We've been missing out...

We’re just a few days out from Super Bowl XLIV. People are getting the party plans made, deciding which team to root for (or to bet on) and engaging in countless hours of debate about all things large and small surrounding the Super Bowl. With all those looming thoughts, questions and debates about the game, we’ve failed to discuss one question. Have we under-appreciated Peyton Manning? It’s the smaller, cousin question to the larger debate of “Is Peyton the best player of this decade, maybe of all-time?” But it’s that small question that is the reason we are just now getting to the larger debate.
I think for far too long we’ve viewed Peyton, somewhat through the prism of the Celebrity Kid Syndrome. Where we inherently discount a persons achievements because they were the seed of a celebrity. And in most case, we’d be justified, but for every Kardashian and Hilton, a Jason Reitman (Oscar nominated director, Ivan Reitman’s son) pops up. We think that because Peyton was the son of Archie Manning, Peyton has been given advantages that enabled his success rather than Peyton achieve success on his own.
In college, we discredited Manning for being unable to beat Florida (0-3), for not leading Tennessee to a National Championship (which Tee Martin did the next year) and for losing the Heisman trophy to a defensive player (the first time a defensive player had ever won). In the pros, we discredited him for being good, but not dominant, for having happy feet when he’s in the pocket and for what Bill Simmons calls Peyton Manning Face.
Here’s how we got it wrong. We failed to acknowledge that as much as having Archie as his dad helped, it also hurt. Many times children of privilege have their hunger zapped by the very fact that they don’t have to worry about where the money is coming from. Or the amount of pressure that Peyton must have been under trying to play the position of his heralded father (Note: Peyton’s older brother, Cooper, avoided this by playing WR.) We are always quick to judge the advantage, but never account for the possible hindrances that it could pose.
We fail to mention that Peyton went an impressive 39-6 as a starter at Tennessee, that the losses to Florida had more to do with the Vols defense than Peyton (except for ’96 game where he threw 4 INTs) and that despite being the potential number one pick after his junior year and graduating in three years he returned to Tennessee.
But it doesn’t end there, while playing for the Colts we haven’t even begun to comprehend the statistical juggernaut that is Peyton. Every season he throws between 3700-4500 yards, a completion percentage right around 65% and between 26-33 TDs. That only twice his teams have won FEWER than ten games. Not to mention the fact that his offensive coordinator doesn’t order in plays, but rather give him options to choose from, which never happens in today's game due to the complexity and speed of the action. It doesn’t stop there, because it’s the things that the casual fan can’t read or look-up in the record books that’s so impressive. How about the fact that Peyton has been noted as having a photographic memory when it comes defensive formations? You show it to him once and he’s got it, stores it and waits for it show up again so he can exploit it. Or how about his tireless work ethic? He practiced for the possibility of rain on the Super Bowl by throwing water logged balls for 50 minutes.
Simply put, Peyton Manning is the greatest modern day quarterback we have ever seen. The perfect combination of intellect and athlete, work ethic and pedigree. So, come Sunday, with fresh eyes and a new outlook, sit back and watch and allow yourself discover what you’ve been missing this whole time. Our games most under-appreciated player, Peyton Manning.