Indianapolis. — Peyton Manning says he'll do whatever he can to make sure the Colts' high-scoring offense works like it should — regardless of where the umpire lines up or how quickly he gets into position.
"They finally made it official, and those are the rules," Manning said Wednesday. "We'll play ball with the rules the way they are."
Manning wasn't exactly enamored with how things went in the preseason.
Safety concerns prompted the NFL's competition committee to move the umpires, who spot the ball, from the middle of the defense to behind the deepest back in the backfield. The vote came in March after supporters cited an increase in collisions between players and umpires.
One of those voting to approve the proposal was Colts President Bill Polian, and during the Colts' first two preseason games, the complaints were muted. Of course, Manning was only around for six combined series in the games.
Everything changed after Manning's longest preseason stint Aug. 26 at Green Bay. The four-time league MVP was clearly frustrated that the umpire couldn't get into his established position quickly enough for Manning to snap the ball. And after being called for a second illegal snap, Manning reacted by waving his hands in disgust at the official.
Afterward, Manning called the first penalty "ridiculous" and contended the offense should have been given a warning before getting a 5-yard penalty.
Polian later called the problems easily solvable. Now Manning has gotten his wish — sort of.
Last week, the league moved umpires back to their previous spot for the final two minutes of the first half and the last five minutes of the game.
On Tuesday, the league sent a memo to all 32 teams detailing additional tweaks.
Umpires will now return to their old spot during the final two minutes of the first half, the last five minutes of the game and on all plays when the offense is inside the opponents' 5-yard line.
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