 |
 |
 |
|
INDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 7, 1998) -- Peyton Manning's first NFL game ended just like the debut of his father, Archie: with a touchdown. The circumstances, however, couldn't have been more different. In 1971, Archie scored on a short run with 3 seconds left to give the New Orleans Saints a 24-20 upset victory over the powerful Los Angeles Rams. Sunday evening, Peyton tossed a 4-yard touchdown pass to Marvin Harrison as time expired, but there was no stirring victory, only a narrowed margin of defeat in the Indianapolis Colts' 24-15 loss to the Miami Dolphins. And so began a new era at quarterback for the Colts: with considerable promise, overwhelmed by youthful mistakes. The No. 1 pick completed 21-of-37 passes for 302 yards, eye-popping numbers for a debut. But they were more than offset by three interceptions, two of which led to 14 Miami points, more than enough to turn the game around. "I don't care what league you're in," Peyton said. "When you lose, you hate it." Nonetheless, there was much to like about his performance. For a quarterback whose weakness was supposed to be arm strength, he continued to show superb touch on the deep pass, with three completions of at least 30 yards. He was sacked four times, but never rattled. Though a rookie, he assumed immediate control in the huddle. "He handled it very well," said tight end Marcus Pollard, who caught three passes for 53 yards. "He was very composed, very cool under pressure when things got hot. He showed a great deal of maturity." It was by far the most productive opening day for a Colts' rookie quarterback. Until Sunday, Jeff George's 160-yard day in 1990 topped that particular chart. "Normally, a coach wouldn't say you were pleased with a quarterback who threw three interceptions," said head coach Jim Mora. "But if you look at the good things he did, he played better than I thought he would today. "I thought he battled. He came back after throwing the interceptions. He did not get down. He kept performing and moved our football team pretty well." Peyton's self-analysis was more harsher. He threw for more than twice the yardage of Miami's Dan Marino (135) but came away feeling empty. "Any time you lose a game, you're not happy," he said. "I think the entire team and I will learn a lot from this game." In his first start in 1983, Marino passed for 322 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions -- and lost the game to Buffalo. He, too, was impressed by the rookie. "He's got a great attitude, so he's going to do fine," Marino said. "He's going to be a great player in this league, I believe that. But it can be difficult in this league, breaking in. For him, it's just to be patient and try to learn as much as he can as quick as he can." When it was over, Archie looked at least as drained as Peyton. He had watched his son welcomed to the NFL with four sacks, three interceptions and defeat. "One thing ya'all will learn about him: He's pretty tough," said Archie. "He'll deal with it and bounce back. To tell you the truth, I think it was tougher on me. It's tough being a parent." And this was one parent who, all things considered, was proud of his son. "The daddy side of me," said Archie, "said that Peyton did a pretty good job today." |