Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning isn’t exactly in the business of giving away his game plan before the game. One thing Manning will say, however, is that he doesn’t believe in the idea that he needs to stay away from Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman.
Manning told reporters that the other team usually puts its best cornerback on the best receiver, and Manning never wants to avoid his best receiver.
“On the teams I played on, I’ve always had some real good receivers, and we felt like we had to try to get them the ball,” Manning said. “That was the best way for us to win. This team is no different. I think Seattle’s secondary – they’re excellent cover corner guys, and you have to know who is guarding your receiver on each play and what route that receiver is running. There are certain routes that are not quite as good against certain corners. They have three excellent cover corners – all three of them – [Byron] Maxwell, [Richard] Sherman and [Walter] Thurmond. Their safeties are excellent as well.”
The Seahawks’ secondary is strong everywhere, but Manning always looks for mismatches against every defense he plays. No matter what Manning says on Wednesday, on Sunday, those mismatches are much more likely to come against Maxwell or Thurmond than against Sherman.