Manning Up at the Super Bowl

The quarterback takes the snap under the glow of streetlights. The young play-caller rolls out of imaginary arm tackles and stiff arms make-believe pass rushers. Looking deep into the end zone, marked by tin cans and t-shirts, he hurls the squishy Nerf football for the game tying strike. “It’s all tied up! The Super Bowl is all tied up!”

Kids in backyards and back allies have played out the fantasy finish to the Big Game for generations. But Sunday in Miami, Peyton Manning was living the childhood dream, as the Indianapolis Colts trailed the New Orleans Saints 24-17 in Super Bowl XLIV in front of the biggest TV audience in history.

It seemed almost inevitable; Peyton was going to tie it up en route to the signature Super Bowl comeback. The fantasy was coming to life with each first down, and it seemed like the only question was whether Manning would ride the Tea Cups or Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride first in Disney World.

But instead of a touchdown pass, the previously flawless Manning threw a pick right into Tracy Porter’s arms. Kids at home begged for a redo. The dream had turned into a nightmare as they watched Porter prance 73-yards for the score.

Down 31-17, even backyard quarterbacks know hope is dim. And the desperation drive proved futile for the Colts when Manning’s pass to Reggie Wayne fell to the ground. Peyton put his head down and walked into the locker room like a poor sport.

Quarterback Drew Brees genuflected three times to run out the clock. Several players baptized coach Sean Payton in an orange Gatorade bath. And the Saints climbed the steps to receive the coveted Lombardi trophy, completing their ascension into football immortality.

But the story for Manning— as well as for the national media— was the interception.
Colt tragedy rather than triumph marked front-pages and homepages. And images of the interception said it all for The New York Times and Espn.com.

For Manning, the loss will resonate long after the newsprint has faded. Not only the game and the season were on the line for Manning but also his legacy. “TV experts” and the average football-buff at a bar judge QB’s not by passer-ratings and stats, but by Super Bowl rings.

For them, the standards are higher and the criticism is harsher. At the Super Bowl, a play-caller must step under center and under scrutiny. Every first down, as well as every errant throw is magnified, relived on highlight reels and documented in record books.

With a “W” on Sunday, the Colt would have taken one step closer to the ranks of Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw, each with Four Superbowl Rings. Instead, by dropping the ball, he dropped one notch closer to Jim Kelly, the QB who lost the big game three times.

But for the boy on the playground, the game is the same with only one minor revision. This time in the backyard Super Bowl the boy announces, “Drew Brees throws it deep!”