All This Maestro Needs Is a Band

If the Indianapolis Colts are going to sit Peyton Manning during blowouts, the least they can do is hire a band for him to conduct.

Manning ended up on the sideline for the first time in his NFL career Sunday, pulled after three quarters in the Colts’ 44-17 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.

The last time Manning came out of a game, he was still at the University of Tennessee. There, he would often lead the Volunteers’ band in a few verses of the school fight song, “Rocky Top.”

The Colts (8-2) don’t have a song, but they do have a terrific offense, a solid defense and a share of first place in the AFC East.

“I did it in college when we had some big leads,” said Manning, who played 1,590 consecutive snaps since he was drafted No. 1 in 1998. “If it’s going to happen, I’m glad it’s because we had a big lead. I’m glad it’s not because of an injury or because we were getting blown out.”

There was no chance of that. Manning was 16 for 26 for 235 yards and three touchdowns in three quarters, and he teamed with Terrence Wilkins for an 80-yard touchdown pass play on the Colts’ first play of the second half.

Colt rookie Edgerrin James ran for 117 yards and two touchdowns in the first quarter alone. It was 17-0 after the first quarter, 30-3 at halftime.

“We came in very excited and motivated for this game expecting a great challenge,” said Manning, who was relieved by Steve Walsh in the fourth quarter.

James finished with a career-high 152 rushing yards, pushing him over 1,000 for the season.

James scored untouched on a 62-yard run in the first quarter after Jeff Saturday freed him with a crushing block. “Anybody could have scored on that one,” James said.

Marvin Harrison, a Philadelphia native and the NFL’s leading receiver, had five catches for 60 yards to become the fifth 1,000-yard receiver in Colt franchise history.

Donovan McNabb threw the first touchdown pass of his career to Chad Lewis in the back of the end zone with 8:27 left in the game. Even though the Colts were leading 44-3 at the time, they challenged the play, but to no avail.

It was a long day for McNabb. One week after winning his first NFL start, he was sacked four times, threw two interceptions and fumbled three times, leading to 17 points. He was 19 for 36 for 165 yards and a touchdown.

The Eagles (3-8) netted two yards in the first quarter, 40 by halftime and managed only three first downs in the first half.

“All in all, that was a pitiful football game from our standpoint,” Eagle Coach Andy Reid said.

More than half the crowd of 65,521 left after McNabb’s third fumble.