In Peyton Manning's first appearance of the 2013 season he put on a clinic against the Baltimore Ravens. The team that just won the Super Bowl a short few months ago gave up seven touchdown passes to the Denver Broncos. Manning looked stronger than ever with a greater understanding of the offensive scheme run in his second year in Denver. Should other teams be scared? Antrel Rolle says the New York Giants have no fears.
The Manning Bowl is just a few short days away. The Broncos will roll into New York to face Eli Manning and the Giants who are recovering from a Week 1 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Cornerback Rolle will likely have his hands full dealing with the Broncos passing attack but he is not about to cower at the challenge.
"Peyton, we all know what he brings to the table, one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game, a true Hall of Famer. But at the same time, that doesn't fear us," Rolle said, via the New York Daily News. "We're going to go out there and we're going to play defense the way we know how to play defense. We all put on our pants the same way."
Rolle has a lot of work to do if his production on the field is going to match his words. The cornerback is paring with Aaron Ross to take care of the secondary while Prince Amukamara is out with a concussion. Ross and Rolle assisted in the New York defense giving up 11 tackles against the Cowboys. The cornerback is simply focused on getting Manning out of rhythm and out of his comfort zone.
Rolle recognizes that if the Giants are going to upset Denver, it will be a team effort. The offense saw as many missteps on Sunday as the defense did. Running back David Wilson is recovering from a two-fumble game that led to his benching and his future in question. Rolle says there is no time to sit and feel sorry, everyone must bounce back. He said in the conference call that Wilson "can either get in the tank, or he can man up."
Rolle believes Wilson will bounce back and be a productive team member in the remainder of the season. However, he certainly would support a renuion with Brandon Jacobs who visited team facilities for a work out. Head coach Tom Coughlin echoed the statements on Wilson.
"David Wilson's a very talented young man that we need on our football team to be productive," Coughlin said. "We've been down this road before. We think we can have an impact on him being a better ball-carrier."
Rolle might not be scared of Manning but he certainly is not under estimating his opponent. The team is determined to bounce back and get the first win of the season.