Is Peyton eveything your team will ever need?

 

As a Washington Football fan, I was closely following Peyton Manning and his off-season decisions. Now that they have future Hall of Famer, Robert Griffin III (or first Quarterback on the moon, whichever comes first), I don't pay as much attention, but it's impossible to wade through the sports world without stubbing your toe on a good amount of Manning.

One thing that is an overwhelmingly obvious thought is that, whatever team he goes to, he will make them a great deal better. Duh right? Why would anyone go after him if it didn't make them better? That's the point of all of this hulla baloo! Not to mention the fact that he's Peyton Freakin' Manning!


But I was listening to the radio the other day. They were discussing Peyton Manning to Arizona/Denver. Then they said what sounded to me like "They'll make him better, no doubt". I sat up and listened intently. For a half of a second this new idea made sense to me. Then, it immediately became blasphemy. Not even quite that, it has to have power to be blasphemy. This was just senseless gibberish. I don't care if your team has area mentors like John Elway or Kurt Warner, this is Peyton "Greatest of All Time"! Manning!

Obviously, the radio guys never said that. They said "he'll make them better". Like I said before. Duh.

But then I got to thinking about my thoughts (it's a complex process...don't worry about it). I know Peyton Manning will probably go down in history as one of the Greatest QB's of all time. He's a great player and team mate who apparently makes the difference between 1-15 and 11-5. But is he really the one player in the league who is above reproach?

If any other player leaves his team and goes to a team where he supposedly has a better chance of winning the Lombardi Trophy, odds are there will be someone on that team (coach or player) that can make them a better player. Even a seasoned veteran can come into a team and learn something new from another player on their line. They can learn something new from a different offensive or defensive style they'd never worked with before. Even outside of sports, there is always something to be learned from a new experiences.

Why is Peyton the exception to this rule?

Everyone who is speculating his final location, is also speculating that the head coach won't have to coach much anymore. Manning will take over and just run the show, doing what Manning does best. But is it feasible to believe that Manning will take the reigns away and lead the ship to the Superbowl?

Aside from a genetically athletic family and coach Tony Dungy, what kind of guidance has he actually had? Without him, his team went 1-15 this past year, so it wouldn't appear that there are any shining mentors for him there. Other than the need to live up to Johnny U, what has made him so good? Does he have or know something other Hall of Fame Quarterbacks don't? Or is it just because he's Peyton Ri-doggone-diculous Manning?

Is he really the end-all-be-all of football knowledge? Is there no coach or player in the league that he can learn something from? Does getting Peyton Manning get you the football guru of all football gurus? An unquestionable force who will inevitably be running your team? Is Peyton Manning the current Vince Lombardi? It sure seems this way.