Validation

By Michael Rushton

Look it up, because you are going to be hearing that word a lot if you haven’t already.

Validation. According to dictionary.com, the word means to make valid; substantiate; confirm. If you haven’t figured out who this article is about yet, I would just like to welcome you back from your 10-year coma.

Yes, Peyton finally did it. He won the big game and captured a Super Bowl MVP trophy to boot. One of the longest, most drawn out story lines in a while has come to an end. Manning has capped his legacy and culminated his career. I haven’t waited this long for a conclusion since I finished reading -- that’s right, I said reading -- The Return of the King.

Lets be honest. It got off to a shaky start and all you Manning fans were nervous. First, Devin Hester’s 92-yard return of the opening kickoff for a touchdown put Indianapolis in an early hole. Then Manning was picked off on his opening march. Even when Manning later found a wide open Reggie Wayne for a 53-yard TD, Indy missed the extra point. Then the Bears came right back and answered with a touchdown of their own.

Surely Manning's ship couldn't go down like this.

But after that, everything pretty much went the Colts’ way. Using Manning through the air and Dominic Rhodes on the ground, Indianapolis picked apart the Bears defense in a manner it picks apart any other defense. Manning didn’t treat Chicago’s stoppers any different and it paid off. He knew he was good enough not to have to alter his style. Ego can be a weapon sometimes.

On the other side of the ball, Rex Grossman played to the level everyone said he needed to avoid. The Colts reborn defense got off the field and Manning kept it on the sidelines. With Manning chipping away at the Bears D piece by piece, the Colts won the time of possession battle by just over 16 minutes.

Manning’s scoring pass to Wayne was his longest of the game. The rest of the time, he was toying with Chicago. He completed a healthy 25-of-38 passes for 247 yards. His early interception was his lone mistake.

To help Manning, Rhodes and Joseph Addai combined to rush the ball 40 times for 190 yards. For what its worth, I think Rhodes should have received the MVP award and even made quite a stink about it last night, but in hindsight, does it really matter? Otherwise, when the Colts make the Super Bowl next year, we would have to hear about how the only thing missing from Manning’s career is a postseason MVP award. Kudos to the NFL for killing two birds with one stone.

And on one final off note, I'm taking sympathy cards for Edgerrin James.

So what does it all mean for Manning now? Should we start constructing the mold for his Canton bust this week? The numbers say yes. 37, 586 passing yards and 275 touchdowns, and now a Super Bowl title. Lets also remember that Manning is only 30 years old and has a lot of time left in his career.

But the bottom line is, unlike the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the 2006 season, Manning’s career is far from over. Canton will wait. Joining the ranks of Joe Montana, Dan Marino and Johnny Unitas can wait.

There was one thing that stood Manning apart from the rest of the field on Sunday. He knew he had his whole career in his hands. And unlike Grossman and the Bears, he didn’t put it on the ground.

Michael Rushton can be reached at mrushton@phanaticmag.com

**Photo courtesy of Getty Images**

The Phanatic Magazine will have continuing Super Bowl XLI post-game coverage throughout Monday and Tuesday.