Why Can't We All Just Get Along?

Before I proceed with a more traditional sports event-related post, let me begin by marking for posterity the following back-and-forth I enjoyed with a good friend of mine who is probably the most ardent Colts fan I had the pleasure to know during my tenure in Indianapolis. Call him BigSlick.

He sent along an article appearing at CBS Sportsline dot com, that … well … disparages the character of a particular NFL Quarterback while trumpeting the supremacy of another. The article's author appears to be that CBS Sportsline's answer to ESPN's BostonSportsGuy, who tends to be loved by Boston sports fans and disdained by everyone else. Incidentally, Sportsguy provides a nice piece which appears to account for Mr. Travis' recent work, asking When Did Hate Take Over Sports?

Back to Travis, though. He thinks it necessary to lump together every anti-Tom Brady rant ever published – i.e. metrosexual, overrated, hip facial hair-donning poseur, etc. – and adds a few new ones that most Patriots fans would be surprised to know were out there, i.e. that Brady runs "effortlessly" as some kinda mobile quarterback type.

The author, some guy from Tennessee named Clay Travis, proceeds to cast all Patriots' fans as "those extremely deadly vampires from Coppola's Dracula," which will not die until you "climb into the casket, chop off their heads and burn their bodies while chanting incantations." In doing so, he establishes this asinine Red State Blue State analogy, hinting that Peyton Manning is the savior of Republican America.

The author also apparently misses the irony of his own claims to being some standard bearer for The American Redneck. This from 1) a writer, 2) who employs the communist-sounding/Frenchie term "apropos of nothing," 3) talks knowingly about Cashmere sweaters, and 4) himself, muses ponderously about irony. Sounds like somebody has something to work out on his own before he starts casting stones from the heartland.

But I disgress …

The article put a little jaunt in my step, inspiring me to respond with a minor diatribe of sorts to my Colts Fan buddy. Because it includes so much of the stuff that I would otherwise be forced to distill and/or condense, and that means work, I figured it might be more appropriate merely to post it as a Point Counterpoint – a model employed so well by The Onion that it's long been a favorite of mine in that austere publication.

One more tangent. The Onion provided two fine pieces this week related to the Colts versus Patriots match-up. The Manning hatchet job is pretty predictable, but the shot at Belichick was truly solid – "So-Called Genius Bill Belichick Stumped By Non-Football-Related Question." For instance, this bit about a non-football question throwing the coach off balance:
… Belichick, obviously attempting to dodge the question in what onlookers called a "humiliating moment of mere mortality for the acknowledged genius."

"I don't know if Keynesian theory is what I want here, but … A football game is a service, I guess, in terms of Keynesian market concepts … No, wait, I think I'm thinking of Thorstein Veblen. You know what? Any questions on how we're planning for the Colts' passing game?"

Nice.

Now then, in the words of Mr Doggy Dogg sayeth, back to the lecture at hand …

1. Initial Salvo – BigSlick represents:

Here is something that is really getting under my skin, and I would like to hear your take. I do not dispute that Brady has the ability to perform well under pressure, that he has been involved in a remarkable number of playoff wins and that he is the leader of a team that is on the type of dominating run that wasn’t supposed to be possible after the salary cap. However, the guy has a horrible game over the weekend and was extremely lucky that, among other things, one of his interceptions was fumbled to set up a Patriots score (not mentioning all the other SD turnovers, the foolish challenge by Marty, the foolish 3 yard pass by Rivers with about 40 seconds left and no timeouts, and ultimately a missed kick by SD), yet all I hear on TV is how Brady always finds a way to win, and what a great clutch player he is.

Then you have Manning who goes 30 of 38 against KC for 300 yards and plays an extremely patient and conservative (some would say smart) game, but throws 3 interceptions (2 of which were clear miscommunications between Manning and Harrison, and Ron Jaworski and Chris Collinsworth both say that after watching the film it was Harrison that made the wrong read), yet the Colts win "despite another poor playoff performance from Manning." Again this week against Baltimore, I must admit Manning looked as bad as I have seen him in the last 2 years, but he has 2 interceptions to Brady’s 3 and he made big plays to get Indy from their own 1 all the way to field goal range, and also to keep a drive alive that basically sealed the game. Yet there is no talk about doing enough to win, making key plays at important times, consistently moving the ball against the best defense in the NFL, etc.

I know you have to win big games to be considered a big game QB and Brady has earned that. It just sickens me that not only does Brady always get a free pass, but is actually glorified every time the Pats win, even when it was in spite of him and not because of him. I don’t know if sportswriters are just so intent on developing story lines, or if they are just lazy and only interpret new information in a way that is consistent with their prior perceptions or what, but it is amazing how differently they report similar performances.

To a large extent I wouldn’t care, but not only does it annoy me, but I think Peyton may get caught up in it a little bit. I am very concerned that he is going to be so scared to make a mistake that he plays too conservatively and gives up the chance to make big plays. I am the first to tip my hat at what our defense has done the last 2 games, but I am the last to feel comfortable calling a conservative game and relying on them to win a third for us!

