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Peyton Manning should have shunned the limelight during Super Bowl week and let it focus on Eli Manning

Clarksville, TN – Super Bowl Sunday is almost here, and I understand the game is in Indianapolis and is the football home of Colts’ quarterback Peyton Manning, but enough of his saga about whether he’ll be with the team next year already. At least for this week.

Don’t get me wrong, whether Peyton is going to be an Indianapolis Colt next year or not is big news and is already the hot, prime-time topic and will be overly discussed until that looming March 8th deadline and even beyond.

And I don’t fault the media for chasing down and keeping on top of Manning’s situation. They’re in close proximity to he man that made football popular in Indiana and might never get this close again. There’s a job to be done and if you can get a quip from good ole’ Peyton you’ve got to try.

That’s why I’ll even give Jim Irsay a small pass, too, because after all he’s the main reason the Super Bowl is in America’s Heartland for the first time ever. He got the brand new stadium built and made a proper place for the NFL to play its biggest game of the year. Remember, the media’s job is to ask questions and if the question your asked is whether your star quarterback is going to return or will be replaced by Andrew Luck is one that needs to be answered.

But that’s also why I fault Peyton a little more because you have to think he knew this blitz was coming and out of respect to the Manning that is actually playing in the Super Bowl, his little brother Eli; Peyton should have refused most of those media requests until next week after his brother plays in the big game for the second time in his career with New York Giants when they face the New England Patriots (something that his big brother Peyton should have accomplished already.)

So am I saying Peyton is jealous of Eli’s success and chance to double up his Super Bowl ring collection and trying to steal the limelight away from his little brother, not exactly, but close.

Let’s be honest, Peyton is the bell cow of the Manning quarterbacking family. While people love and revere Archie for surviving in New Orleans those years he did and taking them to the biggest successes the team had at the time, it all took a back seat as Peyton started climbing the ladder of success and displaying the skills man of his fans have come to know and love.

And even while Eli was coming up and making his way to the big stage and won his Super Bowl to match big brother’s, the thought still is and I won’t argue it much, that Peyton is the better of the two.

But this is Eli’s week and not Peyton’s. It’s Eli that’s led his team to a second Super Bowl in four years and not Peyton. It’s Eli Manning that will have the chance to become the 11th quarterback to win at least two Super Bowls.

Peyton should have been savvier and taken a back seat from the moment Eli clinched the Super Bowl berth and politely told all those looking to get the news of the day, “Sorry, but this is my brother’s week and the spotlight should focus on him.”

James D. Horne
James D. Hornehttp://www.clarksvillesportsnetwork.com/
James D. Horne began his writing career at the Carrollton Missouri Democrat in 1995, and was the assistant sports editor/writer for the Hammond Louisiana Daily Star for two years.  In 1998, Horne became the Missouri Basketball beat writer for the Columbia Daily Tribune. He joined The Leaf-Chronicle in Oct. 2003 as the lead prep writer and became the Austin Peay beat writer in March of 2005. During his career he won a state association sports writing award at the Daily Star and two while at the Leaf-Chronicle. Originally from Tampa, Florida, Horne earned his B.A in communications from Central Methodist University in Fayette Missouri.
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1 COMMENT

  1. “But this is Eli’s week and not Peyton’s. It’s Eli that’s led his team to a second Super Bowl in four years and not Peyton. It’s Eli Manning that will have the chance to become the 11th quarterback to win at least two Super Bowls.”

    Agreed, Peyton should have behaved as he did at the NFC Championship game and kept the focus on Eli. But to your statement quoted above, Peyton led the Colts to two Super Bowls in four years. It just happens that we Colts fans prefer to forget the second one as it was a loss to New Orleans. Let’s hope Little Brother can bring home a second ring!

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