Archie Manning’s Dilemma

Who will Archie Manning be rooting for today? USA Today reports on the dilemma. Will Archie be cheering for his son Peyton and the Indianapolis Colts? Or will he be pulling for the New Orleans Saints, the team he quarterbacked from 1971 to 1982. Archie is apparently a god in New Orleans.

Here’s a snippet:

For four decades, the Mannings — Archie, wife Olivia and sons Cooper, Peyton and Eli — have been prominent in New Orleans. They’re adored by residents for Archie’s years as a Saints quarterback, their community involvement (which have included leading Katrina relief efforts) and the athletic success of the sons, who were stars at a local high school.

Ask residents here about the Mannings, and you’ll hear answers such as “first family of New Orleans” and “the Kennedys of New Orleans.”

Archie and Olivia’s two-story Greek Revival home on First Street in the famed Garden District is a stop on most walking tours of the city, just down the street from the former home of writer Anne Rice.

Yet New Orleanians face the prospect of cheering against native son Peyton.

“I’d hate to be Archie on Sunday,” said Gary Solomon, 23, a family friend. “I can’t think of another family more iconic and more loved in a community. They’re the Kennedys.”