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Rick Gosselin's Super Bowl prediction: Colts over Cowboys
05:19 PM CDT on Tuesday, September 7, 2010
By RICK GOSSELIN / The Dallas Morning News
rgosselin@dallasnews.com
Only three quarterbacks in NFL history have won more games than Peyton Manning.
Only three quarterbacks have passed for more yards than Manning, and only two have completed more passes or thrown for more touchdowns. His arm has few peers in the NFL record book.
But Manning does something even better as a quarterback than throw a football – he gives his team a chance to win every Sunday, every season.Almost since the day Manning arrived in 1998, the Colts became playoff contenders. As he grew into the stature of a franchise quarterback, the Colts became annual Super Bowl contenders.
And that's why the Colts remain the team to beat in 2010. Manning is fresh off a record fourth NFL MVP season and a second career Super Bowl appearance. He is the best player in his sport.
One of the best players ever, in fact.
Manning started every game of the 2000 decade and took the Colts to the playoffs nine times. Hall of Famers Terry Bradshaw (1970s), Joe Montana (1980s) and Troy Aikman (1990s) all took their teams to the playoffs eight times in a decade. Manning won six division titles in the decade, matching Aikman. Bradshaw and Montana won seven.
Manning has appeared in three AFC title games, two Super Bowls and has one championship ring.
The one time Manning failed to take the Colts to the playoffs in the decade was 2001 when two-time NFL rushing champion Edgerrin James suffered a season-ending knee injury in the sixth game. The Colts went on to lose seven of their final 10 games in finishing 6-10.
Since then, Manning has put the franchise on his shoulders. Individually, he has shouldered the burden for winning and losing, and virtually all the criticism for losing. But he hasn't done that very often.
Since the James injury, Manning has steered the Colts to at least 10 victories in each of the next eight seasons. No other quarterback in NFL history has ever done that. Counting the postseason, he has quarterbacked the Colts to 108 victories in 144 games since 2002.
And Manning has achieved those heights with flawed teams. Manning managed 12 victories and a league MVP award in 2004 despite playing with the NFL's 29th-ranked defense. Manning managed 13 victories in 2007 despite a lineup that lost an NFL runner-up 81 games by starters because of injury.
Manning managed 12 victories in 2008 and another MVP honor despite playing with the NFL's 31st-ranked rushing attack and worst-ranked special teams. He took the Colts to the Super Bowl and again was the league MVP in 2009 with the NFL's worst rushing attack and 24th-ranked run defense.
Manning carried the Colts to their lone title of the decade in 2006 despite playing with the worst run defense (32nd in the NFL), worst scoring defense (23rd) and worst special teams (30th) of any Super Bowl champion.
Because Manning is special, his team doesn't need to be special. His mere presence is that powerful.
That explains how the Colts could reel off 14 consecutive victories to open the 2009 season and achieve the AFC's top seed despite the injury absence of starting wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez for 15 games and 2007 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Bob Sanders for 14 games. Both players are back in 2010.
So are Pro Bowl receivers Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark, who became the third tandem in NFL history to catch 100 passes apiece in a season in 2009.
Inexperienced wideouts Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon will be experienced in 2010. Forced to play last year because of the departure of Marvin Harrison and the absence of Gonzalez, the rookie Collie turned in 60 catches and seven touchdowns and second-year man Garcon 47 catches and a team-best 16.3-yard average. Both will be better in 2010.
So will Donald Brown, the team's No. 1 draft pick in 2009 who carried the ball just 78 times in the shadow of Pro Bowl halfback Joseph Addai. Also, 2010 No. 1 draft pick Jerry Hughes of TCU arrives to make a speed pass rush featuring Pro Bowlers Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis even faster.
So pencil in the Colts as the AFC champion, and they'll face the Cowboys in the Super Bowl. The Cowboys will have the home field, but the Colts will have Manning.
In today's NFL, championships are won and lost at the quarterback position. So go with the best player of his generation in the Super Bowl – Manning.
