Peyton and Tony Finally Slew The Dragon
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by user Leslie Monteiro
Former Red Sox great Pedro Martinez admitted after the game that the Yankees were his daddy. He said it out of frustration when the Yankees beat him on September 24, 2004. It was a rare honesty by a great competitor. Colts quarterback Peyton Manning and Colts head coach Tony Dungy had to relate to Pedro because Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and Patriots head coach Bill Belichick have owned them in the playoffs and in regular season games since 2003.
The way it was looking in this game, the Patriots were going to do it again. Patriots were not only scoring and capitalizing the Colts mistakes in the first half, but they clearly frustrated Manning by sacking him and then covering his receivers thanks to the help of Asante Samuel, who likely will be a Jet because the Patriots rather develop replacements than paying top dollar to their free agents, and Ellis Hobbs.
The football gods thankfully had mercy on those two gentlemen in the second half. For whatever reason, Manning was able to figure out the Patriots defense. He was starting to throw much better. His running game was very productive. Manning was able to orchestrate several great drives. The best one came in the end with two minutes left. He was able to find his guy when he had to. He made sharp throws to put him and his team in a position to score the touchdown. Joseph Addai, who did a great job as Edgerrin James's replacement this season, scored the game-winning touchdown in the final quarter. His touchdown punched the Colts ticket to Miami to play the Chicago Bears, who defeated the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Championship Game. Colts won the game 38-34.
This last touchdown drive of the game has to be Peyton's big moment of his football career by far. He was not going to be denied of this moment. The Patriots and their fans knew it. Belichick clearly was constipated in the sidelines because he knew that his brilliant defensive schemes was not going to stop him this time.
The impressive thing about the Colts quarterback was how calm and methodical he was out in the field in a big spot. This is something that his brother can learn from in this game. He just did not seem frustrated or flustered. He took a lot of hits, but he kept on ticking. He kept playing out there. He did not give up on himself. He just found a way to get the job done. He has always done that in the regular season, but in big playoff games, he has failed in those situations. Yesterday, he finally overcame his demons and just played like the best quarterback that he is supposed to be. He made the plays that his counterpart, Tom Brady is used to making at this time of the year. That final play that he knew in his heart that he was going to get it done. At this time last year, he could not have felt that way in that same situation.
Everyone can praise Peyton all they want, but do not forget what coach Dungy did either. His leadership was huge in this game. He clearly did not panic or scream like a lunatic (i.e. Tom Coughlin and Brad Childress). He just had his guys playing. He was telling them what plays to run. Him and his staff did a great job with game adjustments in the second half. A great leader finds a way to overcome obstacles. Dungy did that in this game. This was also his finest moment as a head coach.
Dungy has always been a great coach. He does not have to apologize to anyone even if he felt short yesterday. Unfortunately, we live in a society where we judge athletes and coaches on championships. He has never got much attention because he has not gone to the big dance. His Buccaneers teams would fall short which is why he was fired for Jon Gruden, who has proven that he can not win with his own players at Tampa Bay. He has taken the Colts to championship games, but apparently it is not good enough for some critics. Hopefully, those geniuses will start realizing that he can coach. The best part of this victory was seeing this class act getting to that elusive Super Bowl.
One can tell how this win was a huge relief for the Colts quarterback. He was so happy when the game was over. His facial reaction and the way he conducted himself in the press conference said it all. It was like a high school senior graduating high school in a commencement ceremony. This guy wants to win the whole prize. There are many players who seem content to be mediocre or be the runnerup. Not this guy. It has to be painful to hear and read comments about how he will never be a winner or how he will never in the Super Bowl. Plus, he may have like six or seven years left and there is no guarantee that he may be there. It is really good that he is a win away in getting the championship that he desires.
The Patriots were clearly a defining point for those two men. Their success was based on what they did on Sunday. Sooner or later, they had to step up and get the job done or it may never happen. Everyone picked the Patriots to win because they have seen the same scene time after time. No one was going to favor the Colts till the situation was changed. Finally, this happened yesterday. Now people can shut up about the greatness of Belichick and Brady and how they can get into everyone's head.
Maybe good things happen to those that wait. They finally accomplished this in front of their home crowd. It was probably good that they did this at the RCA Dome especially in a thrilling fashion. The place went crazy as soon as Addai scored the final touchdown of the game. Indianapolis was in party mode when Tom Brady got intercepted by backup cornerback Marlin Jackson in the final play of the game.
Those two will definitely be the storylines in the Super Bowl. There will be so much talk about their place in history. With the way things have gone for them in the playoffs, they are not going to be denied in winning a championship. Chicago has played well in the playoffs, but there is no way that Peyton and Tony are not going to be denied of a championship.
After fighting with this dragon in the Patriots, the Bears should be a picnic.
