FLOWERY BRANCH — As a defensive coordinator and head coach, Mike Nolan has just one victory in seven tries against quarterback Peyton Manning.
    Nolan, in his first season as coordinator of the Atlanta Falcons, hopes to change his luck when Manning and the Denver Broncos visit the Georgia Dome on Monday night.
    To beat Manning, Nolan knows the Falcons can't afford too many mistakes. If they do, the four-time NFL MVP will pick Atlanta apart.
    "One of the things he does really well is he studies his opponent — not only the looks he gets, but how he can attack your coverages — and that's what the really good ones do," Nolan said this week. "They do a lot of homework."
    Manning returned from a 20-month layoff following neck surgery to lead the Broncos to four scoring drives in a season-opening win over Pittsburgh last week.
    The Falcons are coming off a 16-point victory at Kansas City in which their defense struggled in the first half, but forced three turnovers and held the Chiefs scoreless in the second half until the game's final possession.
    Nolan knows that getting turnovers against Manning doesn't guarantee success.
    When he last faced the star QB in 2009, Nolan was defensive coordinator in Denver, and the Broncos picked off Manning three times — only to lose at home to the Indianapolis Colts.
    As head coach of San Francisco in 2005, Nolan watched his 49ers intercept Manning twice and still suffered a 25-point defeat.
    But Manning's success against him isn't causing Nolan to fret. He still plans to disguise looks in his three-cornerback scheme and blitz when the opportunity arises.
    "Against all good quarterbacks, you need to mix it up, and I think that's key," Nolan said. "You have to use the tools that are at your disposal as a coordinator and as a player, and that's scheme. It gets down to two things — it's players, by far, but it's scheme that puts them in position."
    Reserve safety Chris Hope, an 11-year veteran in his first season with Atlanta, has cautioned his younger teammates not to get frustrated when Manning moves his offense with ease. Playing for Pittsburgh and Tennessee, Hope faced Manning several times and even had the good fortune to intercept him twice in a 2008 home victory for the Titans.
    "You have to realize that he's going to complete a lot