Missing the Colts' Real MVPs
Football is the most undemocratic of sports. Every player contributes to victory. But the quarterback receives accolades that often far exceed his performance.
Take last night’s Super Bowl, for example, when Peyton Manning quarterbacked his Indianapolis Colts to victory over the hapless Chicago Bears. Manning’s performance was nothing more than competent. He managed to lead his team the length of the football field five or six times. Each time the Colts reached the “red zone”, however, the drive would come to a standstill as Manning failed to use multiple receiving and rushing talents, and his own gift for scrambling, to drive his team into the end zone. The Colts scored only one offensive touchdown on their way to 29 points.
Manning had plenty of time to make plays. His offensive line protected him well. Manning was sacked just once, and Chicago’s defense got its hands on the quarterback just a couple of times more. Yet no offensive linemen stood on the podium with the team owner, coach, NFL commissioner and Manning to accept the Vince Lombardi trophy.
Manning rarely passed the ball in last night’s Super Bowl, the first ever played in the rain. He usually handed the slippery football to his running backs rather than risk throwing through the deluge. The backs racked up the bulk of yardage and scored the team’s only offensive touchdown.
A Colt’s defender scored the other touchdown following his interception of a Bear’s pass. A second Colt’s defender intercepted a pass late in the fourth quarter to end the Bear’s final offensive drive.
Maybe there are simply too many star performers on a football team to give an MVP trophy to just one. The quarterback is at the nexus of their efforts. He is the symbol of their collective success or failure. Last night, however, other player’s performances shone brighter than Peyton Manning’s. After the game, the light of center stage should have focused on one of them.
Take last night’s Super Bowl, for example, when Peyton Manning quarterbacked his Indianapolis Colts to victory over the hapless Chicago Bears. Manning’s performance was nothing more than competent. He managed to lead his team the length of the football field five or six times. Each time the Colts reached the “red zone”, however, the drive would come to a standstill as Manning failed to use multiple receiving and rushing talents, and his own gift for scrambling, to drive his team into the end zone. The Colts scored only one offensive touchdown on their way to 29 points.
Manning had plenty of time to make plays. His offensive line protected him well. Manning was sacked just once, and Chicago’s defense got its hands on the quarterback just a couple of times more. Yet no offensive linemen stood on the podium with the team owner, coach, NFL commissioner and Manning to accept the Vince Lombardi trophy.
Manning rarely passed the ball in last night’s Super Bowl, the first ever played in the rain. He usually handed the slippery football to his running backs rather than risk throwing through the deluge. The backs racked up the bulk of yardage and scored the team’s only offensive touchdown.
A Colt’s defender scored the other touchdown following his interception of a Bear’s pass. A second Colt’s defender intercepted a pass late in the fourth quarter to end the Bear’s final offensive drive.
Maybe there are simply too many star performers on a football team to give an MVP trophy to just one. The quarterback is at the nexus of their efforts. He is the symbol of their collective success or failure. Last night, however, other player’s performances shone brighter than Peyton Manning’s. After the game, the light of center stage should have focused on one of them.
posted by CatZoo at 9:28 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home