Jack’s Blog

What’s it like to be one of the most admired quarterbacks of all-time, a person who is financially set for the rest of his life (and his children’s) and, even without football, be one of the most recognized people in the country because of all the commercials you do?

Just ask Peyton Manning.  He’s also the face of a successful franchise, the major reason it wins and loses and the person everyone wants to ask whenever anything goes wrong?  During last night’s SportsCenter, ESPN’s (and Fresno State’s) Trent Dilfer commented that it looked like all that pressure might be finally getting to Manning.  And who could blame him?

Not only is Manning in charge of the Colts’ offense, he’s the guy who has to control the tempo of the game (Dilfer’s terminology) so as to limit the amount of time their (not so good) defense is on the field, manage late game situations and put the ball where a kicker has the best chance to make a game-winning field goal, and, oh yeah, then explain it all, i.e. take the lead at the press conference too.  No other QB has this kind of pressure.

Sure, fans will say it’s nothing different than what Tom Brady or Drew Brees has to do.  Yet, that’s not exactly true.  Their jobs are mostly to put points on the board - not to minimize all the responsibility that entails - as their respective defenses are better and, although they’re sought out for post-game analysis, at least people know the names of their head coaches.  Really, who’s the most anonymous among Bill Belichick, Sean Payton and, uh, Jim Caldwell?  Also, those other two are in different situations in that Brady’s bunch has won multiple championships and Brees is part of a franchise that’s still in its honeymoon period.

Brett Favre’s pressure is certainly comparable but he kinda put that on himself with the annual waffling he’s done.  Plus, he gets a little more of a break due to his age.  Even though most experts say there isn’t a starting QB in the league that doesn’t meticulously prepare every day (now that JaMarcus Russell is gone), Manning’s work ethic (allegedly he puts in more time than other NFL signal callers although that has never been confirmed) is legendary.

If Dilfer is right and all the pressure is finally showing on Manning’s face and in his demeanor, why would he continue to put himself through all of it?  If anyone is unsure of the answer to that question, I refer them to a quote by General George S. Patton, a guy who dealt with pressure over a period of time as well:

“Pressure makes diamonds.”

According to Trent Dilfer, Peyton Manning won the MVP while he was on the sideline during the game Jim Caldwell decided to forego the undefeated season and rest his starters shortly after halftime.  Dilfer’s reasoning was that Manning’s absence from the game showed how much he means to the Colts.  What the nation saw was - when Peyton Manning is at quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts, they win. 

My prediction might be influenced by the fact that my wife and Peyton Manning both went to Tennessee (although separated by a few decades years) and I worked at Fresno State, alma mater of Trent Dilfer, the guy who explained to the sporting world - before the MVP voting - why Manning would win it.  Logic would dictate that as long as Peyton Manning stays in the game, the Colts win.

So my pick to win the Super Bowl is the Colts . . . as long as Peyton Manning stays in the game.  If the Saints can get away with enough of those “remember me” hits - which will be the X factor but also will be difficult after the league (and everyone else) heard Saints’ defensive coordinator, Greg Williams, make those statements about a week ago (don’t think they haven’t been a topic of discussion among the refereeing crew) - and they have a cumulative effect on Manning, rendering him unable to play, I change my pick to New Orleans.

My motto is:

“It’s better to be boldly decisive and risk being wrong than to agonize at length and be right too late.” Â

Some coaches are fire-breathing, aggressive and competitive types, while others are more laid-back, introspective - and competitive.  It’s been said coaches get too much credit when teams win and too much blame when teams lose.  (Note: The same is said about quarterbacks).  So, which model is recommended?

If any research has been done, undoubtedly, it would show that both types (and any other leadership style) have a number of coaches who have been big winners as well as coaches who’ve lost - games and their jobs.  Vince Lombardi and Mike Ditka in one group and Tom Landry and Tony Dungy in the other.  Jimmy Johnson was gregarious as a head coach; Bill Belichick is anything but.

I found the answer in one national wire story I read yesterday.  It discussed the coaches in today’s AFC title game and had the following quote from New York Jets coach, Rex Ryan, when asked about his bravado approach: “Believe in yourself and believe in your team.”  He does, and expresses himself in a way that endears him to Jets’ fans and players.

When his counterpart, Jim Caldwell, head man of the Indianapolis Colts, was questioned about his soft-spoken ways (especially in comparison to Ryan), he summed their differences - which are also their strengths - perfectly:

“The great thing about this game is that it requires an immense amount of authenticity, so you have to be who you are.”