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View Full Version : Steelers’ results mixed versus Manning



LLT
09-06-2012, 05:55 AM
By Alan Robinson
Published: Wednesday, September 5, 2012, 8:44 p.m.


Maybe he lacks the game-polished rapport with Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker he long had with Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne. Maybe he will be rusty after not playing for 20 months, or not feel as comfortable in orange and dark blue as he did all those years in light blue and white.

Maybe he won’t be the Peyton Manning the Steelers remember from four years ago, when he beat them on their home field three months before they won the Super Bowl. Or the Manning who nearly engineered one of the great last-quarter comebacks in NFL playoff history against them after the 2005 season, only to fail at the end.

But maybe he will be, and that is the Steelers’ biggest worry as they prepare for a highly anticipated Sunday night opener in Denver — one that may attract one of the largest regular-season TV audiences in NFL history.

“There’s only one Peyton Manning,” Steelers safety Ryan Clark said.

Troy Polamalu has seen it all before — the frantic arm-waving at the line of scrimmage, the last-second checkoffs, the on-the-numbers passes, the methodical coolness of a man clearly in charge — and he knows what the Steelers are facing.

“You’re talking about probably the greatest player, the smartest player to ever play the game,” said Polamalu, who contradicts Patriots owner Robert Kraft’s contention that Tom Brady is the best ever.

The Steelers have had success in the limited times they’ve opposed Manning; they are 2-2 against him, counting that 2005 season playoff game in which they upset a Colts team that started the season 13-0. (By comparison, he’s faced the Patriots 16 times.)



Read more: http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/2530156-85/manning-steelers-peyton-quarterback-colts-season-clark-2006-game-jan#ixzz25gaqNsQ8
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