Peyton's ability to size up 'D' awes Jets
INDIANAPOLIS - Darrelle Revis chuckled at the absurdity of it all, thinking about the vast knowledge displayed by Peyton Manning when the Jets squared off against the Colts in last year's AFC title game.
On more than one occasion, Manning looked over the Jets' defense and suddenly transformed into a coach at the line of scrimmage, dissecting exactly what the opposition was going to do - at virtually all 11 positions - and relaying it to his teammates.
"Yes, I remember a couple of plays like that," said Revis, the Jets' Pro Bowl cornerback. "I've never seen a quarterback know somebody's defense that well to point it out and actually know what you are in. To me, that's like he's toying with us. He knows what you are doing and he can play around with you and he can move certain guys - linebackers, defensive linemen, or move his offensive linemen to slide the protection - and throw the ball where he wants to throw it.''
At least when the two square off in their AFC wild-card game at Lucas Oil Stadium Saturday night, the Jets won't be caught so off-guard by Manning's constant finger-pointing.
Dwight Lowery recalled being almost awestruck at what was transpiring in last year's game. He couldn't believe it.
"He called out everybody and what they were doing," the defensive back said. "It was the weirdest thing I've ever experienced as a football player, for a quarterback to call out what every single player's doing - 'He's blitzing, he's dropping, he's doing this, he's doing that.'
"He was exactly right," Lowery said. "You just have to play football from there and understand that he knows what you're doing and minimize how they're going to attack . . . It's like he has a photographic memory."
The Jets haven't forgotten Manning's statistics, either. He passed for 377 yards and three touchdowns, completing 26 of 39 attempts. The three TDs brought the Colts back from a 17-6 deficit in their 30-17 victory.
Manning, as Rex Ryan mentioned while taking his subtle swipe at Tom Brady this week, is a master at studying, essentially playing the role of a film critic and breaking down game footage to make sure he's familiar with all of his opponents' tendencies. There isn't much he hasn't seen before, and he gives coaches fits.
"It's a challenge," Jets defensive coordinator Mike Pettine said. "I think it's why it makes him one of the best. He's such a junkie, a gym rat, that I'm sure he's watched every one of our games this year and studied it and gone back to his notes from a year ago. We have to walk that fine line of doing what we do well and also changing some things up.
"We don't want to go to a totally new package against him and now you're out there playing things on a short week for us [with a scheme] that you're not familiar with. At the same time, we don't want to line up in our same old, same old and have him be able to easily identify and go from there."
It's all a part of that cat-and- mouse game for the future Hall of Fame quarterback, a guy whom Revis, believe it or not, actually relishes facing Saturday night.
"I rarely get to see him in the regular season because of the way the schedule is," Revis said. "We changed a lot of things in the Jets' organization. This is our second year in the playoffs [under Ryan], and once you get in the playoffs, you know sooner or later you are going to have to face Peyton, and you look forward to it.
"So right now, this is the wild-card [round] and we are excited. We are excited to play against Peyton."
