QB-PEYTON MANNING (on if he expects to see a New Englandtype defense against the Browns) Wednesday, September 21, 2005
"Well they have a similar scheme. They're a 3-4 defense that changes things up on 3rd down, which is similar to what New Englanddoes. Every time you're playing a different team they are going to have different schemes, different wrinkles and they have different coaches. They have a different defensive coordinator, but obviously it seems like (Head) Coach (Romeo) Crennel has his stamp on things. But the basic scheme of the 3-4 defense is similar."
QB-PEYTON MANNING (on personnel being the importance of a good defense) Wednesday, September 21, 2005
"Good defenses are made up of a combination, but a lot of coaches would tell you it's about the players and a lot of players would say coaches. The idea is to work well together. Clevelandhas excellent players. They really should be 2-0 right now. They had a couple of touchdowns called back against Cincinnati, and their defense did a good job late in the game creating some turnovers and putting themselves in position to win. And the game against Green Bayreally wasn't as close as the score indicated. They are coming in here with some momentum, and we'll have a tough test on both sides of the ball. Their quarterback hasn't been sacked and their defense does a good job of creating some turnovers."
QB-PEYTON MANNING (on if he'll see a lot of the same coverage he saw against Jacksonville) Wednesday, September 21, 2005
"It's really hard to say. Teams change week to week. Teams will see what other teams did to you, and they may do that and they may not do that. Clevelandhas their style of defense, which they'll play, but they are versatile and they can give you some different looks. The key for us is we want to establish our good balance of running the ball and throwing the ball, and the main thing is to try to get down the field and get into the end-zone."
QB-PEYTON MANNING (on if the numbers matter when winning) Wednesday, September 21, 2005
"The idea is to keep getting that win. It's an important game here at home. We would like to put some more points on the board, but just do whatever we have to do to score more than Cleveland. The defense will be up for a good test, but we need to put some more points on the board on offense and try to score enough to win the game."
QB-PEYTON MANNING (on if it is tough to pick a defense apart 3 and 5 yards at a time) Wednesday, September 21, 2005
"Well I think a lot of defensive philosophies like to make an offense go the long route. That's kind of what our philosophy is on defense. (Head) Coach (Tony) Dungy would tell you that to make you try to go 12 plays or 14 plays, but nobody wants to give up a one- or two-play drive because it doesn't give your offense much rest. They are trying to see if you can make a mistake along the way. That's how teams have played us before, and the idea is to be patient and take those 2-or 3-yard gains and take as many as you can, break a tackle somewhere in there, and turn it into a 20-yard gain. I think we are doing a better job throughout these past few years of picking up yards after the catch. TE-Dallas [Clark] is good at it, RB-Edgerrin [James] did a good job in the catches he had the other day of catching the ball and getting up field, and that's what you have to do against teams that try to make you go the long haul."
QB-PEYTON MANNING (on if there is a worry about a letdown against the Browns) Wednesday, September 21, 2005
"I think maybe in the past you could, but I think now the fact that (Head) Coach (Tony) Dungy shows the standings in meetings and talks about where everybody is in the AFC and I think everyone in this locker room knows how good the AFC is. You just can't afford to miss a beat or have an off week. People say that, but we truly treat it that way around here. We put just as much emphasis on Clevelandas we did on Jacksonvilleor whoever we are playing. You have to because in the AFC, Pittsburghwent 15-1 last year and New Englandwent 14-2 and they [N.E.] have to go on the road. But the main thing for us is to try to win the division. We want to keep winning as many games as we can to try to win our division. He [Coach Dungy] put up on the board today teams that were 1-1, 2-0, 0-2 last year and where they ended up. 2-0 doesn't mean a whole lot. It means you're off to a good start. The key is to try to keep it going and that is what we want to do."
