Mag 7 for the Bye Week

Johnny O gets it done.  No one does a better job hitting at the big ideas on this team than Oehser.

3. A new era. With there being no game this week, and with this being the time for postseason honors, there has been a bit of a summing-up tone around the Colts’ locker room this week. As such, and with the Associated Press Most Valuable Player award looming and potentially coming his way, Manning was asked about this season. Manning last season won the award for a third time in unique circumstances, dramatically turning what was a difficult start to the season around with victories in the last nine games. Manning did so while playing as efficiently as ever had his his career, did it with WR Marvin Harrison in decline and also did it while recovering from preseason knee surgery. This season, the dynamic has been different, but in a real sense, no less difficult. Without WR Anthony Gonzalez much of the season, and with rookie WR Austin Collie and second-year WR Pierre Garcon learning the offense as the season continued, Manning completed the transition into the Veteran Quarterback role. The Triplets Era officially over and in reality long since behind him, Manning eased into a new, equally-effective stage as in-house-legend, veteran-leader, and did so while helping the Colts win every regular-season game that counted. Manning this season and over the last seven seasons has proven again why the NFL is a quarterback’s league. No, he could have and didn’t do it alone, but the Colts’ consisteny over the past seven seasons is only possibly with high quality and consistency at the quarterback position. “I’ve tried to seize the opportunity,” Manning said. “It’s an opportunity to work with some new guys. We’ve done some good things. We’ve learned some things along the way. It’s been a grind at times, but we’ve persevered through it. From that standpoint, it’s been rewarding and satisfying.”