FanPost

Manning and Favre - a personal disappointment


First off, this is my first post on this blog. I joined in October and this blog is a must read daily for me. I have been a Cowboys fan since 1976 (the first Steelers-Cowboys Super Bowl), but I think that I've learned quite a bit from reading this blog (especially Rafe's articles) that have expanded and enriched my understanding of the game. Thank you for a great blog.

The purpose of this post is how I view the "great" Bret Favre and the "poster boy" Payton Manning after the playoffs versus how I remember the idols of the past. While I was watching the Cowboys/Vikings playoff game, I was trying to explain to my seven year old son who just became interested in football about Bret Favre, his gritiness, and his gunslinging attitude. I was trying to put into context how much he meant to the Packers and now the Vikings and how "great" Favre is. However, at the end of the game when Favre threw that meaninglesss touchdow that caused Brooking to go off on Favre, I was cussing at the television along with Brooking. Tough to explain to a seven year old how Favre did not need to do that.

Before the Super Bowl, I was trying to explain to my seven year old my view of Manning as an exceptional quaterback and how it was probably kind of weird for him playing the Super Bowl against the franchise that his father played for. At the end of the game (and maybe before the clock ran out) Manning walked off the field without even shaking Brees hands or otherwise acknowledging the Saints. If I had to tell my son what I though of Manning, it would be something such as a sore loser.

With that said, I know realize that my son is growing up in a totally different era than when I idolized Staubach. I can't imagine Roger the Dodger throwing a meaningless touchdown to settle old scores (the blowouts of the Packers in the 1990s playoffs by the Cowboys) or being a poor sport like Manning. Maybe I'll just emphasize how hard MBIII runs and how he congratulates a tackler with a headslap after each run.

I know Favre's antics have been commented on, and I would like to know whether anyone else's opinion of Manning has been lessened after the Super Bowl.

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