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Time to relax: A little Friday rest for QB Peyton Manning shouldn't worry Indianapolis Colts fans
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Indianapolis Colts Head Coach and QB Peyton Manning
Let's address the latest Indianapolis Colts/Peyton Manning concern before it gets started. If it's not already too late.
It seems there is a buzz buzzing among some Colts fans in and out of the blogopshere, a buzz ranging from mild concern to confusion, but fortunately not yet stomach-wrenching worry -- not for most, anyway -- about Manning, the team's quarterback and three-time Associated Press National Football League Most Valuable Player.
The concern began last Friday, when Manning was limited to rest in the Colts' final full practice before a home game against the San Francisco 49ers.
It grew a bit on Sunday.That was the day Manning, after five consecutive games with a passer rating of 100 or more and six consecutive games with at least one touchdown pass, completed 31 of 48 passes for 347 yards and no touchdowns. Never mind that Manning threw for more 300 yards and never mind that the Colts won a seventh consecutive game to start the season and a franchise-record 16th consecutive game overall.
Never mind all of that, because there were times early in the game that Manning didn't look as sharp as usual. An incomplete pass here. An overthrown ball there.
That's when the buzz really started . . . well, buzzing.
Because he never has missed a start in 12 seasons, and because he rarely misses even part of practices, some observers wondered why Manning was limited, why he needed rest. He answered that question following the Colts' 18-14 victory over San Francisco.
"It was something we talked about before the season, in November, kind of easing back on Fridays a little bit from a rep standpoint -- just try to be rested from an arm standpoint," Manning said. "I participated in the part of practice that I needed to, but I did take some rest, which is what we talked about starting in November.”
The blogopshere responded by debating the aftereffects of the rest. Did the missed reps cause Manning and the offense to be a bit out of sync? Would it have been better to have Manning take the rest on Wednesday instead of Friday, so soon before the game? (Really). Wouldn't it be wise to ditch the rest and get back to the previous routine?
To which it's time to say . . . Slow down. Stop, actually, Take a breath.
First off, while the Colts were indeed a bit of of sync, they weren't drastically off their game. They drove for five scores, and the biggest problem was some atypical red-zone inefficiency. Manning still completed 31 of 48 passes. He still threw for 347 yards and was a breath from 420ish if an early barely-incomplete bomb is thrown a step closer to Pierre Garcon.
The overriding truth here is that Manning is in his 12th season, and he has thrown a ton of NFL passes. In games. In practices. In offseason programs. In minicamps. Since Head Coach Jim Caldwell's arrival as quarterbacks coach in 2002, he has closely tracked Manning's repetitions, often limiting Manning's throws -- no easy task considering Manning's well-chronicled desire to take every snap of every practice of every week of every season season. This seems to be another phase of that approach. Since Caldwell arrived, Manning has had the most productive stretch not only of his career but perhaps the most productive stretch of any quarterback's career, ever. While Manning deservedly gets most of the credit, Caldwell's deserves some, too. And if he and Manning figure limiting Manning a bit on Friday afternoons in November and December is wise, there's at least a small chance they're right.
More likely, the Colts' offensive hiccups Sunday could be attributed to an offense line that struggled on occasion in pass protection. Or a decent defensive approach by the 49ers. On his Monday radio show, Colts President Bill Polian said the timing was a bit off because wide receiver Reggie Wayne wasn't quite 100 percent with a groin injury.
There's also the truth that as good as Manning is, he's not perfect. Off games happen, even to nine-time Pro Bowl players. Sometimes, a throw or two early barely miss and what could have been a two-touchdown game becomes a no-touchdown game.
But whatever happened Sunday, and however off you want to think Manning may or may not have been, Sunday, it's hard to believe throwing 25 more passes two days before the game would have done much to change it.
Manning has won three MVPs, doing so with a work ethic and attention to the details of both his team and himself that's deservedly legendary.
So, for now, let the guy rest, and let him do so in peace? He's earned it.
Five quick thoughts entering Colts-Houston week . . .
5. At last, a big game. When's the last big game the Colts played? The last team they played this season with a winning record was . . . was . . well, they haven't yet.
