Peyton's practice impresses Marino / LJWorld.com

Sports

Associated Press

February 2, 2007

Davie, Fla. — Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino watched one of his friends, Peyton Manning, get back to work Thursday.

What he saw was another flawless performance.

Manning went through a second straight near-perfect practice at the Miami Dolphins' practice facility as the Indianapolis Colts prepared to face Chicago in the Super Bowl.

Coach Tony Dungy wanted to keep his normal routine, including piping in noise over loudspeakers to replicate what the Colts could face Sunday at Dolphin Stadium. He does it each time the Colts play on the road.

And, true to the script, Manning finished the 2-hour, 9-minute workout with a customary touchdown pass in the two-minute drill, this one a 23-yarder to Aaron Moorehead with 9 seconds left.

"Peyton practices like that every week, like it's the Super Bowl," Dungy said. "It rubs off on the offense. This is about our 20th week of practice, and I think the defense stopped the offense once or twice all year."

Cornerback Nick Harper, who has a sprained left ankle, again worked out inside the complex. Harper said earlier in the day, with the foot still in a walking boot, that he intended to run. Dungy said earlier in the week that a best-case scenario for Harper was to practice Friday.

"I'm very confident of it," Harper said. "I was very confident running on it last week, after a couple days of rest, and I'm confident I can make plays on it."

Harper and safety Bob Sanders are both listed as questionable for the game. But Sanders has played in all three postseason games.

The Colts spent a long time working on coverage units as preparation to face Chicago's dangerous Devin Hester. Dungy acknowledged Thursday's workout was not quite as sharp as Wednesday's practice.

Marino, part of CBS' broadcast crew, gave Manning high marks.

"I like it," he said. "It's kind of nice to see him out here."

The Colts are scheduled to practice again this afternoon before conducting a walkthrough Saturday afternoon at the stadium. Then they will move to a secret South Florida hotel on Saturday night.