by By BILL COATS ¿ bcoats@post-dispatch.com > 314-340-8189 Reid Laymance of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report. , St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Before the Rams hired him this year as their head coach, Spagnuolo spent two seasons as the defensive coordinator for the New York Giants, who also employ Eli Manning.

Peyton was looking for a little brotherly advice heading into Indianapolis' match with the Rams on Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome.

In addition to picking Eli's brain, Peyton "watched a lot of film of the Giants defenses, the (2008) Super Bowl against the Patriots," when Spagnuolo's unit shut down New England's record-breaking offense in a 17-14 upset win.

Manning explained that he tries to develop a "comfortable feeling" about the defense he's facing.

"I study quite a bit," he said. "I feel like I watch enough where I sort of have an idea what they're doing before the snap. Obviously by Sunday, I've seen it over and over again."

After a pause, he added, "You've also got to be prepared for the unexpected."

So when the Rams opened in their "dime" package - six defensive backs, four linemen and one linebacker - Manning was unfazed. The Colts took the opening kickoff and marched 90 yards to the end zone, the 12-play drive ending with a 6-yard touchdown pass from Manning to wide receiver Reggie Wayne that kick-started Indy's 42-6 triumph.

"We haven't played the NFC West very often, so we wanted to get the tempo of the game established," Manning said. "It was real important for us to get off to a good start."

The start was good - the Colts scored on their first two possessions. And the finish was good - their final two touchdowns came in the last 3 minutes, 42 seconds.

In between, the Rams did a decent job vs. the power-packed Colts attack. "It was 21-6 for a while and we really didn't get much going offensively," Manning said. "I think we could've been a little more efficient in the second half."

Otherwise, there wasn't much to quibble about for the Colts, who advanced to 6-0 while sending the Rams to their 17th defeat in a row, including seven this season.

For the 33-year-old Manning, who could own all the league's major passing records in about five years, it was just another day at the office. He connected on 23 of 34 passes for 235 yards and touchdowns to Wayne, tight end Dallas Clark and wideout Austin Collie. He wasn't intercepted or sacked.

Manning's passer rating was 114.1, the fifth consecutive game in which he has been in triple figures.

Indianapolis doesn't huddle on offense, preferring to line up quickly and then use the time between plays for Manning to survey the defense.

"He's meticulous, he's methodical ... and he just picks you apart," cornerback Ron Bartell said. "He's one of the greatest of all time. Going against him was tough."

Rookie linebacker James Laurinaitis noted that Manning "knows exactly what he wants to do and he knows what play to put them in to give them the best chance. He's a phenomenal Football player, and that's why the Colts are doing so well."

If one play exemplified Manning's uncanny precision - he's completing 72.5 percent of his passes - it was the 27-yard TD strike to Clark. Bartell and safety James Butler sandwiched the receiver, but Manning put the ball just high enough so that only Clark could get to it. He reached up and snagged it in-stride as he streaked into the right side of the end zone.

"It's the way he sees the game," Clark said. "He tells what he sees and where we need to be so that we're all on the same page. He just makes everyone around him better. You can't say enough about him."

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