4. And no, that's not that I meant by that. I'm not one to believe the Colts are somehow flawed because they haven't played a team with a winning record. In the NFL, every team is dangerous – yes, even the Rams – and the Colts have handled their schedule in about as controlling a fashion as possible. Four of the games have been all-but out of reach by halftime, and they weren't as dominated in the Miami game as many observers believed. Yes, the Dolphins held possession for more than three quarters, but the Colts' offense was stunningly efficient and the defense made plays when it mattered. Back to no-team-with-winning-record point, it just doesn't matter. The Dolphins are a solid team and the Colts won that game, and the Cardinals are solid, too. You'll learn a lot about the Colts in the coming weeks, but whatever you learn, it won't make what they've done already meaningless.
3. Cornerback could be a real issue this week. Not to overstate the obvious, but a huge storyline this week is going to be at cornerback for the Colts. If Kelvin Hayden (knee, concussion) and Marlin Jackson (knee) can't play, that will mean Jacob Lacey and Jerraud Powers starting with Tim Jennings and T.J. Rushing at nickel and fourth corner. That's not a tragedy. Lacey and Powers have played extensively and played well, and the Colts were without Hayden against Arizona, a team with as good a receiving corps as any in the league. Still, a rookie corner against Andre Johnson is a huge matchup. The guess here is Powers/Lacey handle it OK. Even if they do, it's possible Johnson could have a big game. He's that good.
2. And now, the good news . . . Referencing the Lacey/Powers theme in the last paragraph, here's why it's OK. Dwight Freeney is one reason. Robert Mathis is the other. I wrote on Indy Football Report on Sunday that they remind me of closers in baseball, and while that analogy may not be the most clever in sportswriting history, I kept thinking about it this week. That tandem has done special things for years, but I'm not sure I've ever seen them as efficient and reliable as they have been for the last season and a half. The proficiency with which they made big, game-changing, game-ending players is remarkable and defined by last Sunday's victory over San Francisco. The 49ers had two drives after Indianapolis took the lead on the first play of the fourth quarter. Mathis ended the first with a third-down sack. Freeney ended the second with another sack on the 49ers' final offensive play. Remarkable.
1.Let's see . . . Manning had a game last week in which he was not as efficient as he would have liked. He talked afterward using words such as “out of sync.” The Colts' next game is against a team with another hot quarterback, Matt Schaub. The opponent is a team with a solid offense, but a defense that is inconsistent at times. The opponent is also a team that could challenge the Colts in the South throughout the rest of the season with a victory. That's typically the sort of situation to which Manning responds. Stay tuned.
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*** COFFEE WITH THE COLTS: NEXT DAY LOOK AT COLTS-49ERS. HERE
*** 49ERS-COLTS GAME STORY. HERE
*** COLTS HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL: WE FIND DIFFERENT WAYS TO WIN. HERE
*** IFR EDITOR JOHN OEHSER ON COLTS DE DWIGHT FREENEY: HERE
MAGNIFICENT SEVENS: WEEKLY COLTS THOUGHTS . . .
Magnificent Seven I: Seven training camp thoughts and observations
Magnificent Seven II: On the Colts' defensive tackle position and WR Reggie Wayne
Magnificent Seven III: On the Colts' running backs and offensive line
Magnificent Seven IV: On the Colts' offense, OG Ryan Lilja and WR Anthony Gonzalez
Magnificent Seven V: On S Melvin Bullitt and QB Peyton Manning
Magnificent Seven VI: On RB Donald Brown and the start of the season . . . at last
Magnificent Seven VII: On WR Reggie Wayne, the OL and blitzing
Magnificent Seven VIII: On WR Reggie Wayne, QB Peyton Manning and DE Dwight Freeney
Magnificent Seven IX: On DE Robert Mathis, S Bob Sanders and DE Dwight Freeney
Magnificent Seven X: On QB Peyton Manning's start and life without DT Ed Johnson
Magnificent Seven XI: On RB rotation, DE Dwight Freeney and S Bob Sanders
Magnificent Seven XII: On WR Reggie Wayne, TE Dallas Clark and running game
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