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Even at the top, there's room for improvement: Peyton Manning's arrow is pointed uuup—even if his numbers end up going down

Sporting News, The, August 19, 2005 by Dan Pompei

The challenge for Peyton Manning in 2005 is not unlike the challenge Orson Welles faced after Citizen Kane. Or the challenge Neil Armstrong faced after Apollo 11. Or the challenge Tolstoy faced after War and Peace.

Top that.

Throwing for 50 touchdown passes or putting up a 125 passer rating probably aren't achievable goals for the Indianapolis quarterback. But being a more effective QB in a more efficient offense is. In other words, Manning could be a better player even if his numbers don't reflect it.

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Colts coaches put together a tape from last season that showed the touchdown passes that could have been. They came to the conclusion that Manning could have had another 17 touchdown throws--66 total--if every play had been executed perfectly. If Manning throws for 66 this year, I'll tattoo a horseshoe on my forehead (hey, might be an improvement).

The chances are excellent Manning won't get within 15 touchdown passes of his total last year. His previous season high was 33 in 2000. And it's likely defenses will look at Manning's 31 touchdown throws in the red zone last season and adjust to make those passes more perilous. Manning dutifully will take what he is given.

"If we come out this year and if Edgerrin (James) and Dominic (Rhodes) have 30 touchdowns between the two of them and we're winning games, that's really what it's about for me," Manning says. "I get paid to get us into the end zone and help us win."

Last season, four of Manning's 10 interceptions came in the red zone. That explains why his red zone passer rating was only 89.0. According to STATS Inc., that ranked 20th among quarterbacks with at least 20 attempts. Manning wasn't even the highest ranked family member in the red zone. That honor went to kid brother, Eli, who had a 90.5 red zone passer rating as a rookie for the Giants.

"I know that's one thing he's conscious of going into this season, making sure we score points in the red zone every time, even if it means kicking field goals--not throwing away opportunities and fumbling away opportunities in the red zone," Colts coach Tony Dungy says.

Although Manning's touchdown total isn't likely to go up, his completion percentage could. Manning completed 67.6 percent of his passes last season, third in the NFL behind Tampa Bay's Brian Griese and Minnesota's Daunte Culpepper. Colts quarterbacks coach Jim Caldwell believes Manning can complete 70 percent of his passes. But if that happens, it likely will mean a decrease in his yards per attempt. Last year, Manning led the NFL at 9.2 yards per attempt.

Those who know Manning best say the 29-year-old still is improving. "1 just noticed the other day how much better he's gotten with touch on the ball," Colts president Bill Polian says. "He's a lot better with that, even from a year ago." Says Manning, "My body feels good; my arm feels good. I am a firm believer that experience is your best teacher. You can learn every year, every game."

Toward that end, Dungy believes Manning can improve on the details--the precision of his steps, his handoffs, the execution of play fakes and the like. "He does it better than most--most who have ever played," Dungy says. "But he's trying to improve it. He has a great capacity to look at his season objectively in the offseason."

Before last season, for instance, Manning thought he needed to improve on throwing to his left. He worked diligently at it, and he ended up throwing for 632 more yards and eight more touchdowns to his left side in only 19 more attempts. Manning also improved his left-side passer rating from 90.2 to 117.2 and his left-side completion mark from 63.7 percent to 67.5, according to STATS Inc.

He'll probably make similar improvements this season. Just don't look for those improvements to show up in the record book.

RELATED ARTICLE: By any standard, Manning measures up.

Peyton Manning's 2004 season was the most impressive year ever by a quarterback statistically. His NFL-record passer rating of 121.1 was 8.3 points higher than the previous best, Steve Young's 112.8 in 1994. Manning's 49 touchdown passes were another record.

Some have argued that Dan Marino's 1984 season or even Bert Jones' 1976 season were more impressive if other factors are considered.

It's true the rulebook never has been more accommodating to passers. But the reason the rules became more accommodating was to offset more sophisticated defenses, Nuclear physics isn't as complicated as some of today's nickel defenses. Players of bygone eras never saw anything like the blitz packages Manning regularly faces.

So a good argument can be made that Manning's season was the best ever using any criteria to evaluate it.

Even at the top, there's room for improvement: Peyton Manning's arrow is pointed uuup—even if his numbers end up going down

Sporting News, The, August 19, 2005 by Dan Pompei

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