Peyton on the Podium

Phil B gives some of Peyton’s answers

“I think that’s a potential option,” he said. “Certainly, versus any team, it’s important to protect the ball, so I’m not going to say we’re going to emphasize it more this week because that’s going to act like we don’t do it in other games. They do an excellent job of stripping the football. They seem to have tipped balls go their way, and that’s due to their hustle and their efforts. They’re physical, and mentally, they give you plenty to prepare for. I think you add all those things, that’s why year-in, year-out, they are one of the top defenses. This year, statistically, I think they are number two in a lot of categories, but I’ve always thought, year-in and year-out, that they are one of the top defenses in the NFL.”

Another question pertained to the popular theory that playoff teams run the ball effectively. The Colts were last in rushing offense in the regular season, although we have pointed out at several times the team gained run yards as needed and preferred to pass the ball more. Manning was asked if the run game doesn’t have to be so vital.

“A lot of people have asked me questions this year about trends in the NFL, and I just feel that I’m the wrong guy to ask,” he said. “I can’t speak for what other teams are doing, and how these teams are winning. You watched a lot of the playoff games this weekend, and you saw a lot of teams running the ball well. That was a big reason they were winning. Statistically, I know that we don’t rank up there real high, but it’s something that we always are hoping to do well every single Sunday. We try to establish it. We continue to work at it. We feel we have good backs. We feel we have good blockers. This is a team that is extremely difficult to run the ball against, but like any week, we go into every game trying to be balanced. We feel that is our best chance to win each week, to be balanced. That certainly will be the goal this Saturday night.”