Lebron James and Peyton Manning Are One in the Same

ESPN posted an interesting article about Lebron James’s photographic memory:

    "LeBron will take one look at it the tv and know what game it is. He'll be like, 'Oh, that's Game 2 of the '97 Finals,' before they even put it on the screen."

This sounded very similar to an ESPN article about Peyton Manning’s memory last week:

     "Sometimes I can't remember if I checked a door at my house to see if it's locked or not," he said. "But I can remember a seam route to Marvin Harrison in 1999."

They must be long lost cousins or something! All joking aside, the two great players’ careers have strikingly a lot common: 

• Peyton has struggled in the big game, going 1-2 in the Super Bowl, while Lebron is only 2-3 in the NBA Finals
• Lebron was crushed in the most lopsided NBA Finals ever, while Peyton was blown out of the Super Bowl 43-8
• Peyton has led both the Heat and Cavs to the Finals, while Peyton has taken both the Colts and Broncos to the Super Bowl
• Lebron’s former boss is Hall of Famer Pat Riley who has six rings, while Peyton’s boss is Hall of Famer John Elway, who has two titles
• Peyton appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated before he was drafted #1 overall in 1998, same with Lebron in 2003
• Lebron has been thwarted and compared many times to future Hall of Fame player and coach Tim Duncan and Gregg Popovich, while Peyton struggled and is contrasted with future Hall of Fame player and coach Tom Brady and Bill Belichick
• Lebron finally won his first title in his ninth season, same with Peyton
• Peyton’s free agency was the hot topic of the summer of 2012, while Lebron’s free agency decisions of 2010 and 2014 were national news 

Or you could go even deeper, outside of their careers:

• Both have receding hairlines
• Peyton's "Achilles Heel" is his neck, while Lebron suffers from leg cramps
• Both met their wives while in high school
• Both have appeared on SNL and the Simpsons
• Peyton's success in Indianapolis helped the city get a new stadium, while Cleveland's economy is half-jokingly based on Lebron 

Lastly, they both better turn their title fortunes around these coming seasons, or else I’ll be in for some more heartache.

How do you beat Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl?

MVP Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos are the favorite in this week’s Super Bowl against the Seattle Seahawks. While Denver has had a record breaking season, they have been beaten three times. A little analysis below reveals how the Broncos have performed in their 15 wins and 3 losses:

In the wins: Plus 2 in the turnover margin
In the losses: Minus 4

In the wins: Only 30% of their drives ended in punts
In the losses: Up to 50%

In the wins: 40% of their drives ended with touchdowns
In the losses: Only 20%

In the wins: Three times more touchdowns than 3 & outs
In the losses: Had more 3 & outs than touchdowns

In the wins: Averaged 28 first downs on offense and gave up 20 on defense
In the losses: Averaged 23 first downs on offense and gave up 23 on defense

In the wins: Gave up 89 rushing yards on average
In the losses: Gave up 138 rushing yards on average

Therefore, in order for the Seahawks to prevent Peyton Manning from winning his second Super Bowl, they need to run the ball for first downs, while limiting the record setting Broncos offense to turnovers and 3 & outs on defense. Good luck.

Peyton Manning vs Tom Brady is Upon Us

This Sunday, the biggest individual rivalry in professional sports repeats itself when Tom Brady leads the New England Patriots against Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game. The two hall of fame bound quarterbacks face off for the 15th time and fourth time in the playoffs.  In case you are not fed up with the non-stop coverage on ESPN, here are some different takes on the rivalry:

Here is a Sporcle quiz comparing their stats:

http://www.sporcle.com/games/klofton798/manning-vs-brady-stats

Here are some fun facts on the matchup:

• 6 of the last 7 Manning-Brady meetings have been decided by 7 points or less
• 7 of the last 12 Super Bowls have included either Tom Brady or Peyton Manning
• The last time the Patriots played a road playoff game? The 2006 AFC Championship Game against the Colts
• Peyton Manning & Tom Brady's combined age of 74.3 is the oldest ever between opposing starting QBs in a Conference Championship Game
• Manning and Brady will be the 1st QBs to meet in playoff games 10 seasons apart in the Super Bowl era (2003 & 2013 AFC Championship games).

Both Manning and Brady have appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated over a dozen times:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Meanwhile, as pitchmen, they are completely different as this article details. Brady is married to a supermodel wife and endorses Ugg boots and Movado watches, while Manning and his “aww shucks” “down to earth” personality pitches Papa John’s and Mastercard.

I know what I’ll be watching at 3pm on Sunday… with my Papa John’s pizza.

Tebow!

Now that I’ve gotten your attention, here are some interesting facts and absurd stories accompanying Tebow Mania.

• Everyone knows he’s gone 7-1, but his stats (10 passing tds, 2 ints, 517 rushing yards, 3 rushing tds) compare favorably to other hot QBs, Rodgers (8-0, 25 tds, 4 ints), Brady (6-2, 19, 5), Big Ben (7-1, 13, 5) and Brees (6-2, 20, 6).
• Tebow’s stats through three quarters: 38% completion, 4.7 yards an attempt, 5 passing tds, 301 rushing yards, 1 rushing td. In the 4^th q/OT: 61%, 8.9 yards an attempt, 6 passing tds, 216 rushing yards, 2 rushing tds.
• Tebowing (pictured above) is now an official word.
• Tebow’s pastor says they are winning because God is on their side.
• You can get Tebow Christmas cards on ebay.
• He is getting MVP consideration.
• “Tim Tebow” gets 194 million Google hits, compared to 11 million for undefeated Super Bowl MVP Aaron Rodgers, 11 million for injured Peyton Manning, 48 mil for Lebron James, and 68 mil for Tiger Woods. At least the other Golden Boy Tom Brady is almost half, at 81 million.
• Speaking of Brady, the Patriots are the next team to try to stop Tebow Time. New England has the worst ranked defense in the league, so if the Broncos can somehow contain the Patriot offense, Denver fans’ prayers could continue to be answered.
• Lastly, no one seems to have noticed that the Packers are undefeated at 13-0 while the Colts are 0-13. Hello!