Peyton Manning probably has the mantra that most older brothers have....only I can make fun of my little brother. Which is why his interview with Bob Costas Sunday night was so funny. Costas asked Peyton if he can watch Eli play at all, and this was his response. Via Watchdog....

"I get so into it. I get so worked up. I remember last year they were playing Philly, or maybe it was two years ago. They beat them and he drove them down there late and I remember standing on top of the bed, yelling at Toomer or one of his receivers because they ran a wrong route, and Joe Buck is just ripping Eli, just because that's what he seems to enjoy doing.

So I'm yelling at Joe Buck, 'Just call the play-by-play, Joe! Let Aikman do the commentary.' I said to myself, 'Peyton, what are you doing? Why are you on top of the bed yelling at the TV?' I've got a game here in four hours against New England or something . . . But you know what, I love watching him play. That's the first thing I do after a game when I get to the locker room. I'm asking for the Giants score."

Wait, so you're telling me Joe Buck doesn't know anything about Football? I am shocked! You can check out the clip below, right at the 10 minute mark....

Peyton Manning prefers Troy Aikman's analysis to Joe Buck's (Watchdog)

We'll be doing some more live blogging tonight over at 12StepDrop. It's Peyton vs. the Widcat O tonight, and while it's not the most exciting game ever, there is certainly some fantasy implication. We'll get going right around 8:30pm, but in the meantime....let's get those predictions!!!

Indianapolis at Miami (ESPN, 8:30pm)- Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, Jon Gruden
Line: IND -3, O/U 41

It's no secret that Peyton Manning owns the television game, and anyone who's in a spot with him is assured that it will be gold. Well in his latest Sony commercial, Peyton has so company with him. Not only is he playing ping-pong with Justin Timberlake, but Erin Andrews even makes an appearance!

Good use of the Mandarin language there boys, and I have to agree with Justin, having an HDTV makes you better at Sports.

He already burned me once this year by not saying the name Jessica Simpson in Dallas' Playoff game against the Giants, but this seems like a great bet for those of you who do that sort of thing. Via Sports Biz...

My big bet this year is "How Many Times Will (Fox Announcer) Joe Buck Mention Peyton Manning's Name During The Broadcast?"

The over/under is 5.5 times.

If you take the over, BoDogLife.com is paying out $100 for every $125 wagered. If you take the under, the Web site will pay out $100 for every $115 wagered.

Before I analyze, let me just set up a couple terms for you. A "Peyton Manning" mention counts if Buck says "Peyton Manning" or "Peyton." It does not count if he says "Eli's brother" or "his brother." Another point worth adding is that the broadcast consists of the time in between the opening kickoff and when the clock hits zero.

The biggest thing to consider is that it has to be during the action, so I'm inclined to go with the under. I'm also inclined to believe that Buck will see what I picked and to the exact opposite. He can read minds you know.

Super "Prop Bet" That I Need Your Help On (CNBC: Sports Biz)

I think it's relatively pretty easy to remember who the number one pick is of any draft. Especially if you take into account the other players selected in said draft. This is especially the case in 1998....and with that said it's time once again to play....

FIND! THE! TYPO!!!

The article is a nice piece on how the Dolphins have company when it comes to futile teams. The story is highlighted by an nice selection of the worst teams since 1970. Take a look and tell me if you can find the typo (click for larger)....

That's a lot of bad teams.....let me help you out.....

Still can't figure it out? Well think back to the 1998 Draft and who had the first pick. I'm pretty sure it was the Indianapolis Colts and they picked this guy.....


(Thanks to Chris for sending this one my way)

I'm just now catching up on this stupid feud thing, but apparently Ronde decided to help Tiki out on the radio the other day. He went on for two hours about Eli's "testes dropping" and that it's Tiki's job "to be controversial". Well this didn't make one Peyton Williams Manning too happy.....

“Ex-players truly become ex-players right away, the No. 1 job is to criticize players. I’m pretty defensive of all quarterbacks. Eli is my brother. I’m very loyal to my family. I’d rather you criticize me. I don’t think anybody knows what it’s like to be a quarterback except a current quarterback. Sometimes former quarterbacks forget what’s it’s like. You cannot play quarterback at any level — you’re in a leadership position. To do it for three years in high school, three years as a starter in college, taking your team to the playoffs — you are a leader and you’re a good leader."

Manning added: “It’s supposed to be a code, teammates to teammates. That’s the problem we’re going to have with ex-players going to the media. When I retire, I know what I don’t want to do.”

Aw, that is so cute! Big Brother sticking up for Little Brother, Twin sticking up for Twin. It's what brings families together.

I'm actually inclined to agree with Peyton here, but let's get real. This is what media is nowadays. You criticise before you praise because that's what audiences eat up (this site is no different). I think Eli handled the situation just fine, and needs to focus on shutting everyone up during the season. Sorry Peyton, but this probably did him more harm than good.

