The Greatness of Peyton Manning

I used to ridicule Manning. With his wild geticulations at the line of scrimmage prior to seemingly every play, his quick run off of the field after a touchdown throw to Marvin Harrison or some other streaking receiver, his sheer goofiness and largeness, his habitual Deep South drawl (which of course masked a withering, deep seated intelligence for both football and, seemingly, life) here was someone easy to laugh at and to dislike without regret.

Now, towards the end of his career and after his not too long ago Super Bowl win, his leading the Indianapolis Colts to the most regular season wins in a decade in the history of the NFL during the 2000s, and his hilarious and self deprecating performances on countless television advertisements, I hold him in awe. The kind of awe reserved for only the true greats of sport. And by that I mean not just the athletes who won more games and titles than others, such as Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, or the recently retired Randy Johnson ( by all accounts not too pleasant of individuals), but the ones that seemed to find a way to live their lives in balance with athletic excellence and respectable personal stories. Bill Russell and Bobby Orr, to name two local examples. Russell is not only the winningest team sport athlete in American history, he has used his fierce intellect and sharply wielded pride to make the world a better place in various small ways, having written some excellent books and using his fame as a sort of bully pulpit to speak out on civil rights issues. Orr has been the most graceful of ex-jocks, with not one unkind word, to my knowledge, ever being spoken about him in the media. Bobby Orr is as beloved an athletic figure as has ever lived due to his apparent kindness and class in dealing with those who worship his talent. Some other athletes I have respect for for both their achievements on the field but in life are Jim Brown, Alan Page, Ali, Tom Heinsohn, and Johnny Unitas.

Manning's ability to laugh at himself in public would be notable were he in many other careers besides professional sports. Because he is a football player, though, this trait makes him both adorable and admirable. How many others who get paid to run into other large men would be so willing to play the fool?

Now that New England is done with professional football for the season, here's hoping that Manning and the Colts win out.