Manning vs. Belichick:
Manning vs. Belichick is a chess match for the AFC championship
If you’re looking for a rivalry within a rivalry, this ranks as a big one too.
According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, the first known use of the word rivalry occurred in 1598. The giants and Lilliputians were a bigger deal then than the Broncos and New England Patriots.
At their essence, sports are about competition, about keeping score. There’s no recipe for a great rivalry. And it doesn’t have to involve teams. In the AFC championship game, the best rivalry arguably is not Peyton Manning vs. Tom Brady. It’s The Brain vs. The Machine. Manning against Bill Belichick.
“There is not a player off my team I havemore respect for than Peyton,” Belichick said. “He is a great player. We’ve had tremendous battles against him through the years.”
Belichick makes a living crawling into the cranium of opposing quarterbacks. He takes away an opponent’s strength, creates discomfort by isolating assignments of his players. Former Patriots linebacker Chad Brown said that near the end of his career, his job narrowed to the point where he was asked to guard a specific receiver on third down. Heath Evans, a former Patriots fullback, described watching the New England defense practice and communicate as if they were using a secret coded language.
It creates an interesting dynamic Sunday. When Manning and Belichick meet, it’s not so much a game as an IQ test.
“I think their entire team is extremely well coached, not just their defense,” Manning said. “Their offense and special teams, every time I’ve ever played against these guys, it’s always taken all three phases playing well if you’re going to have a chance to win. It’s a real credit to all of their coaches, to their players for taking the coaching and doing what the coaches are telling them. They always have a lot of talent and combine that with excellent coaching, it’s a tough combination.”
In the beginning, Belichick ruled this matchup. After Belichick took over the Patriots in 2000, Manning went 1-7 in his first eight games against New England.
The stretch included 10 interceptions for Manning. Manning threw four interceptions in a loss at New England in the 2003 AFC championship game. Worse followed the next season. Manning threw a record 49 touchdown passes, and ar- rived in New England for the playoffs against a decimated Patriots’ defense. The Indianapolis Colts scored just three points, leaving Manning inconsolable.
“I am responsible, accountable and so disappointed I couldn’t do my job better to help my team win,” Manning said.
Since then, the ledger has evened. Manning has won six of the past 11 meetings, extending a career arc that propelled him into the conversation among the alltime greats. In 2009, Belichick’s respect for Manning spawned a rare miscue. He decided to go for it on fourth-and-2 from his 28yard line rather than punt the ball to Manning. It backfired, leading to a Colts win. The decision remains an anomaly on Belichick’s résumé, but it makes sense that it involved Manning.
Their chess match requires patience, and the ability to resist temptation. The common refrain thisweek is that Belichick will devise a scheme to stop the run, daring Manning to beat the Patriots along the sideline or up the seams.
Manning and Belichick are con- nected as opponents by wavelengths. Manning and Brady receive the hype, but the Manning-Belichick brain game could determine the outcome.
“Coach Belichick is the best coach that I’ve ever competed against,” Manning said before they met for the 2013 AFC championship. “I think it’s safe to say he’ll go down as the greatest NFL coach of all time. His teams are always well coached, always well disciplined, and you know it’s going to be a 60-minute fight. Tome, that speaks to his coaching.”