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Peyton Manning threw for 302 yards in his Colts debut, but he also threw three interceptions and was sacked four times. I always pay attention to two statistics when I look at rookie quarterbacks. I look at their pass percentage and their sacks. You want to know if he's completing passes, because that's the quarterback's job. Secondly, how many times is he getting sacked? Is he getting sacked because the offensive line can't block? Is he getting sacked because he's holding the ball too long? Is he getting sacked because he's confused by the defense? Being sacked four times and completing 57 percent (21 of 37 passes) was a good first outing for Manning. The fact that Indianapolis did not run the football effectively hurt him. He's the type of quarterback who at this stage could use a lot of support from the running game. The good thing is is that the Colts had the ball for 32 minutes and 35 seconds, which is a lot more than Miami had it, but the Colts didn't come up with the big play. Manning will just continue to get better and become more efficient. Marvin Harrison has become his No. 1 target. Through the five games they've played through the preseason and regular season, he's thrown five touchdown passes to Harrison. In Manning's case, you have to look at the preseason as well because any time he's taking a snap against somebody else it's a learning experience. I like the way he's been able to compete. I think he's a little hard on himself, but I like to see emotion out of a quarterback. I like to see somebody who gets disgusted when things don't go well. I like to see somebody who gets excited when things go well. I think you have to play this game with emotion. To me body language is part of playing quarterback, and both Manning and Ryan Leaf have it. The big test against New England will be Manning's ability to throw the football. The Patriots are going to put a lot of pressure on him. They have some people up front, like Willie McGinest and Chris Slade, who can really rush the passer. The first look he sees from the Patriots defense is not going to be the one he can count on. What most defensive coaches want to do to a young quarterback is make him hesitate ever so slightly. If you can make a quarterback hesitate a half a second, you get a big advantage on defense because football is a game of action and reaction. If you have to think where someone is going to be, you are going to be late throwing the football. He'll have to make good, crisp, quick decisions, and his receivers are going to have to hold on to the football. Against the Dolphins Torrance Small had a chance to make a play for them with 1:30 to go. He got behind the defensive back and wasn't quite able to make the play. Last week Manning showed he has the ability to spread the ball all over the place. That tells me he's looking at the football field. A lot of times when you look at a rookie, you say, "Boy, he's really honed in on one individual." Manning is a very mature quarterback. He's still a young man with a lot to learn, but he's mature in that he knows what he's supposed to do with the ball. The biggest thing for Manning is going to be recognizing defenses and recognizing what they're trying to do against him. He's always been a student of the game. To see him study as a professional is no different than to see him study as a collegian. The nice thing is there is a niceness and a naivete to what he wants to do and learn. When the season is over, we're going to see statistics from Manning that are probably going to be indicative of a three- or four-year veteran. He's just that smart with the football. He isn't going to be overwhelmed by being a starting quarterback. He throws the ball probably better than people gave him credit for. With the Colts, Manning came into a situation where they want to run the football, they want to work the ball to the tight ends, and they want to create opportunties for big plays. The Colts want to protect Manning more than just throwing him out there and say, "Hey, kid, throw 40 times if you have to." Much like Drew Bledsoe, when the Patriots drafted him No. 1, Manning isn't the quick-fix savior in Indianapolis, but he's a great start to building an offensive football team. Colts offensive coordinator Tom Moore has got himself a very solid lump of clay that looks more like a football player than most guys do coming out of college. Instead of just molding him with his hands, Moore needs to take the scalpel and fine-tune Manning and make him look more like a finished product.
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