Elvis hasn’t yet building the left
Peyton Manning has transitioned into Peyton Manning Lite in the 24 months since his last appearance in the Super Bowl. But going into what surely will be the final game of his career, he is also now the biggest sentimental favorite in the 50 years of the Super Bowl.
Manning has gone from a record 55 touchdown passes and leading the highest scoring offense in NFL history in 2013 to an injury-ruined season in which he threw a career-low nine touchdowns and his 17 interceptions were more than every other QB except Blake Bortles, who had 18, despite missing six starts and the equivalent of seven complete games.
One of the top five quarterbacks of all time is now a game manager. But let’s face it, i n his new role, the Super Bowl result can’t be any worse than two years ago at MetLife Stadium when the first snap sailed over his head for a safety and the game was over. The Broncos lost to Seattle 43-8.
The Panthers remind me a lot of the Seahawks two years ago: An extremely confident team not afraid of the big moment that jumps on teams early and can score quickly and in bunches and can score on defense. The Broncos have been known to stink it up and ruin Super Bowls: They lead the NFL with five Super Bowl losses and their last four losses to the Giants, Washington, 49ers and Seahawks were by a combined 179-48 — an average score of 45-12 — with no game closer than 19 points.
Sentimentality doesn’t result in Super Bowl victories, but outside of Panthers Nation, Manning is the story of the Super Bowl. Unless the NFL’s current investigation of the HGH report about Manning produces more evidence than the $5 million Deflategate investigation of Tom Brady, that story is going to continue to fade away.
There have not been a lot of sentimental favorites in the Super Bowl. After losing his first three Su
per Bowls, John Elway was the people’s choice – outside of Green Bay – when he beat the Packers. After the Bills lost three Super Bowls in three years and faced the Cowboys one year after losing to them 52-17, they were sentimental favorites, but lost again. Jerome Bettis announced he was retiring 10 years ago before the Steelers played the Seahawks in the Super Bowl in his hometown of Detroit and certainly had a lot of support. He went out on top. The Jets were not so much a sentimental favorite in Super Bowl III as they were a lovable underdog with a brash QB named Broadway Joe against the big, bad Colts. Manning’s comment to Bill Belichick af ter the AFC t itle game that this “might be my last rodeo,” is the clearest con f ir mation yet of what seems obvious: This will be Manning’s last game. He is immensely popular and I think his national appeal increased exponentially after his smash hit guest host spot on Saturday Night Live after he won the Super Bowl following the 2006 season.
The United Way skit when he’s firing Nerf footballs at kids (they were child actors) in a New York park received rave reviews. But here’s a story about a skit that didn’t make it past the dress rehearsal:
Peyton invited his parents Archie and Olivia to attend the show. They arrived in Manhattan the day before and were relaxing in their hotel room when Archie’s phone rings. “Get over here,” Peyton said. “Where?” Archie said. “NBC,” Peyton said. Archie walked over to 30 Rockefeller Plaza, was let through by security and met Peyton in the green room. Archie, who told me this story in my “Brady vs. Manning” book, entered the room and saw Peyton sitting by himself watching an Elvis Presley concert that The King had performed in Las Vegas. The show’s writers had put together a skit with Peyton playing Elvis. Peyton was studying his moves.
“I don’t seem good enough as Elvis,” Peyton told Archie. Now just picture Manning practicing P resley ’s pelvic thrusts to the beat of the music. And imagine Archie watching this. Archie was nervous. He had told his wife before they left New Orleans he wasn’t sure about going. “I don’t know if I want to be there, Liv,” he said. “This is not what he does.”
Sitting in the green room, he asked Peyton to turn off the video. He knew Peyton had studied as hard for SNL as he did preparing to face Bill Belichick’s defense.
“I got anxiety about you doing this. How is it going to be? What’s it going to be like?” Archie said.
“We’re going to kick their ass,” Peyton said.
Peyton was great on the show. The Presley skit? It didn’t make it past the dress rehearsal.
If Manning wins his second Super Bowl, an SNL encore would be appropriate. Maybe they can give the Presley skit another shot.
