Broncos' hopes vs. Manning rest on a veteran secondary

ENGLEWOOD – Peyton Manning is no better than the playground bully.

The Indianapolis Colts quarterback picks on the meek. The Denver Broncos know that well.

When cornerback Kelly Herndon wore a big club cast on a broken left hand in the 2003 playoffs, Manning found him. A year later, Manning targeted rookie cornerback Roc Alexander in a playoff game. Then during a 2006 regular-season game, he kept feeding wide receiver Reggie Wayne in a matchup against second-year corner Darrent Williams.

If a team has a hole in its scheme or a deficiency in personnel, Manning is going to exploit it. Relentlessly.

“He attacks you at your very weakest point in every coverage,” Broncos coach Josh McDaniels said. “That’s what makes him so good.”

When Denver plays Sunday at Indianapolis, its hopes ride on a veteran secondary without an obvious weak link. Cornerback Champ Bailey, safety Brian Dawkins and third cornerback Ty Law have 20 Pro Bowl appearances among them. Safety Renaldo Hill and cornerback Andre Goodman share 17 years of experience, and Goodman’s nine interceptions since the start of last season are tied for seventh most in the NFL.

There are no youngsters for Manning to beat up this time.

“We have a veteran group in the secondary,” Dawkins said. “We’re going to do our best to make sure we don’t make the game easier for him than it already is.”

The secondary has limited big plays most of the season, something that will be important Sunday. The Broncos have allowed only one pass of 40 or more yards – the lowest number in the league – and 25 passes of 20 or more yards, which is tied for second best. The veteran defensive backs are rarely out of position, and Dawkins often has talked about the unit's great line of communication.

That will be tested this weekend. One key that the coaches have identified is not showing the coverage before the snap. McDaniels said that if a team shows its coverage too soon, Manning changes the play to something that he thinks will work. Disguising coverages only works if there is supreme communication and trust among the defensive backs.

“You can’t let him know what you are in,” Dawkins said. “You have to do the best that you can to disguise what you are trying to do. From there, you’ve got to play football.”

From Manning’s perspective, the game won’t be easy as Denver is second in the NFL in pass defense, allowing 180.2 yards per game.

“There’s probably nothing that these guys haven’t seen,” Manning said. “Really, across the board, they’re very solid. There’s nothing you’re going to do to be able to trick them. It just comes down to who executes better.”