There was a certain moment during championship weekend two Sundays ago that got me really pumped up.
No, it wasn't Reggie Bush streaking towards the endzone and doing his much-maligned jig. Nor was it Rex Grossman's game-clinching drive capped off by his floater to Bernard Berrian. And it certainly wasn't Peyton Manning's ""monkey-off-the-back"" game-winning drive or Joseph Addai's touchdown run. Though anytime the Salvation Army model of a coach, Bill Belichick, loses, life is good.
Actually it was what happened right before that. On a follow through of a fourth quarter pass, Manning banged his right thumb on the helmet of left tackle Tarik Glenn.
Now, I don't usually wish for injuries to athletes (except if they are racist lights-out closers for the Atlanta Braves in the late 1990's). Even if their names are Derek Jeter, I'd rather my team beat an opponent who is at full strength. But since the Jets had lost two weeks before to Belichick's Pats, I had no stake in this game whatsoever ... that is, until Manning's injury.
As Manning headed to the sidelines, he winced in pain as he stretched out his seemingly injured thumb ... and then it hit me. The backup for the Colts was none other than former Badger quarterback Jim Sorgi.
Now, in three seasons in the NFL, Sorgi has completed 59-of-90 passes in 10 ""games."" The word ""games"" appears as it does because these have been contests in which Manning has built up a more than sizable lead that Sorgi can't possibly screw up, or in the final games of seasons in which the Colts have already clinched division titles. He's had five touchdowns and one pick, his best game coming against the Broncos when he threw for 175 yards and one score.
So when CBS showed Manning mouthing the words ""Get ready!"" to Sorgi on the sidelines, I thought to myself, ""Is this really going to happen?"" For those of you who aren't seniors, you might not remember Sorgi in cardinal and white. The 2003 starting QB was good, but certainly nothing special. He had a nice arm, but a propensity to get sacked. He is the all-time Badger leader in passing efficiency (141.2) and fifth all-time in passing, but the one-year starter between Bollinger and Stocco was certainly not memorable.
Even in the best game of that year, when Wisconsin ended Ohio State's 19-game winning streak with a 17-10 win at Camp Randall, Sorgi wasn't the hero. In the third quarter, with the Badgers already without tailback Anthony Davis because of an eye-socket injury, Sorgi ran for an eight-yard gain. After the play had been called dead and whistles had been blown, Buckeye linebacker Robert Reynolds thought it would be a good idea to strangle Sorgi. With Sorgi's vocal chords bruised and trachea crushed, preventing him from speaking, backup QB Matt Schabert delivered the game-winning 66-yard touchdown pass to the venerable Lee Evans (Reynolds is now surprisingly not with the Cincinnati Bengals, but rather the Titans).
But there's still time for Sorgi to have an impact on the Super Bowl. Sure, Peyton's thumb x-rays came back negative, but that doesn't mean he can't still get nicked up. I mean, look at the Chicago defense. Brian Urlacher and Adewale Ogunleye are monsters and just think about what Tank Johnson would do if he had a free shot at the Manning.
Look, everybody likes Peyton Manning. I mean, that guy's pretty good. If you like 6'5'', 230 lb quarterbacks with a laser rocket arm.
I don't want Peyton Manning to get really injured, just a little bruised up so that he can't say. ... walk ... but just for an hour or so. And preferably I'd like it in the last four minutes with the Colts trailing 15-10. I just want to see the look on Sorgi's face when he realizes that he could win the Super Bowl for the Colts. I want to hear the gasp that can be heard from Indianapolis all the way down to Miami when No. 12 takes on No. 18.
And, sorry Bears fans, but with Sorgi on the field ... he'll be the best quarterback out there.
If you think Jim Sorgi was the best Badger quarterback to ever grace Camp Randall, you can argue with Sam at sepepper@wisc.edu.
