Peyton Manning Must Overcome Voices Of Skeptics, Not Seahawks

Superbowl's are the pinnacle of team sport championships.  With the other major sports, a series of games crowns a champion so there is simply no way to dispute who is the best team.  Football is 2 parts preparation and 1 part luck.  When two teams bring similar preparation and talent, they had better hope everyone remains healthy, and there is no adverse weather to increase the necessity of luck.

The Denver Broncos enter into this year's Superbowl as an uncertain favorite.  The educated sports world has seen this scene before, and it rarely ends with Peyton Manning walking off of the stage in victory.  Even now, the game opened with Vegas on the doubting end of this Peyton Manning story.  Why did Vegas open at 2 points for the Seattle Seahawks?  Because Vegas feels the same way about Manning as most of his skeptics.

As fate would have it, Manning has placed his future in the hands of a man (and a team) who has surely walked in his shoes.  John Elway reminds me of Bill Clinton.  At one time in his career, Elway was very much maligned and developed a sizable crowd of skeptics too.  Despite his success, he had to win and walk away to define his legacy.  Like Clinton, we simply remember more of the good than the bad as time goes by.

Unlike Manning, Elway did not dominate the statistics year after year. Unlike Elway, Manning has not even played for as many championships as Elway lost.  To play in a Superbowl is legendary stuff.  To win them is mythical.  You will never be treated like football royalty until you wear the football crown and have a ring or more for both hands. Jim Kelly was an amazing player that is mostly forgotten.

Manning is one game away from rewriting his story a bit.  Along the way, he will have to overcome the doubt of millions of skeptics who expect the Broncos to win but do not see Manning as a winner.  If fans are described a the 12th man, then Manning skeptics might be the 13th.  Fair or unfair, Manning will need to silence the unlucky 13th man who lives in his head in order to be a champion again.

Free from the voices, he could win two.