2. Response – Rikki kinda agrees

I agree with you, and most discerning fans do too. Your only mistake is listening to national pundits. Everyone out here has been writing and saying what you said -- that Brady had a sketchy game yet fortune shined on him and his team. And moreover, the smarter talkees up here maintain that Manning is the most gifted and most explosive quarterback in the game. The only positive that remains attached to Brady, despite the picks and the average numbers, is that he performed on the most important drives of the game. For some reason, he has this uncanny knack for closing out every first half he plays in with a touchdown. Read the box scores. I haven't but I feel confident saying that he wins every key game in which he leads his team to a score in the waning seconds of the first half. And then, he does the same thing -- performs best -- during the last 7 minutes of the game.

And let's not forget to take this weekend's performances by both QBs with a grain of salt. Peyton played the number 1 ranked defense while Brady played the number 2 (I think). Moreover, how much worse would both be if they didn't play behind such great offensive lines? But for Matt Light (hold for Boilermakers to "Boiler-up" as it were), Brady would have suffered countless sacks on Sunday. With Light, Shawn Merriman became an afterthought.

What's my point? I almost wish the Pats will lose this weekend just because it kills me to hear this all the time from other Colts fans who don't think their way through it the way you do and just knee jerk, "Brady sucks," etc. Stop comparing Manning to Brady. He's better pure player in so many ways, and comparable in all of the glorified ones. Just so happens that the details of certain games happened to favor the other team.

And ESPN only writes that crap because they're too lazy to write good Xs and Os stuff. Other than Jaworski, those clowns are mailing it in and will continue to mail it in. The easiest piece to mail-in is the same one that's been written to death -- who's the better QB?

That said, I blogged some of these same thoughts the other day. Brady's history is rife with game where he seems to be underperforming as the game goes along – INTs, 3 and outs, etc. Yet, as I typed, "he seemingly always drives to a touchdown in the waning minutes/seconds of the first half, leads to 1-2 key touchdowns in the middle of the second half, and takes advantage of golden opportunities teed-up by the opposing side.

True to form, Brady threw two picks as the clock ticked-along, missed Ben Watson on a sure score opportunity, and seemed unable to get anything going for long stretches, while Philip Rivers and LaDanian Tomlinson seemed to be moving the ball continuously. All the while, the Patriots' defense bent without breaking. A few scores eeked through, but all while San Diego appeared to lose all of the composure they displayed in amassing 14 regular season wins.

3. Upping the Ante – BigSlick Forwards Hatchet-Job Article

Since you have spent so much time in Indy, you will definitely appreciate this.

http://www.sportsline.com/spin/story/9937011/1

4. Return of the Rikki or The Rikki Gripes Back (in three movements)

You know, the thing that makes me shake my head while reading this is that every Pats fan I know – all of whom do indeed think that Brady walks on water – think that Manning is pretty damned good, too. I don't know anyone who rips him. They only say that, if given the choice, they'd take Brady because he continues to pull rabbits out of hats and you never turn down a sure thing.

Ask the Yankees and their fans if they still think Jason Giambi, A-Rod, and Randy Johnson are better performers than Tino Martinez, Scott Brosius, and Andy Pettite. Bottom line is they haven't won since they dispatched the latter three in favor of the former three.

Granted, I'm the extreme exception ... as I continue to proclaim that "I root for the Colts in every situation where they aren't playing the Patriots."

But I am not alone among Pats fans – including the northern rednecks heavily populating my area – who, while they wouldn't give up Brady for anybody, think Peyton Manning is both an amazing quarterback and likely as good of a guy as somebody could be while earning crazy cash and being as good on the field as he is.

I was even listening to Boston's nitwit radio – WEEI, 850 am – the other day and all but the most asinine of the four guys who host the most asinine of the station's call-in shows agreed that Peyton is something special, and the only reason he has failed in the past is because of some weird cocktail of Belichick scheming and Peyton's lack of a supporting cast.

And don't EVER suggest that a Pats fan would EVER rip Adam Vinatieri. That guy will always own the hearts of NE fans. Kinda like when Bobby Orr played his last season, constantly limping, in a Chicago Blackhawks uniform. When the hawks played the Garden, Orr was reportedly cheered more loudly than any Bruin on the ice or off the ice.

Oh yeah ... according to the Tennessee writer, Peyton fans probably don't understand what this means because it involves ice skating. Just take it on faith. No one in New England, with the sad exception of the Connecticut residents who were dumb enough to be born to New York leaning fans, would ever or will ever do anything but cheer Adam Vinatieri.

And I like the Manning commercials ... except the one where he wears the dumb wig and p0rno mustache. That's got to go . . .

Incidentally, the more I think about this the more I suspect this is one of those blue state/red state arguments -- just dumb, and probably ignores the 45% in applicable states who strongly resent being lumped into the category of those who make up the opposite 55%. Read: the comment in the article about people from Ann Arbor. He might as well have added "Bloomington, Madison, Champaign-Urbana, Minneapolis-St. Paul," and ...god forbid, "Chicago."

