Peyton Manning’s masterpiece

When Leonardo da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa, he did more than inspire a controversial book that spawned a horrible Tom Hanks film. He imbedded into our culture one of the most famous facial expressions the world has ever seen. Da Vinci’s perfect use of light colors and contrasting shadows on Mona Lisa’s face mesh together perfectly with her emotionless smile, creating a masterpiece. \nSince the 16th century, the human race has not seen an image so befuddling as the Mona Lisa – that is until March 24, 1976, when the creation of “The Peyton Manning” came to fruition. \nIn case you have not been watching the NFL on Sundays for the past nine seasons, “The Peyton Manning” has filled our television sets with an image so indescribable, so mind-blowing that it brings an entire nation to sit and gaze transfixed in its splendor. To describe the face, it would take experts years to figure out the complexities that exist in every nook and wrinkle. But for those of you unfortunate enough to have never witnessed its magnificence, I will now attempt to do “The Peyton Manning” justice in my \ninterpretation. \nCreated by Archie and Olivia Manning, “The Peyton Manning” is, of course, the expression that hits Peyton’s face after an interception. This image horrifies Indianapolis Colts fans, and brings much joy to pundits around the NFL. The image can broadly be described as a subtle frown, exuding Manning’s feelings of disappointment and despair. But as one can see, “The Peyton Manning” is far deeper and more complex. \nTake for example, “The Peyton Manning” from the second quarter of the Colts’ self-inflicted groin punch performance Sunday night against the San Diego Chargers, where Manning threw six interceptions. After throwing pick No. 3 (or was it four?), “The Peyton Manning” emerged for the first time in a while, and it was better than I ever remembered it. At first glance, you notice his mouth is usually tightly closed, as if every curse word known to man is about to spew out if any air gets in there. After the initial shock of the miscue, Manning’s body language slumps as if his puppeteer has let go of the strings that give the usually statuesque quarterback his aura. \nThen it happens. Peyton’s eyes become transfixed on the scoreboard, hoping his “just got sent to my room” stare will change the outcome. His mouth reads “shucks,” but his demeanor reminds me of the first time one of my tires exploded on the highway, and I was forced to change it, crying out something to the effect of “What have I just done?!” \nIt’s ironic that the greatest player in NFL history can show no sign of resiliency when he is down. The expression has been with Peyton since he was a freshman at Tennessee and will likely never leave him. Manning treats every deflected pass as if his girlfriend just left him. But that is just a testament to his greatness, and his desire never to want to feel that way again. \n“The Peyton Manning” is priceless. Even though the Colts lost a heartbreaker 23-21, the loss wasn’t really due in large part to Peyton. With a little help from Adam Vinatieri, who’s lucky he still has a job this week, Peyton could have turned that frown upside down. For the fortunate fans in Indianapolis, the Colts success in recent years has caused “The Peyton Manning” to hibernate. But sometimes, it is still good to see the greatest facial expression since the Renaissance come out every now and then.