Eli Manning's tribute to his brother

Going out on top

It's official: Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning has retired. Mike Klis writes this article about Manning's fabulous career.

Two quarterbacks, two Superbowls

2016


2014

Arrogance vs. humility

Kyle Smith writes this in the New York Post about the quarterback matchups in the Super Bowl:

Cam Newton may be the best player in football, but as a man he has a lot of learning to do. He needs to study the virtue called humility.

Newton is a braggart, a showboat and a clown. He says things like, “Hear me out. I’m just saying that so much of my talents have not been seen in one person.” (“Just”!) He does elaborate end-zone dances right in the faces of opposing players. (“If you don’t like it, keep me out of the end zone,” he later said.) Even getting a simple first down inspires him to strike a pose. He named his son “Chosen,” he says, because he didn’t want the kid to carry the awful burden of being known as Cam Newton Jr. Apparently those were the only two options. “Saint” was already taken.

After Sunday’s game, win or lose, a remarkable event will occur in the vicinity of Peyton Manning: Opposing players will line up to shake hands with him. That’s the respect that comes with not only being a legendary player but a good man. Manning never humiliated his opponents, never trash-talked them, never forgot the value of sportsmanship. He is the only player ever to win five MVP awards and the only one to beat Tom Brady three times in the postseason. Yet he never acts like he is The Man because he never forgets that he is a man. No one calls him arrogant.

Read more here.

A new form of terrorism

I hope Peyton Manning sues Al Jazeera back to where they came from.

The ESPN story is here.
Here is ESPN's Chris Mortenson telling about his interview with the person who was the source for the Manning story.

A new NFL season

Peyton Manning embarks on his seventeenth season tonight, as he and his fellow Denver Broncos play the Indianapolis Colts in Denver. I have never seen such excitement and anticipation at the beginning of a Broncos season. Fans are snapping up everything stores can sell that have a Denver Broncos emblem on them.

The game has started, so you can roll up the streets and highways now. All television sets will be turned to one channel. Stores can close their doors and send everybody home.

Update: The game is over. Broncos won 31-24. Next up: the Kansas City Chiefs come to Denver next Sunday afternoon.

What sets him apart?

From the Denver Post
Guest Commentary by
By Laurie Lattimore-Volkmann

I am not a sports reporter, not an NFL analyst, not a former player.

I've never studied film, and I've not catalogued all the best and worst moments in football history.

I know the game of football well, though I still can't figure out why you can challenge a first-down spot but not a pass interference call.

What I have done is played some seriously rugged flag football games, donned blue and orange every Sunday from August to January for the past 43 years, sat through some unbelievably frigid games at Mile High (once while seven months pregnant), and cheered for the Denver Broncos since before I can remember ... even during the heart-crushing games.

I even named my beloved black lab after John Mobley (who I still believe is responsible for saving the Broncos' victory in Super Bowl XXXII against the Packers).

And, most proudly, I am a mom of two little boys who adore their No. 18 jerseys and can't wait to find out "how Peyton Manning's team did" every Monday morning.

So I am undeniably biased.

And it is because of my bias — and lack of NFL analysis experience — that makes me far more qualified to talk about your legacy than any of those analysts, former players, coaches and commentators (I'm looking at you, Mike Greenberg and Cris Carter). They operate in a world where urgency dictates everything, and controversy and sensationalism make the headlines.

No, I am more qualified because I am a mom.

I actually understand — on the most basic level — what legacy truly means.

Legacy is something handed down that matters. It is something that matters to young players and athletes and kids looking for mentors to help them find their way.

You don't hand down Super Bowl trophies. You don't hand down NFL MVP titles or franchise records. And you don't hand down touchdowns, statistics or win-loss records.

You hand down an example of work ethic, of courage to come back after a career-threatening injury, of humility in victory and graciousness in defeat, and of perspective on one's own accomplishments. That legacy matters, and that's why yours is untarnished, even — and especially — after last Sunday's Super Bowl XLVIII loss.

It matters that you're professional in the way you talk to reporters.

It matters that you give credit to others — coaches, teammates, mentors.

It matters that you don't give up in a bad game and keep fighting, no matter the odds.

It matters that you take time to write notes to fans and sign autographs — even after crushing defeats.

It matters that you know the difference between being embarrassed by your team's performance and just not being the best team on the field that day.

And it matters that you meticulously prepare to play the game ... and encourage everyone around you to do the same.

I doubt you take stock in what those analysts say about your legacy (no doubt a trait your father has bestowed upon you and your brothers), but I want you to know that this mom of two young boys (who already recognize you're different from the others) believes your legacy has never been stronger.

And I'm confident thousands of others agree with me.

Whether you win another game, your accomplishments in football are nothing short of remarkable — alongside many other outstanding players. But it's your character that sets you apart from so many of your predecessors and peers.

And that's a legacy that matters.

"All Pro Minds" (and mouths)

Richard Sherman brags to Sports Illustrated writer Robert Klemko

“All we did was play situational football,” Sherman says. “We knew what route concepts they liked on different downs, so we jumped all the routes. Then we figured out the hand signals for a few of the route audibles in the first half.”

He demonstrates the signs Manning used for various routes, and says he and his teammates were calling out plays throughout the game and getting them right. “Me, Earl [Thomas], Kam [Chancellor]… we’re not just three All-Pro players. We’re three All-Pro minds,” Sherman says. “Now, if Peyton had thrown in some double moves, if he had gone out of character, we could’ve been exposed.”