Peyton eyes place in history
Manning has best chance yet to cement his legacy, but Bears standing in his way
The best quarterback in the NFL remains near-great because he has been mediocre when it matters most, producing a 6-6 record in the playoffs.
''We know what Peyton has done in this league in his ninth year,'' Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher said. ''He's on his way to becoming, numbers-wise, the best quarterback in the history of the NFL.''
Numbers-wise but title foolish. Before directing victories against the Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots in these playoffs to reach his first Super Bowl, Manning's playoff performances have been pretty bad. He wasn't really very good this season, either, until a marvelous second half against the Patriots.
It has been that way his entire career. Destiny hasn't denied this guy, it repeatedly has kicked him in the shins.
Manning never won a state title in high school. His stellar college career at Tennessee, which featured 42 NCAA, Southeastern Conference and school records, never resulted in a national championship.
In fact, the Volunteers went 13-0 and won the national title the year after Manning was selected with the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft.
In the NFL, he had had the misfortune of running afoul of coach Bill Belichick, quarterback Tom Brady and the Patriots' title machine. Manning has been defiant about feeling vindication after finally getting past the Patriots, but he had an interesting answer when he was asked the other day if he felt a sense of liberation about finally winning the AFC Championship Game.
''Definitely, you had some satisfaction in winning the AFC, but I knew right away that we had a tremendous challenge coming up right away,'' he said. ''I got to see most of the Bears-Saints game. I didn't exactly like what I saw watching the Bears give the Saints that much trouble. Like we always do, you try to enjoy the win and appreciate it, but my attention quickly turned to the Bears and the preparation for them.''
Manning is said to be the only NFL quarterback who calls his own plays, but that's a misconception. His skill lies in changing plays at the line of scrimmage and checking out of pass plays and into run plays or vice versa, depending on what he sees on the field. Most of the time, Manning has a script of three or four plays when he goes to the line of scrimmage.
The Colts don't run any motion because they want Manning to have the final snapshot of how the defense is set. He then will yell out a key word and color to designate whether the play will be a pass or a run and which side it's designed to go to.
''He knows what he's doing,'' Urlacher said. ''He knows what we're doing probably before we're doing it. When you check, he checks. If you check back, he checks back. You're probably not going to fool the guy. He's probably seen every defense thrown at him in the last nine years that you can see. He's smart, he gets rid of the football, he doesn't take a lot of sacks. We just have to not get frustrated when we're out there. They're going to make some plays, we realize that. We have to make some plays of our own and just stay on the field and play hard.''
Manning is renowned for his histrionics before a play is called. He'll come out from under center and point to one side, or he'll point to a player on the opposing team and windmill his arms. There are times when he looks like a man waving at an airplane. It can be pretty unsettling, especially for teams that are trying to disguise their coverage until the last second.
Manning is looking for tells at that point. He is hoping a linebacker will give away a blitz or a safety will reveal a coverage. Staying composed is a key to playing against Manning and his pre-snap pantomime.
''The biggest thing that we're trying to get across to them is it's all about just prior to the snap,'' Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera said. ''You've got to get past all the other stuff. When he's walking around pointing and everything else, he's not ready to play. As he moves down the line, as he's turning and saying things to their guys, our guys have to understand that's just part of the choreographed motions that he has. You've got to get past that.
''Now, when he's setting, he's ready to go. Now you've got to be ready to play, obviously. As the game goes on and they develop that feel for it, they'll feel more and more comfortable. We're trying to get them to watch tape and understand what he's doing as they're watching tape, but there's nothing like it until you get a chance to see it in person.''
There has been a lot of talk about how Rex Grossman is the player with something to prove because he is perceived to be on the end of a lopsided matchup in terms of the quarterbacks in the game. But Manning is the guy who has a legacy to consider. Will he continue to be the quarterback who can't win the big one, or will he finally break through on the NFL's greatest stage?
The matchup is intimidating, but Manning has been proved mortal before. The Bears just don't want to be a footnote to his career.
1: Play a 3-4 front: Teams in a 3-4 have had better success against Manning than teams with a conventional front. The reason is that it's easier to disguise where the pressure is coming from in a 3-4. Manning has a gift for sniffing out blitzes and has the release to get rid of the ball under pressure. He most often will unload into the area the blitz is coming from, where a team is most vulnerable. The Bears don't -- and won't -- play a 3-4 front.
2: Pressure with defensive line: If the Bears can get to Manning consistently with their front four, they will win the game. Like any quarterback, Manning is not as good under pressure. Manning also isn't a mobile guy, so getting an inside push is essential to prevent him from stepping into his throws. He'll kill the blitz, but he will get rid of the ball too soon if he is hurried.
3: Mug his receivers: The Colts are a dome team with a finesse offense. In other words, they are soft. If you prevent their receivers from getting off the line or reroute them, that will disrupt the timing of the Colts' offense. The NFL doesn't want to ruin its Super Bowl by calling pass interference on every play, so there is a good chance of getting away with pass interference on every play.
4: Run the ball: The easiest way to keep Manning from doing harm is to keep him off the field. The battle for time of possession can be won with a dominant running game. If the Bears can run the ball 46 times against the Colts, as they did against the Saints, they'll be on their way to Super Bowl glory.
5: Make him move: Manning is a great pocket passer, but he's an ordinary passer when he's flushed or forced to move. Even with his skill against the blitz, it's important to run some zone attack to get him on the move and keep him from setting his feet.