Peyton Manning gives himself failing grade for performance against Patriots
Mark Kiszla, Denver Post:
In a wicked-cold New England wind, barreling out of the North at 25 miles per hour, the face of quarterback Peyton Manning was frozen with frustration again. Manning stunk it up against nemesis Tom Brady. Again. On the biggest NFL stage since the Super Bowl, the Broncos were flopping. Again.
And then Patriots fans, celebrating a 43-21 dismantling of Denver and mocking the best QB rivalry in the NFL, added the final insult.
"BRADY'S BETTER! BRADY'S BETTER!" shouted the crowd of 68,756 at Gillette Stadium, chanting their boast ien unison, their certainty screamed in all capital letters and their arrogant exclamation points aimed straight through the heart of Manning.
The New England Patriots treated their guest, Peyton Manning of the Denver Broncos quite harshly on Sunday. The Patriots brought back all of their three time Super Bowl Championship players for a halftime ceremony. To add insult, the players voted former LB Willie McGinest, honorary captain for the game.
In the December 1, 2003 game between the New England Patriots and Peyton Manning's former team the Indianapolis Colts, Willie McGinest made a goalline saving tackle on RB Edgerrin James on fourth down to preserve a 38-34 Patriots victory. New England had stopped the Colts four times from the one yard line in the final forty seconds. On the prior Indianapolis series from the 11 yard line, the Patriots had forced a three and out. It was Halloween weekend, and the ghosts from Peyton's past were in the audience.
The local meteorologists did their part in ensuring the game time temperature would be under 40 degrees. Denver QB Peyton Manning has struggled mightily in the cold weather, and his record reflects that. It is now 8 wins 12 losses when the barometer dips below 40. If this were baseball, that would be a .400 average, but it is not.
Boston Herald:
"The quarterback stinks, usually you're not going to win many games," Manning said, repeatedly shaking his head while criticizing his play. "I was talking to (Broncos radio announcer) Dave Logan and he said, 'I've never heard you say you stink before.' I said, 'Well, I don't usually stink. But I stunk today.' I don't make any excuses."
Peyton Manning wouldn't have made a very good substitute teacher. He is an extremely hard marker. To say that "he stunk" on Sunday when he passed for 438 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in a loss to New England would be harsh. Just because your passing rating of 80.9 was well below your season average of 112.0, and your lifetime average of 97.7 doesn't mean "you stunk."
The pattern of play at Gillette Stadium is consistent with an average grade of C.
So what if the guy that is across from you has an outstanding effort with 33 completions in 53 attempts, four touchdowns and a passer rating of 97.4 which is almost his season's average of 103.2. That doesn't mean "you stunk." It just means you have alot of work ahead of you when conditions aren't at room temperature.
I have a suggestion for Peyton Manning. Rather than taking his wife and kids to Honolulu, HI in the offseason, he should stay in his home state and visit Fraser, CO. MothernatureNetwork:
Fraser, Colo., sits at 8,574 feet in Colorado's Rocky Mountains and is home to 910 residents (according to the 2000 census). Located near the popular ski area of Winter Park, Fraser enjoys one of the coldest winters in the contiguous United States. The annual mean temperature for the year is only 32.5 degrees F, and in the summer the average low dips to 29 degrees in June. Fraser and International Falls, MN have been engaged in a dispute over the trademarked title "Icebox of the Nation."
Your next trip to Gillette Stadium will feel like you are in a sauna.
Paul Murphy is a freelance writer from New Hampshire.
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