We've been listening to it since Peyton's senior year at Tennessee.  "He can't win the big one."  "He chokes."  "He's not a clutch player."  All of these phrases have been screamed by everyone from opposing fans to talking heads in reference to Peyton Manning's glaring absence from the global "center stage" that is the Super Bowl.  Peyton has been everything from an upstart underdog to an overwhelming favorite, and in all cases, failed to deliver his team what it desperately  wanted. . .Super Bowl glory! 

That was all before last Sunday's brilliant second half performance against the longtime nemesis New England Patriots.  In engineering the greatest comeback in AFC Championship Game history, Peyton shed these criticisms, for two weeks at least, and has his Colts one win away from the aforementioned glory.  However, one thing seems to be getting overlooked.  All of the "choke" talk that has followed the Colts is valid!  It's just not valid to send it the quarterback's way.  Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you the real choke artist from the Indianapolis Colts. . . Marvin Harrison!

  "Marvin is one of the greatest recievers of all time.  He runs great routes.  He has Hall-of-Fame numbers.  Most of all, he's not like those other arrogent NFL wideouts!  He shuts up and plays.  He's the Stuart Smalley of the NFL.  Doggone it.  People like him!"  This is what many of you are thinking as you read this, especially if you're name is Al Franken.  However, its possible that no "big-time" player has come up smaller in the history of the position than "Marvelous" Marvin.  His playoff stats:

Games - 13

Catches - 55

Rec. Yards - 776

TDs - 2

These numbers equal out to about 4.25 catches per game for 60 yards and .16 TDs.  Hall of Fame you say?  How much of a bust does he look like when you consider that 16 of his catches for 250 yards and both TDs came in the playoffs following 2003.  That's right.  No playoff TD catches in four years!  In the Colts three playoff wins this year, Harrison has 10 catches for a little over 120 yards. 

The statistical evidence becomes even more overwhelming when you actually watch the games.  The only difference between Marvin Harrison and Reche Caldwell on Sunday was that Harrison's team won, no thanks to him!  Harrison's attempted face-mask catch on a wide open deep ball was only forgotten because of his dropped "between the eight and the eight" slant pass the following quarter.

How did the Colts win with their #! reciever playing so poorly?  That's easy!  Peyton Manning led his career-defining go-ahead touchdown drive by doing exactly what he hasn't done in the past, which is NOT THROWING TO MARVIN HARRISON!  Manning used Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark, and Joseph Addai to reach his goals.  Finally Manning dumped "who brung him" and used the weapons that are willing to get hit.  The ones who are willing to make the tough catch.  The ones who are willing to do what it takes to be called a champion.  The sad truth of it is that none of the previous statements describe the "great" Marvin Harrison. 

(Before you comment, please don't tell me about how teams gameplan to stop Harrsion.  If it were that easy, teams would do it in the regular season too.  The difference is not the defenses.  The difference is the player who mysteriously has no game this time of year, every year.)