EMQB NFL Blogcast

It wasn’t just Peyton Manning who was “getting the monkey off his back.” It was the entire Indianapolis Colts organization. Peyton’s just the face of the team. It takes 53 players to win a game. And it takes 53 players to lose a game. Well, it takes 11 at any one given time, but you get my point. In tonight’s AFC Championship game, much was made of Peyton Manning vs. Tom Brady. And much was made of the Colts vs. the Patriots. Rightfully so. They were playing against each other. More fittingly, however, I would say it was the Colts vs. the entire NFL. But, there was a conflicting link between these two teams. As any (mere) casual fan of football knows, the Patriots have had a great deal of playoff success since 2002, winning three Super Bowls. The Colts? Not so good. Since Peyton arrived in 1998 (not including this 3-0 postseason), the Colts were 3-6 in the playoffs with nary a Super Bowl appearance.

This year would be different. Indy erased an 18-point deficit and earned a date with the Bears on Super Sunday in a hard-earned 38-34 victory. Afterwards, Peyton appeared happy and relieved, but he also behaved as though he knew there was work left to do. And, of course, there is. As all pro football players will attest, there really is only one prize that separates the good players from the great players; the good teams from the great teams. World championships. And even a player (a QB no less) like Dan Marino, who is in the Hall of Fame, is remembered as much for what he didn’t accomplish as for what he did achieve. You know that’s true. Sad, but true. Same thing with the Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings, both losers of four Super Bowls apiece. Good teams, sure. But great teams?

Championship or no championship, Peyton Manning will undoubtedly be considered among the best QBs of all-time. He just hopes to be remembered among those great ones. The world champions. As for the Colts as a team, it’s hard to even count their 1971 Super Bowl V victory. That was when they called Baltimore home. One thing’s for sure. They’re no Pittsburgh Steelers, Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers or New England Patriots. Not yet. First thing’s first, though. For Peyton to be revered as a great player and for Indy to be revered as a great team, a Super Bowl win is the business unfinished.