Manning set up for failure

By Tim McManus

The overriding sentiment heading into this Super Bowl weekend seems to be that Peyton Manning, having brought his team back from behind against his nemesis, has now overcome his big-game shortcomings and will thrive against a lesser opponent.

Collective history suggests, however, that he's in for a real rough outing.

Greatness isn't always a blessing. In it, alongside talent and intelligence, lies ego and perfectionism. Manning is a living embodiment of that, always in a lab trying to solve the riddle, and hell-bent on executing the solution once he gets on the field. Waving the punt team off the gridiron or audibaling consistently to a pass play at the line are symptomatic of a man that has to have the fate in his hands.

Only, that need to succeed whitens the knuckles just a bit, and allows for a throw usually designated too dangerous.

The result, throughout Manning's otherwise exceptional career, has been failure in the postseason. While never the sole reason for a loss, the numbers have always gone from remarkable in the regular season to average or below in the playoffs. This year is no different:

Regular season: 362-557, 4,397 (7.89 YPA), 31TD, 9INT, 101.0 rating

Postseason: 72-115, 787 yards (6.8 YPA), 2TDs, 6INT, 66.8 rating

The freshest memory is of Manning leading his team down the field for a game-winning drive, but don't let it completely distract you from the two playoff games before that, where it looked like the signal-caller was trying to hand victory to both Kansas City and Baltimore.

Now he must step onto the game's biggest stage, carrying a reputation of a postseason choke artist around his neck, against the best defense in the NFL.

He knows that it is within him to single-handidly erase that talk, and bring the city of Indianapolis a Super Bowl in the process.

And so, even as you read this, he is locked in a room with game tape playing on the front wall while he scribbles into a notebook, crumpled-up paper all around him as finalizes a pristine mental game plan.

And in just a few short days, his moment for pure greatness will come.

History says that the greatness he already possesses will force him to throw it away.


Tim's column appears on this page every Thursday. You can reach him at tmcm1997@yahoo.com


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