Colts are banking on Peyton Manning’s mastery

What the Indianapolis Colts’ offense needs to concentrate on to combat the New Orleans Saints’ defense in Super Bowl XLIV.

Beat the clock

Peyton Manning is the best in the business when it comes to squeezing every last second out of the play clock to figure out what the defense is doing. The NFL is all about disguise, and the Saints defense will want to hide whether it’s in man or zone coverage because Manning can exploit that.

You frequently see Manning pointing across the line of scrimmage, often at a linebacker. He’s sometimes identifying for his blockers the middle of the defense in that particular formation, where the pressure might be coming from, or maybe just dummying a signal to send the defense a mixed message.

But Manning doesn’t always use the entire play clock. He’s a master of setting the tempo of a game.

If he sees something he can take advantage of, he might just immediately snap the ball and attack a defense by finding the favorable matchup.

Run when necessary

The pass-happy Colts have a one-dimensional offense, but they will use the run to set up their play-action passing game.

Manning is judicious when it comes to keeping the ball on the ground; he doesn’t waste runs, and he’s less likely to hand off the ball when the Saints have one deep safety (as opposed to two).

But the Colts have to be able to run -- or at least sell the illusion that they can run -- to set up the play-action and keep the blitz-happy Saints honest.

The Colts have more of a crease running game -- running to areas that pass rushers have vacated -- than a power attack that relies on its backs to take on defenders head on.

Riddle the middle

The Colts don’t send a lot of players in motion. You can pretty much bet that receiver Reggie Wayne will stay on Manning’s left side, and Pierre Garcon will be on his right. And Manning is very good at finding players (often tight end Dallas Clark or receiver Austin Collie) open down the middle of the field. Those down-the-middle passes are tricky throws requiring timing and touch, and this Super Bowl features two of the best quarterbacks at it.

“It’s a throw that I say has a ceiling,” UCLA Coach Rick Neuheisel said. “That means you can’t throw it too far down the field because safeties will have too much time to make plays on it. That’s why [Baltimore’s] Ed Reed plays so well against Peyton.

“Because he’s faster than most safeties and can get to the ball.”

Another viewpoint

ESPN’s Jon Gruden on Manning: “He’s the ultimate CEO quarterback. Never in my lifetime have I seen a quarterback who does as much as Peyton Manning does before the ball is snapped. I don’t know anybody who has the freedom that he has to run the show.”

* Friday: Saints’ offense

sam.farmer@latimes.com

twitter.com/LATimesfarmer