QB-PEYTON MANNING (on being back in Anderson) Sunday, August 01, 2010
"I can tell you the truth, I really don't remember much about coming to Anderson. It's been a long time ago. I do remember when I drove up here. I drove with Bill Polian right after I signed my contract. This was the first time I made the drive by myself up here, but I always look forward to starting training camp. It is the beginning of a new season. And I talked to my dad on the way up here and it did not take quite as long as it did to get to Terre Haute. But I'm excited. I talked to a few of the players and I know they are all excited and we're looking forward to going to work."
QB-PEYTON MANNING (on the facilities in Anderson) Sunday, August 01, 2010
"Like I said, I literally just pulled off the interstate and you all are the first people I stopped off to see. I have not seen it, but I've heard about it and I know Anderson's spent a lot of time and money in helping to make this possible. I know our team is excited about being here and we expect to have a great training camp. Training camp is extremely important into getting us started out for the season on the right foot and the right note. It's football, football, football mentally and physically. I know Bill Polian and the organization would not have made this move had Anderson not be up to speed on what all we need. I'm sure it will be great and we are excited to be here in Anderson."
QB-PEYTON MANNING (on texting or talking to other players yesterday or coming up today, and are there expectations that Reggie Wayne will be here) Sunday, August 01, 2010
"I certainly would think so. I have not talked to him, but a couple of players have and that was their feeling, that he would be here. So I certainly feel everybody will be here today, all the veterans. I'm not sure where things stand with Jerry Hughes on his negotiations, but I would certainly expect all the other veteran players to be here and that would be disappointing if they weren't. I expect everybody will be here. We are pretty healthy for the most part, which is encouraging. That's one of the main keys is trying to stay healthy coming out of training camp, if we can do that. I'm excited about this team and the potential of this team."
QB-PEYTON MANNING (on if Reggie will be driving an ice cream truck) Sunday, August 01, 2010
"I would think since you all are kind of quarantined over here, you are not going to be able to film the arrival, so I think he'd be disappointed to pull up and have nobody film it. I don't know if anybody warned him that there is not quite the entourage filming the arrival. So it might save him some money on picking up a dump truck or outfit or some of the other things he has had in the past. We'll see. I'm here early and we have a few hours left before some of them more personalities on the team start arriving."
QB-PEYTON MANNING (Follow up- Do you look forward to those kind of antics) Sunday, August 01, 2010
"It was always kind of fun just to see and hear because you couldn't, you kind of didn't believe it. Surely he didn't drive a dump truck. And Edgerrin took the cab that year. Was that Edgerrin or Reggie? He took a bus with all the kids. That always was entertaining along with all the different outfits. So hopefully we'll have a little of that but this might force it to change."
QB-PEYTON MANNING (on contract issues being a distraction) Sunday, August 01, 2010
"Well it's not a distraction because I'm under contract. It's one thing if I'm here and didn't have (one). I'm under contract though. I'm ready to play football and I'm excited about this season. So, as I've said before, I have not spoken about a future contract in 12 years. I've always played on the contract I've been under and when it's time to talk about it, when something is to be signed or something to be announced, I've talked about it. That policy has served me pretty well for 12 years going on 13 so I think I'm going to keep that policy. I'm in a frame of mind physically. I feel good mentally and I'm looking forward to hopefully having a good 2010."
QB-PEYTON MANNING (on what people bring to camp, a putting green?) Sunday, August 01, 2010
"My golf clubs, I played my last round on Wednesday. I put them up for hopefully, til the end of January, end of February this year. Not much. Pretty much mostly football gear. Don't have roommates this year. I think with the new dorm set up it is all single rooms. You've got guys next to each other. So I'll miss rooming with Dallas. He was a good roommate. Ashley makes me these cookies every year so that's still pretty consistent. Besides that, mostly just stuff to get you ready to have a good training camp. Nothing too special."
QB-PEYTON MANNING (on health of team and WR-Anthony Gonzalez) Sunday, August 01, 2010
"It certainly seems like it. I had dinner with Gonzo last night and he sounds really good. We had kind of July off and we spent a little time down in Tennessee some. Gonzalez and Collie came down there and worked out with me because he missed mini-camp. He wanted to get down there and get some reps. He and I had three really good days of throwing where I thought he looked good and I thought he looked quick, had a good burst on all his routes. So his hamstring, I think, that is fully healed. I know he's really excited to be here in training camp and get started with truly kind of a fresh start to the 2010 season. I know the 2009 was frustrating for him. So, I'm excited for him. There is going to be good healthy competition at the wide receiver position all across the board. All those guys are going to make a big impact for our team this year."
QB-PEYTON MANNING (on if the focus on this camp different) Sunday, August 01, 2010
"My focus is to get better, to get better as a player and to do whatever I can do to help our team; get my timing down with any of our new players whether it's with Brody Eldridge or Brandon James. You know, get on the same page with some of the lineman that might be rotating in. And then trying to improve my skills. That's what training camp is all about, trying to focus in and get a little bit better at something each day. That's where I am. You know, Clyde Christensen will be kind of more my hands on coach, coordinator calling plays into me. He and I are getting that repertoire with each other. Ron Turner with our receiver's coach, I have spent a ton of time with Clyde during the years with him as a receivers coach talking about 'Hey, what do you like for routes for your guys,' so Ron Turner, we'll have to get that same repertoire. We are off to a good start with that with our mini-camps and OTA's. Hopefully that will continue here in training camp."
