Exactly, Canuck.

It's what I was thinking last night when I mentioned he's not the same as he was when he earned his reputation. In fact if you watch him he is painfully slow and stiff. Maybe it's age and injuries, but he runs awkwardly and takes a long time going from side to side or anywhere not directly near him. And lots of his tackles are combination tackles with other players doing lots of the work. Of course he's still a hard hitter, smart and exploits his leadership like a politician. Not to be taken lightly and effective in restricted spaces but not individually so impossible to deal with. I'm more worried about the players in front of him. A hard line to handle.

I wonder how Peyton Manning must feel? And how Niner history might have unfolded differently if he was the starter this year?

A good chance they still might have made the playoffs, but the Niner approach on offense might have looked very different. And maybe have been more defensible. And Kap would have been put on hold indefinitely as long as Manning started. And pulling him halfway after a great start to the season would have been unthinkable. Or been infinitely more controversial. Funny how history is made through unforeseen choices. As it stands, Manning earned a playoff loss and the team he rejected is in the big one.