FAN: Peyton Manning In The Playoffs- Fail

Stilladog got me thinking last night after reading his post. Who has Manning won against in the playoffs? I'm sick and tired of people talking about him as the greatest ever when he's won exactly one championship, and that was against Rex Grossman. Let's pull back the curtain a little bit on a snowy day and take a look. Is he great? Is he great in the regular season only? What's his deal anyway? What happens when you take away the security blanket that is his dome?

Forget about the failures in college and high school to win it all or win against the biggest rivals. Let's concentrate on just the NFL. Manning is a crazy 131-61 in the regular season with a passer rating of 95.2. How on Earth is it possible then that he is a pedestrian 9-9 in the playoffs with a rating of 87.5. Great players are supposed to play better in big moments, not crumble.

So, who exactly did he beat in the playoffs with his 9 wins? Let's check:

Jake Plummer in a Wildcard game.
Trent Green in a Divisional game.
Jake Plummber in a Wildcard game.
Trent Green in a Wildcard game.
Steve McNair in a Divisional game.
Tom Brady in a Conference Championship game.
Rex Grossman in the Super Bowl.
Joe Flacco in Divisional game.
Mark Sanchez in Conference Championship game.

Wow. What a list of future Hall Of Famers. Maybe Manning just racks up stat after stat when there is no pressure and then caves in when it matters most.

Who did he lose playoff duals to?

McNair in Divisional game.
Jay Fieldler in Wildcard game.
Chad Pennington in Wildcard game (41-0)
Tom Brady in Conference Championship game
Tom Brady in Divisional game.
Ben Roethlisberger in Divisional game.
Philip Rivers in Divisional game.
Philip Rivers in Wildcard game.
Drew Brees in Super Bowl.

Now get ready for this. Who is already favored to win the Super Bowl next year? The Colts. Why? Listen, I'm not saying he blows or anything, you'd be an idiot to say that. I'm saying if I'm in the Super Bowl and I have to pick one quarterback of all time to lead my team, why would I pick Manning? Is he really the best of all time? Maybe in the regular season you could make that point. Once the second season begins? Forget it.

Slanted Stuff Santonio Holmes and Reefer

I get mad at dip-shits. Really mad. Dude, smoke all the pot you want, I don't care....just don't do it in your moving vehicle. Now we go into the Giants game, a yardstick game, without arguably our most explosive player. Nice. Why these guys do this, I have no idea. Stupidity I guess. I wonder if Santonio knows who Bam Morris is? he of trunk laden with reefer. Santonio has a trunk of another nature I guess. One only need Google images to get that joke. Dude, if you mess up you will be out of Pittsburgh......but then Dallas will sign you so I guess it doesn't matter.

Peyton manning had staph....ouch! That's what ended my favorite Steeler of All-Time's career....Greg Lloyd. Staph is nothing to mess around with. I think they should just cut off his leg.

The Ravens are a bunch of classless thugs. Classless. Class-less. Suggs used the word "bounty" in a radio interview. I can't wait until the next game. I guess they are fine with losing and "acting" tough.

Plaxbacks - I keep having them. Santonio should follow those stories as well.

Belichick Cements Biggest AssClown Ever

I hate him. Hate him, hate him.....hate him. He is so smug. So not gracious. He is...Bill Belimort. If Karma does exist, it showed tonight as the New York Football Giants held the Patriots in check on defense and then delivered the knockout punch with less than 40 seconds to play to win Super Bowl 42. I was kind of happy for Plax. I was happy for Strahan and Osi. That's about it though.....unless you count me thinking it's funny that Tiki slammed the entire organization last year basically. Some random thoughts:

Belichick is such as asshole for not staying out there for the final play. He knew damn well they put one second back on the clock. The ref told him while they were at the middle of the field.

What was Peyton Manning wearing? Could he look cool just once? He's either in his uniform, his ugly gym shorts or dressed like The Captain from Captain and Tennille. He's like a Harvard frat brother or something. When your brother is in the Super Bowl and you are going to watch, you don't have to dress like a banker on a casual Friday...mmmm'K?

