By ERIC MOLLO
STAFF WRITER

In a matter of 60 minutes, Peyton Manning went from maybe the best quarterback football has ever seen to its greatest enigma. He has all the records, and the ones he doesn’t have, he’s going to break. As an avid fan, I would like to defend him after an annihilating Super Bowl defeat, but his 11-12 playoff record makes me cringe. He’s like that one friend you love, but keeps making the same mistake over and over again. You want to help him, but you know he’s the only one who can help himself. I’m not saying his teammates played well; the defense didn’t even get off the bus on Sunday.

What we saw in Super Bowl XLVIII, however, was nothing short of a choke show on Manning’s part. That said, Manning deserves credit, but not the type of credit people want to give him: honoring him as the greatest winner ever to play the game. He doesn’t deserve that title, but Manning is great – in one way. He is one of the greatest leaders ever to step on a football field, and his ability to transform franchises  is what will ultimately define his legacy, not his playoff record.

I am disappointed after Manning’s performance Sunday. Many have been arguing he didn’t play that poorly and I understand. He set the Super Bowl completions record (33) and it wasn’t his fault that his defense escorted the Seahawks down the field every drive. For Manning, however, expectations are astronomical, and that type of performance is unacceptable. He consistently missed receivers over the top, especially when his team was desperate for a big play, and he turned the ball over three times. For a team that didn’t lose a game by more than seven points for 18 straight weeks, a 35 point blowout is absolutely uncharacteristic, and that type of game ultimately falls on the shoulders of the team leader. He’s the playmaker and he needs to make a play. He has to stop the bleeding. Yes, his receivers had trouble getting open against Seattle’s secondary. Yes, the Seahawks’ run defense was nothing short of stout. Still, the Broncos needed their playmaker to get it going, and he failed them. It’s a familiar story; Peyton, the offensive juggernaut, did not show up in the playoffs. He can’t be considered the greatest when he consistently doesn’t show up when it is crucial.

I’m being very critical though. He’s not Joe Montana. He’s not John Elway. He’s not Tom Brady. Those guys have won multiple times. Winning doesn’t define every player, though. I’m convinced Peyton deserves to be mentioned alongside the quarterbacks who have won multiple Super Bowls because of what he has done to bring the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos into contention on a yearly basis. He’s not a product of a particular system or scheme. He is the system. The players around him are a product of his system. He makes everyone better. Marvin Harrison is considered one of the greatest receivers in the history of football, but he never reached 1,000 yards in a season until Peyton came to town. It’s not like he’s only done this once: he’s done it on two teams, for two coaches, season after season. The difficulty of doing that cannot be understated. He has the respect of every player because they know that when they’re playing alongside him, he will not only perform well, but he will also make everyone around him great. It’s what the best of the best do.

Manning drives me crazy. He’s the best regular season offensive juggernaut I’ve ever seen. He’s also one of a select few quarterbacks that makes everyone on his team great. Yes, he’s had his fair share of chokes, but Manning has completely transformed two franchises. The Colts and Broncos have wreaked havoc in the AFC for almost two decades because of him. The Super Bowl blowout aside, he transformed franchises, and has transformed the NFL, which ultimately ranks him among the greats.