Gregg Williams suggesting the Saints want to injure Manning

[J.T.]

Saints screwing with karma in a very, very, very bad way.

During their march through the playoffs, the New Orleans Saints have battered and bruised (and nearly broken) two future Hall of Fame quarterbacks -- Kurt Warner of the Cardinals and Brett Favre of the Vikings.

They're now setting their sights on a third man whose oversized forehead eventually will be memorialized in bronze.

Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams recently told a Nashville radio station that the Saints plan to rattle Colts quarterback Peyton Manning by hitting him whenever they can, and that the goal is to knock him out of the game.

"This guy's got a great clock in his head," Williams told 104.5 The Zone, via ESPN.com. "The big thing is that he throws the ball so early that we're going to have to do a good job of finding ways to get to him and when we do get to him we're going to have to make sure he gets a couple 'remember me' shots when we get there."

The Saints applied several "remember me" shots to Favre on Sunday, prompting many a Vikings fan to utter a phrase that for broadcast television purposes would be edited to sound like "forget you." One such hit to Favre's legs didn't draw a flag, even though NFL V.P. of officiating Mike Pereira admitted last night that a roughing the passer penalty should have been called.

And Williams won't be reeling in his troops for the Super Bowl. Instead, it sounds like he's willing to risk a few 15-yard walk-offs if it means that Manning eventually will be carted off the field.

"When you put too much of that type of worry on a warrior's mind, he doesn't play all out," Williams said. "If it happens, it happens. And the only thing you'd like for me to say is that if it happens you hope he doesn't get back up and play again."

You hope he doesn't get back up and play again. (We wonder what Archie thinks about his former team's objectives?)

In other words, "We'll gladly trade a penalty or two if it means that we get to see Curtis Painter instead of Peyton Manning."

In other words, the NFL should consider fining not only the players when dirty hits are applied to quarterbacks, but also their coaches.

[J.T.]

Colts bulletin board guy and Howard Mudd gotta be loving this .

[K-State Spur]

eh. PFT's paraphrasing of the statements was far worse than the actual quotes.

[dirk4mvp]

Jets tried the same thing. Worked out great for them.

[760Spursfan]

Good luck with that! PM is just to smart for that.

[FromWayDowntown]

Any defensive coordinator who is dealing with a great quarterback will hope to put enough pressure and hits on the QB to knock him out of the game. I'm not sure that there would be the same sort of indignation if the target of Williams' statements, which (again) are perfectly expected from a defensive coordinator, was someone other than Peyton Manning.

If the Saints are going to win, they're going to have to put Peyton on his ass. And I'm sure they hope to do that enough to beat him up and get him out of the game. I'm also sure that the Colts hope to do precisely the same thing to Drew Brees.

It's football.

[FromWayDowntown]

inadvertent double post

[Whisky Dog]

JT reaching big time. Of course they want to knock him out, that's what they're supposed to be doing. I'm sure the Colts wouldn't mind the same on Brees. No BB material here at all.

[J.T.]

JT reaching big time. Of course they want to knock him out, that's what they're supposed to be doing. I'm sure the Colts wouldn't mind the same on Brees. No BB material here at all.

Not so much of a reach after how they cheapshotted Favre all night.

Of course the Vikings o-line sucked pretty bad in that game but there were two late hits that stick out that weren't called.

[FromWayDowntown]

Not so much of a reach after how they cheapshotted Favre all night.

Of course the Vikings o-line sucked pretty bad in that game but there were two late hits that stick out that weren't called.

Is any of that really different than Melvin Bullitt's late hit on Sanchez -- on a running play, no less -- in the AFC Championship game that should have been called?

[J.T.]

Is any of that really different than Melvin Bullitt's late hit on Sanchez -- on a running play, no less -- in the AFC Championship game that should have been called?

Bullitt got away with one and should've been flagged. No argument from me on that one. Just commenting on the stupidity of advertising this as your game plan when the opposing offensive line is more than capable of protecting its QB and the defense has more than enough skill to turn the tables on them and do the same thing to their QB.

[FromWayDowntown]

Bullitt got away with one and should've been flagged. No argument from me on that one. Just commenting on the stupidity of advertising this as your game plan when the opposing offensive line is more than capable of protecting its QB and the defense has more than enough skill to turn the tables on them and do the same thing to their QB.

