ESPN's Pasquarelli: Bears Win
MIAMI, Feb. 2, 2007 — -- There's a pretty good chance the Super Bowl XLI performance of a player with the surname Manning will determine the fate of the Chicago Bears in Sunday night's championship game.
The twist: The game might be as much about Ricky Manning as Peyton.
Yep, if you're looking for a player who is crucial to the Chicago game plan but who might still be flying a tad below the radar in terms of public consciousness, Manning is a defender worthy of close attention. There is considerable speculation that the Bears will lean heavily on a nickel scheme to try to counter tight end Dallas Clark, who has become a go-to receiver for Peyton Manning in the playoffs, and leads the Colts with 17 postseason catches.
And a big part of that speculation is that Ricky Manning, and not middle linebacker Brian Urlacher, will draw the assignment of shadowing Clark. In fact, Manning has done nothing this week to dispel the rumor that he often will be locked up on the Colts' tight end.
"My role is going to be very important," said Manning, one of the NFL's premier nickel cornerbacks. "It's important against any offense that uses a lot of three-wide receiver sets, and they use Dallas Clark as the third wide receiver."
Indeed, with standout slot receiver Brandon Stokley on injured reserve with a ruptured Achilles, and venerable Ricky Proehl having done little to replace him adequately, versatile Clark essentially has become Indianapolis' third wideout. The four-year veteran is flexible enough to align in-line as a conventional tight end, can move out into the slot and even can flank 15-20 yards wide to the sideline.
It could be a gamble for Chicago to rely too much on a nickel look. That would mean having to stop the Indianapolis running game without strongside linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer on the field. It also would leave Manning covering the much bigger Clark. But the Bears might not have much choice against Clark, who has a league-best 281 receiving yards in the playoffs.
Manning, though, also has enjoyed some success in postseason play. The three-year veteran, signed by the Bears as a restricted free agent last spring, has five playoff interceptions in his career. That includes one pickoff this year and four in 2003, three of them in that year's NFC Championship Game, when Manning was with the Carolina Panthers.
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