During Monday’s 17-hour journey from Milan to Minsk, I spent plenty of time listening to the ’81 Vanagon’s factory-installed Sirius radio. (It’s amazing that the folks at Volkswagen anticipated the popularity of satellite radio, more than two decades before it was invented.)
Though I was partial to the products of my colleagues at Sporting News Radio (I listened to long stretches of Tim Brando, The Two Live Stews, The Monty Show, and Todd Wright Tonight), I sampled many other national shows -- Mike & Mike In The Morning, The Herd with Colin Cowherd, and The Scott Van Pelt Show on ESPN Radio, the various offerings of Sirius NFL Radio, and even a little Mad Dog Radio.
I also did a few radio spots while captaining the Vanagon, including segments with Timmy B., the Fan 590 in Toronto, 105.7 the Fan in Baltimore, and 680 The Fan in Atlanta. (I guess “the Fan” is a little bit punchier than “the Bandwagon Jumper.”)
As you might imagine, some of the radio discussion was devoted to the Super Bowl. And part of the talk focused on the impact of that 31-17 loss on the legacy of Colts quarterback Peyton Manning.
While we generally agree with the notion that Manning’s legacy won’t be known until his career ends, the loss in the Super Bowl prevents him from becoming the consensus best-ever quarterback.
And there’s a simple reason for it -- unlike Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw, Manning now has a black mark on his permanent Super Bowl record.
So even if Manning’s Colts win four more Super Bowls, nothing will erase the thing that neither Montana nor Bradshaw have on the other side of their quartet of Super Bowl wins: a loss.
Thus, the debate as to the best quarterback of all time will continue indefinitely into the future, unless and until a man emerges who not only breaks the various all-time records that Manning likely will take from Favre (with the exception of interceptions) but also wins at least four Super Bowls and loses none of them.
Meanwhile, there was plenty of talk on talk radio regarding the possibility/likelihood that Manning will win two or three more Super Bowls.
Um, folks? In 12 NFL seasons, he has won only one. Even if Manning has eight seasons left, it’s unrealistic to expect a guy with a career postseason record of 9-9 to go 3-0 or better two or three more times over the balance of his time in pro football.
Bottom line? There likely will never be a clear-cut best-ever Michael Jordan-style quarterback in our lifetimes. And that might not be a bad thing.