Do you think it's some surprise to the Colts that the Saints intend to bring as much pressure as they can on Manning? I can't imagine that anyone in the world thinks that the Saints intend to sit back and play coverage against a guy who routinely picks apart defenses that take that tactic against him.

I don't imagine someone over at Colts headquarters read this and said "Oh, I hadn't ever considered that a defense that characteristically blitzes the crap out of quarterbacks would choose to blitz the crap out of Peyton." I'm sure that since Sunday night or Monday morning, the Colts staff has been preparing for the Saints' many blitz schemes and trying to devise plans to combat them; so what Williams said probably wasn't news to them.

The idea that Williams is forecasting an evening of cheap shots is far-fetched to me. One can pressure and hit a quarterback, and even force the quarterback out of the game, without resorting to cheap shots. Being aggressive against a quarterback isn't a cheap tactic.

[to21]

I bet it was said more to start to play in Manning's head.

In my mind, ing with Karma would be sitting #18 in the second half in week 16 and robbing my ass of 1200 dollars in my FF league...I'm not bitter tho'.

[J.T.]

I bet it was said more to start to play in Manning's head.

Manning is at his greatest against the blitz. His game against the Jets wasn't his best stats-wise, but with what was on the line, I can't help but think that was the best we'll ever see him play. If you want to get in Manning's head, giving him a week-and-a-half head start on solving the 25th ranked defense's blitzes isn't the way to do it.

[scott]

Let's just play flag football instead

[Thompson]

They were repeatedly hitting Favre late, among other things (high-low hits, etc.). I hope Peyton shreds them, and the first series they try questionable hits, you do the same to their guy. 'They put one of ours in the hospital, we put one of theirs in the morgue.' Or something like that.

[Stringer_Bell]

I don't mind them breaking down that old man dressed in purple, but there's a huge difference between going after that guy and going after Manning. Manning will see it all, and I'm pretty sure at some point he'll throw a ball out of bounds and knock Gregg Williams right in the face. Somebody should take THAT dude out of the game.

[dirk4mvp]

I hope they do try it. I'm more confident in Mathis and Freeney stomping another Fight Club type blister in Brees' face than whatever s they have to throw at Manning.

[J.T.]

I don't mind them breaking down that old man dressed in purple, but there's a huge difference between going after that guy and going after Manning. Manning will see it all, and I'm pretty sure at some point he'll throw a ball out of bounds and knock Gregg Williams right in the face. Somebody should take THAT dude out of the game.

I'm sure he'll coach the Super Bowl from upstairs now.

[ATRAIN]

I hope it happens and takes him out until most of the season next year .

[J.T.]

I hope it happens and takes him out until most of the season next year .

ATRAIN is just bitter that the schedule makers ed the Texans over and didn't let them play the Colts in one of the Curtis Painter games.

[ATRAIN]

ATRAIN is just bitter that the schedule makers ed the Texans over and didn't let them play the Colts in one of the Curtis Painter games.

Im not bitter I just think the only way we can beat the colts is with Manning not there. Plus I cant wait to LOL JT when the COLTS lose and get my $20!!

[J.T.]

Im not bitter I just think the only way we can beat the colts is with Manning not there. Plus I cant wait to LOL JT when the COLTS lose and get my $20!!

Brosky you should come to my Super Bowl party in San Marcos. There will be kegs. I was going to drop it in Austin but the guy whose house I was gonna do it at made the mistake of telling me to myself when he sent me to buy beer and didn't give me enough cash to get the expensive beer that he wanted and was all butthurt when I came back with a case of Coors.

[samikeyp]

Brosky you should come to my Super Bowl party in San Marcos. There will be kegs. I was going to drop it in Austin but the guy whose house I was gonna do it at made the mistake of telling me to myself when he sent me to buy beer and didn't give me enough cash to get the expensive beer that he wanted and was all butthurt when I came back with a case of Coors.

[ATRAIN]

Brosky you should come to my Super Bowl party in San Marcos. There will be kegs. I was going to drop it in Austin but the guy whose house I was gonna do it at made the mistake of telling me to myself when he sent me to buy beer and didn't give me enough cash to get the expensive beer that he wanted and was all butthurt when I came back with a case of Coors.

Did you beat his ass? Just curious, what kind of beer did he want?