Peon's Place

We knew what this season was coming down to. Why the Colts signed Peyton Manning, one of the best quarterbacks of all time, to a 5-year 90-something million dollar contract after 2 recent neck injuries, is beyond me. But with Andrew Luck from Stanford “Luck-ily” falling into their laps, what happens to their veteran?

Nearly four years ago, when the NFL announced that Indianapolis would host the Super Bowl in 2012, you couldn’t blame fans for being excited. Back then, Peyton Manning was 32, and had never missed a game in his dominant NFL career. He was coming off another stellar season, in which the Colts finished 13-3 and took their fifth straight division title. His Colts had won the Super Bowl the prior year, over the Chicago Bears. The dream of Manning marching off the field at Lucas Oil Stadium, hoisting the Lombardi trophy in front of an adoring home crowd, seemed very real.

Now, the dream has been shattered, in a way that no one saw coming. The only Manning who might be winning a Super Bowl in Indy is Eli, Peyton’s little brother, whose Giants will play my San Francisco 49ers on Sunday in the NFC Championship game (New England hosts Baltimore in the AFC title game). And just as the city he turned into an NFL powerhouse enjoys the spotlight that comes with a Super Bowl, it’s entirely possible that Peyton may have already played his last game for the Colts.  Read the rest of this entry » Peyton Manning or Not, th…

After 3 weeks of NFL football, there are a few surprises that I am still shocked to see. Two teams which are undefeated were in the bottom 5 the past few years. A huge upset win against a top-tier team.

First off, I don’t care who you are. Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Brett Favre, Joe Montana. I don’t care if you throw 4 touchdown passes. You are not going to win a game if you also throw 4 interceptions. And Tom Brady did just that, and those hapless Buffalo Bills took the win from the New England Patriots, ending a 15 game losing streak (over 7 years, people).

Linda and I were headed to San Francisco yesterday for a concert in Golden Gate Park (Goo Goo Dolls, Michelle Branch, and others), and we opted to take BART (bay area rapid transit) to get there. One of the stops it makes is right in front of the Oakland Coliseum (A’s and Raiders) and Oakland Arena (Golden State Warriors), and of course it being Sunday and the home opener for Oakland, there were masses of Raider fans decked out in their gear. I mumbled to Linda several times, not to be heard by fans that would likely have murdered me on the train, “the Jets are going to slaughter the Raiders).  Read the rest of this entry » NFL surprises after the f…

Last week I made a post on the top 5 quarterbacks I wouldn’t want to draft, either because you’re going to draft them earlier than they are worth, or because they are too unstable or have competition fighting for their job.

Over my last 3 seasons of Fantasy Football, I have had Drew Brees (2008, top QB, and 2009 Superbowl winner) and Aaron Rodgers (2009/2010, #2 QB and Superbowl win in 2010). Now that both players are first or second round pickups, and I find value that is similar in other players beyond those rounds, here’s where I am ranking my pickups.  Read the rest of this entry » Top 5 Fantasy Football QB…

Also coming this weekend, Eli leads the Giants against his big brother and the Colts, for only the second time — the first was in 2006.

The Manning clan, including father Archie, a former-Pro Bowl quarterback with the New Orleans Saints, poke fun at each other in a humorous commercial to promote a game expected to produce monstrous television ratings.

“I think you have to try and enjoy it and understand it is special to look over there and see your big brother on the sidelines,” Eli told reporters. “You have to enjoy these times and take advantage of it and remember it. “We really just don’t know how many times it’s going to happen. It’s rare and I’m trying to appreciate it.”

When the brothers met in the first Manning Bowl in 2006, Peyton, who is five years older, was already well on his way to a Hall of Fame career while Eli was just beginning his third season and still undergoing intense on the job training. Peyton and the Colts won that game 26-21 but four years later much has changed.

Since that night at Giants Stadium, both Eli and Peyton have gone on to lead their teams to Super Bowl titles and Super Bowl most valuable player awards. Both are former first-overall draft picks and have been to the Pro Bowl.