Peyton Manning's best

With the Peyton Manning era officially coming to an end in Indy today, we at Just South of North thought what better way to honor him then with a tribute of his best commercials.

So please enjoy!

"That Peyton Manning guy is pretty good. If you're into 6' 5" 230 pound quarterbacks with laser-rocket arms."

Peyton Manning released, every NFL team with a crappy QB rejoices

Are we ready for the Peyton Manning sweepstakes, because they're coming after the Indianapolis Colts released their star quarterback today.

Peyton Manning's 14-year career as a member of the Indianapolis Colts is coming to an end.

Sources close to the team told ESPN senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen that the announcement will come at a news conference in Indianapolis on Wednesday with both Manning and owner Jim Irsay in attendance.

Oh that should be nice, fun, awkward press conference to watch. Now comes the more interesting question, could by the grace of God Peyton Manning become a Seattle Seahawk? Its not as outlandish as you may think, at least according to one very smart Seahawks blogger...

In Seattle, Manning would be instantly adored and not face the same media crush he might in New York, Miami, or DC. If the Seahawks brain trust ever makes their pitch to Manning, it would include a strong argument that coming to Seattle would give Peyton his best shot at winning another Lombardi Trophy. Compare Seattle's roster to Miami, DC, Arizona... to ANY other team who might take a serious run at Manning- the Seahawks are younger, better managed, and already on an upward trajectory. Coming to Seattle is Manning's best shot at a storybook, victorious closing chapter to his career.

All valid points, you give that Seattle team a legit quarterback last year and they're making the playoffs. While I'm sure every blogger is talking about why Manning should come to their team, a fan base can hope, right?

I did indeed put money on the Colts

Okay so it was like five cents, on CentSports.com, but I put money on the Indianapolis Colts - which pains me greatly. Why? Because...

(1) It's Casey's favorite team and I'm sure he'd get some sort of weird sense of entitlement that I bet on his favorite team.

(2) Peyton Manning looks like Sloth from "The Goonies"

(3) I'm betting against the Who Dat! New Orleans Saints, who are the better story in this Super Bowl. Katrina, Drew Brees, Reggie Bush, they're just 100 percent more interesting. Problem is, Peyton Manning is 100 percent the best QB in the league.

You seriously have no idea how tough it was to pick the Colts, picking against the long-suffering New Orleans franchise that plays in a city that was nearly wiped off the face of the planet thanks to Katrina, is essentially like rooting for global warming, the bubonic plague and the New York Yankees.

(4) It's Casey's favorite team. Even if they win and I get my nickle of winnings, I have to hear him for the next year brag about his Colts.

(5) If they win, there's going to be hordes of new "Colts fans" that walk the earth. Ugh. NFL Fans! Got to love them!

Peyton Manning, the best NFL quarterback ever

Casey's favorite quarterback Peyton Manning is the most valued player in the NFL again, much to the chagrin of Brett Favre. Since this is his fourth MVP award, he breaks a tie with Mr. Frozen Tundra and becomes the greatest quarterback that ever lived.

He's also won just one Super Bowl like Favre, but at least he doesn't appear in Wrangler Jeans commercials. Do those actually makes guys think "You know what I need? A freakin' pair of WRANGLER jeans!" Epic Fail, Mr. Favre.

Come to think of it, Manning's commercials are much better. He's pretty much superior in every way except his coach doesn't look like a bowling league champion. Darnit.

The Wildcat works, the 2-minute drill doesn't

There's been a lot of hype around the Wildcat offense that the Dolphins use and there's also been a lot of detractors. Even though Miami lost last night 27-23 to Indianapolis, NFL coaches should look at the following...

Time of Possession

COLTS
14:53

DOLPHINS
45:07

If Peyton Manning is not involved in this game, the Dolphins win it. The Wildcat works, Tony Sparano's two minute offense doesn't. But everyone tomorrow is going to say "See! The Dolphins' offense doesn't work," which is completely wrong.

Peyton Manning was on the field in the third quarter for THREE PLAYS. That essentially takes him out of the game. This is what Bill Parcells (who's not coaching, but watching from a high perch in Land Shark Stadium) use to do with his Giants teams - eat up the clock and not let the other offense out on the field (hence, they can't score).