Then again, I'm not sure why rednecks would rip Brady. Because he wears weird clothes sometimes and (shares lovemaking moments with) movie stars and models? (you see the Giselle thing? Nice upgrade, eh?)

What does that have to do with how he performs on the field? He's tough as hell, never avoids a hit when he can pick up extra yards, and performs as an on-field leader by leading by example (i.e. don't rip your boys in the media, dish off credit when you can, and take the blame when you can). This seems like exactly the kind of ideal that redneck guys would find creditworthy, i.e. "guyish"

I guess the bottom line is the very thing the article's author is trying to incite – the idea that, if you think Peyton Manning is cool, then you have to hate Tom Brady. And that's stupid.

Both players are the kind of athletes who play the game right, who take care of their teammates, and avoid doing all the kinds of things that put their teams' ability to win at risk. There is no rational reason to rip Brady if you respect Manning for these reasons. And maybe that's the crux of it -- it's irrational. It's about fan resentment . . . which, I'd bet if you asked Peyton, he'd say was stupid and to get over it. . . .

Oh yeah, and just to feed into the guy's characterization of Brady … here's his new girlfriend. I find it hard to question his taste, or her tastes for that matter.


5. BigSlick Recoils or Finding Common Ground

Truthfully, I only skimmed the article. I thought you would mostly find some of
the Manning fan stereotypes funny… like that they obviously never pay more than $10 for a haircut.

I think I am in the majority in the way Colts fans feel about Brady. We all acknowledge that he is definitely a great QB, and I think most of us really appreciate anyone who approaches the game the way he does.

The few thuggish Colts or Pacers there have been are quickly run out of town. Brady always says the right thing, prepares and works hard, and doesn’t appear to have a huge ego. If I [held the hand of] even one as hot as his typical woman, or if I had even one Super Bowl ring, I would probably be so full of myself that even my Mother would hate me…so we all do recognize that.

The reason we seem so bitter and hateful is because Brady and company have won 3 Super Bowls that we think we could have won. I won’t even go as far as to say that the Patriots weren’t the better TEAM in those years. However, I think the teams were much more evenly matched than history and the media remember it, and that if we switched defenses then Manning has the rings. I firmly believe that in 2 of those years the Colts would have won if playing in the Dome instead of on a snowy, windy field. I also recognize that the Pats EARNED that right to play at home (even if one was because the Colts couldn’t score on first and goal from the 2, and Fat Willie faked an injury to stop the clock and get the D settled). That said, it isn’t that we are truly bitter and hateful of Brady, it is more frustration and jealousy. The pathetic fools in the media really add fuel to our fires with all of their extreme statements and worship of Brady. I also realize that we are hyper-sensitive to criticism of Manning, but to hear endless babble about how Manning can’t win the big game (even at Tennessee, who will never have the recruiting advantages that Florida has), it was Peyton’s fault because HE couldn’t win the big game against Florida.

Football is truly more of a team sport than basketball or baseball, yet everyone wants to put all of the blame or credit on one or a few individuals, typically on the offensive side of the ball.

I think a good analogy is if some nice, likeable guy "steals" your girlfriend. Although it isn’t truly rational, it takes a huge man not to have bitter feelings toward that guy, and not to project bad characteristics on that guy. It is easier to think bad thoughts about the ex, or the guy that stole her than it is to look in the mirror and realize that there were probably many opportunities to have listened more, been more concerned with her needs and desires, or to have done countless other things that would have prevented her from going to a guy who likely did nothing wrong toward you.

Similarly, it takes a unique Colts fan to admit that the Patriots have continually made more plays than us. They have adjusted to the way the game is being called, the elements, the other teams’ game plan, etc. better than we have. Further, the Pats took care of business better than we did during those regular seasons and didn’t think the better team could automatically show up and win.

Being rational, I know the Patriots and Brady deserve all of those rings and deserve to get the increased adulation and the benefits of all doubts that come with being the Champion. I get very frustrated by the media and on the record, I will continue to say that Brady gets more credit than he deserves and that there are 20 QB’s that could have done what he has done. But then again the SOB has stole many of my girlfriends and has consistently whacked the Colts!!!!

6. Afterthought

As I told BigSlick, soon after I shipped off my three missives last night, I opened some spam from a fool up this way named Fuggaboski. It was a dumb-arsed joke about Peyton that deserves to be ignored. Anyway, sufficed to say, I spoke too soon in saying that everyone up here respects his ability. Let me revise that to "everyone except the dummies" thinks that Peyton is pretty damned good, too.

Ultimately, it's fair to assume that whoever wins Sunday, it won't quell the urge of writers like Tennessee Clay to write things like the CBS Sportsline piece. After all. the Red Sox 2004 World Series victory hasn't done a thing to cut into the Red Sox writing cottage industry. Let's just hope that what follows is an improvement over Tennessee Clay's output.