Where's the Fight?

Two years ago today, I started this blog.  It’s somewhat tough to believe, but I continue to do my best to provide those of you who still read with some interesting sports knowledge.

Let’s be real: unless you are a Seahawks fan, the Super Bowl sucked.  There are no two ways about this.  The game was over by 8:45 after Harvin’s kick return and the ads were, for the most part, fairly lousy.  The redeeming qualities of the game were as follows:

-          Bruno Mars in the halftime show, who provided a different yet exciting form of entertainment that likely got some young and senior citizen foots tapping.

-          A new trivia answer to “name the defensive players that have won Super Bowl MVP” which is always a tough, dicey category

-          Shots of Eli Manning looking sad

That’s it in my book.  Tough game to watch and completely unenjoyable from a neutral fan’s perspective.

As far as blame goes, we now confront an offseason of wrangling, bickering, prevaricating, and buffoonery surrounding Peyton Manning.  Not only did he not win the big one this time, he couldn’t have triumphed in a minicamp scrimmage the way Denver played last night.

That’s right, how Denver played, not how he played.  Undoubtedly, he played poorly, but I think there should be some clarification.  Manning did not snap the ball early on the first play from scrimmage, causing a safety.  Similarly, he didn’t allow Cliff Avril to pressure him, forcing an interception.  He didn’t deliver Redskins-style kickoff protection to start the second half.  After that point, the game was effectively over, but before then Denver’s issues ran deep.

The O-Line, one of the best all year, allowed Manning to be pressured on 60 percent of his true dropbacks (not including the screen passes which worked not at all).  I think the game was won there.  Without parroting Troy Aikman or thousands of other sportswriters, it’s safe to say Seattle was always able to cover four receivers with seven guys due to the admirable effort up front.  Manning’s mobility issues only exacerbated the problems here.

There is a fair amount of blame, however, that should be directed towards Peyton Manning.  A quarterback of his veteran savvy looked totally lost at points against the defense.  He holds all play-calling responsibilities and didn’t record a first down during the entire first quarter.  There certainly wasn’t enough time on many plays, but Manning certainly could have used the running game or even the edge passes better.  He didn’t, and was truthfully lucky to take over in the second quarter down only 15-0.

When playing behind such a poor O-line, adjustments must be made.  Peyton has deservedly cultivated an image as one of the smartest in the game, but I’m not certain what he saw going forward.  While the first interception to Kam Chancellor was definitely his fault, Manning’s second pick can’t be blamed at his feet, only because Avril bull rushed the edge and impeded his arm as he threw.  But, when two yards were needed, Manning passed up Julius Thomas on fourth down for a pass to the sideline which was, unsurprisingly on this night, deflected at the line.  One kick return later, and everyone saw the writing on the wall.

I have always been a Manning defender.  He’s the best all-time.  I almost wrote this with an eye towards blaming the entire offensive line, or by highlighting the Denver defense’s inability to lay a hit on Russell Wilson.  How about miserable tackling on defense or Champ Bailey inexplicably losing Doug Baldwin on a huge third down?  These all deserve special recognition, but when it comes down to it, Manning bears the burden.  And don’t get me wrong, this was a total losing effort, but Peyton Manning has given new meaning to the term “field general,” and on this occasion, he didn’t shepherd his forces.  In truth, he didn’t put up much of a fight.