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Is Manning really this big of a jerk?

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by novelist_wannabe, Feb 8, 2007.

  1. Double Down

    Double Down Well-Known Member

    I still call bogus on this, as I have done on previous Peyton threads.

    Here is the quote:

    "I'm trying to be a good teammate here. Let's just say we had some problems in protection. I'll give Pittsburgh credit for the blitzes and their rush. Those guys rushed. But we did have some protection problems."

    What exactly was he supposed to say? What's untrue or unfair about that statement? WE had some protection problems. It's not like he said, "MY offensive line couldn't block. They are the reason we lost."

    I still find it to be somewhat bullshit when we badger athletes into saying exactly what we want, then rip them for saying it. The offensive line really did suck that day. They really couldn't block. We wanted him to admit that, and when he did, we wanted to fry his ass for pointing fingers, even though he included himself in the explanation. Seems like entrapment to me.

    As for Elliott's experience, I had to deal with Manning once, in a similar situation where he probably could have been pissed at me for my question, and he was anything but. He was polite, looked me in the eye, gave me my quote, nodded and then scanned the room (it was a presser) to see if anyone else had a question. He's far more gracious than I would ever be if faced with similar scrutiny.
     
  2. Montezuma's Revenge

    Montezuma's Revenge Active Member

    Great posts, Elliotte and DD.
     
  3. novelist_wannabe

    novelist_wannabe Well-Known Member

    This may just be indicative of the disconnect between being successful and being like .

    Again -- and I must have poorly communicated this the first time -- I really don't have a problem with him being anal retentive. He has a right to prepare however he sees fit. Go hide out in the hotel basement, study your tape, do yoga, whatever. But a person has to recognize that other people aren't always wired that way.

    I imagine Dallas Clark does. the competitive correctness handbook says you don't publicly criticize your teammates, and if you do, it's at your own peril.

    The quote was, "We only had that first play picked out for about two weeks, and he ran the wrong route." Reading it in print, I'll grant you, eliminates some nuance of the spoken word, but that really doesn't sound like an attempt at humor, as someone else posited, and SI didn't present it that way. There was an interview with him in the pregame programming where he was asked about bringing the linemen in on a commercial, a la Brady. IIRC, he said he invited them, and none of them wanted to do it. That looks like discord to me, and this SI story reinforced the immage. It was laced with sarcastic comments from unnamed teammates about Peyton's prima donnaism. For Irsay to talk about the team bonds, well, I'm not seeing it. This looked more like the Bronx Zoo to me. But then I guess winning will excuse just about everything.
     
  4. Bob Cook

    Bob Cook Active Member

    Well, Dallas Clark was more concerned about getting pancaked in the Madden ad.

    Anyway, superstars on a team tend not to be the most popular guys. Who was more popular on the Bulls -- Michael Jordan, or Steve Kerr? Ted Williams was hated for years in Boston. Superstars tend to demand a lot out of themselves, and a lot out of others, and aren't always the most politick about how they do it.

    That might be why Manning and Harrison get on so well. Manning wants to spend all his time looking at film, and Harrison wants to be left alone. It's a good match.
     
  5. Oz

    Oz Well-Known Member

    From Michael Silver's column on the Web site today, about "I'm trying to be a good teammate here." ...

    http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/michael_silver/02/08/manning/index.html

    "Ever since I said that, I've really been probably more careful than I've ever been before. I have a hard time even seeing how it could have been interpreted that way, and it still bothers me that it was. But since it happened, my approach has been, 'Do less, say less, go play.'

    "I've really shut it down this year. I've talked once a week, and I've barely done any one-on-ones. I've been trying to have a quiet season, and I think we were somewhat successful in doing that. Usually, when it's quiet, that means you're losing games. But we managed to be somewhat under the radar, and especially going into the playoffs, we were not predicted to advance past the second game. But guys persevered, and it makes this victory even sweeter."
     
  6. andyouare?

    andyouare? Guest

    I just read that story. Silver also bashes the Colts' PR staff. I think we had a thread about worst/best NFL PR departments, but according to Silver, Oakland's the worst followed by Indy.

    "The Colts' attitude toward reporters, by and large, is, to put it charitably: We'll give you the minimum access required, and if you ask for anything more, the answer is no. It doesn't help that Manning, who once had former Colts PR assistant Ryan Robinson (who now has a similar job with the Jaguars) as his media-savvy interference-runner, currently lacks anyone in that capacity with even a semblance of a clue."
     
  7. Mizzougrad96

    Mizzougrad96 Active Member

    Great point... How many elite (top five in their sport) are nice guys?

    This actually makes me have a new respect for Manning...
     
  8. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    The thing is that Ryan, when he had the job as Peyton's gopher, was infinitely better to deal with than Craig Kelley is. As long as Peyton was OK with you--an if, of course--Ryan would find a way to do whatever it is that needed to be done. Kelley is just miserable on every level.

    As for Silver's assertion... the Raiders have come through for me on some really big requests a number of times, so I don't put them anywhere near the level of the Colts. But I understand why some would. I think they have just worked better with me than they do many others, for some reason. I actually like Mike Taylor and kind of understand that it's not all him; a big part of who he is professionally is the organization he is working for.
     
  9. GuessWho

    GuessWho Active Member

    My lone experience with Manning came when he was in college. I know guys can change, especially when they get to the pros. But he was one of the most cooperative superstar athletes I've ever dealt with.

    Spent a few days in Knoxville working on the takeout and he was willing to spend as much time with me as I needed, and he didn't know me from Adam. Also spent time with his parents, and they were great, too.

    I can usually find fault in anyone, but I'll never say a bad word about that guy and his family. I'm glad he got his ring.
     
  10. outofplace

    outofplace Well-Known Member

    The comment after the Pittsburgh game struck me more as being honest than as finger pointing.

    Think about it. The Colts get the ball back with plenty of time to get at least a tying field goal. Then two out of the four plays, including fourth down, Joey Porter comes free. The Steelers' best pass rusher, the one guy you absolutely do not lose track of, is unblocked twice in a huge situation like that. Protection problems is putting it mildly.

    That coming before Bettis's only fumble the entire season, Roethlisberger's tackle on Mr. Knife Wound and the idiot kicker saving the Steelers' asses by missing badly.

    :)
     
  11. BYH

    BYH Active Member

    Isn't Craig Kelley the guy Nantz and Simms were waxing masturbatingly about late in the fourth quarter Sunday? Something about how this classy guy has been with the team since it moved and deserves a title?

    A guy who is nice to the big wigs and no one else. What a shock. God help us all if the Mets win and people start raving about their hard-working, inclusive PR guy.
     
  12. shockey

    shockey Active Member

    craig kelley's always been helpful to me -- i've known him since the baltimore days and i'm no network hotshot. sorry some others haven't had the same experience,

    maybe you're just not as charming as i am. 8) 8) 8)
     
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