I think I can state with a fair amount of certainty that most sports fans are aware the Super Bowl is going to be played this Sunday in Indianapolis. The New York Giants vs The New England Patriots.
As in previous years, there's a 2 week build-up to this mega-event. A lot of things happen during those 2 weeks.
Coaches study film and develop a game plan. Players practice and study film as well. They also have an extra week for minor injuries to heal -- or at least get them well enough to play in the big game.
And, of course, the media goes crazy. They'll dissect every possible aspect of the game to the point where microbiologists would hang their heads in shame. Officially, the Tuesday before the Super Bowl is called "media day", but that's bull. EVERY day is media day during the course of those 2 weeks. Every relevant question known in the history of mankind will be asked of players and coaches -- and when they run out of those -- they'll start asking stupid ones. Do they really think anybody cares about what some tight end's favorite Madonna song is?
Getting beyond that, one would think the focus of attention would at least be on the teams, individual players, and coaches that will participate in the upcoming Super Bowl. It doesn't seem to be turning out that way. Why? Because it happens to be in Indianapolis, whose NFL team used to feature a man named....
Peyton Manning. This is a guy that didn't play a single down last year, but he's everywhere. During the course of an interview Peyton first professed the Super Bowl shouldn't be about him -- duh -- but then went on and on about his personal career.
See a few sound bytes from Tom Brady. See a Peyton commercial. See Giants' head coach Tom Coughlin responding to questions. See another Peyton commercial -- different product. See former NFLers discuss whether Eli Manning is an elite quarterback. The trailer at the bottom of the screen informs us that Peyton has been medically cleared to play.
Stupid questions or not, isn't it supposed to be about the Super Bowl?
So why is so much discussion centered on Peyton and the $28 million dollar bonus he's due in a month or so?
Who cares? He's already got umpteen millions in the bank and the royalties from endorsements and sales of his #18 jersey show no signs of letting up soon. If the dude never plays again, he's a lock for the Hall of Fame and has enough money to ensure the next few generations of toeheads won't exactly be homeless and hungry.
Besides that, Indianpolis Colts owner Jim Irsay has cleaned house. That head coach Peyton was buddy-buddy with? Gone. The general manager that he had wrapped around his little finger? History.
Don't forget about that $28 million dollar cha-ching staring Irsay in the face. Irsay doesn't even know for sure if soon to be 36 year old Peyton can play again, much less be productive, at his age. Just a guess, but I'd think even an NFL owner would sit up and pay attention to that amount of money before he forks it over. Especially when the Colts own the #1 draft choice and the consensus pick is Andrew Luck, the hot-shot QB from Stanford. It should be a no-brainer. Broom the geezer, take the kid, and build for the future around him.
Of all people, Peyton should understand it's a ruthless business. Players begin, get better, excel, peak, and if they're fortunate enough to have avoided being retired early by a major injury during the course of their careers, they eventually experience the down side. And then they're gone. That's just the way it is.
Huh. Seems like I got caught up talking about Peyton too in the final days leading up to the Super Bowl.
That's just wrong. The commercials are dumb, and his interviews self-serving. I've never remotely been a Colts fan, and the thing I've enjoyed most in Indianapolis over the years was the Indy 500 on Memorial day weekend. Obviously, I'm missing something here.
What is it with this guy anyway?
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