Arm and hammer

Manning is only everything a team would want in a quarterback. He's smart. Durable, starting all 91 games of his career, one short of tying Johnny Unitas's Colts record for consecutive starts. Dedicated. Poised. Controlled. In control. As a QB, Manning is, in a word, perfect.

(What is this? Manning Appreciation Day?)

The 27-year-old former No. 1 overall pick is on his way to having his best season for the Colts (9-2), who play host to the 9-2 Patriots Sunday. He's completing a career-best 67.4 percent of his passes for a league-leading 3,105 yards and 19 touchdowns with 8 interceptions. His rating is 98.8. ("I don't put a lot of credit in the rating system," he said yesterday. "I don't really know what it means. I don't know how it works.")

"You really can't even describe, until you're on the inside of this offense and how it works, how much he has to do and how much he's responsible for," said Colts coach Tony Dungy, who said the "twinge" Manning felt in his right elbow during practice yesterday probably would not force him to miss Sunday's start. "We have great players around him and a great system, but we put a lot on the quarterback. Week in, week out, he's just up to the task mentally. The way he works, the way he pushes himself, the pride he takes in his performance, those things I think a coach really appreciates, even more so than the on-target throws and the big plays and things. He's a very, very special guy. I feel fortunate just to be around him."

Manning is better at involving those around him not named Marvin Harrison or Edgerrin James. Seven Colts have more than 20 receptions. Why? Because they've earned more of Manning's trust.

"I just have more confidence in these guys like Reggie Wayne and Troy Walters," he said. "They've been here in the offseason. They've kind of caught on to Marvin's work ethic and my work ethic as far as, `Hey I've got to be here in the offseason. I've got to work hard during practice. I've got to get some extra throwing in with Peyton.' And I've developed that confidence in them, and instead of having to look for Marvin every single play, if he's double-teamed, just come off to the backside and just find Reggie Wayne."

No doubt, Manning's the man.

Don't even bring any of that "Belichick-owns-Manning" mess this way. Before Dungy's arrival, Indianapolis didn't have a defense to go with its high-(horse)powered offense, yet, with Manning at quarterback, the Colts went 4-4 against teams coached by Belichick or whose defense Belichick coordinated. Before the Patriots' sweep in the 2001 season -- the Colts' last in the AFC East -- Manning had gotten the best of Belichick in four of their first six meetings.

The first came Sept. 20, 1998, Manning's rookie year. He threw two picks in a 44-6 loss to the Jets at Giants Stadium. The Jets led, 27-0, at one point, and gained 505 yards of offense. But Manning evened the score two months later with a 24-23 win at the RCA Dome in which he rallied the Colts from a 13-point deficit with two second-half touchdown tosses, the second coming with 24 seconds left.

The Colts swept the Jets in 1999, Belichick's last season in New York. In Belichick's first game against Manning's Colts as coach of the Patriots, Indy's defense allowed New England two long, fourth-quarter touchdown drives in a 24-16 New England win at Foxboro Stadium. But Manning got his at the RCA Dome two weeks later, earning his first perfect rating (158.3) in a 30-23 victory.

Finally there was 2001. The Patriots raced to a 23-0 lead at home and went on to win, 44-13. Manning had two interceptions returned for touchdowns. Two weeks later at RCA, New England took a 28-3 lead. As Belichick will tell you, playing from ahead or behind makes a world of difference.

So what does all this mean? It won't mean much come Sunday. But for prognostication purposes, remember that Manning is better at home (3-1 vs. Belichick), where crowd noise isn't an issue, and his numbers vs. Belichick defenses -- 11 TDs, 13 INTs, 56.8 rating -- can be misleading.

"I've had some pretty good battles against Coach Belichick," Manning said. "I have the utmost respect for him as a coach and certainly as a defensive mind. It's kind of like what happens here, people think that Tony Dungy is the [defensive] coordinator here. He's not, Ron Meeks is. I think Romeo Crennel is an excellent defensive coordinator and would probably be an excellent head coach as well. It still goes back to the players. Coach Belichick has always had excellent defensive players on the teams that he's been on that I've played against. You combine that with great schemes and how well coached they are, it's always a great challenge. It'll be a great challenge this Sunday."

It could take some effort for the visitors to keep up should Manning put on a quarterbacking clinic.

"He's a good player," Belichick said. "He throws the ball really well, has great command, has been a great leader. He's very productive and has been to three or four Pro Bowls. He's one of the best in the league."