Philadelphia, PA (My Sportsbook) - At long last, Peyton Manning can claim to be as good as Stan Humphries.

The notion that you have to a reach a Super Bowl to be considered a great quarterback is a ridiculous one, since the balancing end of that argument, that you are a great quarterback if you do indeed reach a Super Bowl, can't be equated.

In a reality never imparted to the network television producers that jack- hammered the storyline into the ground for the past half-decade, Manning still would have been one of the best ever to play the game even if the Patriots had held on to defeat the Colts on Sunday.

In the same way, Humphries, Tony Eason, David Woodley, and Vince Ferragamo did not make the jump from mediocre to elite just because they won conference championship games.

Still, the fact that Manning and the Colts will be in Miami on Feb 4th means that when No. 18 calls an end to his career, he will have afforded himself a solid chance of being mentioned in a discussion with the best of all time, along with Unitas, Marino, Montana, and select others. Absent that Super Bowl trip, history would have judged Manning as simply a Top 10 guy who wore the scarlet letter of having never made it to the last Sunday of the season.

And it's not as if Manning backed in to the first Super Bowl appearance of his nine-year NFL career. Each of his 27 completions and all 349 of his passing yards were necessary on a night in which the Patriots scored 34 points and never trailed for the first 59 minutes. The seven-play, 80-yard march that culminated in Joseph Addai's game-winning touchdown run with a minute to play was Manning's version of "The Drive." His 32-yard fall-away pass to reserve tight end Bryan Fletcher along the left sideline was a thing of beauty, perhaps the defining throw of his career in terms of both its magnitude and its perfection.

Now Manning has earned himself a front-row seat in Marino's class, but should he fail to lead the Colts past the Bears at Dolphin Stadium in two weekends' time, Manning's face will remain pressed against the same glass ceiling blocking the path of the legendary Miami quarterback.

You can't get past the second line on Marino's resume' without mentioning that he never hoisted the Lombardi Trophy, an unseemly blotch of black ink on his legacy that will never be wiped away. Because he lost in his only Super Bowl appearance, you will never convince many NFL observers that Marino was the best of all time, no matter what the record book says. There is a good chance Manning will surpass Marino's most impressive statistical feats (if Brett Favre doesn't get there first), which ensures his status as a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer but not the universal celebration enjoyed by Unitas, Montana, or even Tom Brady.

Marino only got one chance to win the biggest of the big ones in an illustrious 17-year career, and Manning, who has been victimized by the failings of a nondescript supporting cast in much the same way that Marino was, could be staring down his only shot at a title as well.

Which means Archie's middle child probably didn't do more than a few minutes of rejoicing over the hurdle he cleared at the RCA Dome on Sunday night. The real obstacle arrives in south Florida on the first Sunday in February, and Peyton Manning will either get past the impediment or be trapped under it. Inasmuch, a Super Bowl won't just be at stake in Miami - Manning's legacy will.

Some NFL news and notes as we begin the 13-day sensation known as "Super Bowl week":

TUNA REELS IT IN

In an announcement that was something short of shocking but still registered on the "surprising" meter, Bill Parcells announced his resignation on Monday after four years with the Dallas Cowboys. Parcells was 34-32 (.515) in four seasons in Big D, reaching the postseason twice but never winning an NFC East crown or a playoff game. A power struggle with Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones likely has at least something to do with the resignation, a rift that most NFL observers saw coming when Parcells was hired in early 2003. The coach and owner had clashed over the direction of the quarterback position at various times during Parcells' tenure, and an occasionally tense working relationship was enflamed by the circus surrounding wide receiver Terrell Owens this season. It was believed that Owens would not return to Dallas if Parcells did, and the coach's resignation improves the chances of T.O.'s return next year.

Initial names mentioned as potential successors to Parcells are San Diego defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, formerly head coach in both Denver and Buffalo, and Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera, who could not be officially named to fill the vacancy until after the Super Bowl.

