Word: peyton
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Manning's $98 million contract, which included a $34.5 million signing bonus, is another easy target. So is his birth into football royalty. While it's true that Peyton Manning has worked hard to hone his God-given talent, it doesn't hurt to have had a father like Archie Manning, the Ole Miss legend and New Orleans Saints standout quarterback. All the Manning boys are genetic freaks: younger brother Eli is a starting quarterback, though not an effective one for now, with the New York Giants, and older brother Cooper was slashing toward stardom before a spinal disorder ended...
...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...
...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 parity, in which seven teams have won World Series titles this decade and about a dozen NFL teams were fighting for playoff spots during the last weeks...
...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...
With a fat salary and that "laser-rocket arm" he winks at in a Sprint commercial, Peyton Manning will never be like us. But his championship failure delivers some connection. "It gives us an entry into his humanity, his vulnerability," says Coakley. "He isn't perfect, despite the fact he's so damn good." Peyton's brother Cooper naturally disagrees with any such rationale for cheering on the Bears, who--despite featuring a frighteningly inconsistent quarterback, Rex Grossman--have the type of defense that can shut down Peyton. "Average Joes want heroes," Cooper says. "Average Joes want guys that...