SEATTLE - Before Peyton Manning's first NFL game in 1998, Indianapolis offensive coordinator Tom Moore gave his top overall draft choice timely advice.
“Look, if these headphones go down, have a play call ready,” Moore said.
The Aug. 8, 1998, preseason game inside Seattle's Kingdome was the first time Manning used a helmet speaker to connect him to his coaches' headsets. On the second play, the headsets stopped working.
Now freelancing, Manning called a draw to running back Marshall Faulk. On third down, the new quarterback called a simple slant route for receiver Marvin Harrison. Harrison ran a 7-yard pattern then scooted inside and past Seattle cornerback Shawn Springs.
His first NFL pass became Manning's first pro touchdown.
The Golden Child had arrived.
“I was kind of thinking, 'Wow, this NFL stuff is pretty easy. All you've got to do is call your own plays and throw to Marvin Harrison,' ” Manning said this week. “Therefore, I've done it a lot since then.”
Guess so. Manning and Harrison have gone on to combine for 94 touchdowns, the most between an NFL passer and receiver.
Eight seasons later, Manning will still be freelancing the play calls Saturday, at least for part of this watered-down Colts-Seahawks holiday feature.
With Indianapolis (13-1) having clinched home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs and no longer in pursuit of a perfect season, coach Tony Dungy said - before he learned of the death of his 18-year-old son and left the team Thursday - that Manning will yield first-team time to backup Jim Sorgi.
Manning will start, as he has for every game of his career. But Sorgi will finish.
Harrison may play even less. He fractured a bone in his right hand on the first series of the loss to San Diego last Sunday, but played the rest of the game. Doctors say Harrison faces no risk of further injury by playing Saturday. But there isn't much reward in him doing so.
Seattle (12-2) has plenty of reward at stake. The Seahawks need a win or a Chicago loss over the last two regular-season games to clinch the NFC's top seed. Seattle is 21-4 at home since the end of the 2002 season.
“We're going to play our game, whether they play all their guys or any of their guys,” NFL rushing leader Shaun Alexander said. He is three touchdowns away from Priest Holmes' single-season record of 27.
“It's not about them. It's about us.”
And it's not about turning off the Colts' headphones. That won't help Seattle clinch home-field advantage - at least not while Manning is playing.
As he proved in this city during his NFL debut, he doesn't need radios. Now, he's too busy calling all of Indianapolis' plays at the line.
The Colts help Manning do it so effectively by not wasting time huddling between snaps.
“We really haven't huddled in the past three or four years,” Manning said.
Moore sometimes gives Manning a general direction for the next play over his helmet headset. Manning then gets his team to the line with as many as 20 seconds remaining on the 35-second play clock. At 10 seconds, rules state coaches' communications to the quarterback must be turned off.
Manning then calls his play and Pro Bowl center Jeff Saturday calls his blocking audibles.
Oakland used this quasi-no huddle tactic to lead the NFL in passing and total offense in 2002. Quarterback Rich Gannon set a league record that season with 418 completions and 10 300-yard passing games. He was the league's MVP. The Raiders went to the Super Bowl.
Those Raiders also sought to get to the line with 20 seconds remaining on the play clock. But in those 10 seconds before the headsets were turned off, offensive coordinator Marc Trestman would chat constantly in Gannon's ear.
Manning said his relationship with Moore has evolved to where the coordinator will only provide ideas, such as, “Hey, run the ball. Or throw the ball.”'
The individual play call is all Manning's.
“Tom is not a big talker into the headset,” Manning said. “Tom is kind of old school in a lot of ways. That is kind of where I am from, too.”
Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren dictates each play to Matt Hasselbeck, though the quarterback sometimes audibles. Does Hasselbeck envy Manning's autonomy?
“No, I don't get jealous of that,” said Hasselbeck, the NFC's highest-rated passer with 22 touchdown passes and nine interceptions. “That seems like a very hard job.
