'Appies Sure Are Dumb,
But... They Have Good Feet!'

The above quote was made by a farrier friend of mine many years ago concerning her dealings with Appaloosa colts. It came to my remembrance while watching yesterday's AFC Championship game.

As a former basketball and volleyball coach, much of my training regimen for my players was designed to feature proper footwork and build other basic skills from there. When I watch athletes perform, I have a tendency to watch their feet.

Colts quarterback, Peyton Manning, displays footwork that would make River Dancers hang their heads in shame. His pocket choreography is something to behold. I wouldn't be surprised if he went through 3 pairs of shoes per game.

From a coach's point of view, Manning is much like Brett Favre; technically, they both do everything wrong. They both make throws with their weight centered on their back foot or with feet not set at all. I wouldn't want any kid that I was coaching to emulate their technique in any measure.

Like Appaloosas, they have good feet, but are they dumb? Perhaps not, but setting up in the pocket with several 1/6th ton missiles flying at you with bad intent doesn't strike me as Einsteinian, no matter how good of a dancer you are.