It's late January 2007, the RCA dome in Indianapolis, the home of the NFL's Colts.

Colts superstar quarterback Peyton Manning is on the field throwing warm-up tosses as

he allows himself a quick glance at the crowd. His crowd. These fans have been behind him

since day one in India. A decade ago, they sat through a season of losing to land Peyton

in the draft. A few years later, the losing paid off as Peyton turned around the team.

Now, the Colts are consistent winners and the fans are as loyal and loud as any fanbase

in the league. All athletes spew cliches about their love for their fans, but Peyton seems

to really feel it. They call this loud stadium the house that Peyton built. It's a huge

compliment, but it comes with huge pressure as well, especially on days like today.

The dome is packed with more than 57,000 crazed and a little nervous fans today, including

Peyton's famous retired NFL quarterback father, Archie Manning, who've descended on the

dome to take in the AFC Championship game. The winner punches their ticket to the Superbowl,

a game in which Peyton has still not played. Today, though, could be his chance to take

the next step in his career. To get there, though, he needs to go through the New England

Patriots and his biggest rival, their quarterback, Tom Brady. Peyton can see Brady across the

field right now working with his receivers. His eyes are stealing. His mechanics are perfect

even in warmups. He's a perfectionist and Peyton respects that. As Brady works through

his warmup routine, Peyton makes eye contact and they meet at midfield to chat for a few

brief minutes. For men so linked as rivals and so intent on burying each other, there's

a surprising comfort level when they interact. Not a ton of in jokes, but an abundance of

respect and similar experiences navigating the NFL. Sports media's talking heads are

salivating over this matchup. It's a dream come true, Brady versus Manning and the prime

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