MIAMI – To understand why it’s so tough to play against Peyton Manning, all you have to do is pay close attention to his pre-snap ritual.
First, he lines up in the shotgun behind center.
Then, after milking the play clock to single digits, he walks up to the line where he points excitedly at the defense.
Finally, he’ll shout audibles at his offensive linemen and skill position players.
Oh, and if you’re the defense listening in, what you’re seeing isn’t necessarily what you’re going to get.
He has been known to make up calls at the line.
So, when the Saints play Indianapolis on Sunday in the Super Bowl, how will they play against Manning if he's making things up at the line?
“Ignore it,” Saints cornerback Randall Gay said. “That’s the thing. He’s doing so much with his hands, talking, pointing, looking at you, trying to get you to show something.”
Gay would know. He was with New England for four seasons, including the 2004 Super Bowl season in which the Patriots beat Manning and the Colts in the AFC championship game. In that game, the Colts scored only 14 points.
A year later, though he didn’t play in the playoffs, he was on the Patriots team that held Manning to three points in the divisional round of the playoffs.
“You just have to really focus on what you have to do and not what he’s doing,” Gay said. “Do your job. If you’ve got man-to-man, look at your man. Don’t look at what Peyton’s doing. Just focus on your job and you’ll be alright.”
Easier said than done.
Manning is at his best in the postseason, constantly checking into plays that work masterfully from plays that won't work at all.
He’s third on the all-time list with 404 completions, fourth in passing yard (4,831) and seventh in touchdown passes (27).
His 2009 regular season was nearly his best as he earned his fourth league MVP award and second straight. In fact, his 68.8 completion percentage was a career-best, even better than his 2004 season when he threw for 4,557 yards and 49 touchdowns.
And it’s not just at the line that the Saints have to be wary of. Against the Jets in the AFC championship game, Manning started off slow but once he figured out the defense, the Colts took off.
He finished that game 26 of 39 for 377 yards – his seventh 300-plus yard game in his playoff career – and three touchdowns. Indianapolis won 30-17, earning its second Super Bowl appearance in four seasons.
“You could say it’s the ultimate challenge, because he, I truly believe, is one of the best quarterbacks not only of my generation, but I think maybe of all time,” Saints safety Darren Sharper said. “So if you’re able to make some plays against a quarterback like that, it is the ultimate challenge for a guy like myself who’s the counter (attacker) against him.”
Yet, it gets back to Manning’s pre-snap reads.
Figure out his reads or confuse him at the line and you have a chance.
“That’s where it turns into a chess match,” Saints linebacker Scott Shanle said. “Everything we do isn’t going to be what they think it means. That’s just part of the game.”
