Now the title of this article may be a little bit politically incorrect.
But I must say, what else can you say about the performance of Peyton Manning in the Super Bowl? You can't say it was one for the ages. You can't say Manning played great just couldn't play as well as Russell Martin.
To put it simply: Peyton Manning choked.
He choked on the biggest stage of them all, the Super Bowl.
If you were one to believe the hype then you thought Manning would walk casually on to the MetLife Stadium turf and lead his Broncos to a resounding victory over the hapless and inexperienced Seattle Seahawks.
You'd have expected the Seahawks to cry "uncle!" midway through the game or roll over and play dead, just waiting for the beating to end.
However, that didn't happen. Far from it, actually.
The Seattle Seahawks and their Legion of Boom defence walked in to MetLife Stadium with a purpose and a goal.
They walked out of MetLife Stadium with the Vince Lombardi Trophy and the title of "Super Bowl XLVIII Champions".
And how did Manning walk out? Most likely with his shoulders slumped, head down and rear end red and raw from the spanking he had just received at the hands of Richard Sherman, Russell Wilson and the rest of the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.
Now don't get me wrong. Manning is one heck of a player and had one of, if not the best year at the quarterback position in the history of the sport.
He completely deserves all of the accolades and awards he has won.
But he still failed, miserably I'll add, in his most recent game.
He completed 34 of 49 passes for 280 yard. Sure, that's fairly impressive. But the most important completion he made was to Malcolm Smith in the Super Bowl.
Can't find Smith on the Broncos roster? Well, that's because he is a linebacker for the Seattle Seahawks that intercepted a Manning pass and ran it all the way back (69 yards) for a pick six to make it 22-0 for the Seahawks and all but kill and sort of momentum the Broncos may have been trying to generate.
Manning also tossed up a second interception in the game. That's two interceptions compared to just one, count it one, touchdown.
Once again, I'm not saying Manning is a terrible player. He simply choked when it mattered the most.
Of course you can't simply blame him for the loss. Wes Welker dropped a few balls he should have caught and the defence, quite simply, was non-existent.
It was a team effort, and collectively, as a team, the Broncos effort was lackluster at best.
It's just that Manning wil be the scapegoat, simply because it comes with the QB position.
Congratulations Seattle. You deserve your title.
Next year, however, it will be my Packers that bring home the Lombardi Trophy.
