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INDIANAPOLIS (Oct. 11, 1998) -- Former New York Giants quarterback Phil Simms has some advice for Peyton Manning, the Indianapolis Colts' interception-plagued rookie: Shrug 'em off and keep firing. Simms, currently an analyst for CBS, led the Giants to a win over Denver in Super Bowl XXI. The crown jewel to Simms' productive NFL career came in his seventh season, but his early years were marred by occasional inconsistencies and frequent interceptions. The Giants' all-time passing leader in attempts (4,647), completions (2,567), yards (33,462) and touchdowns (199) also ranks No. 2 in interceptions with 157. Simms threw 14 picks as a rookie in 1979, 19 in Year 2, and was among the league leaders in 1985 and '86 with 20 and 22. Simms admitted he played "free and uninhibited" as a rookie, which led to many of his early misguided missiles. But he said a quarterback needs to live on the edge if he's going to be anything more than ordinary. Simms said his bold approach was reinforced on a weekly basis by former Giants coach Bill Parcells. "I remember Bill telling me on the sideline before a game, 'Simms, if you don't throw two picks today, you ain't trying.'," Simms said, laughing. Simms isn't advising Manning to maintain his current interception pace -- 2.4 per game -- but said the top pick in the draft must avoid becoming gun-shy or hesitant with his throws. There appears to be little chance of that. Despite throwing a league-high 12 interceptions -- that's one more than he threw as a senior at Tennessee -- Manning insisted he possesses every quarterback's best friend: selective memory. "It's hard, no question, but you have to be able to shrug them off and go on," Manning said. "You've seen guys on film and it's obvious they don't put (an interception) behind them and it affects their next throw and affects their decision. "It's the hardest thing you have to learn as a quarterback, but the most important play is the next one. If you don't understand that, it's tough to play the game." Apparently two of the Colts' most successful quarterbacks understood that interceptions are part of the game. Hall of Famer Johnny Unitas holds the club record for career interceptions (246) and has the four highest single-season totals (24 three times, 23 once). Bert Jones, meanwhile, holds the record for most consecutive games with an interception (12). "You don't want them to happen, but they are going to be there whether it's a deflected pass or a poor decision," said Manning, who set an NCAA record for the lowest career interception percentage (33 in 1,381 attempts, 2.39 percent). "When it does happen, you have to move on and try to correct it the next time." Stat of the Week I With his two-point conversion run last week against San Diego, tight end Ken Dilger has outscored placekicker Mike Vanderjagt on PATS 2-1. To put Vanderjagt's lone PAT in perspective, consider Denver's Jason Elam has kicked 23 and Minnesota's Gary Anderson 19. Stat of the Week II It's been well-documented that the Colts' defense has been gored for a batch of big plays this year. After five games, opponents have picked up 1,713 yards on 307 plays. That's 5.6 yards per play. A closer look reveals 26 plays have produced 805 yards (31.0 per play). The Colts have yielded only 908 yards on the other 281 plays (3.2 per play). Sunday singer Tearing a page from the past, the Colts will have defensive back Rico Clark sing the national anthem today. Clark will be the fourth player to do the honors since the team's arrival in Indianapolis, following Ray McElroy, Tony Walker and Steve Knight. Aside from the pressures of singing in front of 50,000 people, Clark faces the burden of motivating the Colts to a victory. They have posted a 5-1 record when a player sings. Clark was a finance major at the University of Louisville, but sang in the school's gospel choir and sang the national anthem prior to a Louisville-University of Kentucky basketball game. N "I was pretty nervous then," he said, "but I'm more nervous now." |