The Peyton Manning Effect- did Belichick make that call based on Fear?

by Indy Lori on Nov 17, 2009 10:35 AM EST

Link above to an interesting article out of Philly. Everyone's talking and giving their opinions on whether or not Belichick made the right call. Who knows? I don't think even Belichick knows. He's sticking by his decision of course, saying he thought it gave his team the greatest chance to win.

This article though comes right out and says why Belichick went for it. Fear of Peyton Manning.

He would and did do anything to try to keep the ball out of Peytons hands in the last few minutes of the game.

Is Peyton in Belichick's head? I think so. That's one of the things that makes having Peyton Manning on our team so invaluable. Even without playing his greatest game, his mere presence causes coaches everywhere to make bone head decisions. I call it the Peyton Manning effect.

Another thing people are overlooking is the fact that Bullitt made an awesome defensive play. He deserves all the credit in the world that sports writers are not giving him.

So, what do you guys think? Does Belichick fear Manning enough to gamble the game away?

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Stampede Blue's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Stampede Blue's writers or editors.

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From Bill Simmons:

1. Peyton Manning is clutch. He’s a champion. He’s the heart of the Colts, and for all we know he’s coaching them, too. You cannot wager against him, especially in night games. He’s the most important player in football. Take Manning off the Colts and they disintegrate into dust. If that’s not enough, he has proved to be a likable, engaging guy with a sense of humor. Damn it all.

Simmons is absolutely right. When it comes to playing 60 minutes of football, no one does it better. It doesn’t matter if you give Peyton two minutes or thirty seconds. However many those seconds are is going to be absolutely terrifying.

He’s in the head of every head coach, every defensive coordinator, and every offensive coordinator in the NFL. He’ll put the football in the tiniest window, every time. If you don’t play a perfect game, he’ll destroy you. If you give him even the smallest opportunity, he’ll bring the hammer down and that’s the game.

“The guy many people (including me) once questioned in crunch time has turned into the league’s premier assassin.” Bill Simmons

And that’s all there is to say about that.

Bob Sanders eats a forest on Friday so he can lay the wood on Sunday.
http://monkeybiziu.deviantart.com

by MonkeyBusiness on Nov 17, 2009 11:19 AM EST reply actions

Poor Simmons... all season long, he's been having a crisis of faith regarding Manning

Admittedly, most of his homerism is probably just a persona he has to play for his column, but still… you get the impression that he knows what the truth is, he just sort of slants things the way he wants them to be. That said, he’s been remarkably complimentary towards Manning of late. I think it really did take that Super Bowl, plus last season’s MVP to really drive home the fact that there’s a real football quarterback and an honest-to-God hard worker there.

We Indy fans have always known about Manning’s work ethic and how he’s earned what he’s got. But I don’t think a whole lot of people outside the fandom has realized that.

Anyway, I admit, I do have a slight frisson of schadenfreude about his forced admissions. But at the same time, I really do think he’s finally gotten around to appreciating what Manning brings to the NFL. Deep inside, he may do so in a grudging way – he is a Pats homer, after all – but even he has to understand that Manning is nothing but a plus to the league. And I think we all can respect and enjoy that together with him. Larry Bird fans may have been driven nuts by Magic Johnson back in the day, and vice versa, but I can’t see how either Laker or Celtics fans could have imagined the NBA without the other. It just wouldn’t have felt as epic. And I think a surprisingly big percentage of each fandom’s population harbored a secret, affectionate admiration for the other side. After all, their opponents were what made their team raise their game to epic levels. Same thing applies here. I’m sure the whole concept of Manning and the Colts style of football drives Pats fans absolutely nuts, but how could the rational among them deny what the rivalry has done for both sides?

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"How can a pickup truck contain enough mass to unfold into a towering machine? I say if Ringling Brothers can get 15 clowns into a Volkswagen, anything is possible."

Roger Ebert, Transformers review.

by E.M.H. on Nov 17, 2009 7:16 PM EST up reply actions

I think

Belicheat felt his best chances of winning were with a short pass from his all-star QB, rather than stopping Peyton. And, I think 9 times out of 10, they’re going to complete a short pass. The Colts were very fortunate that Sunday night, that the pass was the one out of ten incompleted. Some other observations from week 10:

1. Pierre Garcon has the ability to make spectacular catches and his TD catch was an incredible catch….incredible. I hope we see more of that in the future instead of the drops.

2. Brady Quinn may possibly be the league’s worst QB. Phil Simms of Denver is a close second.

3. Bud Adams is a complete ass, giving the Bills the finger. But, then again, he is 86 and probably feels he’s going to do whatever the hell he wants at this point in his life.

4. Robert Mathis never ceases to amaze me. Also, Reggie Wayne. Peyton goes without saying.

5. I’m not sure Tony Romo is the real deal after all.

6. The Colts are in need of a Devin Hester type kick-off returner.

Go Colts!

by Ayrshire on Nov 17, 2009 12:50 PM EST reply actions

Some of the so-called "analysts" over at BSPN

are discrediting the idea that BB’s call was based on fear because Peyton threw a pick in the 4th quarter, but they tend to forget that the Colt’s offense scored 21 points in the 4th with 2 TDs coming from Peyton. It amazing that no one wants to give credit to the Colts for not giving up and finishing the game. I hope they can ride this momentum all the way to Miami in February!!!

Peyton Manning makes it Wayne on them Hoes!!!!

by KMR24 on Nov 17, 2009 1:41 PM EST reply actions

I don't think it was fear motivating him, Lori

I wrote up my reasons why here; look for the ridiculously long comment by “A.J.”:

http://www.18to88.com/2009-archives/november/i-cant-believe-im-defending-bill-belichick.html#comments

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"How can a pickup truck contain enough mass to unfold into a towering machine? I say if Ringling Brothers can get 15 clowns into a Volkswagen, anything is possible."

Roger Ebert, Transformers review.

by E.M.H. on Nov 17, 2009 7:19 PM EST reply actions