Manning will keep Steelers guessing
PITTSBURGH – Peyton Manning was a rookie when Brent Alexander was the free safety for the Carolina Panthers in the 1998 regular-season finale against Manning’s Indianapolis Colts. Alexander, though, didn’t remember the calm, cool, collected Manning that would come to dominate defenses the subsequent two seasons.
“He was kind of rattled,” said Alexander, now the free safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers. “They put a little pressure on him and we ended up winning the game. But at the same time, he still showed all the signs at that point in time of things to come, and the next few years he had some big seasons.”
Manning survived the Panthers, the 3-13 season and the high expectations that went along with being the No. 1 pick of the ’98 draft. He rebounded to lead the Indianapolis Colts to two playoff appearances before the team crashed last year.
“Last year I had a lot of funny bounces that went against me,” Manning explained. “It was that kind of year. That’s why we ended up going 6-10.”
But the Colts are back. They’ll bring a 4-1 record to Heinz Field for Monday night’s game, and Manning is obviously a big part of it.
“Peyton is the guy that keys that offense,” said Steelers Coach Bill Cowher. “He does a great job of audiblizing. They do a lot of no-huddle. It’ll look like he’s going to snap the ball, then he’ll back away. Once he reads the defense he’ll try to put them into the play that beats that defense.”
So, to counter Manning’s ability to read the defense and call the play at the line, defenses are waiting until he makes the audible before moving into position. And few teams do it better than the Steelers.
“Teams all know how much we disguise and it’s always not a matter of changing your defense as much as it is not showing what we’re in,” said Alexander. “You know, they’re going to expect that anyway because it’s something we do all the time.”
To counter the defensive adjustments that have been made against Manning over the last year-plus, the Colts have reverted to a ploy that’s bothered the Steelers this season.
“They’ll quick-snap to get it out of there,” Alexander said. “There might be fewer so-called package plays, where he’s making audibles, but they may just come out and run a quick game to get it going and get us uncomfortable and out of position. New England was kind of like that. They quick-snapped it and didn’t give us a chance to move around a lot.”
New England put the Steelers back on their heels by snapping quickly out of a no-huddle attack. Oakland followed suit the next week, but New Orleans and Cincinnati did not because of a lack of receivers and/or the inability to protect the quarterback.
The Colts, though, ran plenty of no-huddle last week with three wide receivers, a tight end and one running back.
“We try to mix it up by calling some plays on the quick count every now and then,” said Manning. “Or sometimes we will call a play and run it no matter what. You try to mix it up. You never want to get into a situation where the defense dictates what you do. That is basic football philosophy.”
In spite of their glittering record, the Colts haven’t played offensively the way they did the second and third years of Manning’s pro career. They rank eighth in passing, 11th in total offense and third-down efficiency, 14th in scoring and 25th in red-zone production. Manning believes it has to do with defenses not giving up the deep pass.
“I am just trying to take what the defenses give us,” he said. “Defenses really are sinking deep.”
Perhaps they’ve grown wise, too. The Steelers,for example, are looking forward to playing cat-and-mouse with Manning at the line of scrimmage.
“We don’t want them to read our mail,” Alexander said. “We’re going to try to line up with something different and give them a false look before we go to our coverage. That’s just what we do.”
NOTES – Strong safety Lee Flowers missed Thursday’s practice with a strained back muscle. He’s expected to play Monday. Tight end Jerame Tuman (quadriceps) missed a second consecutive practice. He’s questionable for the game. Linebacker Kendrell Bell (ankle) and running back Chris Fuamtu-Ma’afala (ribs), both listed as questionable, practiced for a second consecutive day, although Cowher didn’t give an update of their progress.