News - Super Bowl 2010
Sharper Wonders: Which Manning Is It?
Posted: Feb 5, 2010 10:26 AM by Rob Kirkpatrick
Source: KATC
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) - Darren Sharper is confused.
That's not a good thing when you are preparing for a Super Bowl,
preparing to face that quarterback wearing No. 18 for the Colts.
"I don't know which one it is. Is it Eli or Peyton? Which one
is it?" Sharper said with a laugh, clearly having fun with the
idea he wouldn't know which Manning he and the other Saints
defensive backs must stop Sunday. "I got confused with my brother
(Jamie) the other day, so I feel like I might confuse him."
He won't. The Saints won't. They recognize how little chance
they'll have to win New Orleans' first NFL title if Peyton is,
well, Peyton.
But it works both ways in this matchup of powerhouse passing
games. For Indianapolis to win its second championship in four
seasons, the Colts (16-2) must shut down Drew Brees, who was even
more accurate than four-time MVP Manning in 2009.
"With Brees being at quarterback and the weapons that he has,
it's going to be a difficult task," Colts safety Antoine Bethea
said Wednesday. "You're not going to completely shut them down,
but you can control it.
"They're two of the best quarterbacks in the league, students
of the game. They're both good at their crafts. They're similar in
some ways, different in others. They both have good weapons. Brees
gets the ball out quick. The opposing defense can't really get to
him. He does a great job at what he does."
What the secondaries must do is be smart, be patient yet
aggressive, and be forgetful. Such as: Forget about that 55-yard
pass play and move on. And be stingier on the next snap.
Other than Sharper, who had one of the best seasons of his
13-year career in making All-Pro, and Bethea, a Pro Bowler, the
Super Bowl defensive backs generally are an anonymous bunch.
Indeed, the Colts' best-known DB is Bob Sanders, and he played just
two games in 2009 before going on injured reserve in early
November.
Indy ranked 14th against the pass, in part due to a dangerous
pass rush led by ends Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis. New Orleans
wasn't close to that, ranking 26th. With the NFL increasingly being
dominated by the air game, that hardly seems like a formula for
success.
But the Saints had the league's top offense, helping them offset
defensive woes. They won't be able to hide coverage issues on
Sunday. Not against Manning.
"The thing about playing against Peyton is that he has seen it
all," Bethea said. "He's a cagey veteran. You know, you try to
say you can't teach an old dog new tricks. He might be one of the
oldest and smartest dogs, and I don't know if you can trick him too
much.
"But we have different things that if you're able to get to the
quarterback, disrupt his timing, always knock him around a little
bit, you think you might get a chance to, as they say, trick him or
make a play off of him, because he's still human," Bethea added.
"As he gets hit and hit and hit, it will start to change some of
your decision-making. So if we can get to him, we think we can make
some chances to get turnovers."
The problem with that strategy is Manning was sacked only 10
times on 581 pass plays. Although New Orleans has a sackmaster in
Will Smith (13, second in the NFC), the likelihood of Manning
getting happy feet because of the rush is farfetched.
Same thing with Brees, especially if Freeney is limited or even
sidelined by his ankle injury. Both quarterbacks are performing at
peaks efficiency, meaning both secondaries need to step up - and
step in front of some throws.
Even though the Saints forced 26 interceptions and 39 turnovers,
far outdistancing Indy's 16 and 26, the Colts could be better
suited to get key stops. Cornerback Kelvin Hayden starred in the
2007 Super Bowl, including an interception return for a touchdown.
Bethea and Melvin Bullitt form one of the NFL's best safety combos.
The Colts are deeper in the secondary, too, even with rookie CB
Jerraud Powers bothered by a left foot problem.
Saints cornerbacks Jabari Greer and Tracy Porter were plagued by
injuries during the season and struggled against Minnesota in the
NFC championship game. Sharper has been sensational, tying for the
league lead with nine interceptions and running back three for TDs.
Strong safety Roman Harper is solid. The backups aren't
particularly impressive.
"We have a bunch of guys that can make plays and get to the
ball," Porter said. "Not to say it's going to be easy. They're
the best at protecting their quarterback. He's one of the best at
blocking the blitz just with his arm because he has a quick
release.
"It's going to be a matter of us on the back end having the
tight coverage on the receivers to make Peyton hold the ball. It's
going to be on our front seven guys to put pressure on him and to
get to him. It's going to work hand-in-hand. The pressure forces
turnovers on our end and us making Peyton hold the ball by not
having open receivers is going to allow guys to get there."
It's an optimistic view, one that Manning could shatter with his
first throw. Or, for that matter, something Brees could do right
away.
"You always want to feel like you have the upper hand," Brees
said.
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