Manning Accepts Praise With Interceptions

First, the praise.

"This guy's going to be a star in this league in due time," said the 12-year veteran. "He's got a great sense of reading the defenses. He throws the ball on time, and he's a big quarterback. I think he will have a great career in the NFL.

"We watched him all week. He gets rid of the ball fast. That's one thing that impressed me; he doesn't take many sacks. He gets rid of the football."

And the advice: "All he's got to do is cut back on the interceptions."

Tell Manning something he doesn't know.

On the same day that Manning passed the legendary Johnny Unitas in the Colts' record book, Manning threw interceptions on consecutive second-half possessions as the Colts fell to the Falcons.

The interceptions followed an almost flawless first half in which Manning completed 11 of 14 passes for 120 yards and passed Unitas for third place on the Colts' all-time single-season record for completions.

Manning finished the game with 19 completions in 27 attempts for 159 yards and two touchdowns. He has 269 completions for the season, only one behind Greg Landry on the Colts' single-season list. He could pass both Landry and Colts record-holder Jeff George (292 completions) next week.

Manning also set two NFL rookie records and closed in on a couple of others.

His 2,969 yards passing broke the record of former Seattle rookie quarterback Rick Mirer, who passed for 2,833 yards in 1993. He also set a rookie record by throwing a touchdown pass in 10 consecutive games.

Manning only needs two more touchdown passes to break Charlie Conerly's single-season record for touchdown passes (22) by a rookie. With just six more completions, he also will break Mirer's rookie record for completions in a season (274).

The rookie quarterback gets the records. The rookie quarterback's team gets the losses.

The Colts continued to play themselves into position for another high draft pick a year after taking the former Tennessee quarterback as the first pick in the 1998 draft. And they did it in typical Colts fashion.

They blew a 21-7 lead against the NFC-West leading Falcons. It was their sixth loss by seven points or less.

That prompted a post-game question to Manning: "How hard is it to learn how to lose?"

"To learn how to lose that would be a really bad habit," said Manning, who passed Tennessee to the SEC championship a year ago in the same stadium. "It's tough on anybody. It gets harder and harder.

"We try not to make the same mistake twice. But something new keeps coming up."

Manning's biggest mistake was a third-quarter pass to Torrance Small. Ray Buchanan stepped in front of the pass, picked it off and ran 18 yards to the Colts' 14-yard line. Three plays later, Falcons quarterback Chris Chandler completed a 2-yard touchdown pass to Terance Mathis. That proved to be the game-winner.

"Give Ray credit," Manning said. "But not too much credit. It was a bad throw on my part. I was a little rushed and I didn't get quite enough on my throw."

Manning threw another interception on his next possession. That was his 25th interception of the season.

"As a rookie, he's going to make mistakes," Buchanan said. "But I think he's going to be one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL."

Ron Hill, the Falcons' vice-president of football operations, said the same thing. And Hill makes his living evaluating players.

He was asked if Manning reminded him of anybody.

"He reminds me of a guy who won't quit," Hill said.

After Manning shakes off the disappointment and frustration of another tough loss, he will resume his improvement project.

"I know we are getting somewhere," he said. "We've moved the ball against good defenses. Going through this is the hard part. But we know it's going to make us better.

"And I don't think it will take us very long."