Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
GREG BEACHAM
Associated Press
KAPOLEI, Hawaii - Until this season, Peyton Manning was the quarterback who excelled in games that didn't matter - and no game matters less than the Pro Bowl.
Manning would grind through every practice in his six previous trips to Hawaii, even showing up early on game day for extra work with the NFL's best. His singular dedication earned the MVP award in the 2005 game, but didn't translate into playoff success.
After winning the Super Bowl this year with a less-than-perfect playoff performance, Manning intends to take things much easier in his seventh trip to Honolulu. He will hit charity events, spend plenty of time relaxing with friends from around the league - and won't worry about how much he'll play for the AFC on Saturday.
"There won't be a lot of motivation going on out there," Manning said. "This will be a cruise-control kind of week."
Manning and his four Colts teammates made the champions' customary dramatic entrance in Hawaii on Wednesday, and the Super Bowl MVP was the center of attention. Dozens of fans finagled their way through security after practice for a chance to get autographs and photographs with the players, yet everybody seemed focused on Manning.
Though Manning intends to take it easy, he doesn't want anybody to know about it. Minnesota lineman Steve Hutchinson got in a playful shot at his longtime friend when they hung out in a restaurant downstairs at the players' resort on Oahu's west shore Monday night.
"He just looks at me and says, 'You've changed,'" Manning said. "Seriously, there's nothing more you could say to me to make me madder. I hadn't brought (the Super Bowl) up one time. People are bringing it up to me, and I'm giving them my Elvis Presley: 'Thank you very much, thank you very much.'
"My whole goal the whole week is to prove to him how I'm very much the same guy. That's who I am."
After a late night of postgame partying and a raucous rally back home in Indianapolis on Monday, Manning joined receivers Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne and offensive linemen Tarik Glenn and Jeff Saturday for a lengthy chartered flight to Hawaii on Tuesday, courtesy of the Colts' owners.
They found something to make the 4,340 miles fly, however: They watched the tape of Indianapolis' 29-17 win over Chicago for the first time.
"Not much sleep. I wouldn't say I'm very well-rested, but it's the kind that you like," Manning said. "Being able to fly out here yesterday on Air Irsay, as I call it, with my teammates, and then to watch the Super Bowl on the plane, that's hard to beat."
Manning was 25-of-38 for 247 yards and a touchdown in that rain-soaked win over the Bears, turning in a performance that wasn't exactly spectacular, but more than enough to win.
Manning, again the AFC starter, will play for New England coach Bill Belichick, who got this assignment after the Patriots' wrenching loss to Indianapolis in the AFC championship game. Belichick left a congratulatory voicemail message for Manning last Friday, and he joked around with the quarterback during stretching exercises before Wednesday's practice.
And Manning's teammates also couldn't wait for this week of relaxation. Saturday, his longtime center, spent just enough time at home to wash his clothes Monday night. After throwing them back into the same suitcase he took to Miami, Saturday was off for the islands to play for Belichick.
"Bill even said that - as much as he hated to say it - congratulations," Saturday said. "I'm still so excited about it. I don't know if that means it hasn't sunk in yet."
"It's still surreal," Glenn added. "What made it a reality was getting the chance to celebrate it with the fans. Now, we're on vacation."
The five Colts plan to spend more time hanging out together this week, and they might even watch that Super Bowl tape again. Wayne, the only first-time Pro Bowl selection in the contingent, is looking forward to taking the next step in his career alongside several teammates and friends.
"I'm a young pup, and these guys have all been here and done that," Wayne said. "I'm just glad I was able to savor the moment with my team."