In his defense, sometimes ESPN "First Take's" Skip Bayless does have a valid argument. But sometimes, he's also off his rocker.
For some reason, Bayless decided to insult Kobe Bryant to prop up fellow aging superstar Peyton Manning on Thursday's edition of "First Take."
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Bayless was referring to comments Jets wide receiver Brandon Marshall made about Manning hitting a wall, similar to the Black Mamba, on "Late Night With Stephen Colbert," on Wednesday, via another ESPN report.
"It kind of reminds me of watching Kobe Bryant, right?" Marshall said of Manning, who has struggled through various physical ailments in what could be his final season. "These last couple of years you've seen the guy really hit a wall. These are legends, living legends, and all of a sudden, they can't do it anymore physically."
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Fair assessment? Not even close, according to Bayless.
"Honestly, I think this comparison is an insult to Peyton Manning," Bayless said. "I do not understand this week's runaway public perception that Peyton Manning is now the weak link, (that) he's the reason the Broncos have no chance against the Patriots even in Denver. It's all about washed-up Peyton Manning.
"I just don't see 'washed up.' I still think Peyton is capable right of playing at a fairly significantly higher playoff level than Kobe would be."
But how does Bayless arrive at his conclusion? Manning's 67.9 quarterback rating in 2016 is by far the lowest of his career (his previous low was 71.2 his rookie season).
Similarly, Bryant is shooting a career-low 34.5 percent from the floor, and his 16.3 points per game is the lowest in a full season since his second year in the league.
But compare Bryant's stats to those of Tim Duncan. Duncan is averaging 9.0 points and 7.7 rebounds per game this season -- both career lows. Duncan's 51.1 percent shooting, however, is slightly above his career average of 50.6.
But while Duncan is on one of the two best teams in the league with the Spurs, Bryant is part of a Los Angeles team with three promising young players and another proven scorer in Lou Williams -- and nothing else.
The Lakers have the second worst record in the NBA (9-35). Duncan is playing alongside an all-star cast in San Antonio, while Bryant is mentor to a collection of raw, young talent.
If the Broncos are to upset the Patriots, it's assumed the Denver defense is going to have to shut down Tom Brady. No one believes that Manning is going to win a shootout against Brady. Manning's accuracy has been wildly inconsistent, and his ability to throw the deep ball is highly questionable, based on his plantar fascia issue in his right foot.
If the Broncos beat the Patriots, chances are it'll be because Manning didn't make mistakes and allowed the rest of the team to rise to the occasion.
Wouldn't that be the same with Bryant? Not in Bayless' world.
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