Manning Hoping for Huge Encore

With the disappointment of a playoff loss to Tennessee and a start in the Pro Bowl behind him, Peyton Manning hungers for more success with the Indianapolis Colts.

He and other members of the defending AFC East champions are busy conducting voluntary workouts and drills to prepare for the upcoming season.

Manning sees a significant difference in the workouts this year than when the Colts were coming off two consecutive 3-13 finishes.

“Last year, we kind of started at ground zero,” he said. “This year we’re adding on things, trying to fine-tune things to be a better team.”

The Colts finished 13-3 last season, but lost to Tennessee in the second round of the playoffs.

Following his trip to the Pro Bowl, Manning took a break from football to spend time with friends and family in New Orleans and Tennessee.

“I took some quality time off in February and kind of rested up,” said Manning, who has taken nearly every snap for the Colts the past two seasons. “The main reason is to get recharged for this season. I came back about three weeks ago. I had a lot of energy.

“I was ready to go. I was excited to be back here working out. I feel good.”

Offseason work has been a part of life for Manning going back to his days as a youth when his father Archie was playing in the NFL. The work has reaped success on and off the field.

Manning’s record as a starter in high school and college was 70-11. He was 34-5 while passing for 7,207 yards as a prep star for Isidore Newman High School in New Orleans and 39-6 with 11,201 yards passing for the Tennessee Volunteers.

The Colts made Manning the top pick in the 1998 draft, signing him to a six-year, $48 million contract which included an $11.6 million signing bonus.

After a rough rookie season, Manning completed 331 of 533 passes for 4,135 yards and 26 touchdowns with a 90.7 rating last year. He broke the club season-record of 3,739 yards he set in 1998, and after two seasons is among the franchise’s career leaders in nearly every passing category.

Manning realizes the Colts face a tough challenge to duplicate last season’s success.

“We won’t be sneaking up on anybody and teams will be shooting for us. The competition will be better,” he said. “We play a tougher schedule, but we will be a better team because of the players we have, and because of the attitude and confidence we now have.”

Still, he’s optimistic.

“Last year it was kind of like, not desperation, but just like you have to be here, because we’re not very good and we need to get better,” Manning said. “Now it’s more, we’re close. If we can just do something a little extra each day to get us closer to the top. It’s definitely different circumstances this year.”

Manning and the other quarterbacks have been dividing their time with the receivers, including hopefuls such as Chad Plummer and Isaac Jones who hope to make significant contributions this season.

“He’s working with some of the young guys, and the veterans. He gets your input on what you want to do,” Jones said. “If you just want to concentrate on running the deep routes, he’ll throw the deep route. But, at the same time he’ll say, ‘Hey, this is what I’m seeing.”’

Manning is also working with Pro Bowl wide receiver Marvin Harrison, signed to a lucrative four-year contract Wednesday. During the past two years, Harrison has 19 touchdown receptions from Manning--the most by a quarterback-receiver tandem since the club arrived in Indianapolis in 1984.

When the Colts hold their first minicamp in about three weeks, the goals will be higher than a year ago.

“We sort of readjusted our goals about midway through the season last year,” Manning said. “We realized that we were a pretty good team and had a chance. It will be even better this year, because we will have those goals from the start.

“We will take the approach from training camp, the preseason and the regular season that we are the team to beat.”