You know who you are. Three years ago — at about this time of year as a matter of fact — you tried to look like a know-it-all. “Peyton Manning is a loser,” you smugly told your friends. “Couldn’t win at Tennessee when it mattered. Can’t beat the Patriots in the playoffs when it matters. Chokes at home against the Steelers when it matters.”
You didn’t like all his commercials — not even the one where he chants “cut that meat” at the butcher. You hated his annoying pointing and primping and gyrating as he gets the Colts’ offense set. “Just snap the ball, you bum!”
Sure, you had to eat your words a bit when Indianapolis won the Super Bowl later that year. And yeah, the Saturday Night Live skit where he winged footballs at little kids — and ominously said he’d kill a snitch if he had to — made you chuckle. But deep down, you thought, Manning was still the same guy he was in college. Too corporate. Too image-conscious. The kind of kid who asked the teacher for more homework. He may have one Super Bowl. But even his little brother has done that. Tom Brady has three.
But admit it. You’re getting a little nervous now. Because Manning has a rag-tag Colts team at 9-0 and is putting together a historic season. Indianapolis now has the second-most regular season wins in a row (18) in NFL history. And Sunday night he had the Patriots so scared they went for it on 4th-and-2 from their own 28 because a first down meant Manning couldn’t get the ball back. Instead, Manning got it back anyway and completed a sensational comeback — down 17 points with 14 minutes left. Not only did Manning score, he took all the time off the clock on purpose. He’s already surpassed Johnny Unitas for most wins in Colts’ history. He’s led four legitimate fourth-quarter comebacks this season — games where Indianapolis was losing at some point in the final quarter — and 32 in his career. You still may love to hate him, but Manning is a winner — and he always has been.
