It's not his fault, entirely. It's not fair, precisely. But that's where it rests, unequivocally.
If you're the most famous player in the game, the quarterback of a 14-2 team that flirted with perfection, you must take home-field, top-seed advantage and win the Super Bowl.
Or at least make the Super Bowl.
If you lose 21-18 to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC divisional round, as the Indianapolis Colts did Sunday in the RCA Dome, the blame - right, wrong or somewhere in between - rests on you.
"I cannot argue with the truth," Manning said. "I'm not going to try to counter any points. That's a fact. No question, it's disappointing. It's certainly not for a lack of effort on my part, I can honestly say that."
Let's make one thing clear. No single player wins or loses an NFL game. Against the Steelers, the Colts' offensive line allowed the Steelers to turn the pocket around Manning into a mosh pit. The Colts defense let Pittsburgh build a lead that allowed the sack-dance party blitzing. Mike Vanderjagt, the most reliable kicker in the game, blew a potential game-tying field goal he usually makes in his sleep.
Let's also be blunt. The critics never say Edgerrin James can't win the big one. They'll never say Reggie Wayne chokes in the clutch or Dwight Freeney needs a Super Bowl to cement his legacy.
They'll point the finger at Manning, and say he's all stats and no rings. The harangue comes with the territory, and the only way he'll ever silence it is to win it all.
"All I know to do is keep working, come back, and try to be better player next year, a better quarterback and better leader," Manning said. "Hopefully, (we'll) get another shot next year. You get tired of saying that. You don't want to be saying that every time after a playoff loss. Sooner or later, you run out of years and there won't be a next year."
Manning will turn 30 in two months. There are only so many next years left. I'm not sure he'll ever be in a better position than this year. I'm not sure there is a better position.
Colts president Bill Polian, who built this franchise around Manning, shook his head when a reporter brought up the "Manning can't win the big one" topic.
"That's a theory that holds about as much water as my thumbnail," Polian said. "But it's out there. And who cares about it? I don't."
Fair enough, to a point. Teams lose, not individuals. But for the second consecutive playoff game - last year's loss to New England and this year's to Pittsburgh - Manning's game was off-kilter when it most needed to be on target.
Manning's first four passes Sunday were incomplete. Two were wild overthrows. Then he was sacked. Along the way, the happy feet returned, where Manning looks unnaturally hurried, like a freshman at his first high-school dance. He was the erratic second-year player while second-year Steelers counterpart Ben Roethlisberger played the cool veteran.
"Credit that to Pittsburgh," Colts coach Tony Dungy said of Manning's early struggles. "They did a good job, took some things away from us. We didn't play as sharp as we needed to be."
Part of Manning's problems were line-induced. The Colts had their offensive line back intact, but it was hardly resembled the unit that prides itself on its ability to protect The Franchise. The Steelers blitzed and, whether disguised or undisguised, they had their way with Manning. They sacked him five times. There's no official statistic on how often Manning heard or sensed the footsteps of safety Troy Polamalu, and the man who walked his talk, linebacker Joey Porter. Bet on double figures.
When asked about the Steelers' pressure, which seemed to lead to less-quantifiable mental pressure, Manning carefully searched for a way to explain the X's and O's without incriminating his offensive linemen. Then he incriminated them.
"I'm looking for a safe word, guys," Manning said. "Pittsburgh did some things that gave us some trouble. Give them some credit. They had some good looks and put us in some bad positions that we're not usually in."
Colts center Jeff Saturday was willing to criticize the line he leads.
"We just played bad," Saturday said. "When you get down like that, defenses can dictate what they want to do."
Manning and the line finally seemed to get into rhythm on the final drive of the first half, when they drove 96 yards. But that ended in a field goal, another victory of sorts for the Steelers, who led 14-3 at halftime.
Granted, some classic Colts' comeback frenzy ensued in the fourth quarter, with Manning directing two scoring drives. A 50-yard touchdown pass to Dallas Clark. A quick drive and a James scoring run after a Dungy challenge on a Polamalu interception kept the ball in Colts hands. A two-point conversion pass from Manning to Wayne to pull within 21-18.
One final, unlikely shot came after Colts linebacker Gary Brackett forced Jerome Bettis to fumble at the Colts' 1-yard-line with 1:20 left, and Nick Harper returned the ball to midfield. Manning moved the offense and set the stage for a potential 46-yard Vanderjagt field-goal to force overtime.
The ball sailed wide right.
The burden landed on Manning's shoulders.
It's not going anywhere for awhile.
This column is the commentary of the writer and does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of The News-Sentinel. E-mail Reggie Hayes at rhayes@news-sentinel.com.
