As I said last night here on the Blob, Peyton Manning's legacy probably didn't take much of a hit with the 31-17 loss to New Orleans in Super Bowl XLIV. His reputation might have taken one, however.

His constant glowering and pouting on the sideline was bad enough. But leaving the field without so much as acknowledging the winners was classless.

Granted, he made a good recovery later on, explaining that he was merely giving the Saints their moment. That sounded nice, but I'm not sure I buy it. I think the guy was just ticked off. He certainly spent most of the game looking that way.

Look, I take a backseat to no one in my regard for Manning as both a man and a player. And I understand and respect the competitive fire that so clearly burns in him.

But there's a time to indulge that fire, and there's a time to keep it banked. If Bill Belichick had done the same thing Manning did (and he has), we'd all be talking about what a jackhole he is. Giving Manning a pass on it just because he's Manning ... well, that seems a trifle hypocritical to me.

Just sayin'.