The pressure was relentless. I loved seeing Brady get hit and hit often. I'm so sick of watching his games when everything goes his way. America was tired of it. Didn't you just know they were going to score a TD with 3 minutes to go? That's why I hate him.

Did you see the national voting for best Dynasty of all time? The 70's Steelers got 29% of the vote. The 2000 Patriots were last at 14%. I think the 80's Niner's were second. Can't remember the ordering of 60's Packers and 90's Cowboys. First and last was all that mattered to me.

I think if Belimort didn't coach the Patriots they would be liked a lot more by fans of other NFL teams.

Eli stepped up and had a really really solid game. Holy cow are the talking heads going to eat crow tomorrow. Everyone thought the game would swallow him whole.

What a superb game for football fan to watch. One of the most competitive games I can remember watching.

The Giants front 7 is going to be good for a long time, even when Mike hangs them up. Even if that ends up being tomorrow.

Best commercial? Charlie Brown getting the Coke. Tom Petty? Meh.

Good Gravy

I am so embarrassed about the condition of Heinz Field tonight. Doesn't it rain in other cities? Why is our field always one of the worst in the NFL? It's a brand new stadium. I understand Pitt plays 5 games there. I just can't figure out why they can't get it right.

The second quarter is only half over and I've now seen the Peyton Manning Sony commercial 3 times. T-H-R-E-E times. You know what Peyton...I use it to hit the Mute button.

Why is Larry Foote doing Joey's kick after tackles? Shouldn't they be boys?

I don't think we're going to learn anything about our team tonight, win or lose. The field is so bad, it's like they're playing on skates and the field is made of marbles.

Me, On King

I started this blog as a way to spew my Steeler rants and raves without emailing them out every time I felt the need...which got to be pretty often. Since I know some of you guys read Peter King as well, I thought I'd write a tribute article this week. Sort of like when a band named "Black Diamond" plays nothing but Kiss songs. And I know Still A Dog will protest and say that I should just stop reading......I can't. I'm like a west coast granola eating liberal who can't stop watching The O'Reilly Factor just so they have something to complain about. For every three or four 7-page articles I read...I take away 1 or 2 sentences that are actually worth my while. I know this...... as a TV commentator, he's not even a good magazine writer. So, if you read his MMQB and MMQB Tuesday Editions every week, you'll "get" the article. If you don't read him, this won't make a lot of sense to you but you still may find it amusing.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
-New York

Tom Brady Brady Brady Brady Tom Brady Brady Brady Brady Tom Bill Tom Brady Brady Brady Belichick Brady Brady Godlike Tom Tom Tom Tom Tom Brady Brady Belichick Bill Tom Brady Peyton Peyton Brady Tom Manning Peyton Manning Manning Manning Cut That Meat Manning Peyton Peyton Brady Tom Belichick Manning Peyton Brady Moyahan Brady Tom Manning Peyton Tom Brady Peyton Manning Bill Belichick .

Me Dungy Peyton Called Brady Tom Peyton Me Called Tom Manning Peyton Archie Tom Pats Colts Colts Pats Tom Brady Peyton Manning Tom Colts Pats Chargers Tom Brady Manning Me Dungy LT Tom Peyton Manning Belichick Walsh Colts Pats Brady Chargers Brees Saints Katrina Brady Peyton Peyton Tom Belichick Me Dungy Tom Brady Hookers Brees Saints Manning Dungy Me Dungy Peyton Iraq McGuire manning Tom Brady Hookers Iraq McGuire IEDs Brady Manning Peyton Saints Dungy Suicide Katrina Brady Tom.

The Fine Fifteen
1. Pats
2. Colts
3. Red Sox
4. Pats (2nd String)
5. Chargers
6. Pats (Practice Squad)
7. Colts (2nd string)
8. Ravens
9. Chargers (2nd String)
10. Cowboys
11-15. Doesn't even matter

Quote of the Week I

"Peyton Manning can beat you with one hand, his left" - Peter King

Quote of the Week II

"Tom Brady hopping on one foot is a close second" - Peter King

Quote of the Week III

"Fools, The other 30 starting QBs, all of them. Bring me a donut." - Peter King

The Award Section

Offensive Player of the Week - Peyton Manning.

