We
often hear the phrase "one-hit-wonder" in music. Athletes and teams
such as the Atlanta Braves of the 90s, the 2002-2003 Super Bowl winning
Tampa Bay Bucs, the Ohio State Buckeyes, the 2008 NBA Champion Boston
Celtics, and Peyton Manning can often be called "one-ring-wonders". But
with the stats and records that Peyton Manning currently holds, he
should often be labled as a choker every season.
Already
a league MVP, a Super Bowl MVP, and a Sports Illustrated Sportsman of
the year, Peyton Manning now has the single season touchdown record. He
owned the record in 2004 as a Colt, then he lost it to rival Tom Brady,
now he has it again as a Bronco. Yesterday he and his Denver team
destroyed the already-destroyed Houston Texans while breaking the record
scoring his 51st touchdown in the fourth quarter.
While
his acheivement is being hailed as another major achievement as a major
accomplishment, much of the press is already saying "great but what
about the playoffs". If football was more than a one a week game, there
would be much scrutiny over Manning lack of multiple championships.
In
every season in the National Football League, many players are defined
by how they do in the regular and postseason. Ted Williams nay have not
won a single championships before David Ortiz did and Bobby Cox may have
gotten one World Series ring the many years his Braves dominated the
National League but because there are many games in Baseball there isn't
a lot of pressure to win more than one championships. Manning has had
many success but is often criticized for his inconsistency in the
postseason.
There will be a lot of
challenges this season too. Though the Broncos have the best record in
the AFC, they have a lot of holes that will be very hard to fill on
defense. One of those holes is the one open by the loss of Von Miller
for the season after an MRI revealed he tore his ACL in Manning's
history making game yesterday.
A lot of
pressure is put on Manning's shoulders especially after the embarassing
early playoff loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Raven last
season. It will take every bit of focus and determination to to get the
home of his brother Eli's team and Super Bowl XLVIII. Manning is still
among the best in this generation. He got a record back from Brady. Will
Mannning lead his team past Brady in the playoffs this season? That
remains to be seen. But even if he does not, he should still be known
foremost as among the greatest quarterbacks of all time.
