Peyton Manning is a great quarterback, arguably the best in the game today. He has led a Colts offense that scored the most points in 2004 and the second most points in 2003. In overall team offense the Colts have been ranked second and third in the past two years. By contrast, the Colts defense has finished 19th and 20th in points allowed, and in overall team defense in 2004 they were 29th out of 32 NFL teams. It almost seems quite obvious why the Colts playoff woes have been laid at the feet of their defense. With an offense as great as the Peyton Manning led Colts it must be the mediocre defense that impedes their playoff progress. All off-season and pre-season the prognosticators have pronounced that in order to get to the Super Bowl the Colts must make dramatic improvements on defense.
No one can argue against the fact that the Colts defense needs to be better. But, any careful analysis of the Colts playoff losses shows that it is Peyton Manning’s improvement that will be the key to the Colts going to the Super Bowl. In the five playoff losses of Peyton Manning’s career he has a completion percentage of 51% with only two touchdowns and seven interceptions. He has led the offense to an average of 10 points per game. Meanwhile, the only game where the Colts defense failed to keep them competitive was 2002’s 41-0 loss to the New York Jets.
However, for the sake of brevity, we’ll disregard Manning’s first two playoff losses, and that anemic performance of the entire team in the Jets loss, and we’ll focus on the last two playoff games against the New England Patriots. Granted, the Patriots are the two-time defending NFL Champions and have a defense that, perennially, is as suffocating as the Colts’ offense is explosive. To use a cliché, it’s the immovable object versus the irresistible force.
Against the Patriots in the last two playoffs, Peyton Manning is a combined 50/89 (56%) for 475 yards with 1 touchdown and 5 interceptions. Many argue that these were road playoff games in bad weather against a great defense. Well, great defense or not, bad weather or not, there comes a time when a big time quarterback has to make big plays in a big game. Joe Montana took the 1988 San Francisco 49ers into blustery Soldier’s Field against the vaunted Chicago Bears 46 Defense and threw for 3 touchdowns in that NFC Championship Game win. John Elway executed THE DRIVE on the road in frigid Cleveland in the 1986 AFC Championship Game. Big time quarterbacks, big plays, big games.
So, what does Manning need to do to improve? Get some mobility, for starters. As the Patriots have shown, the key to stopping Manning is pressure up the middle. Anytime he has to move left or right, not run mind you, but simply slide step to avoid pressure, his throws are erratic. Of his four interceptions in the 2003 AFC Championship Game three were caused when the Patriots made Manning move slightly left or right to make the throw.
No one is expecting Manning to be Elway or Montana by scrambling out of the pocket and making plays with his feet. But, in today’s NFL a quarterback, at the very least, must be able to make quality throws while moving inside the pocket. It is a skill that can be acquired with practice.
The 24-14 loss to the Patriots was a game the Colts could have won if Manning had played well, or just decently. The Colts committed 5 turnovers and gave up a safety but the defense only yielded one touchdown. Even a great defense would be hard pressed to allow just 22 points after their offense gave it up 5 times. Not only that, the Colts defense turned the Patriots over twice in the game. Surely, the loss can’t be pinned on the Colts defense.
The 2004 Divisional game was not much different. The final score was New England 20 and the record setting Colts offense 3. How does the quarterback who is the 2-time NFL MVP, and fresh off a record breaking 49 touchdown passes in a season, muster up only a field goal in the biggest game of the season? Herein lies the other area where Manning needs improvement. Poise!
Poise is the ability to perform under pressure. Poise is having the confidence to know that you can get the job done when facing obstacles. Poise is not getting happy feet when there’s pressure up the middle. Poise is making the big throw, directing the big drive when it’s needed. Poise is coming through when the game is tight.
Trailing 6-3 at the half, the Colts defense held the Patriots to 3 and out on the opening drive of the second half. A poised quarterback would have sensed the opportunity and seized the moment. Peyton Manning, who virtually calls his own plays, promptly led the offense on an unspectacular 5 play drive that ended with a punt. New England scored a touchdown on their next drive and the game was basically out of reach.
Just like the year before, the Colts defense did the best they could considering their explosive offense mounted no attack while giving up 3 turnovers. I don’t mean to be hard on Peyton Manning, and I’m no apologist for a Colts defense that is not in the NFL’s upper tier. However, in the big games, the defense has been doing their job. When will Peyton Manning start to do his?
3 replies on “Manning- Not Colts Defense- Is Real Culprit”
comment I really don’t think that Manning is the real reason for their play-off woes. Look at what the defense has done in those play-off games. They give up way too many yards and can’t stop the Patriots.
At the University of Tennessee… Peyton Manning was a choker in Knoxville, and he’ll be a choker in Indianapolis.
As soon as he goes away, he’ll wet himself like he did in college. He’s got the best receivers in the world, but couldn’t put up the points.
Mind you, he was crap against NE during the season, too….
First of all… all u mentioned was his statistics when he lost. Secondly you can put much more blame on a defense where the secondary gives up the most red zone touchdowns in the entire NFL