Just when you thought the Peyton Manning drama was going to fade for a few days, yesterday’s news that he has been medically cleared to play again hits and all hell breaks loose.
That’s about a 2000 word post by itself, in which we could explore his motivations for having that news released during Super Bowl week, what it means for the Colts’ administration, and so on. But I’ll cut to the chase: it changes nothing for the Colts. If Peyton is playing in the NFL next year, and I still think that’s a very long shot, it won’t be in a Colts uniform.
Now, onto my fearless prediction for Sunday. I’ll own up to my preseason pick of a Pittsburgh-Philadelphia Super Bowl, with the Steelers winning. The Eagles were a disaster and the Steelers managed to lose to the Fighting Tebows in the Wild Card round. Nicely done on my part!
With the frenzy of activity here in Indy this week, the game itself has kind of gotten lost. Most years I try to ignore all the non-football stuff and pay attention to the story lines that will affect the game. Despite my efforts to ignore the craziness, I find myself not having spent much time studying the match ups.
Which could be a good thing. This is a tough, confusing call. How much does the Patriots’ mystique, established from 2001-2005, count in a game in 2012? How much does the 2007 Super Bowl mean this year? Does the roll that the Giants have been on for the last month carry over after a week off? Does playing in his big brother’s shadow help or hurt Eli? Can Brady and his offensive line keep the Giants’ pass rush at bay long enough to do their thing? How effective will Gronkowski be? As Kevin Costner said in <em>Bull Durham</em>, we’re dealing with a lot of shit here.
Because of all of that, this is one of the games where no result would surprise me. Either team could roll, it could be a classic back-and-forth game, or it could be a stinker that becomes exciting only because it comes down to a late possession. I just have no feel for it.
So, I’m just going to pull something out of my ass. Which, honestly, is what I usually do anyway.
Giants 30, Patriots 17
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