I'm still coming to grips with the fact that I'm going to have to wake up at 10:00am every Sunday and will be stuck watching the Chargers and Raiders. No more copious amounts of KFC and Mountain Dew while checking one of three laptops for constant fantasy updates. Yes, my NFL viewing habits will drastically change this season, but I'll just have to fight through it. Speaking of fighting through it (those transitions, just flawless), two of the best quarterbacks of all time are dealing with injuries heading into September. Both are absolutely irreplaceable, more so than any other players in the entire league. Both have won championships and have put up record setting numbers. They are both future Hall of Famers. And both currently have their head coaches forced to watch Matt Cassel and Jim Sorgi do...whatever it is that they do.
Peyton Manning answered all the doubters when he led the Colts to victory in Super Bowl 41. The Dan Marino comparisons were washed away and his legacy cemented. Having Marvin Harrison in his prime didn't hurt of course, but the 94.7 career QB rating speaks for itself. However, Manning is entering his 12th NFL season and turned 32 years old in March. He had surgery on his left knee back in July to remove an infected bursa sac. While he is only expected to miss at most the first regular season game, it's never a comforting feeling to have your starting quarterback have any kind of surgery less than two months before the season starts. How tentative will he be coming back? While his "laser rocket arm" might be healthy, it's Manning's knees that will continue to give him problems throughout the rest of his career. I don't know if there will ever be another quarterback like him who can call every single play right at the line. It's essentially running a hurry up offense every down. The Colts have been fortunate that guys like Reggie Wayne and Joseph Addai have emerged as premiere players in the league, but Indianapolis is a .500 team at best without Peyton. And in the AFC (and the AFC South in particular) that just ain't gonna cut it.
Tom Brady has a "foot injury." The last time he had a "foot injury" the New England Patriots lost the Super Bowl. In typical Belichick/New England fashion, no one is saying a damn thing about it. Brady turned 31 a couple of weeks ago but already has three Super Bowl rings. He's rich, he's marketable, and he's banging one of the hottest, richest women on the planet. So things aren't too bad overall for the former Wolverine. But at least with Manning, we know what the hell is wrong with him. Brady actually let it slip (against orders no doubt) that it is the same foot (right) that was hurt in January. And then of course there's the ubiquitous shoulder injury that has been listed on the injury report every week for what seems like forever. The Boston Globe reports that he did return to practice yesterday and may even play in the Pats' third preseason game. We'll see about that. After their third Super Bowl win, I thought it would be a smart move for Brady to retire right then and there. Of course, we wouldn't have been privy to the awesomeness that was last season. But does the New England front office see the writing on the wall? They drafted 6'6 QB Kevin O'Connell from San Diego State back in April. Between you and me, I don't see Matt Cassel or Matt Gutierrez ever successfully running an NFL offense.
Now if you're an avid NFL fan, I'm sure you're waiting in line to laugh at me and tell me that Peyton Manning and Tom Brady are second and third on the list for most consecutive starts among active QBs. I'm well aware. But with all that they have accomplished so far, and with the injuries starting to pile up, where does the duo go from here? Sure, both of their teams have a great shot at making the Super Bowl again this year, but what about 2009? 2010? Personally, I don't want to see either hang around for too long like some guys we know who will be throwing balls 10 yards past Jerricho Cotchery this season... Early 30s in NFL years is like late 40s in actual human time. (Probably way older for running backs and linemen.) So while I stumble out of bed earlier than anyone should on a Sunday just to watch sports, I'll have to rely mostly on highlights to follow two of the greatest players of all time try to stay healthy and grab another ring. Here's to watching Philip Rivers games instead...
No comments:
Post a Comment