Vanderjagt ‘Extremely Disappointed’ By Peyton Manning’s Performance

INDIANAPOLIS, IN--Mike Vanderjagt had high expectations for his team on Sunday in New England . With the Patriots playing without cornerbacks Ty Law and Tyrone Poole, he called their defense “ripe for the picking” for Manning and the Colts. Unfortunately, the Pats were victorious again, leaving Vanderjagt bitterly disappointed in his so-called star quarterback.

“I cannot tell you how disappointed I am with Peyton right now,” said a despondent Vanderjagt after the game. “He had a great season but none of that really matters now. All that matters is that we lost. It just hurts because I’ve been trying to get through to the guy all season, you know? We both knew that we’d be facing the Patriots in the playoffs and that we’d have to bring our ‘A’ game. Well, Peyton didn’t do that and we got beat by a weaker team. I just hope he uses this as a learning experience, because I am at the end of my rope with the guy.”

Vanderjagt cited his “heroic” field goal in the second quarter as evidence that he came to play, but, alas, one man does not make a team. The meek contributions from the rest of the Colts offense were not nearly enough to dethrone the defending champs.

“I can only do so much. I need help, you know. I’m only one man,” Vanderjagt said. “I went out there in the second quarter and kicked that field goal even though it was cold as hell and I had a nice cup of hot chocolate on the sidelines. I put my team first. But you know what? I don’t know if I have any more left to give. I’m exhausted. If I don’t get some help from my supporting cast we’re never going to win. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Great quarterbacks thrive in pressure situations. Obviously we do not have a great quarterback. We have Peyton Manning, pathetic loser.”

At halftime Vanderjagt took Manning aside and spoke to him about what he needed to do to get to that next level. Manning listened attentively, and it looked like the message was getting through.

“Come on, Peyton, this is your time, man. It’s your time,” Vanderjagt was overheard saying as he knelt next to Manning. “I don’t care how many touchdown passes you’ve had this year and how many pro bowls you’ve been to. This is what it’s all about. Now I wanna see you go out there and take control of this game the way I know you can. What have I been saying to you all year? Huh? That’s right. ‘Big time players play big in big games.’ And what are you? That’s right. You’re a big time player. Now go out there and make me proud. I’ll be watching from the sidelines, drinking hot chocolate in my in my giant parka.”

The scene after the game was much different. Once in the locker room, a visibly upset Vanderjagt had to be restrained from going after Manning, who was devastated by the loss. Afterward, Manning told reporters that the pain of the loss was magnified even more by his kicker’s disappointment.

“It was a tough loss, man. But what’s worse is that I let down my friend, my mentor, my place-kicker,” said Manning, trying to contain his emotions. “He’s believed in me since Day 1. He’s given me better advice than any quarterback coach I ever had. It hurts that I wasn’t able to make him proud, to come through for him, especially after he expressed so much confidence in me in the media all week. I just hope he finds it in his heart to return next year and play with my sorry ass.”

The rest of the Colts did their best to stay away from Vanderjagt after the game. He was furious with the entire team, including head coach Tony Dungy, who couldn’t bring himself to look his kicker in the eye.

“I’m sorry. That’s all I can say. I’m sorry,” Dungy said in the postgame press conference. “Here’s a guy who…who…I’m sorry, let me get my composure here. Here’s a guy who comes to play every day and leaves everything out on the field and wanted more than anything for this team to advance. Obviously it’s a tough loss for all of us, but none more so than Mike Vanderjagt. It’s just an awful feeling when someone shows faith in you and you let them down. I just give Mike a lot of credit for the way he’s handling the whole thing. I expected him to do something crazy, like trash my office, but all he did was overturn the desk.”

While there has been some concern that Vanderjagt will leave the Colts in search of greener pastures, the kicker indicated that he intends to return and honor his contract in Indianapolis . He only hopes the team takes steps to improve its roster before next year.

“I’m coming back. I’m not the kind of person to run away from things when they’re going bad,” he said. “I just hope that this front office does some serious soul-searching during the offseason and figures out a way to surround me with a better group of players. Sometimes I feel like the Dan Marino of kickers. I’m fantastic, but I need a solid team around me in order to advance to the next level. Maybe next year Peyton will learn his lesson, and some of my killer instinct will rub off on him.”