Physically Talented QB??? Wow that\' a stretch... Manning is the best mentally talented QB... Ryan Leaf has is more physical than Manning will ever be... But Manning is the one still working the league, while Leaf is still a nobody.
I love watching my Colts play and I am there almost every home game so I SEE with my own eyes what happens.
Manning is one of the best QBs to ever play the game. He is one of 11 offensive players on the field... but he is NOT one of the 11 on defense, or Special teams. Those two areas of the game have always forced Manning to wind up throwing more often and trying to come back more often than any other team I know.
When a QB is faced with the task of always making up for your defense, then it is something that puts him in a position to make BIG mistakes and force things that aren\'t always there. This year he has minimalized mistakes and he hasn\'t had to force nearly as many.
The Colts Offense is huge for him for sure, and even Edgerrin James who gets lost in the shuffle is a BIG part of this team. i mean in all likelyhood he could wind up with another rushing title (or at least be 2nd or 3rd) but would anybody notice... its hard to say, he has done his job but Manning\'s passes continue to get the glory.
People often ask me why they continue to pad Peyton\'s stats by allowing him to pass within 5 yards of the goal... and I continue to remind them...IT WORKS. Last season we had three games where Edge couldn\'t get a one yardline run in. Part of it was he was still on the comeback trail from an injury that is difficult to make a comeback from, also in part because that is the same play we called EVERY time we were in that situation...Now, Manning\'s passes have worked, so why change it. and if the proper defense is on the field Manning knows to audible it into a run. He is no dummy, he wants a win more than he wants an extra TD to his stats.
Yes I am biased in that this is my hometown team, but for years Manning has relied on his blankie for too long, throwing predictable pass after predictable pass to Marvin Harrison. Now that he is spreading the ball all over the field, he seems unstoppable. Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, and Brandon Stokley will all have 10 TDs or more. And Dallas Clark, Marcus Pollard, and Edgerrin James could all find themselves with a nice amount of TD catches as well.
Manning knows his stuff and everytime they have been beaten by the Patriots, it always seems Manning does what it takes to get them close but the Colts D gives it right back. This year Manning doesn\'t care... he is on a mission to succeed.
The Colts are the only team to put up 24 against the Pats this season, and that was before Manning and the offense really got going. Now 13 games into the season, they have still not scored under 24 points. and the games they have lost were all to teams that kept their offense on the field and had a much higher time of possesion than the Colts. That\'s the true way to beat this team, make Manning sit.... Keep the Colts D on the field as long as possible. I look for the Texans to do that tomorrow and I think this will be a tight game.
Brad
