Can Peyton Manning "Man-Up" Against the New Orleans Saints Pass Rush?

Even your average weekend anchor at ESPN Radio is smart enough to figure out that the New Orleans Saints have turned up the heat a notch or two against opposing quarterbacks this playoff season.

Kurt Warner said this week that one of the determining factors in his retirement from the game was the hellacious hit he took from Saints defensive end Bobby McCray in the second quarter of New Orleans' 45-14 Divisional Round win over the Cardinals.

With over six minutes to go before halftime, McCray leveled Warner during Will Smith's interception return of an errant Warner pass. The collision knocked Warner out of the game and eventually into retirement two weeks later.

"You know that was probably the hardest hit I've ever taken," Warner told reporters. "I've taken some hits in my career, and some that have had lingering effects, but just the sheer force of that hit, and having no expectation that it was coming, I had no idea that he was coming out of the corner of my eye, and I'm actually still feeling that hit.

"So, it was one of those things that I think puts an exclamation point on knowing what decision you want to make when you take a hit like that and understanding your body can take so many of those."

It seemed like it took Peyton Manning forever to learn to read a New England Patriots blitz, as he got off to a disappointing 3-6 playoff record prior to his Super Bowl year of 2006. It was Manning's inability to solve a determined Patriot's pass rush that led to the New England dynasty.

New Orleans defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, a disciple of Buddy Ryan's attack-style defense, knows that the key to a Saints upset next Sunday is battering Manning the way his defense battered Warner and Brett Favre.

"This guy's got a great clock in his head," Williams told Nashville's 104.5 The Zone. "The big thing is that he throws the ball so early that we're going to have to do a good job of finding ways to get to him; and when we do get to him, we're going to have to make sure he gets a couple 'remember me' shots when we get there.

"If you kill the head, the body will die. And that's usually the way it goes," said Williams. "When you hit the quarterback, the whole team feels it and we're hoping we can do it this week."

The comments ignited a national controversy and seemed to perturb Peyton's father, Archie Manning, who told a New Orleans radio station tersely Saturday morning, "Some coaches don't let their assistant coaches talk to the media during the season. I thought Sean (Payton) had that policy when he first came here. He must have lifted that."

Sean Payton appeared to come to the defense of his outspoken coordinator.

"I think anytime you can get pressure on a quarterback or hurry up the time in which he has to make a decision, then you help yourself," said Payton.

Although New Orleans has only registered one sack in the playoffs, they hit Favre at least five times after passes and roughed up Warner with regularity. And they appear to have made it a high priority to deliver some violent shots on opposing quarterbacks, as evidenced by their three penalties for illegal hits in the past two weeks.

As for Manning's penchant for falling to the ground before he gets hit, Saints veteran safety Darren Sharper told ESPN's Ed Werder, "If he does that against us, we're going to fall on him anyway."