Great Story about Peyton AFTER the Super Bowl...

[southwest1]

 

Susie Q & JAN: 

 

You need to separate your admiration from Peyton Manning as a person & evaluate 18's individual performance.

 

I need to do no such thing....

Let me ask you something...If Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, or Tom Brady had put up a less than stellar night identical to what the world saw on Sunday night, would you be making the same "throw under the bus" argument that you are now? True, you can have a different critique system for judging a QB's legacy than I do, which is perfectly fine. That is your right, but to infer that I was somehow embarrassed by what I wrote in my previous response is absolutely absurd. I was very respectful to Peyton Manning & my respect for him has not diminished 1 bit. However, you need to separate your affection for Peyton as a person & learn to evaluate him based on his game performance as an NFL player Sunday night. Is 18 solely responsible for the Broncos loss? No, of course not, but you can't deny that his individual performance on the field played a vital role in the outcome. 

 

And let me answer... If it had been any of those other QB's my reaction and feeling would be the same, which is, Everyone knows they're better than that, just like everyone knows Peyton is better than that. It was ONE game, albeit the SB, and Honestly, the way Seattle was playing I don't see any other team beating them Sunday Night.

but as Archie said, "that is why I love football and hate football"

As far as your "throwing teammates under the bus comment, That Is NOT what Peyton was doing. When someone asked him the Ridiculous comment if he was embarrassed ~ and he reponded that that was insulting, and continued on that there were 53 teammates in the locker room right now, that played their butts off, he was giving his teammates "credit" for trying to give it their ALL, and falling short. I don't know how anyone took that as him throwing teammates under the bus.

 

 

You are a friend & you are free to do whatever you feel is right. From my perspective, some Peyton fans on here blur the lines between 18 the player & 18 the nice guy & humanitarian. And because of that, they see no visible flaws in Manning or his shortcoming as a QB. 

 

You could be right. There might be something to be said for how tough Seattle's secondary & defense was, but I never denied how good the Hawks were especially when some fans thought the Broncos would cream the Pacific NW Legion Of Doom & I warned people that QB RW was already a skilled pocket passer & how dangerous he really was. But, I will be honest, I haven't seen such defensive domination since the 1985 Chicago Bears on a football field. 

 

I realize what Peyton was doing acknowledging how far his teammates had come to get to the SB, but that's something you point out after winning the AFC Championship Game not right after the SB. Once the game is over in NY/NJ, all the focus shifts toward evaluating that night's performance & only that night's performance. You either win or you don't & then the tape gets broken down into mistakes & successful plays & who made more of them. It has nothing to do with throwing teammates under the bus. It has everything to do with understanding why the execution failed on the field & the buck starts & stops with the QB under center. Is Peyton a swell guy? Yes. But, a honest breakdown for the SB loss must now begin in earnest & Peyton played a role in that final result. 

 

To me, what Archie said or Eli said is kind & comforting but it doesn't matter when it comes to evaluating that night's performance. That's what I mean when I say separating the person/personality from the NFL player.  Would Manning fans be saying it's only 1 game if he won the SB on Sunday night? I highly doubt that. They would cheering & screaming tears of joy from the rooftops across America & beyond. 

[sweetsurrender]

I actually thought the embarrassing question was a legitimate one. I have no idea why Manning got so upset. Okay yes, Peyton & the Broncos just suffered a crushing loss & naturally no team wants to lose the SB. Frankly, I have read countless articles on how swell of a guy Manning is, but none of that is relevant in the immediate aftermath of a devastating loss like that on the world's biggest stage with perfect weather conditions.

 

 An elite QB with over a decades worth of experience are expected to make the SB a competitive one & that clearly did not happen Sunday night. Is part of that the quality of Denver's adversary? Yes. Is part of that how the ball bounces strangely due to an expected safety? Yes. If Peyton gets so much credit for his regular wins, he cannot be pardoned from constructive criticism now. Denver's offense was stalled for a significant portion of the game & their o-line failed to protect Manning. But 18 made some poor decisions last night leading to costly turnovers.

