Sure Denver Broncos’ quarterback Peyton Manning threw three
interceptions against the Atlanta Falcons’ paltry defense and struggled with
his accuracy on deep throws. Truth be told, people were foolish to think that
his arm strength would fully return so soon after being cleared to resume
playing.
Or to assume that it would completely return. There is the possibility
that we will never see the old Manning who had the ability to make those deep
throws he attempted on Monday but people are missing the big picture.
Manning’s arm isn’t the thing that has made him so dangerous
throughout his career. The reason he has been so good throughout the years is
his ability to make quick decisions and frustrate defenses by deciphering what
they are doing.
Just like he did with Atlanta’s defense on Monday. Sure they
confused him a bit in the first quarter by throwing him some looks he hadn’t
seen in a while but he played well the last three quarters of the game.
As a matter of fact, Manning came close to pulling one of
his patented fourth-quarter comebacks. Starting with his last drive in the
third quarter, Manning led the Broncos to two fourth-quarter scores.
His defense just wasn’t able to get him that final
possession he needed in order to pull out the win.
Despite his supposed “limitation”, Manning still figured out
how to put together two scoring drives even with the Falcons daring him to
throw it deep. Most importantly though, he didn’t throw another interception
after throwing those three first-quarter picks.
If Manning’s arm is truly limited as many suspect, then he
will have problems when facing some of the better defenses in the league this
season. But most of the defenses he will face this season will find out that it's not particularly smart to
test Manning.
That’s because Manning’s arm is only part of the equation of
what has made Manning so great all of these years. Whether his arm is strong or
not, the one thing that hasn’t changed about Manning is his mind.
And where there is a will, there is a way. Anyone who knows
Manning knows that he is the most cerebral quarterback in the game and as
Atlanta found out, he can still be pretty accurate on his shorter throws.
He also has a more reliable running game than the one he had
during his last few seasons in Indianapolis. Running back Willis McGahee torched
the Falcons’ defense for 113 yards and two fourth-quarter rushing touchdowns.
McGahee was set up for those two scores by
Manning-orchestrated drives, which just goes to show how resourceful Manning
can be when he has to. Manning had essentially turned the tides on Atlanta’s
defense by the fourth quarter.
Unfortunately the deficit was too much for Manning and the
Broncos to overcome. Whether Manning admits his limitations or not, he at least
knows they are there and can plan accordingly from this point forward.
And that may not bode well for the rest of the defenses
Manning will face this season.
Roosevelt Hall is an NFL Blogger for The Sport Mentalist and an NBA Blogger for The Sport Mentalist 2. He is also a Sports Reporter for Pro Sports Lives. He can be contacted at sportmentalist@yahoo.com and be sure to follow him on Twitter @sportmentalist.
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you can only decipher the defense so much.
ReplyDeleteManning was lucky the defense held the falcons to 3 field goals. It could have easily been 35 instead of 23.
As well, with such a big lead, the falcons played 'safe'. Also the offense was taxed...when playing at home, having to do that much hurry-up, is going to kill them with the weather and altitude.