Quit shaking in your boots, pardner. San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers is a dime store cowboy. His cowboy act is 110 percent fake. So you mean to tell me the Broncos are supposed to fear his Bolo tie?
I’m rolling on the floor and laughing so hard, I dropped my fish taco.
There is a whole lot of irrational fear floating around Broncos Country. There’s hand-wringing about the eight times Peyton Manning has gone one-and-done in the NFL playoffs. There’s consternation about how a 20 mph wind at the stadium Sunday afternoon would turn the rocket arm of Manning to mush.
In other words: A stiff breeze scares worrywart Broncomaniacs. Are you kidding me? Yes, we all remember what happened in the playoffs 365 days ago. But why let apprehension cause misery in the hours prior to an elimination game?
“If it’s just miserable this whole time, then why are you really doing it?” Manning said, in response to my suggestion he gets too uptight during the playoffs. “I mean, there are other things you can do that might make you feel less miserable than if it’s just an absolute grind. That is my approach. And maybe, as you get older, you think more along those lines: Hey, this is a pretty unique opportunity to be in this position, to be one of just a few teams playing.”
San Diego could beat the Broncos. Heck, we’ve seen the Chargers do it. An upset, however, won’t be fueled by Rivers’ faux cowboy-up attitude. He was born in Alabama. Rivers might be a rebel. But as a cowboy, he’s a poser.
Former Chargers and Broncos running back Jacob Hester told me if the crowd killed Rivers with kindness by cheering his introduction, Philip might get so flustered he wouldn’t know how to act.
Here is the real concern for the Broncos: San Diego coach Mike McCoy, leaning on his work experience in Denver, knows which on-field situations make Manning uncomfortable. Chargers defensive coordinator John Pagano is clever in disguising his pass-rush schemes and secondary looks.
Get it? The playoffs are a war on the beautiful mind of Manning. It’s not that he chokes. The ability to fool Manning at the line of scrimmage is the real mind game in the postseason.
Is there mysterious power in the Bolo? That’s pure balderdash.
Unless San Diego finds a way to mess with the mind of Manning, the Broncos win. It won’t be easy, but how’s this for a final score? Denver 28, San Diego 23.