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SAN ANTONIO – Peyton Manning heaped praise on the Dallas Cowboys defense Wednesday.
Since his comments came during a conference call with the Dallas media, it was impossible to tell if the love notes sent from the Denver Broncos quarterback were delivered with a straight face.
“It’s going to be a tough bunch, and it’s going to be a real challenge,” Manning said.
Tough bunch? Real challenge? Tape of the latest effort by Monte Kiffin’s crew flies in the face of Manning’s flattery.
Philip Rivers torched the Cowboys for 401 yards and three touchdowns in rallying San Diego to a 30-21 win in Week 4. Despite playing with an injury-depleted offensive line, the
Chargers amassed 506 yards of total offense against a defense that sacked Rivers just once and surrendered five pass plays of 20 or more yards.
Rivers’ outing left him with some scintillating statistics through four games, including a 73.9 completion percentage, 1,199 yards, 11 touchdowns against just two interceptions and a 118.8 passer rating.
In any other season, he would be touted as a potential MVP.
But not this year. With Manning delivering otherworldly performances weekly, all the focus is on No. 18.
In leading the Broncos to a 4-0 start and NFL-best averages in points (44.8) and yards (483.0) per game, Manning has completed 75 percent of his passes for 1,470 yards with 16 TDs and no interceptions. His TD total is the most ever through the first four games of any season and his passer rating of 138.0 is the best it’s ever been over a four-game stretch.
And you have to go back to Milt Plum in 1960 to find the last player to reach 16 TDs without an interception.
“He’s playing quarterback at maybe the highest level it’s ever been played,” Dallas coach Jason Garrett said.
Said cornerback Brandon Carr, “He’s having his way with defenses.”
So how do the Cowboys (2-2) plan to stop Manning on Sunday with a defense that’s 27th in the NFL against the pass (304.4), ranks dead last in first-down plays by opponent (7.28 yards) and has a cornerback in Morris Claiborne that has been routinely beaten this season?
“It starts up front,” Garrett said. “We didn’t get to Philip Rivers enough. We did not make him uncomfortable. We did a good job in the first three games making the quarterback’s job hard, hitting him, getting him off the spot. We didn’t do that last week. We have to do it this week.”
It won’t be easy with defensive ends DeMarcus Ware (back) and George Selvie (concussion) ailing. Ware had full participation in practice, but Selvie was in the trainer’s room Wednesday.
Still, Manning refuses to underestimate a unit that’s playing a new scheme in Kiffin’s 4-3 Tampa 2 zone. Manning is 0-2 against Dallas, but those losses in 2006 and 2010 came against 3-4 schemes.
“This is an unfamiliar opponent,” Manning said. “It’s still early in the season, so there’s still some what-ifs.”
Manning, 37, also pointed out he and his teammates aren’t infallible. The 16th-year pro stressed he’s still getting to know several of his receivers, including slot-man extraordinaire Wes Welker, who has scored on six of his 26 catches this season.
“We’re by no means a finely tuned machine,” Manning said. “We’re still working out kinks.”
Garrett isn’t buying it.
“Not a lot of bad things happen when he is playing quarterback,” Garrett said.
And the players?
“Don’t think for one minute we’re scared,” defensive tackle Jason Hatcher told reporters in Irving. “We ain’t scared of nobody. I don’t really care who it is.
“…We have respect for him, but at the end of the day, they got to have respect for us as well. We’re not a pushover team at all. We’re definitely ready to play…He can be beat.”
And Hatcher said all that with a straight face
Continue reading...
Since his comments came during a conference call with the Dallas media, it was impossible to tell if the love notes sent from the Denver Broncos quarterback were delivered with a straight face.
“It’s going to be a tough bunch, and it’s going to be a real challenge,” Manning said.
Tough bunch? Real challenge? Tape of the latest effort by Monte Kiffin’s crew flies in the face of Manning’s flattery.
Philip Rivers torched the Cowboys for 401 yards and three touchdowns in rallying San Diego to a 30-21 win in Week 4. Despite playing with an injury-depleted offensive line, the
Chargers amassed 506 yards of total offense against a defense that sacked Rivers just once and surrendered five pass plays of 20 or more yards.
Rivers’ outing left him with some scintillating statistics through four games, including a 73.9 completion percentage, 1,199 yards, 11 touchdowns against just two interceptions and a 118.8 passer rating.
In any other season, he would be touted as a potential MVP.
But not this year. With Manning delivering otherworldly performances weekly, all the focus is on No. 18.
In leading the Broncos to a 4-0 start and NFL-best averages in points (44.8) and yards (483.0) per game, Manning has completed 75 percent of his passes for 1,470 yards with 16 TDs and no interceptions. His TD total is the most ever through the first four games of any season and his passer rating of 138.0 is the best it’s ever been over a four-game stretch.
And you have to go back to Milt Plum in 1960 to find the last player to reach 16 TDs without an interception.
“He’s playing quarterback at maybe the highest level it’s ever been played,” Dallas coach Jason Garrett said.
Said cornerback Brandon Carr, “He’s having his way with defenses.”
So how do the Cowboys (2-2) plan to stop Manning on Sunday with a defense that’s 27th in the NFL against the pass (304.4), ranks dead last in first-down plays by opponent (7.28 yards) and has a cornerback in Morris Claiborne that has been routinely beaten this season?
“It starts up front,” Garrett said. “We didn’t get to Philip Rivers enough. We did not make him uncomfortable. We did a good job in the first three games making the quarterback’s job hard, hitting him, getting him off the spot. We didn’t do that last week. We have to do it this week.”
It won’t be easy with defensive ends DeMarcus Ware (back) and George Selvie (concussion) ailing. Ware had full participation in practice, but Selvie was in the trainer’s room Wednesday.
Still, Manning refuses to underestimate a unit that’s playing a new scheme in Kiffin’s 4-3 Tampa 2 zone. Manning is 0-2 against Dallas, but those losses in 2006 and 2010 came against 3-4 schemes.
“This is an unfamiliar opponent,” Manning said. “It’s still early in the season, so there’s still some what-ifs.”
Manning, 37, also pointed out he and his teammates aren’t infallible. The 16th-year pro stressed he’s still getting to know several of his receivers, including slot-man extraordinaire Wes Welker, who has scored on six of his 26 catches this season.
“We’re by no means a finely tuned machine,” Manning said. “We’re still working out kinks.”
Garrett isn’t buying it.
“Not a lot of bad things happen when he is playing quarterback,” Garrett said.
And the players?
“Don’t think for one minute we’re scared,” defensive tackle Jason Hatcher told reporters in Irving. “We ain’t scared of nobody. I don’t really care who it is.
“…We have respect for him, but at the end of the day, they got to have respect for us as well. We’re not a pushover team at all. We’re definitely ready to play…He can be beat.”
And Hatcher said all that with a straight face
Continue reading...