A few months ago I saw Archie Manning
speak at a seminar in Florida. He isn't what
you would call long winded, and his whole
speech may have lasted forty five minutes.
He did manage to be entertaining while he
was talking, and you got the feeling he was
a good guy, but you also got the feeling he
wasn't going to go very deep. And he didn't.
He managed to tell several stories about his
sons, Peyton and Eli, without really giving a
clue about either.
If you're a football fan you have been watching
Peyton for about ten years, and you know he
is a top notch quarterback for the Indianapolis
Colts. He won a Super Bowl last year, and is
all over television and print in ads too numerous
to count.
Eli has been the quarterback of the New York
Giants for four years, and has been hearing it
from the New York media since the day he
arrived, after spurning the San Diego Chargers.
During Eli's time in New York, the Giants have
been bad to mediocre, and just started getting
it together in the second half of the current season.
During all the time Peyton played he was criticized
for not winning "the big one." He put all that behind
him last year.
Eli has been criticized non stop in New York. One
look at his face told you how it affected him, and
it wasn't in a good way.Such is the life of a
professional athlete in New York.
But yesterday a funny thing happened. Peyton got
beat, and Eli won. The guy who couldn't do anything
right, at least according to the media, has played
some pretty fine football over the last month, and
his team is going to the championship game.
In a post game interview there was almost a smile
on Eli's face. He looked straight into the camera, and
his head was held high. He almost looked as if he
had it all planned that way.
And I think he did.
I think that a few weeks back Eli decided that he
was going to prove everybody was wrong about him.
He decided that he was going to lead his team to
victory, and that was that. His touchdown drive just
before the end of the first half was as good as it gets.
I think it unnerved the Cowboys, and was the start
of their demise.
So now Eli has a chance to get to the top of the
mountain next Sunday in Green Bay, against one
of the greatest legends of the game, Bret Favre.
He should remember the advice Boston Celtic legend
Kevin McHale gave Isiah Thomas many years ago.
"Don't just go there being happy that you made it. Go
there to win!"
That is why you play the game, and I don't think
anybody has to tell that to a Manning.
From the big saddle,
Jim Whelan
P.S. I had a great time in NYC last weekend, but
I missed my cousin, The Naked Cowboy. Start
looking for me on television in the week before the
Florida primary, holding one of my special signs.
In the meantime, give me a call at 206 407 3124.
which is on February 5th. I have signs made, and
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