I’ve hated Peyton Manning for a long time. Despite his obvious talent, his meticulous game preparations, and his field-commander mentality, Manning’s line-of-scrimmage gesticulations and last-second audibles have always seemed a little too showy, a little too self-important, for my taste.
His effectiveness during the regular season has never been in dispute, but Manning has often crumbled in the playoffs. And when he has crumbled, he has blamed everybody but himself for his team’s losses. He put his unique brand of sulky arrogance on display last year, when, in a stunning breach of football etiquette, he blamed his offensive line — the very group of roughs charged with protecting his million-dollar arm — for a playoff loss.
Even his television commercials are offensive. In one ubiquitous MasterCard spot, for instance, Manning cheered on insurance adjusters, accountants, and supermarket deli workers as they went about their jobs. The intent, I suppose, was to parody the ridiculousness of sports-hero worship, but the commercial came across as an insult: ultimately, the ad reinforced the idea that most of our lives are not worthy of the reverence we reserve for guys like Peyton Manning.
My list of grievances goes on and on . . . I disliked the fact that, years ago, Manning disparaged Mike Vanderjagt not just for being an idiot, but also for being a kicker (as a former soccer player, I have a soft spot for NFL kickers who, it seems to me, get saddled with enormous amounts of pressure while receiving little respect). I didn’t like the way that Manning handled the situation, even if Vanderjagt had it coming.
All of this explains why I found myself surprised, last night, to be rooting for Manning’s Colts to come back from a 21-3 deficit against the Patriots. And what a comeback, what a game, it was: a pitched battle between two longtime rivals that came down to the last minute of play. In the end, I was happy to see Manning win one for a change — not because I dislike dynasties, but rather because, against all odds, I had come to like sympathize with Manning himself.
Have I gone soft? Did I simply fall prey to the habitual American instinct to root for the underdog, for the guy who has been kept down for too long? Perhaps. Or, perhaps it just seems to me that I’ve been a little unfair to Manning, and that it’s finally time for him to win the championship that he so desperately desires. I’m glad, at the least, that he has put himself and his team in a position to win it.
But if the Colts lose the Super Bowl, and he turns on his teammates again, all bets are off.
Update: Upon reflection, I’m not sure that I’m ready to go with “like.” “Sympathize with” seems like a more accurate description of what I was feeling as I watched the game.
21 Comments on "Manning Up"
Vanna:
You so had me up until the end. Still hating him, for all the reasons you listed and more.
Jeff:
I hate the Mannings’ sense of entitlement, too, or at least the way it appears to us Out Here. But I think my personal fascination with “Pay-tee Pie,” as his mom apparently calls him, is tied to his beguiling mixture of spastic honkeytude and undeniable grace. How can the same man vibrate in the pocket like a glossolalic or an overwound toy robot and then hit a streaking receiver in stride on a 25-yard out on the far side of the field? That’s what I’ll remember about Manning in 30 years, and it stands out sharply in contrast to the admirable but joyless grinding out of games by Belicheck and Co.
Matt:
@Vanna: Sorry to disappoint you. For what it’s worth, I’m a little disappointed in myself.
@Jeff: a “beguiling mixture of spastic honkeytude and undeniable grace”? Get that man a blog!
In past seasons, I’ve taken pleasure in watching the Patriots dismantle the Colts. Part of that pleasure came from my attitude towards the weather (of all things). I hate dome football, and it always seemed to me that Manning’s beautiful passing game depended on artificial conditions. His tendency to fall apart when faced with a double blitz of snow and defensive linemen suggested that he was a pretty boy who lacked guts.
I think that part of the reason I came to root for him yesterday is that the comeback itself was so magnificent and so gritty. Coming back to win a game against those kinds of odds, against a Belichick team . . . it’s hard to talk about Manning’s lack of guts after that. Love him or hate him, I think you have to admit that Manning found a way to win yesterday that wasn’t pretty.
Of course, I’m also making too much of Manning, and not enough of the improved Colts running game and defense.