STEELERS GET THEIR MAN

Ranking higher on the NFL surprise meter was the Steelers' decision to tab 34- year-old Vikings defensive coordinator Mike Tomlin as their head coach, an announcement that was set to be made Monday afternoon. Tomlin beat out Pittsburgh offensive line and assistant head coach Russ Grimm, who was seen as the front-runner for the position from the moment Bill Cowher resigned on Jan. 5th.

Tomlin's youth and relative inexperience (only one year as an NFL coordinator) renders him a surprising selection, as does his defensive philosophy. Tomlin favors a 4-3, "Tampa-2" defensive approach, which is 180 degrees from the 3-4, zone-blitz tactics currently in vogue in the Steel City. Pittsburgh's current defensive personnel, in particular ends Aaron Smith and Brett Keisel, outside linebackers Joey Porter and Clark Haggans, and strong safety Troy Polamalu, are not seen as a natural fit in Tomlin's scheme, nor is current defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau particularly well-suited to run it.

The hiring of Tomlin, the first African-American head coach in Steelers history, does follow a pattern, however. Cowher was 34 when he was hired to succeed Chuck Noll in 1992, Noll was 37 when given the job in 1969, and both were virtually unknown NFL assistants.

THE RAIDERS - GUESS AGAIN

In the past week, both USC quarterbacks coach Steve Sarkisian and Chargers wide receivers coach James Lofton have seemingly been one pen-stroke from becoming the next head coach of the Oakland Raiders. As Oakland's search reaches Day 18, however, Sarkisian and Lofton have both apparently been eliminated from contention after running into obstacles at the contract- negotiation stage. Of those the Raiders have interviewed, ex-Giants head coach Jim Fassel and current Oakland defensive coordinator Ron Ryan remain in contention. A new name, that of 30-yard-old Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, has officially reached the rumor mill.

Don't expect that Fassel, Ryan, or McDaniels will ultimately be named the coach, however. Raiders owner Al Davis took 38 days to re-hire Shell prior to last season, and hired Joe Bugel following a 37-day search in 1997.

ONE PARADISE TO ANOTHER

The Dolphins benefited from San Diego's decision to retain Marty Schottenheimer as head coach last week, securing the services of his would-be heir apparent, Chargers offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, mere hours after San Diego had made its announcement. Cameron spent the past five seasons as the Chargers' offensive coordinator, prior to which he amassed an 18-37 record in five years at Indiana University. Cameron was awarded the job over fellow finalists Jim Mora, Dom Capers, Chan Gailey, and Mike Shula. Capers will stay on as the Dolphins' defensive coordinator.

YOU MAKE THE CALL

Now that Manning has reached the Super Bowl, who ascends to the top of the list of the best active quarterbacks to never play in that game? Assuming you don't consider Vinny Testaverde to be active, the "winner" would have to come from this group: Drew Brees, Marc Bulger, Trent Green, Carson Palmer, Chad Pennington, and Michael Vick.

The two-time Pro Bowler Green is the oldest member of the group at 36, but has never been viewed as an elite-level quarterback and is probably past his "sell-by" date in terms of leading a team to the Super Bowl. Brees (two playoff appearances), Palmer (one), and Vick (two) haven't experienced enough playoff failures to get anyone's attention as of yet, and Pennington, who has played in five postseason games, doesn't merit a spot in any list that includes the word "best" in its title.

Thus, my choice for the new Manning would have to be the 29-year-old Bulger, a player that ranks near the top of most NFL passing categories each year, has had some notable opportunities on the playoff stage (the Rams were the No. 2 seed in 2003 and were upset by the Panthers, and advanced to the Divisional Round in 2004 before being routed by the Falcons), but hasn't enjoyed significant playoff success as an active player. Bulger was an inactive backup to Kurt Warner and Jamie Martin when the Rams reached the Super Bowl following the 2001 campaign.