ALL ABOUT ONE MANN
Super focus put on Peyton
SAN JOSE – Peyton Manning still won’t confirm Super Bowl 50 will be his last game, even if he now admits that Bill Belichick was not the only one he told after the AFC title game that this might be his “last rodeo.”
In a longer than usual post-game meeting with his buddy Tom Brady, he also all but said his farewell to football.
“It’s something I wanted to tell them man-to-man rather than at a banquet or by text. It was important to me they knew it,” Manning said Monday night at the opening night festivities of the Super Bowl. “What I said was this could be it. It doesn’t mean it will be. I told both of them I really enjoyed these games. These guys have been a part of it. Brady is going to play until he’s 70. Belichick is going to coach until he’s 90. Maybe I’ll find the fountain of youth.”
This is Manning’s Super Bowl: The best player in regular season history has a chance for a fairytale ending if he wins his second Super Bowl and erases some of the criticism that he’s underachieved in the playoffs. One title is not enough.
He continues to say he’s in a week-toweek mindset and won’t analyze his future until after the Super Bowl. But every indication is after 18 years and all the important passing records, he’s done after Sunday.
“I don’t see myself knowing that until after the season,” Manning said. “Just stay in the moment, focus on the task at hand. Just deal with this week. That’s what I’ve done all season. Stick with that one more week.”
Manning continued to vehemently deny the Al Jazeera report in December that said he used HGH that was sent to his wife to recover from his neck injuries in 2011. The NFL is conducting an investigation. He said the league can look at his medical records.
“What the report alleges that I did is simply not true,” he said. “It’s fabricated, junk, garbage. I can guarantee this investigation will find absolutely a big, fat nothing. That’s how I feel about it.”
Once he got past the retirement and HGH questions, Manning seemed to enjoy his time with the media on the opening night of the Super Bowl. I asked him how much he’s relied on little brother Eli to fill him in on the Panthers defense.
The Giants lost to the Panthers 3835 on Dec. 20. They trailed 35-7 with five minutes left in the third quarter, but Manning threw three touchdown passes in the final 16 minutes to get the Giants even before Cam Newton moved Carolina into position for the winning field goal with no time left on the clock. Eli finished with four TDs.
Peyton and Eli have been trading intelligence about common opponents for the last 12 years. Eli helped Peyton prepare for the Patriots in the AFC title game. Peyton missed the regular season game against New England. The Giants lost to the Pats, also on a last-second field goal.
“Obviously the Giants got down early to Carolina and made a great comeback,” Peyton said. “Any time you can talk to a quarterback who has played against this defense – it’s an unfamiliar opponent.”
Did Eli tell him anything he wouldn’t have seen himself?
“Maybe he has,” he said. “I think it’s important to take all the information you can.”
Of course, the Giants played the Seahawks late in the 2013 season and lost 23-0. Eli threw five interceptions. A few weeks later, the Broncos played Seattle in
the Super Bowl at MetLife Stadium. The Broncos lost 43-8 and Peyton threw two interceptions and had one returned for a touchdown. Clearly, Eli didn’t figure out the Seahawks defense and neither did Peyton. At least in the Carolina game, Eli was unstoppable late in the game.
Did Eli advise him not to let Demaryius Thomas get baited into a fight with Josh Norman? Odell Beckham Jr. lost control of his emotions playing against Norman, who is an agitator.
“I really didn’t get into that with him,” Peyton said. “It’s two competitive guys. Norman is a good player. He’s an outstanding football player. He will be a challenge for all our receivers.”
As part of the Super Bowl 50 celebration, all the Super Bowl MVPs have been invited to the game. They will take part in a pregame ceremony on the field. Eli was the MVP of Super Bowls XLII and XLVI. Peyton was the MVP of Super Bowl XLI, one year before Eli’s first award. Presumably, the MVPs will be announced in order.
Peyton was hoping he would be able to stand next to his brother, but it all depends whether the teams are on the field at that point.
“I would love to have a chance to see my brother on the field before the game,” Peyton said. “It would be pretty cool to be out there with him. I don’t know if it’s possible or not.”
This is not the same Peyton Manning who won the Super Bowl nine years ago. His arm strength is not the same since his neck injury caused nerve damage in his arm more than four years ago. He’s getting by in a much different way.
“I haven’t been 100% healthy all season,” Manning said. “I can’t make some of the same throws or do some of the same things I used to. I can still move the chains.”
If this is his last rodeo, it’s been a great show for the last 18 years.