Peyton Manning is the king of statistics, but he became the prince of NFL quarterbacks on Sunday. Manning lost his sixth playoff game and is beginning to look like his generation's Dan Marino: a feared passer from September to December, a flawed one in January.
And there are signs that the playoff frustrations have begun to take their toll.
Moments after a crushing 21-18 loss to Pittsburgh on Sunday, someone asked Manning why the Steelers had been able to blitz his Colts out of the playoffs. On every big down, in every crucial situation, the Steelers were able to make Manning hurry, stumble or overthrow receivers. On five critical occasions, Pittsburgh sacked Manning.
PHOTO: AFP
How come?
Manning hesitated, then said something about how we news media guys were always asking him about other positions.
"I'm trying to be a good teammate here," he said in a stunning -- for him -- signal that the sacks weren't his fault, that somehow the sacks were caused by missed assignments by blockers who failed to provide the protection he needed to do his job in the pocket. On Sunday, the Steelers had Manning in their pockets.
Finally, Manning said: "Let's just say we had some problems in protection. I'll give Pittsburgh credit for their blitzes and their rush, but we did have some problems."
Indeed.
For the sixth time in his eight-year career, Manning's Colts were knocked out of the playoffs. Once again, his performance set the tone. As Manning himself said, these postseason "get 'em next year" speeches are becoming difficult to give and probably tiring to hear.
This is more to the point: The traditional drop-back passer so many know and love took a giant step toward extinction on Sunday. Look at the quarterbacks remaining in the playoffs. They all have the ability to escape and none are above rolling out to buy time, to save the offense from a yards-consuming sack.
A 21st-century quarterback must be able to get away, not merely get out of the way. He must be able to punish the defense for blitzing with abandon, which Manning did not do against Pittsburgh.
These NFL playoffs, coupled with Vince Young's performance for Texas in the Rose Bowl, signify the end of the lead-footed "classic quarterback" ideal that Manning represents so well.
That kind of quarterback can shred any secondary as long as he has maximum protection and a fast track. But faced with a constant barrage of well-disguised blitzes, he is disarmed. Manning is one of the greatest pocket passers in the NFL, but there is diminishing space for the pure passer who cannot run. Offensive coordinators love them, but so do opposing defenses.
The news media marvel at Manning's hand jive at the line of scrimmage: the flurry of signals, the motions, the waving and the gesturing. In the end, they were so many ineffective pump fakes.
You wonder, what else can the Colts do? They had the road all laid out: home-field advantage, no New England Patriots to contend with. Do they get a bigger offensive line? Better receivers? In the near future, this season may be as good as it gets. Manning is stuck with the Colts, the Colts are stuck with Manning. It's been a good union, though it may not be a Super Bowl one.
The Colts have the best offensive show on earth from September to December. Once again, the show has shut down in January. Once again, the prince of quarterbacks won't be good enough to be king.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
The sacred flame for the Paris Olympics was lit yesterday in Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the ancient Games, in a ceremony inspired by antiquity and marked by messages of hope amid multiple global crises. “In ancient times, the Olympic Games brought together the Greek city states, even — and in particular — during times of war and conflict,” International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said. “Today, the Olympic Games are the only event that brings the entire world together in peaceful competition. Then as now, the Olympic athletes are sending this powerful message — yes, it is possible to compete fiercely