Page 20 - atoday
P. 20
20
SPORTSMonday 7 March 2016
Peyton Manning Bowl 50 was his 14th in the
postseason, one more than
Continued from page 17 Favre, making him the NFL’s
So, defensive coordinators, In this Jan. 24, 2016, file photo, Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning waves to specta- only 200-win quarterback.
you can breathe a little tors following the AFC Championship game between the Denver Broncos and the New England “There’s no question that
easier today: Manning will Patriots, in Denver. his work ethic is what made
no longer be on the docket him into one of the great
to wreck your game plans Associated Press quarterbacks of all time,” El-
and ruin your designs on a way said. “All the film study
title. Peyton did and the process
There will be no more show- that he went through with
downs matching skills with game planning and un-
Tom Brady or wits with Bill derstanding what the other
Belichick — against whom teams did was second to
he was just 6-11 but 3-2 in none.”
AFC championships. Almost from his pro debut
With no more defenses in 1998, Manning was a
to dissect, the face of the pioneer in the way he de-
league since the turn of this ciphered defenses and di-
century no longer has to be rected play at the line of
buried in an iPad all day, scrimmage. Envision him
nor will he have to sub- pacing from tackle to tack-
merge his battered body le, pointing and hollering,
for hours in a cold tub in a as he became a model for
labor of love. every quarterback who’s
“I get asked a lot about come along since. Man-
my legacy,” Manning said ning not only was at the
before the Super Bowl. “For vanguard of the aerial fire-
me, it’s being a good team- works shows that light up
It led to his worst statistical
season and sidelined him
for six weeks before that
fairy tale finish in Santa
Clara, California, when his
defense carried him across
the finish line.
Constantly harassed, never
quite comfortable — sort
of the way the whole sea-
son played out — Manning
walked away with his sec-
ond NFL title after Denver’s
defense, with seven sacks
and four takeaways, all but
handed him the Lombardi
Trophy in a 24-10 victory
over the Carolina Panthers.
In this May 8, 2008, file photo, Archie Manning, center, is joined “He had to do several In this Feb. 7, 2010, file photo, Indianapolis Colts quarterback
by his sons Eli Manning, left, and Peyton Manning, in Beverly things different this year,” Peyton Manning celebrates after teammate Joseph Addai
Hills, Calif. said his dad, Archie, a for- scored a touchdown during the second half of the NFL Super
mer star quarterback him- Bowl XLIV football game against the New Orleans Saints in Mi-
Associated Press self. “Had to take off dur- ami.
ing the season, which he’d
mate, having the respect his squeaky-clean image never done before. He ran Associated Press
of my teammates, having take a beating as the final the scout team, which I
the respect of the coaches pages were flipped on his don’t think he’d ever done, yards against the Panthers, today’s scoreboards and
and players. That’s impor- storied career. and he dressed out as a the fewest for a victori- big-screen TVs, he was the
tant to me. I am not taking The NFL is investigating alle- backup, which he’d never ous team in a Super Bowl, mastermind of it.
this for granted. I just love gations that human growth done.” and Manning had but 13 “I think from the sense of
football.” hormone was shipped to Manning also had to play completions for 141 yards. quarterbacks, he’s been
The 18th season for No. 18 his home in his wife’s name the role of game manager Thanks to a defense led by fast-paced, no-huddle,
was by far his most trying on following an Al Jazeera for the first time during Den- game MVP Von Miller, how- dynamic offense, score
the field. He had to adjust to report that Manning dis- ver’s defense-fueled run to ever, Manning became a lot of points, and score
new coach Gary Kubiak’s missed as “garbage.” And the title. “I’m just glad I was the oldest quarterback quickly,” said his brother,
run-based offense, to unre- in a new lawsuit filed last on the same team as our to win a championship, a Eli Manning, a two-time Su-
lenting health issues and to month. Manning was cited defense,” he said. year older than Elway was per Bowl winner himself, for
questions about his charac- as an example of a hostile Although his teammates when he won his second the Giants. “Now you see
ter on his way to winning his environment for women at said his speech on the eve Super Bowl in 1999 before that more. More teams are
second Super Bowl. Man- the University of Tennessee of the game felt very much walking away. doing it. The Colts kind of
ning, whose dry wit and for his alleged harassment like a goodbye, Manning Manning, who revealed started that trend and did
star power has made him of a female trainer in 1996. didn’t call it his “last ro- at the Super Bowl that he it well for a long time.”So
a staple of commercials A torn ligament in his left deo” right away, saying he faces a hip replacement did the Broncos, for whom
and late-night television for foot hampered Manning needed time to reflect. in retirement, finished in a Manning threw 140 of his
nearly two decades, saw all the way back to August. Denver gained only 194 tie with Brett Favre for most NFL-high 539 TD passes, in-
regular-season wins with cluding a record 55 in 2013.
186. His victory in Super