The genius of the Dolphins offense is that they don't use the Wildcat every play, they mix in mostly traditional plays and then occasionally have somebody other than Chad Pennington take the snap. They have the right personnel for the system (a stable of good running backs and West Virginia's former QB Pat White to also take snaps) and they implement it right. It's a very efficient system and had Manning not connecting on some long passes, we're looking at a different outcome.

Since this is a copy-cat league I'd like to see other teams implement it as well and have the right people in place. Jim Mora Jr. from Seattle should be taking notes right now since it seems Seneca Wallace may have to take more snaps for the Seahawks this season.

Casey's team is a royal flaming mess

My better half on this blog, Casey Knopik, is a self-pronounced Colts fan. He's also a Royals fan.

Apparently he likes blue and white.

One thing I've never understood is how he can support such a lame franchise. Not only did they move from one of the loudest NFL stadiums to the quietest (thanks to some great engineering) and not only did they go from one of the best human beings on Earth as their coach to ... the venerable assistant coach who's sure to completely run the thing into the ground, but they also have Peyton Manning at quarterback.

I don't have an axe to grind with Manning, but even though he does have a Super Bowl ring - he's kind of a tard. Sure his commercials are funny, but he seems like a doofus. Can you imagine him trying to yuck it up with teammates int he locker room? I can't.

And lets not forgot the time he threw his entire offensive line under the bus during a post game interview.

I'd say more but I don't want Marvin Harrison to put a hit out on me, so I'll just leave it at this:

You heard it here first, the Indianapolis Colts will be a disaster this year.

Other people that should get their own muppets

Kobe Bryant and Lebron have their own muppets, what's stopping other people from getting their own commercial muppets?

(And by the way, I still can't get over how Kobe's muppet looks nothing like him and doesn't sound like him at all. It's not even wearing a Lakers jerseys)

1. Jonathan Papelbon - Not only could it dance to Flogging Molly but it could also strike out muppet A-rod, which would actually just be a sack of crap on a stick.

2. Stephon Marbury - Steve and Barry's may have gone out of business but their pitchman lives on since he has his no defunct shoe logo tatooed on his skull. A muppet of equal craziness has to be made. Although somebody should probably put a tracking device on the thing so it doesn't go bat crazy and start ripping people's throats out.

3. Adam Morrison - You wouldn't see this muppet out on an NBA court though.

4. Mark Few - Actually, the real life Mark Few is about the size of a muppet.

5. Jose Conseco - It could just walk around accusing everyone of steroid use, and it's crowning moment would be when it outed the Olson Twins for using PEDs.

6. Pacman Jones - Muppet strippers are much cheaper than real strippers.

7. Peyton Manning - with a permenant "Manning Face" ... thank you Bill Simmons for coining that term.

8. "Press Box Hot" Female - it doesn't take much to make a homely muppet right? Thank you Bill Simmons for coining the term press box hot.

9. Casey Knopik - This strange little muppet would chase around squirrels and hike up muppet sized mountians. Which are actually just large trash cans covered in felt.

10. Katy Perry - Is it possible they could give her more cleavage than the real life Katy Pery in her Vegas song music video?

Party like it's 1947

I used to hate Kurt Warner with a passion.

Used to.

Mainly because the Rams were the toast of the NFL and he led them over my Titans for a Super Bowl Championship.

Then after a few years, he sucked and tumbled off the face of the football world and right into the lap of the Arizona Cardinals.

And now I find myself rooting for the guy. After reading this piece about just what kind of guy Warner is, I couldn't root against him. And if you really think about it, Warner has never put himself in front of the team and has been extremely gracious during the downturn of his career.

That being said, with the Cardinals going into the playoffs, I figured that they had no chance whatsoever. Much like no one gave Warner a chance - he was bagging groceries and had to work his way up through the AFL to the NFL (beginning as the third stringer). However, Arizona, which was hosting its first playoff game since 1947 when they were the Chicago Cardinals, beat the upstart Atlanta Falcons 30-24 today.

It's kind of strange how sports can change your mind.

Powder Blues rule the night again

So fellow blogger Casey tells me. After various texts back and forth about how terrible Madden is at commentating a game, he called the game with that bold prediction about the jerseys.

Badass jerseys + winners of the previous four must win games = upset over the Colts and ... yep, it's back... THE MANNING FACE!

For the second straight year, Eli Manning will be in the hunt for the Lombardi trophy longer than his brother. How ironic is that? Who saw that coming? Will Eli turn out to have a better career than his brother?