Manning Makes Strong Defense of Manning (New York Times)

P.S.- Can we perhaps grow up a bit Ronde and Tiki? That radio thing was pretty lame.

So you knew it was coming, and all I can say is wow. It's sort of NSFW (if your work doesn't like hearing the phrase "take a big dump"), and it's genius.



You know.....I was completely unaware that Thomas Jones read Danielle Steel. I did however know about his baking prowess.

Indianapolis gets the second half kickoff and inches its way to midfield. The crushing questions from the first half are as follows:

(Bevo) When the Colts lose this game, will Manning blame his receivers ala last year's offensive line finger pointing?

That was awfully turdish of Manning last year, wasn't it? As I'm writing this, Reggie Wayne drops a pass that would've been good for a first down inside the Patriots 30. The drops haven't been egregious, but there have been at least four or five opportunities that Indy has pissed away because their receivers either couldn't or wouldn't fight for the ball.

Indy's inside the New England 20 right now, and looking very confident.

(Off In The Woods) Do you think the other studio analysts have the UN translators in their ears to help them understand what Shannon "notso" Sharpe is saying?

It's a fascinating scenario, but who could possibly translate? Shannon Sharpe is like the white Keith Richards. You might only pick up every fifth word, but the point is eventually made and succeeded by Shannon or Keef laughing at himself for eight seconds.

New England 21, Indianapolis 13.

Give the Colts credit, as they took the second half kickoff and drove for a touchdown. Peyton Manning and his fake moustache sneak it in from the 1, and we Have A Ballgame. It'll only make the loss more crushing in Indianapolis. Gotta love false hope.

New England goes one, two, three and out. Sauerbrun roid-rages a punt to the Indy 24, but the Colts strike for a 25 yard pass, a 19 yard Rhodes run, and another drop by Marvin Harrison. The Patriots are coming unglued on this Indy possession, as they give away a first down on a Richard Seymour offsides penalty. That mistake is compounded by Ellis Hobbs, who faceguards Reggie Wayne in the end zone for a pass interference penalty.

New England 21, Indianapolis 19

The Colts, perhaps as revenge for a New England lineman scoring an earier touchdown, runs a play action pass to Dan Klecko for a touchdown. Nice patience by Manning.

New England 21, Indianapolis 21

Under a heavy rush, Manning lofts a pass toward Marvin Harrison on the right sideline of the end zone. Harrison makes the tough catch in traffic, and we're tied!

The elation is short-lived for Indianapolis, as Ellis Hobbs returns the kickoff 80 yards to the Indy 21. The crowd, to its credit, doesn't take a play off. That's no help, as Jabar Gaffney streaks toward the post for a 15 yard pass.

On second and goal, Reche Caldwell drops a sure touchdown after Brady had run for his life. Jabar Gaffney makes up for the mistake on third down, as he leaps and snares Brady's pass along the backline of the endzone. He's forced out of bounds by the Indianapolis defense before both feet hit the ground, and the referees award the touchdown. Now it's under replay.

AA here......not sure what happened to RUTS, but I'll finish this thing out. It's 28-28. Great game.

Brady's Ball. New England is going nowhere, and the RCA Dome is hoppin'. Pats go nowhere and Simmons is starting to cringe.

The key to the Colts' defense Bob Sanders is hurt. That might be huge.

Seriously.....what is Grolsch trying to do with their ads? I would drink piss before I drank Grolsch.

Manning throws a duck up for Wayne, and he keeps falling over his own feet. "He's gotta get shoes that work"- PS. Peyton then trips over Addai, and the Pats curse is coming on fast. Peyton somehow hurt his little thumb on the last play, and is crying on the bench.

Okay, there needs to be a new caveman commercial every single week. A facemask call puts the Pats almost in FG range already. "Be Ready"- Peyton to Jim Sorgi........that's a scary thought.

"Open up the whole just a little bit"- Phil Simms.......that's what he said to that prostitute the night before

Wow......Caldwell is WIDE-OPEN.....and drops another pass. Amazing. You know what makes Tom Brady Great? He can hit Heath Evans with a pass in the 4th quarter with the game on the line. Should have been a pass interference call there.

"A lot of hand fighting"- PS

31-28 after a Gostkowski FG.

Cut a rug Dallas Clark.....huge pickup into Pats territory. Vinatieri comes out for a FG....."Again he's never missed"......Nancy tries to jinx Adam....no such luck.

31-31 ALL.

Hobbs runs another one back to midfield, and the Colts are going to blow this thing.

Right on que Brady hits Graham for a 20 yard game. The Pats play like wimps to setup a Gostkowski attempt. And it's good.

34-31 Pats......and it's Peyton Time!

Peyton throws a dangerous pass on second down....get ready for the face. Peyton then thows a 2mph pass to Moorehead and it's batted down. Awful series.

Brady out onto the field to close it out. Two many players in the huddle so it's 1st and 15. You don't have to count them Phil Simms.....there's more important stuff going on at the moment. Colts call timeout, and they only have 1 left. It really comes down to this one play for the Colts. Can they exorcise their demons?