ANOTHER METLIFE SUPER BOWL?
The next two Super Bowls are in Houston and Minneapolis. The finalists for the 2019 and 2020 games are Miami, Atlanta, New Orleans and Tampa. The earliest game up for the next round of bidding will be the 2021 game. What about New York/New Jersey getting another game at MetLife Stadium? “We have not spoken about it recently, but I believe we all agree (Giants and Jets) that we would like to bid again,” Giants co-owner John Mara told the Daily News in an e-mail on Saturday. Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife was played in perfect weather – 49 degrees at kickoff with virtually no wind – after a very cold week. Other than a non-competitive game and the light rail backup leaving fans waiting a long time at the stadium after the game, which certainly can fixed, the NY/ NJ Super Bowl was generally a success.
NOT BOLT-ING YET
The Chargers have their deal worked out with Rams owner Stan Kroenke to play in the new Inglewood stadium in 2019, but will first give it one more shot to remain in San Diego. They will stay put for the 2016 season. If t he Cha rgers can get a deal worked out, they save $550 million in relocation fees to the NFL and get $300 million from the league towards a new stadium. So they start off with $850 million to spend. Of course, the Chargers may not want to look at that $550 million as found money. City officials have offered $350 million in public financing, which is subject to a public vote. With the NFL’s $300 million and the public’s $350 million (if approved), the Chargers should be able to finance t he difference towards a $1.1 bil-
lion stadium, either on the site of the current stadium in Mission Valley or the preferred destination downtown, which is where the Padres built their stadium. If the Chargers fail to land a deal in San Diego, they would move to Los Angeles in 2017 and be a tenant of Kroenke’s in Inglewood, not a partner, when the new place opens. L.A. fans are excited to have the Rams return, but were not so fired up about the Chargers. Philip Rivers said he and his family are “fired up” to be staying in San Diego, “at least for another season and hopefully
more beyond that.”
GENIUS SHOWS CRACKS
Bill Belichick seemed a bit cavalier about nailing down home field in t he playof f s and it cost him the A FC’s first seed and put last week’s AFC t it le game in Denver, where Tom Brady is now 2-7, including 0-3 in the playoffs. If the Pats de
feated the Jets or Dolphins on the road in the last two games, they would have been the No. 1 seed. But Belichick inexplicably kicked off to start overtime against the Jets a nd Brady neve r touched th e
ball when Ryan Fitzpatrick took the Jets down the field for a TD. Then in Miami, in a game that really should have been treated as a must-win, in the first half Belichick had Brady throw the ball only five times and ran a bad group of running backs 21 times. The Pats trailed at the half, 10-3, and lost, 20-10. Then Belichick completely screwed up by not kicking a field goal with just over five minutes left against the Broncos last week down 20-12. He should have taken the points, then counted on his defense – with three timeouts and the twominute warning – to hold Denver and give Brady a chance to win it without needing a two-point conversion. Brady’s fourth down pass to Julian Edelman did not pick up
the first down. The Patriots got the ball back two more times: They failed on another fourth down and then on their final drive of the season, failed on a season-ending twopoint conversion after Brady got them into the end zone. Brady was hit 23 times: Where was Belichick’s halftime adjustments after Brady got beat up in the first half? Belichick found his scapegoat: He fired offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo. Brady has been so good for so long he’s covered up for Belichick’s bonehead coaching decisions over the years. Broncos defensive coordinator Wade Phillips completely outcoached Belichick… Archie Manning and Tom Brady Sr. have become texting buddies over the years. Manning, who is all class, told the Daily News he sent Brady Sr. a text the day after the AFC title game. “I told him that I have even more respect than I ever did for Tom,” he said. “The beating he took, the way he kept getting up, the way he took his team down late. He played like the true champion he is. You’re not supposed to get hit that much. Quarterbacks do not last if they go through that every Sunday.”… If Jerry Jones has a choice between Robert Griffin III or Johnny Manziel as the backup to Tony Romo next season, then the clear choice is RG3. Manziel is completely unreliable. Perhaps if the Raiders move to Las Vegas, then Manziel would be interested in playing there.