Super Bowl 2012: Tom Brady and Patriots Haunted by Manning Family Again

It was deja vu all over again for Tom Brady and the New England Patriots at Super Bowl XLVI.

Eli Manning had the ball with his team down late in the fourth quarter and completed a miraculous pass to one of his wide receivers. The New York Giants finish off the drive and win the game as a result.

Brady and Bill Belichick leave the field disappointed, confetti raining down on their heads as boxes and boxes of "New England Patriots Super Bowl Champions" gear gets shipped out to people in poverty-stricken countries in need of clothing.

And the Manning family rejoices.

Ah, yes, the Manning family, brothers Eli and Peyton. They've both emerged as Brady's biggest tormentors, haven't they?

For years, it was Peyton who went toe-to-toe with Tom, encountering disappointment and defeat more often than not.

That is, until Peyton's Indianapolis Colts finally overcame Tom's Pats in the 2007 AFC championship game, 38-34. That tilt proved to be the last one the RCA Dome ever hosted, before the Colts moved into the shiny, new Lucas Oil Stadium that housed the Super Bowl on Sunday.

It was also the last loss for the Pats before they went about railing off 18 wins in a row amidst one of the most dominant seasons the NFL had ever seen.

And it would've been 19, too, if it hadn't been for those meddling Mannings, Eli in particular.

New England had a 10-game streak going this time around, though it once again proved no match for what the Giants brought to the table.

Not in Peyton Manning's house against Peyton Manning's little brother.

Or was it Eli Manning's brother's house against Eli Manning?

Either way, the Brady Bunch found the Manning family too much to overcome once again. Substitute Indianapolis for Glendale, and Mario Manningham for David Tyree, and the script looks all too similar to the one that saw the mighty Pats felled four years ago.

And yet, the taunting of the Mannings in Brady's life may be far from over. Should the Colts cut Peyton loose before his $28 million bonus kicks in on May 8th, he may well wind up in the AFC East with either the New York Jets or the Miami Dolphins.

Two more games against a Manning per year, at the very least.

Not exactly what Brady had in mind, but if he and the Pats are ever going to exorcise their recent Manning-related demons, what better place to do it than within their own division?

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