In Defense of Peyton Manning and Ndamukong Suh

First, are people seriously beginning to think that Peyton Manning has "lost it" or is beginning to lose it? It's true, the MVP quarterback has not played well the past three games (to be nice...). He has been intercepted 11 times in that span, 4 of which have been returned for touchdowns. This is true, but he didn't suddenly "lose" it over night. On the year, Manning is 353-534 (66.1%) for 3,709 yards (6.95 ypa), 24 touchdowns, 15 interceptions and a quarterback rating of 89.4. In the past three games, Manning has thrown for 8 touchdowns and 11 picks. In the Colts' first 9 games, he threw 16 touchdowns and only 4 interceptions. New Orleans' Saints quarterback, Drew Brees, has thrown 16 interceptions, Eli Manning has thrown 17, Carson Palmer and Donovan McNabb have thrown 15 a piece and Brett Favre has thrown 18. Heck, Phillip Rivers has thrown 10. It's true that Manning has made some very poor decisions the past three weeks, but let's not put all of this on him. The Colts have no running game, none, zip, zilch. During this stretch, Dallas Clark, Joseph Addai, Austin Collie and some offensive linemen, have been out with an injury. Manning can't do it all by himself. He needs help. There has seemed to be a disconnect between he and the receivers of late, especially with Pierre Garcon. If the Colts want to rebound and contend for the AFC South crown, Manning and his receivers will need to put in some extra practice time in order to build a better chemistry. Let's not give up on the guy just yet, though. When you're called to throw the ball 50 times per game, with no threat of a running game and not much chemistry with your receiving corps, a few balls may be caught by the opposition.

Also, what was the deal with that penalty called on Detroit Lions' defensive tackle, Ndamukong Suh, on Chicago Bears' quarterback, Jay Cutler? Cutler was running with the football, when Suh pushed him to the ground. He was called for a personal foul? How about if we give the quarterbacks a couple of flags for people like Suh to pull? It has seemed as if the rookie defensive tackle has a better grasp of the rules than the officials. He was called for a personal foul (horse collar) a couple weeks ago, when he grabbed a player by the hair and pulled him down. That was a legal play. Suh was said to have elbowed Cutler into the ground yesterday. Replay shows this was not the case and he just pushed him. Suh should send an apology letter to refs around the league, "Sorry for being so massive and strong." What's the guy supposed to do? Push with one hand while another is behind his back, for fear of being called for a penalty or causing injury? I believe in protecting players' safety, but this is getting ridiculous, more ridiculous than the words "Fox" and "News" being placed side-by-side and taken seriously.