950’s due to pollution in Lake Erie. But since the 1980’s, intense stocking efforts by Ontario, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania have been the reason for this area being nicknamed Steelhead Alley. Detroit Tigers: Pudge Proving Doubters Wrong Ivan Rodriguez endured an onslaught of criticism this offseason when he opted to play for the Detroit Tigers rather than returning to the Florida Marlins or seeking a smaller contract with another contender. Night Vision Devices -- The Ultimate in BackCountry Toys Many nights in the backcountry are far from dark.A bright moon and a sky full of stars can throw off enough light to allow for reading a book, but add cloud cover, mountains or trees and it gets dark awfully fast.When you need to see in the dark, you have two choices - you either turn on a light, or use one of the many available night vision devices NVD.The NVD could be the ultimate backcountry toy. Cushings Disease As our horses enjoy a longer life and many live well into old age so the number of horses with Cushing increases as its more common in older horses especially ponies.It can however affect all breeds and ages. 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But have you ever brought your child to see a Disney flick and ended up viewing trailers for Jeepers Creepers 2 or Freddie vs. Jason When this happened in a Birmingham, Alabama cinema last year, parents became concerned about what the main attraction would be. But before the managers at the cinema could turn off the previews, the main attraction came on, and it wasn’t Piglet. Instead they were presented with the gruesome opening of Wrong Turn, an 18-rated slasher flick in much the same vein as the previews. Tips on Buying a Boat: Seven Tips on What should you look for when investing in watercraft I discovered sailing many years ago and found it to be a wonderful way to enjoy time with friends and family as well as a way to get away from the office and become totally entranced and absorbed with a world that I did not know existed. I love to sail, so much that I became a certified American Sailing Association Sailing Instructor. 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As you likely know already, horses have at least 10 times our strength.If they also had our intelligence, they would probably be riding us humans.Fortunately, horses cannot reason like human beings and therefore will never have superior intelligence. Test Flying For Fun - RC Aircraft and Helicopters Contrary to popular belief, people who work in model shops don’t spend all day every day playing with their own models!!! TOP TEN Pound 4 Pound Best Boxer Ever Before we start our list, I wanted to take some time to comment on 2 fighters that may have strong support in certain communities for being among the best ever, but truly do not have a place on the list. 2004 Olympics and Yachting in Greece Everybody knows that the Olympic Games are due to be held in Athens in 2004.Apart from the accepted consequences, positive and negative, for the city of Athens and Greece in general this sporting extravaganza will seriously affect the yachting fraternity from mid-July to mid-September. Kiteboating Just when you think that kiting can be for only a board, think again. With the inception of bigger and more powerful kites, the ability to speed up or move larger objects became a reality. Enter a new extreme sport Kiteboating. Imagine paddling along in a one – three man craft with kite harnessing the wind and speeding you along and over huge waves. It can happen with kiteboating. One for Ten Cabin Fever in Haines Alaska Mountains, massive piles of rock and earth shaped by glaciers, erosion, and weather; can conjure feelings of awe, enlightenment and fear in people. For millions of years weather systems have shed soft crystals of snow on these massive peaks, and now we stand as mere specs in the history of these giants, aloft on their high ridgelines. As we descend a sensation secretes from our brains pulsing throughout our bodies as adrenaline, sculpting our passion to return to the top of these towering peaks over and over again. How To Sight In A Riflescope A few months back I had to complete the task of sighing in my scope. I went to the sporting goods store bought a few boxes of shells, some paper targets, and earplugs. I headed to the local rifle range for a task that I thought would take a few minutes to complete. Well, after a box of shells and no holes in the target I found out I was wrong. I left the range in disgust and was ready to just place the rifle in the corner of my closet where it would collect dust until the next time I decided to try again. The process that I was using was not the best one to take. I took a paper target mounted it to a board and placed it out about 50 yards from where I was sitting. I started to unload shot after shot. I would see that the bullet hit the ground to the left so I made the right adjustments just to discover that the bullet hit the ground to the right, I could never get the bullet to hit the paper. |
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