 

It bothered me when 18 shifted the embarrassment question to his teammates. Yes, I know the coaching staff & 53 man roster worked hard to get to the SB. I realize that. But. that's not the point or what the reporter was getting at. The reporter was essentially asking 18 to critique his own performance last night in terms of game execution. A fair question. Sports writers are paid to explain what happened on the field & to give you an opportunity to put your assessment on tonight's performance. It's not an out of bounds question because journalists have deadlines to meet. At least the reporter gave Peyton a chance to respond & offer feedback. Peyton is free to say no comment or I'm not in the best position to answer that question at this moment. Thank you. 

 

The Broncos lost the SB & fans what to know why this happened. They don't care about Peyton's handwritten letters, his charity work, or his beloved NFL icon status right now. They want to know why such a prolific offense crashed & burned. Post season wins matter. They are part of any elite QBs legacy. So do SB appearances, rings, division titles, & regular season wins. Now Peyton has improved on his post season play this year & he deserves considerable credit for that fact. However, coming up short in 2 SBs cannot be ignored either. It's all part of the legacy mix of an elite NFL QB. 

 

Do I respect Peyton Manning? Yes. Is he a 1st ballot HOF QB? Absolutely. Has he lost 2 SBs? Yes, unfortunately he has. Was the reporter out of line with the "embarrassment" comment? No, he was not. I was sad & embarrassed for him & that entire organization. I was disappointed to see Manning duck a reasonable question. JMO.

 

Stories about 18's kind personality have their place but so do questions about a less than stellar SB performance by a reporter on a deadline. Elite QBs are judged everytime they step on the field why should last night be an exception to that rule?  

Tremendous post. I was also taken by surprise by Manning's reaction to the question. Not sure why it bothered him so much. I believe it was Champ Bailey who described the game as embarrassing and he was not even asked.

 

I don't think Manning wanted to get into it is my own personal opinion. He wanted to talk about how well Seattle played but as you say the reporter has a right to understand what happened. This was the most prolific offense in the history of the NFL and it was shut down all game. As someone who loves football and wants to understand how these things happen from an Xs and Ox perspective, I was hoping for a more elaborate response but maybe that is asking too much right after the game from him. Not sure.

[southwest1]

Tremendous post. I was also taken by surprise by Manning's reaction to the question. Not sure why it bothered him so much. I believe it was Champ Bailey who described the game as embarrassing and he was not even asked.

 

I don't think Manning wanted to get into it is my own personal opinion. He wanted to talk about how well Seattle played but as you say the reporter has a right to understand what happened. This was the most prolific offense in the history of the NFL and it was shut down all game. As someone who loves football and wants to understand how these things happen from an Xs and Ox perspective, I was hoping for a more elaborate response but maybe that is asking too much right after the game from him. Not sure.

Thank you for your nice complement sweetsurrender. Cool screen name BTW. Exactly, I wanna know exactly how & why Denver's how octane offense got stopped dead in their tracks by Seattle's defense & secondary. 

 

When an elite QB loses the SB, you have to expect tough questions the minute you stroll out to talk with the press.

 

When the losing squad steps into their team locker room, they are free to swear, yell, cry, or hug their loved ones, but the minute you stand behind that podium & the microphone & cameras get turned on, any question is fair game regarding why a team won or lost. It comes with the territory, job description, & why so many marquee players like elite QBs get the big bucks & lucrative TV endorsements. 

[amfootball]

Thank you for your nice complement sweetsurrender. Cool screen name BTW. Exactly, I wanna know exactly how & why Denver's how octane offense got stopped dead in their tracks by Seattle's defense & secondary. 

 

When an elite QB loses the SB, you have to expect tough questions the minute you stroll out to talk with the press.

 

When the losing squad steps into their team locker room, they are free to swear, yell, cry, or hug their loved ones, but the minute you stand behind that podium & the microphone & cameras get turned on, any question is fair game regarding why a team won or lost. It comes with the territory, job description, & why so many marquee players like elite QBs get the big bucks & lucrative TV endorsements. 

Hi SW,

 

Sorry for the tough loss. I know how much you were pulling for 18.

 

I agree about wanting more in the PC but I don't think Manning was able to give it. I remember Eli saying before the 2012 SB that he told his teammates they had to win because all Peyton did the whole off-season of 2010 was talk about the SB loss to the Saints. He is a competitor and I am sure floored by the outcome and effort of his team. I do hope he opens up at some point to say what really happened as I am already tired of hearing the Seahawks talk ....