Defensive Player of the Week - Tom Brady for allowing the Pats D to practice so well during the week against his brilliant performance as Chad Pennington.

Factoid That May Only Interest Me - I have a strange attraction to Tom Brady and somehow know I would feel safe in his arms if he ever held me.

5 Things I Think I Think

1. Peyton Manning Can Do No Wrong.
2. I'm fond of donuts.
3. Tom Brady is hot.
4. I want Bill Belichick to like me.
5. I can't see my feet.

Travel Note

Hotel Gym Cost Charge Air Aisle Gym Cost Aisle Seat Fat Gym Air Jet Coach Starbucks Hotel Aisle Screaming Kids Gym Hotel Planes Ticket Air Coffee Frappa Mocha Plane Air Hotel gym Charge Laptop Aisle Fat Ticket Coffee Shots Syrup Escorts Gym Coach 1st Class Starbucks Seattle Coffee Laptop Coach Starbucks Barista Peanuts Hotel Mary Beth Gym Treadmill Hotel Laptop Coffee Frappa Latta Grando Plane Aisle Fat Cell Phone Plane Escort Starbucks Coffee Gym Hotel Airport Security Coach Shoes Aisle Gym Treadmill Strip Search Hotel Gym laptop Girdle Seattle Coach Seats Aisle Fat Mocha.

26 from 51

No, no and no. Boomer said some things that made me feel bad for Rex Grossman, his family and his friends. He said "Awful Rex" showed up or something to that effect - but he did use the word "awful". The other guys were measured in their responses but Boomer was not and this was BEFORE the two picks. My thoughts are that 10 years ago, maybe more like 15, we wouldn't have seen that on national TV during halftime. We could have heard it on an ESPN opinion type show or AM radio sports talk....but not during halftime of the big game itself. He could have said inconsistent or inexperienced under pressure - but he chose the low road. What does that have to do with 26 and 51? Well, I went back and did some research wondering if Rex Grossman was potentially the QB with the worst reputation that ever played in the big game. There have been 51 starting QBs in the Super Bowl and only 26 winning QBs out of the 51. I'll run down the list of the 26 winners first and then we'll see how Rex stacks up against the guys that never got the ring. It would be too hard for me to put the two lists together but it's crying to be done (Still A Dog?). Maybe Dog can give us the list from 1 to 51 in order if he had to choose today his starter. It's going to be hard as Steeler fans to place Big Ben in that list because his legacy is just beginning (hopefully). Clearly, there will be QBs that never won the game on this list who are far superior to some who did win. Obvious examples would be where to rank Dan Marino and Fran Tarkenton. They absolutely rank higher than your Doug Williams and Jim McMahons. Dog has been around a few (a lot?) more years than me so he saw all of these guys play. The ranking of the 26 winners is just my opinion. If you disagree, please don't thorw QB ratings at me as they mean nothing comparing QB's from different eras. Those guys threw less passes and didn't dink and dunk to raise their completion percentages. Here goes:

(Player/SB Played/SB Won)
01. Montana 4/4
02. Bradshaw 4/4
03. Elway 5/3
04. Favre 2/1
05. Starr 2/2
06. Brady 3/3 (Future Pending)
07. Young 1/1
08. Staubach 4/2
09. Aikman 3/3
10. Manning 1/1 (Future Pending)
11. Namath 1/1
12. Dawson 2/1
13. Griese 3/2
14. Warner 2/1
15. Simms 1/1
16. Theismann 2/1
17. Stabler 1/1
18. Plunkett 2/2
19. Roethlisberger (Future Pending) 1/1
20. McMahon 1/1
21. Hostetler 1/1
22. Johnson 1/1
23. Dilfer 1/1
24. Williams 1/1
25. Rypien 1/1
26. Morral/Unitas - Didn't Rank - Morral Started, Unitas Finished

That was really hard because some of them are great and some of them are very efficient and had long careers. I have no idea what I based those rankings on other than a gut feeling and watching most of them play. Some had outstanding receivers most of their careers like Bradshaw and Montana while people like Tom Brady went into Super Bowls with far less fire power and still won. I have little doubt that Steve Young could have won 4 SBs had he played there the same years Montana did. I feel the same way about Brett Favre had he played for the Steelers in the 70's. What can I say, this is my list.


