I think that there will be certain pang of sadness in my heart after this upcoming Sunday. One of the great pleasures of my life as a sports fan up until this moment has been living in the age of what I consider to be some of the finest quarterbacks working today.
Brady, Roethlisberger, Rogers and Brees are only a few names that come to mind. However, for me the name that will always be at the top of the list is Peyton Manning.
If you were to instruct me to close my eyes and think of what a quarterback looks like, I imagine that the first image that would pop into my head would be that of Manning. I had the misfortune and great fortune of watching Manning beat my beloved Chicago Bears in the Super Bowl in 2006.
I say misfortune because, obviously, I am a Bears fan for better or worse, for richer for poorer, for as long as we both shall live. But, I must admit there was a great thrill to watching Manning play with such dynamic leadership skills and leading his Colts to victory.
There was another great thrill in seeing a wounded Manning rise like a phoenix from the ashes of a devastating neck injury. Not only that, Manning would go on to take the Denver Broncos to a Super Bowl. They would go on to lose to Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks.
Now, the Broncos are back. Manning is returning to the Super Bowl in what many are speculating is his last season. There is a part of me that thinks that the football gods may give Manning and his Broncos some sort of Cinderella-esque ending. However, I don’t think that is going to happen.
As I wrote last week, I think that the Carolina Panthers are going to be triumphant in this outing. If they do, it will not have been undeserved. Cam Newton is a great QB, the Panthers are an all-around great team and who doesn’t love Ron Rivera?
That being said, I hope that Manning is at least part of a great game. A game in which he gets to display all those things that I associate with Peyton Manning. Either way, should Manning decide that this is his last rodeo, I would like to add my voice to the choir of people singing his praises and what a pleasure it has been to see him play.
P.S. I can’t help but secretly wonder if Eli Manning is hoping that his older brother Peyton loses on Sunday. I don’t think that it is for malicious purposes, but for the simple fact that he’s the younger brother, Peyton’s the older brother and – at the moment – the younger brother has more rings than his older brother.
It’s just a thought. But for my money, I’m hoping Peyton can tie up the sibling rivalry.
Brian Laughran
Editor-in-Chief