QUOTES FROM INDIANAPOLISCOLTS PRESS CONFERENCE
QB PEYTON MANNING
(on if he watched the NFC Championship Game) "I watched that game pretty closely on Sunday of the AFC Championship. We got to see the majority of the game and I was watching both defenses because I always like watching an opponent we are going to play on TV. I was studying both defenses, but obviously I pulled for the Saints all year long. I know a lot of those players and I know it's a special season. Growing up a Saints fan, it was a special season for me to watch as well."
(on coming to South Florida on Monday evening) "I don't think any player can answer that question about coming a day late. We had a meeting on Monday after the Patriots game and they said that the plane was going to leave on Monday at five o'clock. That's all the players knew to do. We didn't know what the normal routine was; that's what we were told to do; we just kind of followed orders."
(on what he does at the line of scrimmage) "That would be impossible to answer without giving away secrets. To me, our offense, like any offense, is about the execution. We do call certain plays at the line of scrimmage, that's no secret there. It still comes down to if you can block them, can you get open, can you play pitch-and-catch, can you have some success in the running game – that's kind of been the key for us since Tom Moore has been the coordinator of our offense. That will be very key this Sunday as well."
(on the Colts offense) "Tom Moore has been the coordinator the entire time I have been with the Colts. I feel like I have really grown in his offense and have really developed and the offense has expanded the more experienced that I've become. Tom has given me more and more freedom each year, so it's sort of been a maturing process. The offense has grown and improved each and every year in my opinion."
(on the offense's success under Tom Moore) "Tom Moore would tell you that it is because of the players that he has, but that's Tom being Tom. Certainly all of the players who have played for him, there is not a day that goes by that we don't appreciate having him as our coordinator. First of all, is the support that he has for us, the trust he has in us and it makes you want to execute for him. Tony Dungy is very much the same way. You want to win for him because you like him so much and Tom is very much the same way. He is very fair to the players and all he asks is for your best effort and focus during the week. It makes you want to go out there and execute the offense for him."
(on if there is a large disparity between himself and Rex Grossman) "I'm the wrong guy to answer that. Rex has done an outstanding job this season. Obviously, I watched from afar and of course, these past two weeks I've solely studied the Chicago Bears defense. If you are a quarterback and you get your team to the Super Bowl, in my opinion, you are doing a good job. I know being in Chicago, he's been heavily scrutinized and that's part of being a quarterback in the NFL. You add the Chicago Bears into it, that's going to make it kind of a double whammy. Rex has done an outstanding job this year; he's been a great leader for his team and seeing the things that Coach Smith has said about him and what his teammates have said about him, you can tell he is doing a great job."
(on if two weeks between games are necessary) "I don't think so. I think if we had to play this past Sunday, we could have if that's the way the format was set up, but we knew we had two weeks. I really tried to use it to get an extra jump-start on the Bears. Any time you are playing an uncommon opponent, a team you haven't played in a couple of years, there is a lot of film to watch, things to study. You try to use the time to your advantage if you can. I think everybody enjoyed that win on Sunday night, but once Monday rolled around, we moved on to the next game."
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(on if he has a sense of p