“He is a great quarterback leading maybe one of the best offenses of all-time, playing on one of the best teams on all time. You admire a team like this.”
The Aug. 8, 1998, preseason game inside Seattle's Kingdome was the first time Manning used a helmet speaker to connect him to his coaches' headsets. On the second play, the headsets stopped working.
Now freelancing, Manning called a draw to running back Marshall Faulk. On third down, the new quarterback called a simple slant route for receiver Marvin Harrison. Harrison ran a 7-yard pattern then scooted inside and past Seattle cornerback Shawn Springs.
His first NFL pass became Manning's first pro touchdown.
The Golden Child had arrived.
“I was kind of thinking, 'Wow, this NFL stuff is pretty easy. All you've got to do is call your own plays and throw to Marvin Harrison,' ” Manning said this week. “Therefore, I've done it a lot since then.”
Guess so. Manning and Harrison have gone on to combine for 94 touchdowns, the most between an NFL passer and receiver.
Eight seasons later, Manning will still be freelancing the play calls Saturday, at least for part of this watered-down Colts-Seahawks holiday feature.
With Indianapolis (13-1) having clinched home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs and no longer in pursuit of a perfect season, coach Tony Dungy said - before he learned of the death of his 18-year-old son and left the team Thursday - that Manning will yield first-team time to backup Jim Sorgi.
Manning will start, as he has for every game of his career. But Sorgi will finish.
Harrison may play even less. He fractured a bone in his right hand on the first series of the loss to San Diego last Sunday, but played the rest of the game. Doctors say Harrison faces no risk of further injury by playing Saturday. But there isn't much reward in him doing so.
Seattle (12-2) has plenty of reward at stake. The Seahawks need a win or a Chicago loss over the last two regular-season games to clinch the NFC's top seed. Seattle is 21-4 at home since the end of the 2002 season.
“We're going to play our game, whether they play all their guys or any of their guys,” NFL rushing leader Shaun Alexander said. He is three touchdowns away from Priest Holmes' single-season record of 27.
“It's not about them. It's about us.”
And it's not about turning off the Colts' headphones. That won't help Seattle clinch home-field advantage - at least not while Manning is playing.
As he proved in this city during his NFL debut, he doesn't need radios. Now, he's too busy calling all of Indianapolis' plays at the line.
The Colts help Manning do it so effectively by not wasting time huddling between snaps.
“We really haven't huddled in the past three or four years,” Manning said.
Moore sometimes gives Manning a general direction for the next play over his helmet headset. Manning then gets his team to the line with as many as 20 seconds remaining on the 35-second play clock. At 10 seconds, rules state coaches' communications to the quarterback must be turned off.
Manning then calls his play and Pro Bowl center Jeff Saturday calls his blocking audibles.
Oakland used this quasi-no huddle tactic to lead the NFL in passing and total offense in 2002. Quarterback Rich Gannon set a league record that season with 418 completions and 10 300-yard passing games. He was the league's MVP. The Raiders went to the Super Bowl.
Those Raiders also sought to get to the line with 20 seconds remaining on the play clock. But in those 10 seconds before the headsets were turned off, offensive coordinator Marc Trestman would chat constantly in Gannon's ear.
Manning said his relationship with Moore has evolved to where the coordinator will only provide ideas, such as, “Hey, run the ball. Or throw the ball.”'
The individual play call is all Manning's.
“Tom is not a big talker into the headset,” Manning said. “Tom is kind of old school in a lot of ways. That is kind of where I am from, too.”
Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren dictates each play to Matt Hasselbeck, though the quarterback sometimes audibles. Does Hasselbeck envy Manning's autonomy?
“No, I don't get jealous of that,” said Hasselbeck, the NFC's highest-rated passer with 22 touchdown passes and nine interceptions. “That seems like a very hard job.
“He is a great quarterback leading maybe one of the best offenses of all-time, playing on one of the best teams on all time. You admire a team like this.”