Here they come again, first Peyton Manning tomorrow, then Tom Brady Sunday, the The Quarterback Duel and Ratings Bonanza For The Ages, Big Brother Manning versus Brady in Denver in nine days for the right to go to Super Bowl XLVII.
Armageddon again.
The two legendary quarterbacks of this generation. The forever poster boys of the NFL. The matchup America craves. An AFC Championship Game that will have more appeal than Super Bowl XLVII.
Manning, back with his new team, virtually all the way back from four neck fusion surgeries and a year away from the game he loves, back against the one quarterback who owns him (9-4) more than any other quarterback in the big games.
Manning must get past Ray Lewis and the Ravens first, of course, and Brady must get past J.J. Watt and the Texans first, of course, but is anyone outside Baltimore whacko about Joe Flacco’s chances to win a shootout in Peyton’s Place, and is anyone outside Houston crazy about Matt Schaub’s chances to overcome Brady (and Bill Belichick) in Foxborough?
Brady versus Manning is coming, to a television near you.
No one around the Patriots, least of all Belichick and Brady, dares dream past the opening coin toss against the Texans, but we’re allowed, and we’re allowed to ponder how badly Brady and Belichick burn to exorcise the Ghost of Mannings Past.
So here they come again, The Hoodie and The Pretty Boy, The Spy and The Apple of Gisele’s Eye, stalking that Lombardi Trophy with the same obsession that has made them the greatest head coach-quarterback union of this generation.
Belichick left the Jets under far different circumstances than Vince Lombardi left the Giants, but it is our misfortune and, especially in the case of the Jets, that he became a legendary champion elsewhere.
Brady is the quarterback the Jets — and everyone else except Colts fans who worshipped Peyton — wish they could have called their own over the past dozen seasons.
If not for Eli Manning and Tom Coughlin, Belichick and Brady would have an historic five Super Bowl crowns together, one more than Chuck Noll and Terry Bradshaw and the Steeler Curtain.
Belichick remains the diabolical football monk burning the midnight oil, chasing a fourth championship like a football Charlie Hustle. It was Pat Riley who informed us there’s winning or misery, and Belichick’s joyless public face and pronouncements provide undeniable evidence he subscribes to the mantra.
Brady remains the modern-day Joe Montana, and those who choose to liken Belichick to Darth Vader will be quick to argue Brady wouldn’t be a first-ballot Hall of Famer without him.
But as they wait in ambush for Watt and the Texans, Belichick and Brady confront a cruel and humbling reality: They haven’t won a Super Bowl since Feb. 6, 2005. And they haven’t won a Super Bowl since Spygate.
Whether they like it or not, there is an elephant in their trophy-filled room until they shoot it dead.
And with Brady turning 36 in August, the clock is ticking on them.
How is it possible that Belichick and Brady are burning to scratch an eight-year itch?
LEADERSHIP: The departures of Mike Vrabel, Rodney Harrison, Tedy Bruschi, Richard Seymour and Troy Brown were significant.
ASSISTANT COACHES: The Patriots’ 24-21 victory over Donovan McNabb and the Eagles marked the end of the Belichick-Charlie Weis-Romeo Crennel troika. Then Woody Johnson and Mike Tannenbaum came calling two years later for Eric Mangini.
THE DRAFT: Some will cite general manager Scott Pioli leaving for Kansas City, but Belichick has always been hands-on with final say. His efforts at rebuilding his defense in the salary cap-era were temporarily derailed by high picks such as Darius Butler, Terrence Wheatley, Tyrone McKenzie and Shawn Crable. And 2006 No. 1 choice Laurence Maroney failed to give Brady a balanced attack.
THE MANNING BROS.: Peyton finally broke through against his tormentor Belichick when he stormed back from an 18-point deficit for a 38-34 victory in the 2006 AFC Championship Game at the RCA Dome that propelled him to Super Bowl XLIII, where he beat the Bears and slayed his personal dragon.
A year later, it was little brother Eli shocking the Perfect Patriots with a two-minute drive for the ages, highlighted by David Tyree’s Catch 42. Then came more Manning magic four seasons later.
BRADY’S HUMAN: His threepeat dreams were shattered in Denver when Champ Bailey returned a game-changing interception 100 yards in the playoffs.
Sept. 7, 2008, a date that will live in New England infamy — Brady crumbled with a torn ACL when Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard levelled him and missed the rest of the season.
Brady was rattled by Steve Spagnuolo’s relentless pass rushers in Super Bowl XLII.
Brady, with a hobbled Rob Gronkowski, was a mere mortal against Perry Fewell’s relentless pass rushers in Super Bowl XLVI.
BELICHICK’S HUMAN: How else can you explain covering Plaxico Burress one-in-one with munchkin Ellis Hobbs at the end of Super Bowl XLII?
Best weekend of the NFL season this weekend.
Brady-Manning next weekend.