QB-PEYTON MANNING (on the interaction with Tom Moore) Sunday, August 01, 2010
"Well, maybe it's lessened a little bit. He wasn't here for the entire time in the off-season. He was here for the mini-camps and the OTA's, but during the meetings that I met with Frank and Clyde and Ron, we met at like seven in the morning from the beginning of April through up til early June, and Tom wasn't in on those meetings. I think he kind of wanted for me and Clyde and Ron to kind of get our repertoire together. I'm sure coach Caldwell will be able to tell you what his role is exactly. Tom is still going to be here out at practice yelling, telling players to get up and run with his kind of Tom Moore-isms. I'm certainly glad he is going to be here and be a part of it. He will be in meetings and Tom will always be a confidant for me, a guy to go and ask questions to. Certainly this is still his offense that Clyde will tweak in places and be running. It's Tom's offense and we're glad he is still going to be here and be in meetings. He probably won't have as active a role on the day-to-day practices and game plans type things that he's had in the past. But I'm glad he's here and as I've stated before I will be indebted to Tom Moore for the rest of my life for what he's done for me in my NFL career. My rookie year protecting me and calling plays that would kind of keep me on my feet and give some confidence and sticking with me, defending me and staying loyal to me, I just can't thank him enough for that. I'm glad he's still here. I'm really not saying good-bye. He's not going anywhere. Howard Mudd did retire, Tom's still going to be here, just in a little bit of a different role."
QB-PEYTON MANNING (on pre-season polls and if any pressure) Sunday, August 01, 2010
"I guess that's a good thing, and I mean we have some good players in certain spots, but I don't think a lot of our players put a lot of weight or stock into that. Players are determined to work hard and know we have to go out there and earn it on the field and it starts with training camp. Just because somebody says you have a good team, unless you go out there and do it just doesn't back it up. I think we have enough veteran players that understand, can make the rookies understand that hey, this is a time to work, not a time to talk. It is a time to work and that's what we are here to do. We are excited to be here in Anderson to do that. I think our rookies have caught on in a short period of time that to have a good team you have to have an outstanding work ethic. Hopefully we will continue that through training camp and into the fall."
QB-PEYTON MANNING (on any Super Bowl hangover history) Sunday, August 01, 2010
"I couldn't tell you. All I know is that I think this team has had a really good off-season. We've had outstanding attendance, good productive work on the field. I think the fact that maybe we've had some change there, like I said with Clyde taking over full time and Ron Turner, it has provided some newness and freshness to it if you will, and it's kept guys engaged. It's all we know to do is to go back and work hard again. I won't say we are going to work harder because we've always worked hard. I think saying work harder means saying you didn't work hard enough. We are going to keep working very hard and hopefully we are going to take it one step further this year. But that sure is a long way away at this point. We are kind of one step at a time and Houston is one of the things on our mind, the opening game. But a lot of work to be done between now and then and I think one thing we've always done in years past whether finishing on top or finishing short is to put the previous season behind us. I think our players have been able to do that. I think that's important and I don't really believe in playing into the percentages of years past and what other teams have done. I recall that the percentages of the teams that went to Tokyo (for preseason games) always went 5-11, and that was fact. If you go to Tokyo and win more than five games, I think we went 14-2. So I'm not saying we are always defying the odds, but just because what's happened in the past I don't think that's necessarily relevant. We are going to keep trying to do things the right way and hopefully we can have a good season."
QB-PEYTON MANNING (on remembering much from Anderson, perspective on his career) Sunday, August 01, 2010
"It means I'm getting up there for sure. It was such a whirlwind. I hated I missed three days of training camp and that was three pretty restless days. I remember finally, I think Marshall Faulk got me into training camp. He knocked knees with Kelly Holcomb in a practice. He said 'Get Manning in here." I was on a plane to Indiana that night and into St. Elmo's for a late dinner and went to sign my contract the next morning and then, like I said, Bill and I drove up here. Which was kind of an awkward conversation because Tom had shared some things that Bill had said about me in the negotiating process, which is usually how it works. Once I realized that once you sign a contract, everything said about you is over with now. Still, it was kind of an awkward conversation riding up here with Bill. I was ready just to go to work. I went straight into an old gym here, I don't know if they still have it, where we used to have walk through. Is that still there? No air conditioning 12 years ago, we will see if that's changed. I went right into the walk through and I remember Tom Moore putting me right in there with the first group. I remember that and kind of thought I missed three days and maybe they will kind of work me in. He said 'You're in their with the first group,' and we were kind of on from there. It truly was about football then and that's what it is now. I think some things will kind of come back to me, but it was such a whirlwind back in 1998, my mind was just swirling pretty good. I remember I did have to sing Rocky Top, which I really try to forget that. I think everyone would like to try to. It was not very memorable."
QB-PEYTON MANNING (Follow up- Was there tape of that?) Sunday, August 01, 2010
"There is a tape of everything now, right? Nobody wants or needs to see that."
QB-PEYTON MANNING (Follow up- did you ever carry pads) Sunday, August 01, 2010
"Did not have to carry anybody's pads. Bill Musgrave was a veteran quarterback, Kelly (Holcomb) was here. They were pretty good guys and they didn't have me do it. Had they asked me to do it though, I probably would have done it."
