He's one of the nicest and most humble players you'll ever meet. At age 37, he has to be one of the hardest-working football players ever in order to achieve the success he's had. This season he set NFL records for most yards (5,477) and touchdowns (55) in a season. After Super Bowl XLVIII, Richard Sherman was on his way to the press conference, limping on crutches, when someone tapped him on the shoulder. When he turned, it was Peyton Manning asking how he was. Even in defeat, Manning is classy and gracious. His attitude and demeanor are those that you look for in people; he has
what it takes to win championships and create a legacy that might never
be equaled; but he hasn't.
The regular season is merely the qualification round for the playoffs. If you don't get to the playoffs, this year is a failure. If your team gets to the playoffs but doesn't win games, it's a failure. And if your team loses the Super Bowl, it's a failure. The Super Bowl loser may as well have the number one pick in the NFL draft...there are no moral victories. Peyton is on his way to putting up the most prestigious regular season numbers in NFL history. But those don't really matter do they? Do fans and teams want regular season records or Super Bowl titles?
Peyton HAS won a Super Bowl! He beat the Chicago Bears in XLI and won the game MVP. Now a Super Bowl is a Super Bowl, but let me put this in perspective: he beat Rex Grossman. Um, who? Grossman in that game had one of the lowest QBR's in the history of the Super Bowl at 7.1 Peyton's QBR last night was a paltry 24.4, which is the lowest since Grossman's game. Since he beat the Bears, Peyton is 0-2 in Super Bowls, and was part of the reason for each loss by throwing a pick-six in both.
The conclusion of this post is this: players don't win championships, teams do. Number 1 offenses have gotten to the Super Bowl before, but Denver's scored a record-low 8 points. A more successful quarterback by far was Terry Bradshaw, who had 212 touchdowns in the regular season and 210 interceptions. And yet, he won 4 Super Bowls. Success isn't measured by what you do in all your games, it's measured by what you do when it counts. And when it counts, Peyton is a mediocre 1-2.
While he may be the nicest, most respectable quarterback the league has ever had, he hasn't created a legendary legacy. His legacy is one of big game chokes and failed opportunities.
Showing posts with label Football. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Football. Show all posts
Monday, February 3, 2014
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Snow Game
The NFL was born in the snow.
The Chicago Bears, the Green Bay Packers, the New York Giants, the Philadelphia Eagles, the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Cleveland Browns, the Chicago Cardinals (now Arizona, but not until 1988), the Baltimore Colts, the Detroit Lions, and the San Francisco 49ers...ten teams that were founded prior to 1955 and formed the nucleus of the modern-day NFL. What stands out about these teams? Nine of them are cold-weather teams.
In light of Super Bowl XLVIII's cold weather forecast, it seems as though most people are bemoaning the fact that there may be snow on the ground for the biggest sporting event of the year. Snow: that frozen uncontrollable element of the world that tests men to see whether or not they really were born to be football players
Is it the fans people are worried about? The idea of having to wear a coat and bring a blanket can hinder some fans, but these are literal fair-weather fans. Real fans don't care; they root and travel wherever their teams do. When the Ice Bowl was played, fans still packed Lambeau Field to see their Packers win. Toughen up, Buttercup! It's football.
Maybe we think the teams won't play well in the snow and the team who deserves to win won't. Well, if you can't gameplan for the weather as well as the other team, you don't deserve to win, period. It's part of the game; teams win in the snow every season. It's tough in this pass-happy league, but it's doable and victories become that much sweeter.
The real issue is that we've become soft and accustomed to perfect conditions. We like New Orleans Saints football: inside a dome where our team can set astronomical records and get lots of publicity without that annoying factor called "weather". We don't want our games to come down to a fumble caused by slippery conditions! We want the other team to beat us, not for us to beat ourselves. And yet, that's where football was created to be played: outside.
Of the 47 previous Super Bowls, 30 teams or 64% of the winners were cold-weather teams. 63 of the 94 teams to make an appearance in the Super Bowl, or 67% were cold-weather teams. That's two-thirds of the time, folks. Teams who learn to play in inclement weather and uncontrollable adversity learn to win.
When I learned the Super Bowl bid was won by MetLife Stadium for this game three years ago, I was intrigued by it; now I can't wait for it. Last time Seattle made it to the Super Bowl, they complained about also playing the men in black and white, let's see how they tackle that other enemy in white.
The Chicago Bears, the Green Bay Packers, the New York Giants, the Philadelphia Eagles, the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Cleveland Browns, the Chicago Cardinals (now Arizona, but not until 1988), the Baltimore Colts, the Detroit Lions, and the San Francisco 49ers...ten teams that were founded prior to 1955 and formed the nucleus of the modern-day NFL. What stands out about these teams? Nine of them are cold-weather teams.
In light of Super Bowl XLVIII's cold weather forecast, it seems as though most people are bemoaning the fact that there may be snow on the ground for the biggest sporting event of the year. Snow: that frozen uncontrollable element of the world that tests men to see whether or not they really were born to be football players
Is it the fans people are worried about? The idea of having to wear a coat and bring a blanket can hinder some fans, but these are literal fair-weather fans. Real fans don't care; they root and travel wherever their teams do. When the Ice Bowl was played, fans still packed Lambeau Field to see their Packers win. Toughen up, Buttercup! It's football.
Maybe we think the teams won't play well in the snow and the team who deserves to win won't. Well, if you can't gameplan for the weather as well as the other team, you don't deserve to win, period. It's part of the game; teams win in the snow every season. It's tough in this pass-happy league, but it's doable and victories become that much sweeter.
The real issue is that we've become soft and accustomed to perfect conditions. We like New Orleans Saints football: inside a dome where our team can set astronomical records and get lots of publicity without that annoying factor called "weather". We don't want our games to come down to a fumble caused by slippery conditions! We want the other team to beat us, not for us to beat ourselves. And yet, that's where football was created to be played: outside.
Of the 47 previous Super Bowls, 30 teams or 64% of the winners were cold-weather teams. 63 of the 94 teams to make an appearance in the Super Bowl, or 67% were cold-weather teams. That's two-thirds of the time, folks. Teams who learn to play in inclement weather and uncontrollable adversity learn to win.
When I learned the Super Bowl bid was won by MetLife Stadium for this game three years ago, I was intrigued by it; now I can't wait for it. Last time Seattle made it to the Super Bowl, they complained about also playing the men in black and white, let's see how they tackle that other enemy in white.
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