Eric:
The omni-present nature of his smug, little face in every damn commercial isn’t helping anything either. But everytime I started to want to see him fail, I had to remind myself that his failing would also lead to Marvin Harrison failing. The guy is the best receiver in football. Does nothing but play hard on every play. Never makes a spectacle of himself. The quintessential pro. And he’s from Philly, no less. So you can root for the Colts without rooting for Manning. Unfortunately, it will just lead to more Manning commercials if they win, and we’ll be stuck with him even more than we are now.
Matt:
“Harrison’s Colts”? I like the sound of that.
Martin:
Why waste time hating Peyton when you can hate Eli instead? Eli is much more of a lunkhead with 1/5 the production.
Matt:
Why waste time hating Peyton when you can hate Eli instead? Eli is much more of a lunkhead with 1/5 the production.
So true. Plus, Eli’s version of the Manning family’s patented “pouty face” is much more entertaining.
Kevin Wolf:
I caught most of the game, rooting for the Patriots. Their play was, at least in retrospect, downright embarrassing and they deserved to lose. Memory serves, they scored their first TD on recovery of their own fumble. Can you say sloppy?
Oh, well. Peyton Manning is no pretty boy next to Our Tom. (Very small consolation.)
albert:
i hate few people as much as i do tom brady. i was rooting for the colts, and peyton, hardcore.
Matt:
@Kevin: but the sloppiness was so much fun! A touchdown by a defensive tackle . . . a fumble recovery for a TD by center. I love seeing the big guys dance in the end zone.
@Albert: You hate Tom Brady? That seems . . . unAmerican!
Eli:
I just don’t see how anyone but a Giants (or Chargers) fan can hate Eli Manning. He’s just so harmless and ineffectual.
Comandante Agi:
What about the habitual American instinct to wish for people to fail? I’m channeling that instinct and rooting against Manning.
girlplease:
I hate him because he’s in every commercial. I’m still waiting for him to appear in femine product commercials.
“Always with wings made me win the Super Bowl”
Shut up, Peyton–you douche!
kp:
Here’s a guy who has worked hard all his career - including college; maintained a sense of grace and composure; has a loving family life; shows Christ-like qualities…and you hate him? Because he stomps his foot - to signal his center? Because he is in commercials? And, you hate his little brother because he’s a Manning? This is truly a sad commentary on your worldview.
Matt:
“Shows Christ-like qualities”?
Oy.
Calvin:
I think that the whole idea of Peyton blaming his team mates gets blown way out of proportion. After the Steelers loss last year his quote was “we had problems with protection,” and if you know anything about Colts football protection includes Peyton himself as he signals where blitzes are coming from and the linemen adjust accordingly. Also, the Colts offensive line coach Howard Mudd was asked about that quote in an interview and his response was something along the lines of “problems with protection? … that’s being nice, we were terrible.” So, basically, the guy wants to win and works his hardest to make that happen. His team mates like him and he gets invited to the his O-line’s vacation every year. If you really hate him, it must be out of jealousy because any team in the NFL (aside from the Pats) would want him on their team.
Matt:
I’m trying to be a good blogger here . . . let’s just say we’re having a little problem with reality.
Calvin:
No problem with reality here. I’ve read that article before and the direct quote was “I’m trying to be a good teammate here … let’s just say we had some problems with protection.” Does the “I’m trying to be a good teammate here” part mean he’s throwing his team under the bus? The team gave up five sacks that day and had numerous pressures that were executed very well by the Steelers. They did have problems with protection. I guess I just don’t view that as throwing his team under the bus.
tom:
Peyton and his brother are both pouty-faced snobs. They cry when they have a bad moment and they parade around like 5 year olds at Disneyland when they win. Peyton Manning is especially a man who deserves a broken leg. His brother on the other hand simply cant be blamed for his own childlike ways because the NFL not only accepts it, but they run around and meet his every desire like self-pridless twats.
They both need to be sacked over and over again untill theycry like the babies they are and poop thier pants.
marco:
All you people who hate Payton Manning screw you He’s awesome and you should love him.
#18 all the way
Charles Nickalopoulos:
Football fans are a pretty interesting lot.
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