No Howard Mudd = A Bad Peyton Manning

[TedyB54]

Well, it would seem that the last few weeks have proven what many coaches, players and fans outside of Indy have believed for a very long time: Howard Mudd made Peyton Manning an elite QB.

While Colts fans will point to the list of key players out with injuries as the cause for Mannings struggles this season, the rest of the NFL world can't help but notice that Howard "The-Best-In-The-Business-At-Stealing-Signals" Mudd is no longer roaming the sidelines and feeding info to Manning.

The media created this mystique about Manning and his uncanny ability to quickly recognize defenses and adjust the play at the line of scrimmage. All those years of watching Harrison, Clark, Wayne, James, Addai, etc. running free into wide open areas were just a product of Manning being told what defense was coming.

Now, in his first year without Mudd, Manning is looking more and more like an average QB and the last few games have dropped him into Favre territory. The INTs are coming at an alarming rate and he's cornering the market on "Pick-6's".

Injuries don't make the QB throw the ball to the wrong team. Not knowing the defensive coverage ahead of time will do that.

 

[RodThePat]

Wow....I can't even find the words for this one....

 

[IcyPatriot]

http://www.patsfans.com/new-england-patriots/messageboard/10/65643-howard-mudd.html

http://www.patsfans.com/new-england...7237-colts-losing-howard-mudd-retirement.html

http://www.patsfans.com/new-england...e-officially-retire-colts.html?highlight=mudd

 

[Rob0729]

Actually, losing Tom Moore might be more of the issue. Manning is making bad decisions without pressure on him by opposing defenders. So I doubt Mudd is the reason. Without Moore though (he is just a consultant and not on the field during games), I don't know if Manning has anyone to tell him what he is doing wrong or get him to stop make the stupid decisions.

 

[ivanvamp]

Well, it would seem that the last few weeks have proven what many coaches, players and fans outside of Indy have believed for a very long time: Howard Mudd made Peyton Manning an elite QB.

While Colts fans will point to the list of key players out with injuries as the cause for Mannings struggles this season, the rest of the NFL world can't help but notice that Howard "The-Best-In-The-Business-At-Stealing-Signals" Mudd is no longer roaming the sidelines and feeding info to Manning.

The media created this mystique about Manning and his uncanny ability to quickly recognize defenses and adjust the play at the line of scrimmage. All those years of watching Harrison, Clark, Wayne, James, Addai, etc. running free into wide open areas were just a product of Manning being told what defense was coming.

Now, in his first year without Mudd, Manning is looking more and more like an average QB and the last few games have dropped him into Favre territory. The INTs are coming at an alarming rate and he's cornering the market on "Pick-6's".

Injuries don't make the QB throw the ball to the wrong team. Not knowing the defensive coverage ahead of time will do that.

I don't know what the reasons for Manning's struggles are, but I do know that he has a hall-of-fame receiver on one side (Wayne, who's been there all year long), and Pierre Garcon on the other. It's not like all Manning has is a bunch of schleps. Except for Moss, Brady has never had a receiver as good as Wayne.

Peyton's last 3 games:
105-148 (70.9%), 1046 yds, 8 td, 11 int

So the completion percentage, the yards, and the td are there...it's just the picks that are killing him.

Season stats: 353-534 (66.1%), 3709 yds, 32 td, 20 int, 89.4 rating

With the Colts at 6-6, there's no way he can be in the MVP running right now. I'm sure he still is, especially if Indy finishes with a flourish, but geez...

 

[MoLewisrocks]

He also misses Moore, the only OC he's ever known, and the OL misses Mudd - who was as good as Dante at coaching chicken salad out of chicken ****. And the whole team misses Dungy whom Caldwell is just a sad facimile of. Dungy had that quiet strength mistique going. All Caldwell can manage is a bizarro unemotional deer in the headlights look on the sidelines. And he misses precision veteran weaponry surrounded by well coached albeit marginal talent. Polian really F'ed up this season. He's allowed his well oiled machine built around Manning to just circle the drain on the heels of a SB loss. It will be hard to get that machine well oiled, up and running again absent a substantial talent infusion on and off the field. Which will be harder than ever to accomplish what with having fir to Paymeanotherton under a new cap... It took Polian several seasons of Peyton's youth to get that machine rolling like a regular season freight train. He hasn't got that kind of time to work with anymore.

Peyton can still read defenses. What he doesn't have confidence in is relying on his protection or his targets. He is a guy for whom perfection is the norm and any deviation opens the door for disaster.

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

Maybe Peyton's argument for making 20 million per year for 5 years is taking a bit of a hit.

