It was during one replay that I realized Peyton Manning is not the cold-blooded quarterback he is perceived to be. Don’t get me wrong; Manning is a clutch quarterback, having orchestrated 45 career game-winning drives, but most of those game-winners have been during regular season.  Manning is an exceptional performer during the regular season but fails to translate it into the postseason.
 
Out of the 17 games Manning has played in the playoffs, he has only won nine times.  Not exactly the stats of a great playoff performer and it doesn’t warrant all-time great status.  For comparison, New England quarterback Tom Brady is 14-4 in the playoffs with three Super Bowl rings.  I’m just sayin’.
 
We’ll leave the statistics and Manning vs. Brady debate aside to guys like Bill Simmons and other pretentious football experts.  For now, let’s focus on Peyton Manning and what he is capable of doing next season.  During the replay of Manning’s incomplete pass to Reggie Wayne on a fourth down late in the fourth quarter, there were several things not seen before on Manning’s face.  As the Saints’ defense formed a circle and were on the brink of collapsing on Manning, the four-time MVP’s face told it all: desperation and fear laced his entire expression as he released a tight spiral that Wayne would fail to catch.
 
Check the replay again of the Colts’ final play and you’ll see not a confident all-time great but a scared expression that would rival a rookie quarterback’s face during a potential game-winning drive.  It was the first time Manning failed to show confidence and composure despite being within striking distance of the end zone on a fourth-down.  It was a sad sight to see; possibly the greatest quarterback of all-time reduced to a mere mortal not sure of the outcome.
 
From that moment on Manning knew he would take most, if not all, of the blame, which is unfair to him considering the Colts’ secondary couldn’t stop Drew Brees from getting into a rhythm in the second half and special teams couldn’t contribute anything positive to Indianapolis’ Super Bowl cause.  Manning’s situation is eerily similar to the Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant.  Bryant was the best player in the NBA during the 2007-2008 season and led the Lakers to the Finals.  The Lakers were heavily favored against the Celtics, just like the Colts were against the Saints.
 
Many analysts chose the Lakers to beat the Celtics mainly because of one reason: Kobe Bryant.  Again, similar to why analysts chose the Colts to prevail in Super Bowl XLIV: Peyton Manning.  The Lakers proceeded to get whooped by the Boston Celtics in six games.  The same fear and desperation enveloped Bryant’s face during the final seconds of the already decided game.  It is the same fear and desperation that wrapped Manning’s face in the waning seconds in Super Bowl XLIV.
 
The loss left a nasty taste in Bryant’s mouth, the same taste Manning has right now.  Next season, Bryant could not be denied and won his fourth NBA championship.  I expect Manning to do the same.  That’s what the great ones do: come back from a disappointing loss, re-define their legacy and come back with a vengeance.
 
Manning played great until Tracy Porter recognized the route and stepped-in to deliver the deciding blow to the Colts.  Considering the time that Manning puts in the film room, he will not make the same mistake
again. Just wait until next season: Manning will raise his play to an even higher level and will lead the Colts to a Super Bowl win because that’s the only way to spit the nastiness out.  Just ask Kobe.

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It is funny that the kick that changed it all was not a field goal or a deep punt that prevented the Colts’ great field position.  It was a gutsy onside kick, which changed the momentum of the entire game.  That same onside kick will go down as one of the best calls in the history of the Super Bowl.
 
Head coach Sean Payton took a huge gamble coming out of halftime.  He could’ve easily been the goat who handed over great field position to one of the game’s greatest in Peyton Manning.  Not only that but he also took a risk on rookie kicker Thomas Morstead.  But Morstead came through and kicked a “looper” or “bouncer” or whatever you want to call Morstead’s kick as long as they call it the “game-changer”.
 
The Colts didn’t know what hit ‘em.  The surprise of the onside kick had Colts’ reserve receiver Hank Baskett fumbling the football, which allowed Saints’ safety Chris Reis to recover.  Nobody but the Saints knew what was going to happen after the lackluster performance of “The Who” at halftime.
 
Indianapolis had complete control of the first half and with the third and fourth quarter coming, no one could help but think that Peyton Manning was going to pick apart the Saints defense as he did in the second half against the Jets.  After the onside kick, Drew Brees needed only three minutes to march the Saints down the field for a touchdown that gave them a 13-10 lead.  But Manning orchestrated a seemingly routine drive that led to a touchdown that gave Indianapolis back the lead, 17-13.  Little did all of us know that it was the last successful drive he would orchestrate in Super Bowl XLIV.
 
Even with the Manning-led 76-yard drive, the damage had been done.  New Orleans regained their composure and started to play with confidence.  They knew that after the successful onside kick, anything was possible. Their confidence only grew as Matt Stover missed a field goal with 1:55 remaining in the third.
 
The Saints’ defense may have not been able to contain Peyton Manning out until cornerback Tracy Porter’s key interception, but the offense realized one thing: they can put up points against the Colts equally mediocre defense and capable of winning in a shootout against the league’s first four-time MVP.  Sean Payton gambled and changed the tide of the game with a simple play call that no one expected.  Because when push came to shove and the Colts receiving to start the second-half, Payton decided that all the Saints needed was a kick to go from “Who Dat!?” to “Dat’s How New Orleans won Super Bowl XLIV”.

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