Post by TheShadow on Sept 28, 2012 18:51:53 GMT -5
www.sfgate.com
by Vic Tafur
Last season, a week didn't go by when Broncos coach John Fox wasn't asked about his quarterback not being able to throw. But Tim Tebow and his intangibles were finally shown the door and Peyton Manning was ushered in, promising legitimacy, a normal offense and maybe a few less sensationalistic offerings from the media.
Well, as Fox said this week, that whole notion, at least from a media standpoint, has turned out to be "semi-comical."
Manning has gone from a Week 1 win over the Steelers and the cover of Sports Illustrated to back-to-back losses to undefeated teams Atlanta and Houston and reports that he has lost his fastball.
One veteran scout actually told the NFL Network that "Peyton Manning can't throw the ball anymore."
ESPN's Ron Jaworski added that Manning's passes appear a little wobbly.
And, Jaworski said, not only is the football "not spinning out of his hand, a la an Aaron Rodgers or a Matthew Stafford," but Manning also is making some bad reads on his progressions.
All of which leaves Fox shaking his head.
"The people who look at tape and study it would think (the analysis) is semi-comical," he said.
Manning, in a conference call with Bay Area writers, said, "I'm not really into giving an after-three-game analysis, or sharing that publicly anyway."
Manning, 36 and coming off four neck surgeries, is the NFL's 20th-ranked quarterback with an 85.4 passer rating. He has completed 60 percent of his passes (69-for-115) for 824 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions.
Raiders coach Dennis Allen is treating all the talk of Manning's demise and his lack of arm strength for what it is, white noise.
"I'm not falling into that trap," Allen said. "He's Peyton Manning. He's a Hall of Fame quarterback. There is no way that we're going to say in any way that he's not the quarterback that he's been.
"I've watched the tape. He's still an outstanding quarterback. I don't see much of a drop-off of where he's been before."
And a look at the numbers does show that Manning is 5-of-13 on deep passes this season, while Oakland's Carson Palmer, for comparison's sake, is 0-for-9 on passes of 21 yards or more in the air.
Not to mention that arm strength is not what made Manning the greatest quarterback of all time, according to Raiders defensive tackle Richard Seymour. It's his brain, picking apart defenses, and his accuracy, again ... picking apart defenses.
Oakland middle linebacker Rolando McClain still shakes his head at the memory of going against Manning and the Colts two years ago, in a game Indianapolis won 31-26.
"He's just amazing," McClain said. "As a kid, I watched always Peyton Manning and the Colts. Then you get in the NFL and you're like, 'Does he really make this many checks?' He does. It's crazy. I was amazed. He's an amazing player."
Watching Manning on television, McClain always looked forward to the chess game, calling defensive plays and trying to trick the wily quarterback. Turns out, it's as tough as it looks.
"I wasn't starstruck, but when you go on the sideline you're like, 'Damn, I thought we had him here. We could confuse him,' " McClain said. "But he would pick it up and understand what we were in.
"If you know the answer to the test with Peyton, you can still get it wrong."
And the test is 16, not three, weeks long. Manning, after all, is working with new coaches, new players and a new scheme after spending his whole career to this point in Indianapolis.
"There are no shortcuts to that," Manning said. "Sometimes it's time, it's repetitions, it's doing the work. Don't get me wrong, you always want to win while you're doing that. But as a process, you can't really skip those steps."
And he would never say this, but the test is easier this week against the Raiders. Denver's first three opponents rank in the top seven in the NFL in pass defense, while Oakland is 26th, allowing 264.7 yards per game. The Raiders are also one of three teams without an interception and are tied for 28th in the league with three sacks.
"He still has all the ability in the world," said McClain, an avid game-film watcher. "We have a good game plan. We have to go out there and execute and do some things he hasn't seen and make it kind of hard for him. You just have to execute and play your best."
by Vic Tafur
Last season, a week didn't go by when Broncos coach John Fox wasn't asked about his quarterback not being able to throw. But Tim Tebow and his intangibles were finally shown the door and Peyton Manning was ushered in, promising legitimacy, a normal offense and maybe a few less sensationalistic offerings from the media.
Well, as Fox said this week, that whole notion, at least from a media standpoint, has turned out to be "semi-comical."
Manning has gone from a Week 1 win over the Steelers and the cover of Sports Illustrated to back-to-back losses to undefeated teams Atlanta and Houston and reports that he has lost his fastball.
One veteran scout actually told the NFL Network that "Peyton Manning can't throw the ball anymore."
ESPN's Ron Jaworski added that Manning's passes appear a little wobbly.
And, Jaworski said, not only is the football "not spinning out of his hand, a la an Aaron Rodgers or a Matthew Stafford," but Manning also is making some bad reads on his progressions.
All of which leaves Fox shaking his head.
"The people who look at tape and study it would think (the analysis) is semi-comical," he said.
Manning, in a conference call with Bay Area writers, said, "I'm not really into giving an after-three-game analysis, or sharing that publicly anyway."
Manning, 36 and coming off four neck surgeries, is the NFL's 20th-ranked quarterback with an 85.4 passer rating. He has completed 60 percent of his passes (69-for-115) for 824 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions.
Raiders coach Dennis Allen is treating all the talk of Manning's demise and his lack of arm strength for what it is, white noise.
"I'm not falling into that trap," Allen said. "He's Peyton Manning. He's a Hall of Fame quarterback. There is no way that we're going to say in any way that he's not the quarterback that he's been.
"I've watched the tape. He's still an outstanding quarterback. I don't see much of a drop-off of where he's been before."
And a look at the numbers does show that Manning is 5-of-13 on deep passes this season, while Oakland's Carson Palmer, for comparison's sake, is 0-for-9 on passes of 21 yards or more in the air.
Not to mention that arm strength is not what made Manning the greatest quarterback of all time, according to Raiders defensive tackle Richard Seymour. It's his brain, picking apart defenses, and his accuracy, again ... picking apart defenses.
Oakland middle linebacker Rolando McClain still shakes his head at the memory of going against Manning and the Colts two years ago, in a game Indianapolis won 31-26.
"He's just amazing," McClain said. "As a kid, I watched always Peyton Manning and the Colts. Then you get in the NFL and you're like, 'Does he really make this many checks?' He does. It's crazy. I was amazed. He's an amazing player."
Watching Manning on television, McClain always looked forward to the chess game, calling defensive plays and trying to trick the wily quarterback. Turns out, it's as tough as it looks.
"I wasn't starstruck, but when you go on the sideline you're like, 'Damn, I thought we had him here. We could confuse him,' " McClain said. "But he would pick it up and understand what we were in.
"If you know the answer to the test with Peyton, you can still get it wrong."
And the test is 16, not three, weeks long. Manning, after all, is working with new coaches, new players and a new scheme after spending his whole career to this point in Indianapolis.
"There are no shortcuts to that," Manning said. "Sometimes it's time, it's repetitions, it's doing the work. Don't get me wrong, you always want to win while you're doing that. But as a process, you can't really skip those steps."
And he would never say this, but the test is easier this week against the Raiders. Denver's first three opponents rank in the top seven in the NFL in pass defense, while Oakland is 26th, allowing 264.7 yards per game. The Raiders are also one of three teams without an interception and are tied for 28th in the league with three sacks.
"He still has all the ability in the world," said McClain, an avid game-film watcher. "We have a good game plan. We have to go out there and execute and do some things he hasn't seen and make it kind of hard for him. You just have to execute and play your best."