• In Oakland, the Colts led 21-14 with the ball at their 35 on fourth down, with the play clock five seconds ahead of the game clock, both ticking down and Peyton Manning at the line of scrimmage ... With the play clock at :05, the game clock was at :10, so it was clear the Colts were going to have to snap the ball one more time. You're thinking: He's not going to snap this, is he? Isn't the play to take the delay call, then have Hunter Smith punt the ball, or take the ball, run around and kill the clock, or run through the back of the end zone for a safety? But no. Manning, without showing any stress or looking any different than he does before any snap, took the ball, waited a second or two, then fired an arcing pass deep for Reggie Wayne. Incomplete. Clock killed. Game over.
Now for Reich's e-mail:
"PK: Here is my take on what the Colts did on the last play. I wonder if it has ever been done before? I kind of doubt it. But even if it has [and I doubt it has]-- I loved the way they did it. They didn't need to call a timeout to discuss -- there was never any doubt what they were doing. They broke the huddle with complete confidence in what they were doing. I guarantee you that no one but Peyton Manning pulls it off like that manner...
Couldn't have written it better myself. To Manning, it was a no-brainer, just another play in another game, unnoticed by every fan and most in the media. I asked five peers between Sunday night and this morning about it, and they didn't know. It won't go on his Hall of Fame reel, but it's just another example of how a thinking quarterback gives you another dimension in a thinking man's game.
