COLUMN: Don't be hatin', embrace the Peyton
He thinks fast! He thinks quick! He’s got a massive…arm.
He’s Peyton Manning.
Despite all of the craziness and uncertainty in the world, there has been one constant for as long as I can remember – Manning.
Seriously, I could be discussing relevant things like healthcare, marijuana legalization or the fact that nobody seems to care that new episodes of "Game of Thrones" are about six and a half more months away (who can wait that long?).
But no, I view it far more important to discuss why everyone should be groveling before the 6-foot 5-inch 230-pound quarterback with a laser-rocket arm.
At the time of this writing (through three games), Manning has 12 touchdown passes.
Think about that. That is more than Tom Brady and Drew Brees combined. In fact, that is at least double the number of touchdowns of every quarterback in the league not named Aaron Rodgers or Philip Rivers.
Also, he has zero interceptions and one mere fumble.
Why the fumble? Well, his lineman completely missed his block and Manning was annihilated from behind in about three seconds flat.
Regardless, statistics never tell the entire story.
The first game I really ever paid attention to Manning was a 41-10 drubbing of a Denver Broncos team in the 2003 Wild Card playoffs. In that game, he passed for 377 yards, five touchdowns and finished with a perfect passer rating (which is ridiculous).
Even after this game, I still was not a huge fan of “The Man…ning.”
After all, I was an 8-year-old. Even after his first (and, sadly, only) Super Bowl triumph, I was not terribly impressed. However, during his third MVP season in 2008 everything for me suddenly clicked.
Before every game, I actually noticed Manning consume hours upon hours of footage day after day. Immense talent was only a portion of Peyton’s success.
It was his natural athletic ability fused with his erudite studying of football that created an absolute juggernaut at quarterback.
Peyton is an offensive coordinator starting at quarterback who devours defenses alive, virtually every game, every season.
For his efforts, Peyton has been given a record four NFL MVP awards, in addition to his 12 Pro Bowl game invitations.
Still though, that is not why I am discussing him.
For over a decade, No. 18 donated countless time and an undisclosed amount of dollars to Indianapolis’s St. Vincent Hospital. An act that resulted in St. Vincent’s naming its children’s hospital after him.
He also created the PeyBack Foundation, an organization that has raised $4.3 million to youth organizations in Louisiana, Tennessee and Indiana.
His dedication, his success, his philanthropy and the lack of text messaging his schlong to various women are all extraordinary aspects of Peyton that should be admired.
Nobody else on this planet can "be" Peyton (except Andrew Luck cough, cough), but we can still try.