Of the 25 Losers, I have the following, again - according to me only:

01. Marino 1
02. Unitas 1
03. Kelly 4
04. Tarkenton 3
05. Boomer 1
06. Gannon 1
07. Hasselbeck 1
08. Bledsoe 1
09. McNabb 1
10. McNair 1
11. Anderson 1
12. Jaworski 1
13. Chandler 1
14. O'Donnell 1
15. Delhomme 1
16. Lamonica 1
17. Morton 2
18. Kilmer 1
19. Collins 1
20. Humphries 1
21. Grogan 1
22. Grossman 1
23. Ferragamo 1
24. Woodley 1
25. Kapp 1

I don't know a lot about some of these guys that were 0-1 in the Super Bowl, so maybe Dog can expand on them a little. I may have placed them all far too low. Who knows? After doing the losers, I looked at some of their stats and I only made 2 or 3 adjustments to my list so I think I did pretty good. So, what I set out to see was how all other SB QBs stacked up against Rex Grossman. I don't think he was the worst ever. Ten years from now he may move far up the list if he has a better than average career. Wow. Dog, do some homework and take us 'oldschool'. You up to sorting the combined list for us?

Thoughts From Super Bowl XLI

I wonder if Dan Marino is happy this morning? Why would he be happy you ask? Because now every time Manning's name comes up in the playoffs, the line of thought won't go straight to "he's this generation's Dan Marino - huge numbers - no Super Bowl ring". Makes sense I guess, although misery loves company. Maybe Marino wanted...needed....another big-time QB to share that distinction with. It's hard to read Marino to see how he really feels about it, but wouldn't it be hysterical if he was really like the reclusive kicker from Ace Ventura - Pet Detective? That he can't get on with his life because it bothers him so much. Funnier yet that it was Marino that the kicker kidnapped because he didn't put the "laces out" on the kick. Oh well, and why do I care about Marino this morning...because I could care less about the Super Bowl this year. Sloppy weather made for sloppy play - I can't remember one play really except for the Marvin Harrison toe catch and Hester's return. Without all the turnovers, it was a pretty unremarkable game to watch unless you're a Colt's or Bear's fan. We all knew Rex Grossman was inconsistent and potentially the least talented QB to every play in the big game. If the Bears were going to win - it would have to be on defense and they came up small. Manning ate them up underneath and Rhodes and Addai looked like they were running against the early season Colt's defense. The Bears were on defense the entire game. They couldn't get off the field or convert a 3rd down on offense. Other than that - what's there to say? One thing I found a little odd was Manning's reaction to the win. Michael Jordon used to jump on tables and raise his fists in the air. Tiger Woods has the fist pump. Manning looked like a zombie to me. I'm not even sure as time ran out that I saw him smile. As he walked across the filed nodding and saying "good job" to teammates and opponents alike....it was with the same demeanor that a wood shop teacher would walk down the line of students inspecting their birdhouses "good job.....good job.....roof's crooked....good job....". Maybe he didn't want to let his emotions show but I remember Brett Favre when he won and he looked like a 7 year old on Christmas morning. I think it was a controlled response and maybe that's why I'm not a Manning fan. Be real. Let it out. If anyone has any right to explode after winning the Super Bowl - it would be someone who has heard he can't for 5 years. Maybe he saved it for the locker room? Who knows? Who cares? I'm glad the AFC won, I'm glad Tony Dungy won (did you know he's the first black coach to win a Super Bowl (dripping with sarcasm )? Am I happy for Manning? Not really. Not that I was rooting against him, but I like Dan Marino damn it......and now he needs a new buddy for his club. Let's hope it's Carson Palmer 5 years from now!

Championship Week Thoughts

In no particular order:

I loved watching the snow and muck fall in Chicago. It's what the mind conjures up when you think "playoff football". Fast forward to Indy in the sterile dome.......exactly.......football should not be played in a dome.

It always amazes me that whenever the Bears play, if there is a ball on the carpet, a Bear will recover. That's not luck, that's good coaching.

The Patriots secondary is outstanding. I don't think I've ever seen so many passes defensed in a single game - all the same way as well - a big mitt right between the hands of the receivers.