As bad as the Dolphin's Henne has been, maybe Peyton can be the next big shot to "take his talents to South Beach"



Either way, the Colts roster is a mess, so I expect that like the Yankess with Jeter they will be bidding only against themseleves. Trouble is, in a salary cap sport that 20 million dollars every year can hamper any efforts to build a good team around Mr. Ginormous Bulbous Forehead.

 

[Rob0729]

BTW, we all know it isn't Manning. It is the Super Bowl loser curse. It is the football gods screwing with Peyton.

 

[SaCaCh]

IS that the dude from Star Trek??

 

[Uncle Rico]

Peyton's last 3 games:
105-148 (70.9%), 1046 yds, 8 td, 11 int

So the completion percentage, the yards, and the td are there...it's just the picks that are killing him.

Interesting stats. I ran them through a passer rating calculator and got 77.7. If the picks drop down to "only" 6 (still a lot in three games), rating goes to 91. Three picks (one pr game) put him at 100. So, other than his interceptions (Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln ...), Manning and his receivers are still connecting quite a bit.

 

[ausbacker]

Only an idiot would seek to take away the accomplishments of a genuinely brilliant quarterback. Manning is in a slump. It happens.

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

Only an idiot would seek to take away the accomplishments of a genuinely brilliant quarterback. Manning is in a slump. It happens.

He has always been a great regular season quarterback, until now.

He is starting to look like how Willie Mays looked in a Mets uniform at the end of a great career, but reduced to swinging at pitches in the dirt. Maybe he needs to talk to Jim Brown and Barry Sanders about knowing when is the right time to hang it up.

 

[ausbacker]

He has always been a great regular season quarterback, until now.

He is starting to look like how Willie Mays looked in a Mets uniform at the end of a great career, but reduced to swinging at pitches in the dirt. Maybe he needs to talk to Jim Brown and Barry Sanders about knowing when is the right time to hang it up.

Manning was lights out in the prior 9 games before his recent slump. Whilst I agree that Manning has been a regular season hero and post-season zero the guy is an amazing athlete and to say anything less is a joke.

 

[RodThePat]

Manning was lights out in the prior 8 games before his recent slump. Whilst I agree that Manning has been a regular season hero and post-season zero the guy is an amazing athlete and to say anything less is a joke.

Pretty much. The guy is one of the greatest of all time, no question. There are many factors that might be contributing to his recent slump, but the lack of prior knowledge of defensive signals, I assure you, isn't one of them.

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

Quarterbacks I'd rather have right now and going forward than Peyton Manning:

Brady
Rivers
Ryan
Rodgers
Brees
Vick
Rothlissberger

Quarterbacks I'd think long and hard about possibly picking before Manning:
Flacco
Freeman
Bradford
Cassel
Orton
Schaub


I'm not saying he sucks-- I'd still rather have him than Mark Sanchez!

 

[juxtapoz15]

Well, it would seem that the last few weeks have proven what many coaches, players and fans outside of Indy have believed for a very long time: Howard Mudd made Peyton Manning an elite QB.

While Colts fans will point to the list of key players out with injuries as the cause for Mannings struggles this season, the rest of the NFL world can't help but notice that Howard "The-Best-In-The-Business-At-Stealing-Signals" Mudd is no longer roaming the sidelines and feeding info to Manning.

I hate to ruin your theory but, but don't the defenses call in plays via a helmet mic now?

 

[upstater1]

I fully subscribe to what the OP is selling.

Mudd was the Dean of Sign Stealers.

Things have changed in Indy!

Hey Goodell, your two best horses are both the products of sign stealing.

Stew on that, you focker.

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

Peyton has thrown has many INTs this season (15) as Brady (4), Cassel (4) Vick (2), and Rothlisberger (5) COMBINED!

 

[TedyB54]

I hate to ruin your theory but, but don't the defenses call in plays via a helmet mic now?

Excellent point, actually. However, I won't let that ruin my enjoyment of Mannings recent failings.

While I'll admit my "theory" is a bit over-the-top, I can't fully dismiss the coincidence between Mudd (and as correctly mentioned, Moore's) departure and Mannings less than stellar performances this year.

 

[BradyManny]

Don't worry, people will still make excuses for him. Though it's remarkable to think that his supporting cast now is still probably better than what Brady won at least one - and maybe all three - of his Super Bowls with. Reggie Wayne is a beast.

But I don't think we can say Manning was made by Mudd or by Moore. I think that's crazy. Manning is the second-best QBs of this generation. His numbers are inflated, perhaps, by playing in a dome most of his career, against crappy pass defenses in the AFC South the past several years (that Brady dominates, BTW), but the guy is still pretty lethal.

He's in a rough stretch since he's never had to play without a truly dominant supporting cast. But does anyone want to play him and the Colts in the playoffs? No, I doubt that very much.