On Pro Football
Hector Longo
If one statistic indicts Peyton Manning and his bid to claim his spot at the top of the NFL quarterback hierarchy, it is sacks.
Rinse out the sweat, hold the detergent, Manning's uniform doesn't need to be washed. Manning dropped back to pass 45 times and wasn't touched.
Zero sacks.
Hardly a lineman's glove grazed him.
How did he lose? It's a question that ESPN and all the rest of the NFL's media sycophants will ignore, one that Boston sports talk radio callers will salivate over longer than the pre-Mardi Gras celebration lasts on Bourbon Street.
How could Manning - untouched, unflustered, unhurried and - undeniably toss this one away?
The pressure, not from the Saints but foisted upon himself, sunk Manning and the Colts. This was not a matter of Gregg Williams' defense confusing the Colts.
It was simply a matter of a quarterback realizing what hung in the balance - NFL immortality - and spontaneously combusting.
As tirelessly as CBS' Phil Simms worked to try and cover for Manning's pocket collapse, creating the illusion of Saints' phantom blitzers in his face, you couldn't mask it.
He should have been picked twice before in the fourth, once by Jonathan Vilma and a second time by Malcolm Jenkins.
Finally, Tracy Porter pounced on Manning's panic. With nobody around Manning, he threw a strike to Porter, for the clinching defensive TD. Wayne never had a chance.
Manning's unraveling on the national stage was complete.
All he could offer for a defense was: "He made a great play. He made a great play. Porter made a heck of a play."
And that was after he droned on about the importance of not fielding the onside kick.
Manning's 88.5 quarterback rating (31 of 45 for 333 yards) in the game won't deter his unwavering backers. Neither will the result.
Imagine ESPN's Steve Young last night stating, "Reggie Wayne has the responsibility to cut off defenders. He has to come inside. It's his responsibility."
Nationally, the excuses will pile up, but Manning's legacy as a big game mess is now complete.
Manning had a running game that chewed up 5.2 yards per carry and an offensive line that protected him like the Secret Service tends to Obama. And he blew it.
Never again does he belong in the same sentence with Tom Brady or Joe Montana.
Peyton, even with your one ring, welcome to Marino-ville.
Super scraps
Lost in the hysteria surrounding Porter's pick-six was an obvious missed block-in-the-back call on defensive lineman Will Smith, who shoved Manning with two hands from behind, planting him on the turf. Manning wouldn't have made the play, but a penalty is a penalty, right? ...
Consider Sean Payton a lucky man? After running off tackle on fourth and 1.5 yards and getting stuffed late in the first half, Payton cost his team about 50 seconds of clock time by not calling timeouts. The coach washed all that angst away with a successful onside kick to open the second half. ...
Special congratulations go out Chelmsford's Justin Macione, longtime Saints communications manager and one of the great guys anywhere in the NFL
Stoglin's frustrations boil over following Duke loss-2/12
Timonen "disappointed" in teammates' effort
Morganti: 'Rangers' power play demolished the Flyers'
Timonen: 'I think we got half the guys going and half the guys not'
More shootout woes in store for the Flyers when they face the Red Wings?
The Rangers have the Flyers' number
St. Joseph's vs. Massachusetts Highlights - 2/11
Penn vs. Dartmouth Highlights - 2/11
Drexel vs. Hofstra Highlights - 2/11
La Salle vs. St. Louis Highlights - 2/11
John Wall talks about the loss to the Heat-2/10
Collins takes the blame for the Sixers' final possession
Sixers vs. Clippers highlights
Sixers defensive effort not enough vs. Clippers
Post game plus crew on the Sixers loss
Rose and Zumoff recap the Sixers last second loss
Penn vs. Harvard highlights
Stefon Diggs chooses Maryland, Randy Edsall comments-2/10
Cal Ripken says the Orioles will go as far as their pitching-2/10
Sandusky makes a statement
Julien: 'did it the hard way'
McAdam's Spring Training primer
Doc: Team's effort is 'un-Celtic'
Pierce stresses mental toughness
Globe 10.0 Who was the best free agent in Boston?
Maria Menounos dons a Giants-colored bikini after losing Super Bowl bet-2/7
Thomas' moratorium: 'I'm out, peace'
Gasol: 'Not pleasant' being part of trade rumor
Blakely: Gasol-for-Rondo trade unlikely
Brady-ing is Latest Internet Meme
Globe 10.0: Is Paul Pierce the Celtics greatest scorer?
Ranking Pierce among Celtics greats
Garnett's tale of first meeting Paul Pierce
Pierce's loyalty touted after big night
Hurt Locker: Patriots react to Super Bowl loss
Brown: 'Eli Manning is better than Tom Brady'
Local fans crushed by Patriots loss in Super Bowl XLVI
Marcus Johansson Caps lone goal in loss to Bruins-2/5
Matt Hendricks throws down with the Bruins' Adam McQuaid--2/5
Vinatieri, Law, Brown recount Super Bowl XXXVI
