Peyton Manning’s Legacy Now Under Review

February 9, 2010 by admin
Filed under: NFL Football Betting 

The gushing love fest for Peyton Manning came to a screeching halt at Super Bowl XLIV when he failed to clear the Super Bowl spread and was run out of the building by the Saints.  Now just 9-9 SU in the playoffs, Peyton Manning’s legend has returned to Earth to reside amongst the mortals. It’s not like losing the Super Bowl is going to make him any less eligible for the hall of fame when he retires, but people remember the times when a quarterback loses the Super Bowl. Just ask Dan Marino and Rich Gannon.

Manning was frustrated early on the by the Saints’ defense in the Super Bowl and with a pick-six that put the game out of hand, Manning was the one holding the bag when the Colts were upset by the team of destiny. Completing 31-of-45 passes for 333 yards and a touchdown, along with the pick, is subpar for Manning but he also had a bad day from three of his main receivers.

Pierre Garcon dropped three surefire first-down catches. Austin Collie not only dropped a first-down pass, but he also lunged for an onside kick that hadn’t gone ten yards to begin with . Reggie Wayne allowed a touchdown pass to slip right through his fingers on the final drive of the game. It’s not like Manning didn’t come to play, and his receivers deserve as much of the blame for the loss as he does.

The injury to Dwight Freeney and the season ending loss of Bob Sanders also killed the Colts in Super Bowl XLIV betting. Even with those injuries, the Colts were able to hold the Saints to 24-points offensively and made the UNDER the bet to take.

That being said, Peyton will be the one to blame at the end of the day. He’s the quarterback and the league MVP. Touted as the greatest quarterback to ever walk the planet, and with the stats and broken records to prove it, he needs to assume the responsibility. That’s the unfortunate side of being the quarterback – when all is said and done, you’re the guy with fingers pointed in your direction when the dust settles.

In prop NFL betting, the Colts have opened the season as 6/1 favorites to win Superbowl XLV at Cowboys Stadium in 2011. They’re trailed in the AFC by the Chargers who have 8/1 odds despite the ongoing curiosity of LaDanian Tomlinson’s dramatic drop-off and the presence of Norv Turner. Holding pace are the Super Bowl champion Saints at 8/1 as well, and for now they’re the benchmark in the NFC. The Cowboys, Packers and Vikings are 12/1 to win Super Bowl XLV.

The kudos from the oddsmakers notwithstanding, Peyton Manning has a massive mountain to climb in 2010 betting. After coming off a dazzling MVP season in which he went 16-1 SU as a full game presence, Manning must win a championship to validate all the hype surrounding him. It’s honestly an obstacle that he built himself, and we as fans love to scrutinize greatness in an effort to legitimize the history of the game. When all is said and done, Manning’s numbers will probably set the records across the board, but if his number of Super Bowl rings doesn’t match the other greats in history, then his place therein will be questionable.

Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw both won four championships, leading all quarterbacks. Behind them, Tory Aikman and Tom Brady have three each as starters, while Steve Young earned two as a backup to Montana and one on his own.

For now the addiction to hyping up Peyton Manning has run in to a brick wall, and rightfully so. Manning did not just lose Super Bowl XLIV, but he also lost a fair chunk of the adulation that he’s enjoyed this season. Even I was quick to say that the Saints would only win if Peyton Manning let them, and maybe I was right because of the pick-six. I still place Manning as one of the greats no matter if he ends his career with one ring or multiple. But the greatest? That’s a question only Manning can answer and his quest for a holier grail than Super Bowl XLV starts on the road to Arlington.

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