Word: bowlful
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...always gets a rise. And now he's truly in the spotlight. After nine pro seasons of compiling stunning individual stats while his teams tasted postseason failure, Manning has his shot at a title: his high-octane Colts are favored to bounce the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI, which will be played Feb. 4 in Miami...
...quarterback Peyton Manning that just gets people worked up. His singularly impressive statistics, his enormous contract, his ubiquitous TV commercials--all add up to, well, what exactly? To fans, he's a telegenic superstar. To detractors, he's overexposed and overrated. After all, he has never won the Super Bowl. Even after his finest moment as a pro, throwing for 347 yds. in a 38-34 comeback win over the archrival New England Patriots in the game that will give Manning a chance to win the big one, the critics can't resist piling on. "Pretend he's the only...
...Giants because he refused to play for what was then a losing team. The Chargers still accuse the Manning family of meddling in the negotiations, though Archie has denied that. Eli has struggled for the Giants, while the quarterback for whom he was traded, Philip Rivers, made the Pro Bowl this year after leading the Chargers to a stellar season. It's a small yet satisfying slither of revenge for the anti-Peyton army...
...there's plenty to love, and loathe. But whatever you think of Manning, I would argue that it's best to root against him in the Super Bowl. Yes, even among his fans. It's Manning's quest for that one missing part, that one imperfection, that will sustain our attention. "From a fan's perspective, the joy is in the conversation," says sports sociologist Jay Coakley, professor emeritus at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. "Peyton's longing for a Super Bowl keeps the conversation going, and if he wins, that conversation stops." In an age of sports...
Peyton need look no further than his father for another player who charmed fans through losing. Poor ol' Archie Manning would have been a Hall of Famer if those Nawlins 'Aints had had any good players. But if Archie had won a Super Bowl, he would be another Bob Griese...