What people are thinking...

With our handy-dandy mind-reader we've been able to figure out what certain people have been thinking after the Super Bowl...

Eli Manning: Dinosaurs are cool! Look I can make a dinosaur noise, RAWRRR! See, didn't that sound like a dinosaur.

Bill Belicheck: Well apparently I get a rebate on selling my soul to the devil now.

Terry Bradshaw: I smell jerky!

Las Vegas: Awwww, hell.

Rex Grossman: If Eli can do it than I can do! Come on, right guys? Why are you taping me to my locker again guys? What's that big nest of bees doing over there... and why are you putting honey on my chest right now?

Peyton Manning: I'm so proud of my little brother. Thank goodness we started doing commercials together. The League of the Future will catch on.

Tom Coughlin: Now maybe NY will stop wanting to fire me. Please?

Trent Green: What? The season is over? When did this happen? I don't even remember it.

John Madden: I could use a Tur-duck-hen. Does Bradshaw have Jerky?

Jeremy Shockey: Ha! Try and win without me guys. Try and beat the Patriots, yeah that's right, I'm going to get wasted up in the luxury suite on national television and you guys can just go pound sand. Oh wait.. damn... you're winning... stop that you're ruining my free agent contract! Plex -- I thought we were tight man.

Joe Buck: How'd you like my performance in my Super Bowl commercial? Why won't you acknowledge me off the air Troy? I am not a joke, Troy? People are not laughing behind my back, Troy? Did you fall asleep again, Troy?

Jerry Manning: Man, wow, sucks being the older brother.

Archie Manning: I'm glad that early 70s microwave accident didn't ruin any of my stock.

Tom Petty: Glad I got that hair dye just in time.

Kurt Warner: I remember that feeling. Instead now I am a backup in the state where the Super Bowl was just held.

Brett Favre: "There was an old woman, who lived in a shoe..."

'72 Dolphins: Thank you Giants. Eli, we love you. Eh em. We mean....that love....it was simply platonic.

Tony Romo: Jessica, heehee. Tickle fight!

Tom Brady: Hello ladies. How you doin?

Peter Griffin: SHAPOOPEE!

Roger Clemens: You know you all should really pay attention to the Super Bowl. I mean forget about baseball, it's really not America's sport anymore. Forget about baseball. Steriods, yeah forget about those too. And uh, just forget about me as well please, and make sure to check back in when they do the Hall-of-Fame voting.

Jake Plummer: I need some comfort food.

Tiki Barber: Well that couldn't have gone any worse for me. Unless of course snakes rained from the sky and bit me. Then that might be considerably worse, but otherwise it's been a pretty terrible weekend for me.

Randy Moss: I should have stayed in Oakland and starred in that animated feature "Space Blitz" with Bugs Bunny and Blippo the amazing pot lighter. Oh, that was a hallucination, great, now I'm glad I came here.

Blink 182: We should get back together to do the half-time show.

The State of Montana: The NFL says that we are the 53 state in line for a team if they expand. Behind Hawaii, L.A., London and Guam.

Congress is sticking their nose somewhere it doesn't need to be

Nevermind our foreign debt is larger than Kristie Alley, never mind we've fighting a war over in Iraq, never mind our health care system is an utter sham.

Let's have Congress spend it's time and resources trying to figure out whether or not the Patriots cheated.

Wait, didn't the NFL take care of this way back in Week 2? Is Congress now making the brave step of supposedly cleaning up the dirty sport of football?

What exactly are they trying to accomplish other than making headlines for themselves. Who wouldn't want to be the guy or gal that took down the Patriots?

Oh wait, just about every other team in the NFL tries to steal the signs of the other team on a regular basis. It's part of the game. Are you telling me that DBs and LBs aren't watching the coaches when they try to sign in an audible? Hell, Shannon Sharpe admitted that he was trying to do the same thing to defenses he lined up against when he played. And Shannon Sharpe is one real dude, how can you argue with a man who's got more Super Bowl rings than Peyton Manning.

Oh wait.. Well Peyton choked this year so I guess that statement doesn't really hold any validity.

While I agree with the fine and the lost of a draft pick, I don't see this as a tainted championship.

I see this as a team that is leaps and bounds better than the rest of the teams of the NFL.

However, it will probably take a committee in Congress to figure that one out.