People criticized Peyton Manning for not showing up at the first NFL hearing. Turns out, his wife was having twins.
Recently, people have been criticizing Manning on his silence, as if Manning not talking to the media somehow undermines his very obvious and never ending desire to play football. That would be like telling Monica, "Hey, you like things clean." Could it also be that he just wants some peace and quiet as he recovers from his second neck surgery?
This off season, people seem bored and with no good stories to report on, so they just twist small incidences into as a big a thing as possible. Who cares that Manning is holding secret practices? I love the Colts to death, but I don't need to know where they are practicing or what kind of drills they are running. I personally get more and better work done when I know I'm not being watched. Maybe that's the kind of natural practice that they want, so they don't have to deal with any extra fluff?
Whatever. I have two words for the media: BUTT HURT.
Peyton Manning is easily my favorite person in the world, but he is still a person, and regardless of his celebrity, he deserves privacy and owes us nothing but playing good football, which is what he tries to do every single year.
He doesn't seem as active promoting his charities this off season (understandable), but here is Manning answering questions at the Lutheran High School of Indianapolis on May 16, 2011:
If there is no football this year, I'm certain I will present my family practitioner with a number of football withdrawal symptoms. I'm only guessing, but based on my past behavior, these symptoms would probably range from yelling "get open, get open!" at slow automatic sliding doors to stuffing my shirt with a football and walking around like that for the whole day. In the office. At the park. While running my upcoming half-marathon. Some girls like to stuff their bras. I like to pretend I'm 7 months pregnant and about to give birth to a giant, pig-skin covered olive.
I don't know.
Football makes me do weird things.
But, I found this little gem: the full Monday Night Miracle game! The one where the Colts kick major ass when least expected on one of their awesome comebacks from behind. Peyton Manning and company went to town and put a bow on Tony Dungy's birthday present when they played against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2003 and won.
This is one of my many favorite Manning family commercials. Peyton and his brother Eli play a bunch of games over the summer, like Hungry Hungry Hippos and what I assume is Dance Dance Revolution (do people still play that? I'm way out of the video game loop. I mean, I'm still stuck on Aero Fighters). It's funny when Eli says, "Connect four!" and Peyton responds with, "I didn't see that coming."
