Tip to Ryan, Dave Flemming talks about his Super Bowl experiences.
To some extent, we all reacted the same way. I mean, no matter how many times I watch Manning work, I’m still utterly amazed at the innate ability he has to recognize presnap pressure and then deliver the ball to the hole created directly behind where the pressure just came from like a matador plunging the final, fatal, razor-sharp sword into the heart of the bull.
Down the hallway from Manning was another of the Colts’ good guys, Dungy, who grew up in Jackson, Mich., the son of a high school English teacher and a college biology professor. Dungy’s father, who died in 2004, had perhaps the greatest influence on him as a coach. All great ones think of themselves as teachers first. And Wilbur Dungy always reminded his son that the sign of a great teacher is someone who brings out the best in every one of his students, someone who can do it without tricking them or bullying them or wanting credit for their achievements. “I think this does send a message to owners and other people around the league,” Dungy said. “People said, ‘Oh, he’s too nice, he doesn’t have a mean streak, he doesn’t yell, and you just can’t win this way in this league.’ But I think that will be our [legacy] — that you can win in this league, win a Super Bowl, and do it in a certain way with respect and class and dignity.”
After this Super Bowl … I don’t know how to describe it. For once, the universe seemed to be in perfect balance, a place where ego and talent were as they should be — inversely related. This was a Super Bowl for every self-effacing, decent, talented guy in every office, team or group who spends his time and energy perfecting his craft with dignity and honor while silently hoping that character, talent and results will eventually trump the politicking, bullying and bravado that seem to allow everyone around him to rapidly fail upward.
Yep, after watching Manning and Dungy and the rest of the Colts celebrate for almost an hour, it was clear that this Super Bowl had left an indelible mark — on much more than just my scapula.
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