Another thing that is pretty impressive is the fact that Brady is out there whizzing passes to two guys like Caldwell and Gaffney. Remember Marino's receivers after the Marks Brothers? Neither does anybody else. He is out there dueling with Peyton Manning who has a first ballot Hall-Of-Famer in Harrison, Reggie Wayne and an outstanding TE in Dallas Clark. It's almost like a gunfight where one man is armed with a Beretta 9mm and the other has an old board with a rusty nail stuck in it.

Phil Simms can be good, but he can be very bad as well. I could not believe he made the statement he made at the beginning of the game. He was liking the fact that Brady was throwing on first down and said the Patriots didn't want to make the same mistake as KC and the Ravens did....running the ball too much because of Indy's lack of run defense. What?! The Ravens ran the ball with a RB 17 times. Do these guys do their homework at all? Should Joe Schmoe sitting on his couch be able to say "that's bullshit" 3 times during a game when these guys are getting paid tons of money to just talk about football?

The stats they were showing on Manning's regular season prowess (.4 picks per game) vs. his playoff failures (2.4 per game) were amazing. It's almost hard to comprehend. I just remember the Colts killing the Steelers in the regular season last year and then physically being outmatched in the playoff game when they had Peyton on his back the entire game.

I'm happy for Tony Dungy. As an ex-Steeler player and coach and pretty good human being - I'm truly happy for him.

I wish to God Manning's people would talk to him and suggest that perhaps he take it easy on the endorsements. I've already talked about it, but geez it's tough sitting through all those commercials.

How about Eli's reaction to the one TD? Stoic would describe it perfectly - but then again he always looks stoned to me. I wonder if he's really happy for his brother, or secretly wishes it was him?

Drew Brees picked a bad week to have his worst game of the season. I feel bad for him as I genuinely like him as well. Where was Deuce McAllister in this game and why didn't they try to get him off earlier?

At least the Steelers 4 Super Bowls in 6 years won't be matched for at least another 6 years.

Reche Caldwell probably cost his team a trip to the Super Bowl. Now...in true Belichick fashion...will he be back next year? I can see Bill cutting him.

Cut That Meat! Cut That Meat!

Do you remember when Pearl Jam first came out and they had videos for Evenflow, Alive and the superb Jeremy? They were blowing up and Eddie wasn't comfortable with the whole celebrity/fame thing so they kind of went semi-underground by holding back the interviews and not doing any more videos for years. I wish Peyton Manning would sit down and watch an hour of NFL Network. Maybe he too would get sick of seeing his face and hearing his slow drawl. I've never seen something so sickening as all the TV time Peyton, Eli and Archie get. Numerous outlets like to call them cute things like the "First Family of Football" and blah blah blah. Interesting. How many Super Bowl wins do they have between the three of them? Wins? How many Super Bowl appearances do they have between them? Zero. Right. It seems like every other commercial or sideline report last night was focusing on the Sunday night matchup until I had to hear John Madden pontificate on what their mother will be thinking from the stands. I think she'll be thinking - "I think they should have dated more in highschool". I saw one outtake last night on either ESPN or NFL Network where they were all at a table and they were asked to imitate each other. Oh My God...how much more of this CRAP do I have to put up with? And then to hear the cute little story about having a family dinner and Peyton acted like he was taking notes on Eli. Brilliant! My God, the comic talent of that man! Peyton's face is all over the NFL and he seems to be in every commercial on NFL Network. If you're a fan of his, that's just peachy, but if you get off on watching Joey Porter bury him, then it's a problem. I have no issue with him personally. He's a good guy. It was noble to donate time and effort during Katrina. However, I think he should dial back his endorsements and commercials. He is toying around with backlash if you ask me by oversaturating the airwaves with his mug. Archie cracks me up too. How good is it for the game if the undisputed #1 pick holds the team with the first pick hostage every year? Play within the system. You shouldn't get to pick and choose who you want to play for when you're a rookie. I respect Peyton's game and he has plenty of it. Still, the only way to shrug the current tag that he can't win the big game....is to win the big game. Last time I checked....he doesn't play defense and he can't pass block for himself so it might not be this year either.