One “Brave” Man-ning
There is a big game today with a lot on the line. Seattle will be looking for their first championship in franchise history as Denver will look to capture their first since number 7 was at the helm.
Now what if…
[caption id=”attachment_719" align=”aligncenter” width=”281"]
(and believe me, this is a hypothetical)[/caption]
…the Broncos lose?
What do we then make of Peyton Manning’s career? Is he still the best of this generation or does this officially peg him one notch below Tom Brady? Heck, does this mean that his little brother was a better big game quarterback?
His career stats are arguably the best of this era of NFL quarterbacks. Aside from Brady, who else has been more consistent in producing gaudy numbers and leading his team to first place finishes year in, year out? He is the most cerebral quarterback that I have ever seen, definitely the smartest guy in the room (or huddle).
For all of his accolades, what does he have to show for it? Despite his personal and team achievements, Manning still has 9 fingers that don’t show off a Super Bowl ring. Critics are quick to point out that his lone title came against a Chicago Bears team which started Rex Grossman at quarterback. In that game (with rainy conditions) Manning didn’t play particularly well as his QBR was 60.7. If the Bears had a more capable quarterback, it is possible that the Colts could have been 0–2 in the Super Bowl during the Manning Era.
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Even his days at Tennessee ended up with disappointment in the biggest games.[/caption]
Is it possible that Manning is the NFL’s equivalency of the Atlanta Braves? Quick, which pitcher(s) on all of those Atlanta teams surgically worked the strike zone with extreme precision? You could have gone with either Greg Maddux or Tom Glavine, but do you notice the similarity of both being guys who relied on their intelligence and precision to outsmart their opponents? Isn’t that what Manning does when he carves up defenses with perfect play calling, reads, and throws? Those two, as well as John Smoltz, anchored a staff that churned out divisional titles on a yearly basis. How many World Series titles do they have? That’s right, only one.
Consider the following including this year’s Broncos:
Manning’s Colts/Broncos
Atlanta Braves
Time Frame
14 seasons
(1999–2010 & 2012–2013)
*excluding rookie season
14 seasons
(1991–2005)
*excluding 1994 MLB strike
First Place Finishes
10
13
Average Number of Regular Season Wins per Season
11.7
95.2
Super Bowl/World Series Appearances
3
5
Championships
1
1
The parallels are pretty amazing, right? Any football fan would agree that if you are winning about 12 games each year then you are amongst the league’s best. Similarly, 95 wins or more is a benchmark of MLB’s elite.
Unfortunately their shortcomings on the big stage prevents us from truly appreciating what they accomplished annually during the regular season. Manning has accomplished more than anyone, but a loss Sunday may confirm that he always seemed to come up short when the game mattered most.
