Let's clear the obvious out of the way:
Tom Brady > Peyton Manning, and it isn't even close.
Bill Belichick and his staff > John Fox and his staff, and it isn't even close.
With the obvious out of the way, why did such a talented group of receivers and offensive weapons fail so spectacularly, and fall so limp, on the greatest stage of them all, while the Patriots v Seahawks played itself out like a true heavyweight fight, now being praised by many as the greatest Superbowl of all time?
Offensive line:
Manning apologists were quick to throw the offensive line under the bus, and blame everything on them, but Brady didn't have a ton of time either. Chris Collinsworth mentioned that, during Seattle practices, a whistle was being blown 2.5 seconds after the snap, because that's all the time they would have before Tom got rid of the ball. Peyton's release is basically the same, yet the game didn't play out the same for both quarterbacks.
Two thoughts on this after watching a little of the Denver v Seattle Superbowl yesterday:
1. Tom's pocket awareness is really incredible, and he's so good at sensing the rush coming from his sides, stepping up into the pocket, and firing a laser down the field for a completion.
2. Peyton Manning is a pocket sloth and doesn't do much in the way of footing and pocket adjustments. He panics and does stupid stuff, or gets swallowed by edge rushers that Tom would have avoided by stepping up and rocketing the ball downfield.
3. Peyton Manning's deer-in-headlights look against quality postseason defenses just really cannot be understated, as much as his worshippers refuse to acknowledge its existence. Remember back in high school when you saw a kid who doesn't like to fight, get in one? That's what Peyton looks like in these situations.
Conclusion: Blaming Denver's offensive line, and pretending New England's was worlds better, is laughable. The offensive lines looked to me like they played basically the same. The difference was the quarterbacks.
Receivers:
Denver's receivers looked like they did not want to get hit. This isn't the first time its been said. The entire world said the same thing about the game. In the words of Steven A Smith, "Kam Chancellor and those boys put a hat on 'em."
Is it fair or unfair to blame Peyton Manning's sulking gomer pile routine on this? At first glance, it might seem unfair to blame Peyton Manning for everything, but this has been the story of his receivers going back to Indianapolis. Why do Peyton Manning's receivers never play like they would run through a brick wall for him, while Patriot receivers always play like they would for Psycho Tom? Is it fair to say each quarterback brings a certain level of intensity to their team that inspires a certain culture and toughness?
Patriot receivers looked passionate about winning won for Tom, just like they were passionate about shutting up Tom's critics after week #4.
Peyton's receivers looked like they could care less, and cashed out after the first few big hits, and weren't interested in braving the fire for a quarterback who was pouting in the 1st quarter.
Conclusion: Peyton Manning is not a leader, and this had a ripple effect across the entire team. The Denver defense, I thought, over achieved in that game, but with no faith in the soul-sucking Manning face mounting any historic comeback, which is the opposite mentality seen on the Patriots sideline, they gave up in the 2nd half. The entire Denver team was ready to go home shortly thereafter.
So with my psychoanalysis on Peyton Manning teams out of the way, which I think is absolutely fair, following a clear trend going back to Indianapolis, and amplified even further in Denver with a bunch of young rookies left to follow the lead of a stat-compiler, regular season glory hound utterly lacking in championship spirit, I hope the X's and O guys can come in to provide further explanation.