• • •
05:19 PM CDT on Tuesday, September 7, 2010
By RICK GOSSELIN / The Dallas Morning News
rgosselin@dallasnews.com
Only three quarterbacks in NFL history have won more games than Peyton Manning.
Only three quarterbacks have passed for more yards than Manning, and only two have completed more passes or thrown for more touchdowns. His arm has few peers in the NFL record book.
But Manning does something even better as a quarterback than throw a football – he gives his team a chance to win every Sunday, every season.Almost since the day Manning arrived in 1998, the Colts became playoff contenders. As he grew into the stature of a franchise quarterback, the Colts became annual Super Bowl contenders.
And that's why the Colts remain the team to beat in 2010. Manning is fresh off a record fourth NFL MVP season and a second career Super Bowl appearance. He is the best player in his sport.
One of the best players ever, in fact.
Manning started every game of the 2000 decade and took the Colts to the playoffs nine times. Hall of Famers Terry Bradshaw (1970s), Joe Montana (1980s) and Troy Aikman (1990s) all took their teams to the playoffs eight times in a decade. Manning won six division titles in the decade, matching Aikman. Bradshaw and Montana won seven.
Manning has appeared in three AFC title games, two Super Bowls and has one championship ring.
The one time Manning failed to take the Colts to the playoffs in the decade was 2001 when two-time NFL rushing champion Edgerrin James suffered a season-ending knee injury in the sixth game. The Colts went on to lose seven of their final 10 games in finishing 6-10.
Since then, Manning has put the franchise on his shoulders. Individually, he has shouldered the burden for winning and losing, and virtually all the criticism for losing. But he hasn't done that very often.
Since the James injury, Manning has steered the Colts to at least 10 victories in each of the next eight seasons. No other quarterback in NFL history has ever done that. Counting the postseason, he has quarterbacked the Colts to 108 victories in 144 games since 2002.
And Manning has achieved those heights with flawed teams. Manning managed 12 victories and a league MVP award in 2004 despite playing with the NFL's 29th-ranked defense. Manning managed 13 victories in 2007 despite a lineup that lost an NFL runner-up 81 games by starters because of injury.
Manning managed 12 victories in 2008 and another MVP honor despite playing with the NFL's 31st-ranked rushing attack and worst-ranked special teams. He took the Colts to the Super Bowl and again was the league MVP in 2009 with the NFL's worst rushing attack and 24th-ranked run defense.
Manning carried the Colts to their lone title of the decade in 2006 despite playing with the worst run defense (32nd in the NFL), worst scoring defense (23rd) and worst special teams (30th) of any Super Bowl champion.
Because Manning is special, his team doesn't need to be special. His mere presence is that powerful.
That explains how the Colts could reel off 14 consecutive victories to open the 2009 season and achieve the AFC's top seed despite the injury absence of starting wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez for 15 games and 2007 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Bob Sanders for 14 games. Both players are back in 2010.
So are Pro Bowl receivers Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark, who became the third tandem in NFL history to catch 100 passes apiece in a season in 2009.
Inexperienced wideouts Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon will be experienced in 2010. Forced to play last year because of the departure of Marvin Harrison and the absence of Gonzalez, the rookie Collie turned in 60 catches and seven touchdowns and second-year man Garcon 47 catches and a team-best 16.3-yard average. Both will be better in 2010.
So will Donald Brown, the team's No. 1 draft pick in 2009 who carried the ball just 78 times in the shadow of Pro Bowl halfback Joseph Addai. Also, 2010 No. 1 draft pick Jerry Hughes of TCU arrives to make a speed pass rush featuring Pro Bowlers Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis even faster.
So pencil in the Colts as the AFC champion, and they'll face the Cowboys in the Super Bowl. The Cowboys will have the home field, but the Colts will have Manning.
In today's NFL, championships are won and lost at the quarterback position. So go with the best player of his generation in the Super Bowl – Manning.
• • •