Is Peyton Manning the Michael Corleone of the NFL? After breaking Brett Favre's record of most touchdowns thrown on Sunday, and soundly defeating a respectable Chargers team on Thursday night, Manning might be feeling a bit power mad. The Denver quarterback is unquestionably elite, and he has a super charming smile, but is there a Godfather-like tyrant underneath his All-American façade? After launching an angry public tirade against his own scoreboard operator last night, maybe it's time to question whether America's best quarterback has too much power.
First of all, while his accomplishment was certainly a milestone worth celebrating, perhaps the event drew too much focus away from the team's accomplishment. Just three teams in the NFL have one loss right now, but Manning seems to be drawing all the spotlight (via CBS Sports):
"So much of the Sunday night proceedings were focused on Manning and the all-time career touchdown record he was soon to break. But Denver's victory against the 49ers was just as important for the team's future for the rest of this season."
And while it's thought that Manning has influenced several major rules changes during his NFL career, perhaps a much more disturbing display of power and influence came last night when Manning publicly criticized his own team's scoreboard operator (via USA Today):
"I'm not sure what he's doing. He's playing music and showing our players dancing and getting the crowd fired up when we have the ball. I don't think we should be doing that. I don't think we should be showing their quarterback on the sideline. I thought it was disrespectful."
Reportedly the comment was inspired by fan reaction to Chargers' quarterback Philip Rivers' face appearing on the screen.
Let's just hope that Don Manning doesn't send the poor guy to the bottom of the river wearing a cement kimono.
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