Indianapolis Colts QB Peyton Manning visited Rich Eisen, Marshall Faulk, Steve Mariucci and Deion Sanders on the set of "NFL Network's Kay Jewelers Postgame Show" following the Colts' 30-28 victory over the Tennessee Titans on "Thursday Night Football". Click here for a video link to the interview on NFL.com and selected quotes.
Quotes from Peyton Manning on NFL Network's postgame show:
On the Colts down the stretch:
"I think we're in a four-game playoffs. This was a playoff game tonight."
On his struggles going into the game:
"Somebody asked me 'are you in a slump?' I said 'well I guess maybe I was but I've been on about an eight-and-a-half year hitting streak going into that."
On criticism:
"This past week everybody's telling me 'hang in there.' I was never really 'out there' wherever 'there' is. I've kept my head up, I've been positive. I think it's been a test of faith and working through adversity."
"I thought we got back to being that three-dimensional offense again though. Some first down runs, some play-action, some dropbacks. We had a good mix and I thought that really got things going for us tonight."
On if the Colts have to pare down their offense while integrating new players:
"We really expect those guys to learn it. They get a lot of reps during the week. Blair White and Jacob] Tamme and [Javarris James, we throw a lot at them. I'm really proud of their efforts. Those guys are learning so much on the run in critical situations. I really appreciate how hard they're working."
"Blair White], [Jacob Tamme, Javarris James. If you had told me that these guys would be playing at the beginning of the season, I would have said that's probably not good for us. But these guys are learning so it's my job and our job to help them. I think as a veteran it doesn't do any good to blame anybody. It's really not about whose fault it is; it's about how you handle it and how you fix it. I've been trying hard to fix it."
On the Colts moving forward:
"We have to get back to [playing together], feeding off one another and playing together. We've been kind of alternating who has played well each week. We haven't all three played together in all three phases. I thought it was better tonight."
On a successful offense:
"I'm looking at 35 [pass] attempts [tonight]; that's what we're used to. But when you're throwing 48 and 50 [times a game], that's more than we should be throwing. That means we've been behind some, it means we haven't been running the ball as well. This felt more like a normal offense tonight."
On who the MVP should be:
"A lot of guys playing well. [Tom] Brady's playing awesome, [Michael] Vick's playing awesome. I mean, you have to give it to a quarterback don't you?
On what drives him:
"I'm enjoying the ride. I'm trying to get better every year, I'm seeing a lot of new challenges, new players. But I still enjoy working."