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Manning rescues Colts

He gives new meaning to `15 minutes of fame'

By Reggie Hayes of The News-Sentinel
 
After watching the Indianapolis Colts' logic-defying 27-23 road win over the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football, this much is obvious:

 

Peyton Manning is one wild cat.

 

He accomplishes more in 15 minutes than most quarterbacks do all day.

 

Of course, he didn't have any choice. The Colts' defense was helpless to stop the Wildcat formation. Fatigue led to too many missed tackles. Or was it vice versa? They jumped offside at the worst times. They ultimately required oxygen, help from some less-than-clutch Miami receivers and the Dolphins' urgency-impaired two-minute offense to keep it within striking distance.

 

But the Colts held the trump card, as always, in Manning.

 

Indianapolis set an NFL record for winning a game with the smallest time of possession (14 minutes, 53 seconds). The Colts ran only three plays in the third quarter, and they weren't good ones.

 

Yet Manning made play after play when it was needed most, causing ESPN analyst Jon Gruden to gush about "the sheriff," who passed Johnny Unitas as the Colts quarterback with the most wins.

 

Examples of Manning's quick-strike brilliance:

 

* He read the Dolphins' two-deep zone on the opening play from scrimmage, and burned them with a play-action pass to Dallas Clark for an 80-yard touchdown.

 

* He directed a five-play drive in 35 seconds at the end of the half, throwing a perfect sideline pass to Clark with two seconds on the clock to set up an Adam Vinatieri field goal that tied the game 13-all.

 

* He moved the Colts 79 yards in six plays on their first fourth-quarter possession, keyed by a third-and-two sideline pass to rookie Austin Collie, which set up Donald Brown's first pro touchdown and made the score 20-20.

 

* He saved the best for last.

 

Manning's 37th come-from-behind game-winning drive - two fewer than active leader Brett Favre - covered 80 yards in a whopping 32 seconds. On the winning play, Manning read the blitz and called a quick slant pass to second-year receiver Pierre Garcon, who used impressive speed and instincts to cover 48 yards for the score and a 27-23 lead.

 

"I had some pretty good inspiration from watching the quarterback of the Giants," Manning said on the postgame ESPN interview. "I saw how calm and cool Eli was, and he has young receivers, too."

 

Manning's younger brother, Eli, led the New York Giants to a game-ending field goal to beat the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night. It forced Peyton to stay up later than he usually does the night before a game.

 

Considering how well he played, sleep is clearly overrated.

 

Are there issues facing the Colts, who improved to 2-0 heading into a short week and another road trip for this Sunday night's game at Arizona? No question. That old inability to tackle running backs plagued the defense, as it allowed Miami to rush for 239 yards and hold possession for 84 plays.

 

Blame some of that on the heat and humidity. Blame some of it on the absence of run-stopping safety Bob Sanders. But the Colts' inability to get off the field on third down was particularly troublesome. Miami converted 15 of 21 first downs, a stunning 71 percent. Fortunately for the Colts, Dolphins wide receiver Ted Ginn is not yet a Pro Bowler. With better hands, he'd have had two touchdowns, including a deep one that would have won the game on Miami's last possession.

 

I'm sure Colts coach Jim Caldwell and defensive coordinator Larry Coyer will brainstorm about where the problems lie with the defense. Whether they'll solve them in time for Arizona remains to be seen. Some of the Colts' defenders might not catch their breath before Sunday.

 

The Dolphins' offense, stuck in time-of-possession control all day, treated its last possession with too little urgency, letting precious seconds evaporate and being forced to call a wasteful timeout.

 

However, dwelling too long on the Colts' defense today would be to rob Manning and the offense of its due. Two of the Colts' scores came from players who weren't relevant to the team a year ago. Brown was at the University of Connecticut and Garcon was an apprentice watching Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne. Manning didn't hesitate to integrate them into the drives.

 

The comeback wasn't quite as dramatic as the Monday Night Football game in 2003 where Manning led the Colts from a 21-point deficit in the final four minutes to stun Tampa Bay and its then-coach Gruden. But it was a marvel of precision and intelligence nonetheless.

 

Remember, as fatigued as the Colts' defenders were, that's how fresh Joey Porter, Jason Taylor and others should have been for the Dolphins. Yet Manning put them on their heels and picked their attack apart.

 

Manning completed 14 of 23 passes for 303 yards and two touchdowns. Imagine what he might have pinned on the Dolphins if he'd had the ball a more reasonable amount of time. I'm sure the Dolphins would rather avoid that visualization exercise.

 

Peyton stayed up late Sunday to watch Eli, and that game was a thriller.

 

Those of us who stayed up to watch Peyton on Monday simply discovered a new definition for "15 minutes of fame."


This column is the commentary of the writer and does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of The News-Sentinel. E-mail Reggie Hayes at rhayes@news-sentinel.com.

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