Thu, Jan 15, 2004
Julian Dickinson
@@
Peyton Manning has the purest football pedigree. He reads NFL defenses like they're Dr. Seuss and is presently posting a nearly perfect quarterback rating. He shook off his playoff gremlin two weeks ago with a big win over Denver and now only one question mark remains on Manning's impressive resume.
Can the boy from the bayou win in the cold weather?
Manning's Indianapolis Colts will travel to New England, where the January climate is more suited to dog-mushing than playoff football, for Sunday's AFC Championship Game. The forecast calls for a high of 30 degrees and a chance of snow.
Last week, freezing temperatures helped the Patriots to a low-scoring win over Tennessee and improved their record to 15-2 since 1993 when the mercury dips below 35 degrees. The Pats are also a perfect 8-0 at Foxboro this season, regardless of the temperature.
Manning, on the other hand, has yet to win a game in New England. To date, he is 0-4 on Foxboro soil, where he has thrown 11 interceptions and just six touchdowns.
In an effort to acclimatize his team to the winter weather, Indianapolis head coach Tony Dungy took his team outside for part of their Wednesday practice. The team's outdoor fields were frozen and footing was poor, so after a few kicking and passing drills, they returned to the protection of the RCA Dome, but Dungy insisted the doors remain open and the heat turned off.
"We wanted to get used to handling the ball in the wind and the atmosphere," Dungy told the Indianapolis Star.
Manning and the Colts have overcome a series of roadblocks already this postseason. A Wild Card win at home over Denver was Manning's first career playoff win and last week's win in Kansas City proved he could do it on the road and out of doors.
Some say the Colts quarterback got off easy with balmy 46-degree temperatures in Kansas City last week, but the Patriots aren't listening to those still maligning Manning. They consider the Pro Bowl quarterback a threat on any football field, indoors or out.
"If we let him play the way he's been playing, he's probably going to win in Foxboro,'' linebacker Mike Vrabel told the Boston Herald.
Julian Dickinson
@@
Peyton Manning has the purest football pedigree. He reads NFL defenses like they're Dr. Seuss and is presently posting a nearly perfect quarterback rating. He shook off his playoff gremlin two weeks ago with a big win over Denver and now only one question mark remains on Manning's impressive resume.
Can the boy from the bayou win in the cold weather?
Manning's Indianapolis Colts will travel to New England, where the January climate is more suited to dog-mushing than playoff football, for Sunday's AFC Championship Game. The forecast calls for a high of 30 degrees and a chance of snow.
Last week, freezing temperatures helped the Patriots to a low-scoring win over Tennessee and improved their record to 15-2 since 1993 when the mercury dips below 35 degrees. The Pats are also a perfect 8-0 at Foxboro this season, regardless of the temperature.
Manning, on the other hand, has yet to win a game in New England. To date, he is 0-4 on Foxboro soil, where he has thrown 11 interceptions and just six touchdowns.
In an effort to acclimatize his team to the winter weather, Indianapolis head coach Tony Dungy took his team outside for part of their Wednesday practice. The team's outdoor fields were frozen and footing was poor, so after a few kicking and passing drills, they returned to the protection of the RCA Dome, but Dungy insisted the doors remain open and the heat turned off.
"We wanted to get used to handling the ball in the wind and the atmosphere," Dungy told the Indianapolis Star.
Manning and the Colts have overcome a series of roadblocks already this postseason. A Wild Card win at home over Denver was Manning's first career playoff win and last week's win in Kansas City proved he could do it on the road and out of doors.
Some say the Colts quarterback got off easy with balmy 46-degree temperatures in Kansas City last week, but the Patriots aren't listening to those still maligning Manning. They consider the Pro Bowl quarterback a threat on any football field, indoors or out.
"If we let him play the way he's been playing, he's probably going to win in Foxboro,'' linebacker Mike Vrabel told the Boston Herald.
