Worshipping false gods

Since Peyton Manning was released by the Indianapolis Colts, the Seattle sports media has predictably gone batshit crazy over the possibility, however slight, that Manning may land in Seattle. The problem, of course, is that so did half of the rest of the league. All these teams would have their own arguments justifying why they are Manning’s best option. Phil Sims told some gullible local sports personality (I think it was Brock Huard) that Seattle would be one of the top-three potential destinations for Manning. The problem with such predictions is that last week the Washington Redskins were in that mix, and this week we learn that the Redskins’ phone calls are not being returned by Manning’s representatives; Manning actually did the Redskins a favor by sparing them the foolish move, allowing them to essentially trade for Robert Griffin III (which, of course, makes Salk unhappy). If Manning does give Seattle the time of day, it is because he has doubts about his capacity to compete for a full season, and Seattle is just the kind of town that will faun over his every eye-blink and marvel at every pass regardless of where it lands; they want people to see that when they look at Manning’s career stat line, they can proudly say that the Great Peyton Manning played (however badly) for the Seahawks. Of course, the local pundits are saying that the real reason they want Manning here is to win a Super Bowl, but listening to Brock, one receives the impression that Manning’s mere presence will be the highlight of his life. After all, what else is going on in the Seattle sports’ scene other than easily forgettable mediocrity?

Being a Brett Favre supporter, I also can’t help but detect the scent of mendacity in the reporting on Manning. At this point in his career, Favre was also attending “spring training,” in fact criticizing Antonio Freeman one year for not reporting. And now with the new labor agreement, Manning has all spring to himself, and no one will accuse him of being “selfish.” From my perspective, the Packers in the end treated Favre more shabbily that the Colts treated Manning; remember that the Ted Thompson didn’t think that Favre was “done”—he just wanted his guy in as quarterback. When Favre got over his frustration with Packer management, he announced he wanted to play; the Packers didn’t want him back, but they refused to give him his release, because they wanted to avoid the embarrassment of him signing with a division rival. So they traded him to a team—much like Seattle is now—desperate for a “quick fix.” The difference is that Favre had no choice if he still wanted to play.

I also wonder what kind of fit Manning will be here. Let’s not kid ourselves: There will be red carpets laid out all over town, the mayor and every local swell-head will be jostling to be photographed with him, and his own already swelled-up head will swell even more. I suppose that one would think that since Manning and me are alumni from the same school that it would be a matter of some pride that I walked the same halls as this football “genius.” Not one bit, and not because I’m a Big Ten guy. All I know is that Tennessee did achieve the pinnacle of the college football world that everyone had been predicting with this genius at quarterback until the year after he left. Maybe it was because it wasn’t all about Peyton anymore, but the team. There were other things that bothered me that don’t seem to bother other people. Stat padding always seemed important him; take for instance the infamous run-un with offensive lineman Jeff on the sideline, who merely suggested that they could call a running play close to the goal line instead of throwing three straight incomplete passes and settling for a field goal. The coddling of Manning by the media and his “suitors” also seems to be a bit unseemly; perhaps Colts owner Jim Irsay was simply tired of it. Poor Peyton can’t play in cold weather, like Brett Favre, who spent 19 years playing in football weather—not temperature-controlled environments or 70 degree weather like Dan Marino. There is no doubt in my mind that Manning benefited tremendously not having to playing in less than “ideal” playing conditions—either in college or the NFL.

It is also disturbing to me that Manning would leave a trail of destructiveness in the two cities that he has taken an interest in. Why is he entertaining Denver? Is it because he is altruistic, because he really likes Tim Tebow and thinks he can “mentor” him—or does he think that Tebow is his easiest footstool? It must be the latter, because the latest rumor is that Denver will trade Tebow if they sign Manning. The same for Arizona; the team is ready to cut Kevin Kolb if Manning chooses to sign there. And for what? The hope the Manning still has sufficient arm strength, and that he can survive the first big hit? Sure, Manning is a “genius,” but if his body doesn’t obey his mind, these teams might discover that more is less.

In all honesty, Seattle’s best option at this point is signing Matt Flynn; but frankly, if the Seahawks don’t do so, I will relish the spectacle of yet another blown opportunity (like when the Seahawks thought that Dan McGwire was a better quarterback prospect than Favre in 1991) by this snake-bit team. It deserves nothing less. It seems that many local commentators, like Salk, Bob and Groz, and Ian Furness, are desperately trying to convince themselves that Flynn is a mediocrity. They are assisted in this by the local print journalists like Danny O’Neil and Eric Williams, who in the past have been notoriously ill-informed as to the intentions of the current Seahawks’ management in regard to personnel. Of course no one is going to express too much interest in Flynn, because the league would have regarded it as illegal tampering. The talk that if Seahawks really wanted Flynn they would have traded for him last year holds no water, because it doesn’t take into account that the Packers had no interest in trading him, in light of the potential of Aaron Rodgers suffering an injury—and most fantasy football “experts” regarded Flynn as a top-five fantasy pick at quarterback if he had to replace Rodgers.

I also take exception to the comparisons to Kevin Kolb, as do many non-local observers. I downloaded the complete telecast of the Packers-Lions game, and have watched it several times; maybe the local “experts” need to do the same. Flynn demonstrated all of the qualities you want to see in a quarterback: Cool and unflinching in adversity, toughness, making plays with defenders in his face, making smart decisions (the TD pass to Nelson on the “free” play), throwing precise deep balls (the 40-yarder to Jones on third down late), nonplused by the prospect of being challenged by a 5,000-yard passer, and leading a game-winning drive in the final minutes. And, oh yes, setting team records for single-game passing yards and TD passes. Flynn passed—in Brock words—the “Eye Test.” I’ve heard people (like Damon Huard) say that this doesn’t matter because it was a “meaningless” game. Do you think this was a “meaningless” game to Flynn? To the Lions, judging from their body language, this was also far from a “meaningless” game—this was a grudge match. The Seahawks would simply be foolish not to seriously consider him.