Just as soon as Peyton Manning knocked the monkey off his back and won his first playoff game, the monkey’s uncle climbed on. This one is more like a gorilla. Now Manning must win it all.
That’s what quarterbacks who are No. 1 overall draft choices are expected to do. If he doesn’t lead the Indianapolis Colts into the Super Bowl this year–and win it–then there’s always next year and the year after that. If not the Colts, who soon must find a way to make him the highest-paid player in football, then the next team.
If Manning wins, he joins Troy Aikman, John Elway, Jim Plunkett and Terry Bradshaw. If he doesn’t win, he joins Drew Bledsoe, Jeff George, Vinny Testaverde and Steve Bartkowski.
That’s a harsh distinction, unfairly colored by the black and white reality of big-time sports. Winning and losing have a way of leaving no room for discussion.
This is only true of quarterbacks. Nobody will wonder why Cleveland Browns defensive end Courtney Brown can’t lead his team to the Super Bowl, but they sure will wonder why teammate and quarterback Tim Couch can’t. They were back-to-back No. 1s in 1999 and 2000.
Nobody gave credit to St. Louis Rams offensive tackle Orlando Pace for taking his team to the pinnacle in 1999 in only his third season. But soon people will start the countdown for Atlanta’s Michael Vick, Houston’s David Carr and Cincinnati’s Carson Palmer, the last three No. 1 overall draft choices, all quarterbacks. In Palmer’s case, fans may be kind enough to wait until he actually plays before putting him on the timer. Maybe not.
Philadelphia’s Donovan McNabb, the second overall pick behind Couch, has played in the last two NFC title games and lost. He admits it’s “not a good year” until he wins a Super Bowl.
The Dallas Cowboys’ and 1989 No. 1 pick Aikman didn’t win Super Bowls until the Cowboys drafted defensive tackle Russell Maryland No. 1 in 1991. Guess who gets–and deserves–most of the credit.
For Manning, expectations always have been high. His dad Archie was a No. 1 draft choice, second overall behind Plunkett in 1971.
With the New Orleans Saints, Manning was considered a rose among thorns. The Saints never had a winning season with him, but his loyal followers were convinced the team was so bad it might have been banned without him.
Plunkett, meanwhile, was shell-shocked out of New England before finding redemption with the Raiders.
Peyton Manning never won a national championship at Tennessee. Tee Martin did, which doesn’t do much to get Manning off the proverbial and perverted hook.
“It’s something I’ve tried to deal with,” Manning said. “I don’t know what else to do but to prepare just as hard as I possibly can. I expect to play at a high level every Sunday.
“When I don’t do my job and we don’t win, I take it very personally and feel very responsible. That’s how it’s always been [but] one thing I’ve always been able to say is I’ve always prepared. I’ve always left that field saying, `There’s nothing more I could have done to get ready for this particular game.’ The ball doesn’t always go where you want it and you don’t always throw to the right guy, but I’ve always prepared as hard as I possibly could.”
Winning it all never has been easy, but it never has been harder than it is today. That doesn’t matter either. The expectations are the same. Otto Graham, who died last month, was heralded as football’s greatest winning quarterback because he took his Cleveland Browns to championship games all 10 years he played. He won seven times, four in the old All-America Conference and three times in the NFL.
But that’s when there was only one playoff game scheduled–the championship game. Today it takes a minimum of three postseason victories to claim one Lombardi Trophy. In Manning’s case this year, it will take four.
No other quarterback left has higher expectations to fulfill.
Fassel target: If fired New York Giants coach Jim Fassel’s stock hadn’t dropped already after interviews in Buffalo, Washington and Arizona, successor Tom Coughlin’s remarks were an additional indictment, intentional or not.
“What we must be all about right now, immediately, is the restoration of pride–self pride, team pride, the restoration of our professionalism and the dignity with which we conduct our business,” Coughlin said. “We must replace despair with hope and return the energy and the passion to New York Giants football.”
What about being tied for last in the league with a turnover differential of minus-16 and committing a team-record 127 penalties?
“You are not going to beat anybody with a minus-16,” Coughlin said. “That stat has to radically change. We must eliminate costly penalties. You can’t shoot yourself in the foot and expect to win the 100-meter dash. Special teams and winning the battle of field position must become our catalyst for victory and not our Achilles’ heel.”
How about all the players on injured reserve this season?
“The number of IRs and those kinds of things, which is a cancer, let’s face it, is something that has to be corrected,” he said. “It is a mental thing, I believe, as much as it is anything else.”
Injuries are a mental thing?
“I think it can be a part of the situation you find your team in when you are losing,” he said. “I think it has to be addressed.”
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Under Tom’s thumb: Coughlin said he has eased up on some of his notorious rules since his early days with the Jacksonville Jaguars, such as not allowing assistants to wear sunglasses. Most remain. Having both feet on the floor in meetings, for example.
“That I believe in,” he said. “I have spent a lifetime trying to improve concentration and focus. I don’t know how a guy who’s slouching can pay attention to what is going on.”
Coughlin has been a favorite of co-owner Wellington Mara since he was the Giants’ wide receivers coach from 1988-90.
Asked if there are coaches Coughlin reminds him of, Mara told New York reporters: “I don’t want to start typing people, but off the record, there’s a lot of Vince Lombardi in him. And [Bill] Parcells.”
Off the record?
“It’s OK; you can use that,” Mara said.
Anatomy of a play: Here’s how the 52-yard interception return by Packers cornerback Al Harris to beat Seattle in overtime has been reconstructed by both camps:
On third-and-11, the Packers called time out when Seattle coach Mike Holmgren sent out a fifth wide receiver, Taco Wallace.
“We had a zone on at first,” safety Darren Sharper said. Defensive coordinator Ed Donatell switched to an all-out blitz called “Thrilla.”
“Go all out and go get ’em,” Donatell said.
Holmgren pulled Wallace off and replaced him with running back Shaun Alexander. Seattle’s play called for “go” routes by the four receivers. But when Green Bay showed blitz by crowding the line of scrimmage, Matt Hasselbeck stepped back and audibled to a three-step drop and safer hitch routes.
Harris and the other three defensive backs playing man-to-man adjusted by playing off 10 yards and holding their ground. The Packers rushed with seven men against Seattle’s six blockers.
Hasselbeck, who knew one man would come free, had the choice of throwing either left or right. He threw left, just before the unblocked man, Marques Anderson, jumped into the passing lane. Had he thrown right, he might have had a better view.
Seattle receiver Alex Bannister made a mistake. Instead of running a 5-yard hitch as called, he ran an 8-yard hitch, allowing Harris better position for the interception.
“Our receivers went down the field farther than they were supposed to on that play,” Holmgren said.
All four Packers defensive backs in coverage thought they would have been in position for an interception no matter where Hasselbeck threw.
Titan tights: Tennessee guard Zach Piller said the offensive line has a clothing policy: “The line is not allowed to wear any extra clothes. You get fined per article. Anything you wear in the first regular-season game, that’s what you’re allowed to wear for the rest of the season. If you wear a snow cap in August you can wear it in December or January.”
The tradition goes back to current offensive line coach Mike Munchak and retired veteran Bruce Matthews.
“I wouldn’t wear it out of respect for Bruce and Munch, but I’m sure there are a couple of [wimps] on the offensive line who might throw something on,” Piller said. “Hey, if you want to pay the fine and have all the guys make fun of you on the sideline, then that’s OK.”