Well we will get to find out. Bobby Sanders almost picks off Brady, and the Pats will punt.

Colts ball at the 20 and completes a first down duck to Reggie Wayne. The Pats are blitzing every down. Incomplete to Fletcher on first down.

Peyton lofts a pass to Fletcher who makes up for a drop on first down.

Holy shit......Reggie Wayne on the catch and flips the ball carelessly into the air and grabs it back again. Wouldn't have mattered though because of a roughing the passer penalty. This is getting intense.

I needed that commercial break....."Do You Remember Me?".........I'm too lazy to turn off bold, and I think this part of the game warrants it, so I'm keeping it going.

So it's Colts ball at the 11. "The biggest eleven yards in Indy history right here"- Nantz....that's an understatement. Colts run the ball with Addai for a few, and take off some clock. They run the ball again, and it'll be third and two. Timeout Pats......

Here we go.....1 minute left......3rd and two.

TOUCHDOWN! Another run, and Addai gets it. The rookie steps up.

So we get to see if the Golden Boy can pull another one out. 1 minute....and 2 timeouts.

Hobbs on the return and he gets it back to the twenty. Incomplete on first down as Reche "Big Eyes" Caldwell was heading in the wrong direction. Brady gets 19 yards on second down and picks up a first......another 14 and there's 24 seconds left as the Pats call a timeout. One timeout left for the Patriots and Peyton can't watch.

PICKED OFF!!!!!!!! Marlin Jackson! Demons officially exorcised.

Largest comeback ever in a Championship game, and the first Super Bowl matchup between African-American coaches. Great game. So that's your Super Bowl......Indy versus Chicago. Great matchup......we can only hope that Peyton blows his next game.

Thanks to RUTS for taking on the game, and I apologize for the posting errors.

Yours truly will have a special appearance on Sports Bloggers Live during Super Bowl Media Week, so keep an eye/ear to the streets.

With the NFC Championship officially spiraling out of control, let's throw a bone to AA and ask the following question: What would you rather hear about endlessly for the next two weeks, Peyton Manning and Tony Dungy finally overcoming their histories and reputations as proficiently awkward choke artists, or Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, and the Patriots being constantly lauded as the BEST EVAH!!111one!! by every single sports media personality in the nation?





My friends, this is your choice. I freely admit that it is not an easy decision, and will thus make no attempt to hide my disdain for either of these teams. I'm an Eagles fan, born in Philadelphia, and therefore done with all things Boston. They won a World Series under ridiculous circumstances after a near-century of failure, then proceeded to act like they had won the previous twelve World Series. Their wildly successful football team is the absolute embodiment of the NFL as a league: Bland By Design. And really, their fans have had enough. No group of people has ever squandered a seemingly endless supply of goodwill as quickly or spectacularly as Boston fans. You know, outside of the people who started the Freedom Fries movement.

On the other side, Peyton Manning and Tony Dungy. To a large extent, they've become humanized by their failures and tragedies. Manning, consistently regarded as an immensely dopey and talented quarterback with a penchant for crapping the bed, filmed a bunch of goofy commercials that made me giggle in my weaker moments. Tony Dungy, well, he's a Nice Guy. Or a Classy Guy. And given the way he handled himself in the wake of his son's suicide, you have to believe those things. Indianapolis, as a city? Hell if I know. Never been there. They don't have MLB or NHL teams, and their basketball franchise is best known for beating up Turtle from Entourage. So I have no real beef with the possibility of Indianapolis winning a Super Bowl. It's not like their fans have been spoiled. I mean, the freaking Marlins won two World Series, right? We can throw Indy a bone here, can't we?

Still, I'd be lying if I said it wasn't fun to root against Peyton Manning. There's something so satisfying about it. Like I said, I'm a Philadelphia guy. I can appreciate the art of failure.

What are you hoping for this evening? What's the most fitting way for this game to end? Personally, I'm going with Peyton leading the Colts down the field in the final two minutes, and Adam Vinatieri shanking a 19-yard field goal.

Sweet revenge, thy name is Vanderjunk.

I'm Run Up The Score, and this is your AFC Championship live blog. Word.

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Former Texans GM Charley Casserly (yes, the guy who passed over Reggie Bush) dropped an interesting tidbit on the CBS pregame show. Tonight's officiating crew is led by Bill Carollo, and his crew has only called five defensive pass interference penalties this season. Casserly added that this isn't necessarily Carollo's entire regular season crew, but the lack of pass interference calls could be an interesting thing to watch for if New England starts getting overly physical with Indy's receivers.

Also, Casserly mentioned that Atlanta can't cut Ron Mexico because it would be a $21,000,000 salary cap hit.

So it's a pretty slow day in sports (you know it when I'm actually doing work for my real job). And what do I do on slow days? Post videos that's what. So here are two to get you hyped for this weekend's games. The first.....Reggie Bush getting PWNED!......the second......well just watch and enjoy.





Both found at Garage Gabs