Peyton Manning: 10 Reasons He's Second Best Manning in NFL This Season
Peyton Manning's year isn't going so well. In fact, his last three weeks are just about the worst three weeks of his entire career.
While it's forgivable to have a bad game every now and then, to have three bad games in a row is something everyone is going to sit up and take notice of. Now if only Jim Caldwell wasn't completely comatose, he might have noticed something after the first week.
But there's no doubt at this point that Eli Manning is having the better year, and there's a better chance of Eli getting his second Super Bowl ring in February than Peyton at the moment.
Here are 10 reasons why Peyton is playing second fiddle to Eli.
10. Manning Is Locking on to Receivers
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Peyton has stopped trying to look off the safeties, abandoning his reads in favor of locking on to the receiver.
Film breakdown has shown the receivers are running poor, inconsistent routes, so Peyton is not sure where his receivers are going. But locking on to them isn't the way to fix the problem, and 11 interceptions in three games is all the proof you need.
9. Peyton Is Trying to Do Too Much
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With all the adversity the Colts are facing this year, Peyton took it upon himself to try to win every game with his arm.
That was a mistake. Even though the offense is depleted, putting that kind of pressure on yourself only leads to mistakes.
8. Eli Weathered the Giants' Slump Better
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Every year, Tom Coughlin's Giants go through a rough patch of about two or three weeks where they play awful, lose some games they shouldn't and scare the bejeezus out of Giants fans.
However, his teams recover and make the playoffs. Eli kept his head during the two-game stretch last month and didn't start pressing. As a result, the Giants still are in the race for a first round playoff bye.
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7. Peyton Is Letting the Defenses Cheat Coverage
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Because Peyton is dealing with inexperienced receivers, when a pass play gets called, the defense can predict what's coming and immediately adjust.
Instead of taking what the defense gives him, Peyton is forcing the throw and letting it sail right into the defender's hands.
6. Eli Has Better Protection
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A quarterback's success often is determined by the quality of the line protecting him. Peyton's line was changed up in the offseason, and the new guys aren't as good as the old guys.
You can blame the front office on this one, but the fact is Eli Manning hasn't spent as much time running for his life as Peyton has this season.
5. Eli Has a Running Game
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When you have two quality running backs to hand the ball off to, it makes your job as a quarterback easier, and you can stretch the field.
Eli has that option, while Peyton's running game, i.e. Joseph Addai, has been standing on the sideline nursing a neck injury, and backup Mike Hart also has been battling injuries.
It makes getting to Peyton easier because more pass plays will be called.
4. Team Discipline Is Better in New York
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Tom Coughlin is running a tighter ship in New York, which results in better play, fewer penalties and more wins.
The Colts under Jim Caldwell have looked sloppier than they ever did under Tony Dungy, and that includes Peyton Manning.
Manning, even in his bad games, never looked this sloppy and undisciplined.
3. The Play-Action Isn't Fooling Anybody
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Peyton relies on play-action to try to draw the defense closer to the line and get his deep balls down the field.
But with the limitations and the trend to throw more, the secondary isn't fooled by his pump fakes. As a result, defenses are able to jump the routes and intercept the ball.
2. Peyton Is Playing Tight
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With all the problems Peyton now is playing with, the weight of the world on his shoulders, whereas Eli still is playing fairly loose and dictating the action of the game.
Peyton is taking what the game gives him, which results in growing frustration, and then the mistakes happen. The next thing you know, Peyton has thrown three picks, and the game no longer is in his control.
1. Jim Caldwell Is Bringing the Entire Team Down
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This brief slide can't express how important good coaching is in this situation. The difference between the Jim Caldwell Colts and the Tony Dungy Colts is night and day.
Caldwell took the Colts to the Super Bowl last year, but that still was Dungy's team. Now two years out, the Colts don't play with the discipline they used to, and the replacements don't have the steady hand Dungy would've given the team to get them through the tough times.
Caldwell looks bewildered and confused on the sidelines, and that's not just a look. Dungy would've corrected Manning's faults after the first game instead of allowing them to fester and grow over the last three weeks.
Caldwell got outcoached in the Super Bowl last year, and the Colts slowly are crumbling at the edges. He's succeeded in turning Peyton Manning into a shell of his former self this year, and this is why Eli Manning is the better Manning in 2010.
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