There seems to be three divisions among NFL players. First, the ones that the media loves and wants to see win, second, the bad boys that the media loves to shake their heads at and third, the ones who are largely ignored by the media until they become a hero or a goat.
Peyton Manning is in the first group. So was Dan Marino, Joe Montana...you know the type. I do not deny that Peyton Manning is talented. He is. So are his teammates. They are all talented. Sometimes they are talented enough to win a game. Other times, not. Manning has amassed some very impressive stats. Impressive stats do not win games or put you in the Super Bowl. It's not that I think that Manning is the finest example of media hype simply because he has not played in a Super Bowl. It is because the Super Bowl has featured many quarterbacks who come from the third category, above, with little or no media hype.
Peyton Manning
My advice to Peyton Manning is to ignore the media (including this blog) and stop over-quarterbacking. You can out smart the opposition sometimes. Other times, you have to out play them. Stick to the basics, master the fundementals, out play the opposition, don't try to re-invent the game at the line of scrimage. Just because the media say that you're a smart QB, tell that to the 350 LB lineman who is about to turn you into a new item on the IHOP menu.
