Super Bowl 2012: Peyton Manning Hogging Headlines in Indianapolis

Never before has a man who failed to put cleat to turf in the NFL even once in a given season loomed so large over the Super Bowl.

Yet, as the New York Giants and the New England Patriots prepare to battle for the Vince Lombardi Trophy on Sunday, it's Peyton Manning who's the proverbial rug that's tying the festivities in Indy together.

There's little brother Eli Manning, who's aiming to surpass Peyton in Super Bowl wins with his second title victory in as many trips to the final game. There's Tom Brady, Manning's chief nemesis, who will establish himself as the best quarterback of his generation, if not one of the very best to ever play the position, with a record-tying fourth ring.

And then, of course, there's the not-so-small matter of Sunday's venue—Lucas Oil Stadium, otherwise known as the House That Peyton Built. Manning is almost singularly responsible for the Indianapolis Colts still playing in the Circle City, even more so under their shiny, taxpayer-funded dome. The Colts could've skipped town as early as 2006 per stipulations in their lease at the RCA Dome, but with Manning's brilliance keeping the team among the league's elite, the city ultimately ponied up to keep the NFL in town.

In essence, without Peyton Manning, there would be no NFL team, no new stadium and no Super Bowl in Indy.

Yet, ironically enough, the biggest Peyton-centric story just so happens to be concerned with his imminent departure. Manning has been cleared to return to football after missing the entire 2011 season with a debilitating neck injury, but isn't expected to make his comeback in Indy. The Colts own the No. 1 pick in the 2012 NFL draft by virtue of a 2-14 record during the most recent campaign, putting them in position to select Stanford's Andrew Luck.

Luck, by the way, is considered the most surefire quarterbacking prospect to come out of college since Peyton left Tennessee in 1998.

Of greater concern to Indy, though, is the $28 million bonus the Colts will owe Manning if they keep him. As cap-strapped as the Colts already are, they can hardly afford to keep Manning on-board and shell out big bucks for Luck—especially with Manning's healthy remaining such a mystery until he takes the field.

It's only fitting, then, that Peyton Manning has been just about everywhere in the run-up to Super XLVI.

Everywhere, except the one place where Peyton is usually a dominant presence: on the football field.

Follow @J0shMart1n