Going into the 4th quarter, the Super Bowl had given me absolutely everything I could have wanted. Manning and Brees were both flawless, and the Saints were pulling ahead. Fortunately, the tide continued to trend in the Saints' favor. Unfortunately for the Colts, it meant an embarrassing meltdown in coaching and execution, including a pick that some blithering idiots (as far as football goes, anyway) have already decided defines Manning's career.
Nothing could be further from the truth. As Aaron Schatz of Football Outsiders pointed out, we don't remember Favre by his Super Bowl loss to the Broncos. Manning is still the greatest quarterback to play the game, and there's no doubt in my mind that he'll get another ring--if not several--by the time he retires. Schatz's comment also served as a cagey reference to the historic similarities between the two games, which were one Reggie Wayne drop in the waning minutes from sharing the same final score (31-24).
