Manning Looks Finished

Peyton Manning has never performed at his peak during big games, as referenced by his 11-13 postseason record.

After Sunday’s 24-13 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, it felt like Peyton’s statistically historic run as one of the elite quarterbacks in football is over.

Manning simply didn’t have the arm strength to push the ball down the field and he was off target early and often, leaving some doubt whether he will return or even should return.   The reigning league MVP completed just 26 of 46 throws for 211 yards with a touchdown, but he clearly played worse than the stats.

“It’s just disappointing. Everyone would like to win their last game of the season,” Manning said after the performance.

Peyton Manning is due $19 million next season and he’s not going to get any better.  Broncos’ general manager John Elway has a tough decision ahead of him as the team has resurrected itself from mediocrity with Manning, but only have two playoff one-and-done’s and a Super Bowl blowout to show for it.

“Uh, yeah, I guess I just can’t give that simple answer, I’m processing it. So, I can’t say that. I could not say that,” Manning responded when asked directly if he would be back next season.

In limited mop up duty, second-year quarterback Brock Osweiler looked improved from his rookie season.  With major decisions to make about free agents Demaryius Thomas and Terrance Knighton among others, John Elway’s first order of business will be to determine whether he wants to take another run with an ailing Peyton Manning.

Or will the Broncos bite the bullet and start the future next fall?

Dirty Pool By The Pats?

The New England Patriots used trick plays and once-in-a-lifetime formations to become the first playoff team to ever erase a pair of 14-point deficits in their 35-31 victory over the Baltimore Ravens.

The Patriots drew the ire of Ravens coach John Harbaugh as they ran three plays that declared a receiver as IN-eligible. The confusion helped the Patriots to a touchdown that cut their third quarter deficit to seven points. Near the end of the drive, after the third trick move, Ravens’ head coach John Harbaugh was hit with a penalty after charging down the sideline and yelling at the officials.

“It’s a substitution type or a trick type of a thing,” Harbaugh explained. “So they don’t give you the opportunity, they don’t give you the chance to make the proper substitutions and things like that.

“It’s not something that anybody’s ever done before. The league will look at that type of thing and I’m sure that they’ll make some adjustments and things like that.”

Asked if he’d seen it before, Harbaugh said, “No. Nobody’s ever seen that before.”

Did he consider it cheap or dirty?

“I’m not going to comment on that,” Harbaugh said.

Former NFL VP of officiating Mike Pereira was asked about the formations.

“There is a specific rule that says than an eligible numbered player can report as ineligible and line up anywhere on the line as long as he is covered by a wideout who is on the line,” Pereira said. “Perfectly legal. … The Ravens have a responsibility to react immediately.”

Tom Brady was miffed at the mere suggestion that his Patriots ran a dirty play.

“Maybe those guys got to study the rule book and figure it out,” the three-time Super Bowl champion quarterback said.

Officiating Karma Bites Cowboys

Just one week after the Dallas Cowboys benefited from a picked up flag on a pass interference call, a referee Gene Steretore’s review on a Dez Bryant catch which turned into a non-catch changed Dallas’ fortunes.

Down 26-21 and facing a fourth-and-1 on the Packers 32-yard line, Tony Romo lobbed a pass to Dez Bryant in which he leaped in the air and made an acrobatic play on. Bryant caught the football, got both feet down in bounds and when he reached forward the ball hit the turf with his hands on it and it popped up in the air as Bryant regained possession.

Dez Bryant was THIS close to completely re-writing the end of #DALvsGB http://t.co/WdPwYQWduG

— NFL (@NFL) January 11, 2015

Packers head coach Mike McCarthy challenged the call and a few minutes later Steretore announced that the call of a completed pass on the field would be reversed, giving the ball to the Packers where they would run out the clock.

“It really never occurred to me it wasn’t a catch,” Cowboys owner and GM Jerry Jones said. “I thought they were having a discussion on where to spot the ball.”

Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett didn’t blame the officials on the loss.

“This wasn’t about officiating,” Garrett said. “We had 60 minutes to prove that we’re the better team.”

The NFL’s rules about catches are inconsistent at best. This play is referenced by the “Calvin Johnson rule” from a catch that was a non-catch back in 2010. In the time since, there have been plenty of similar plays ruled as catches.

The rules are the rules, but what if nobody really understands the rules? Catches like the one Dez Bryant made should be celebrated, not penalized.

“You have an opportunity, you don’t know how many times it’s going to come around, Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo said. “That’s the hardest part.”

The Detroit Lions are taking pleasure in the Cowboys misfortune.

Sorry @dallascowboys. We know the feeling: http://t.co/CfC95Nj3Q6. #CompletingTheProcess pic.twitter.com/7xuEA9FH49

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) January 11, 2015

It's Funny how life works… Haha

— LUC (@larry_lovestein) January 11, 2015

Poetic Justice. Sorry Cowboys fans, but this is hilarious.

— Corey Hilliard (@slabzilla78) January 11, 2015