The Denver Broncos chances of going to the Super Bowl just increased by about 10,000 per cent.
Sure, some things could go wrong. Maybe he's not quite healed up yet, or maybe he's now more injury-prone--or maybe, as they might say in baseball, he's "lost a little zip off his fastball." Any of that is possible, of course, and Manning is 36 years old.
On the other hand, these days they use very sophisticated medical and physical procedures to determine healing, arm strength, and much more. You can bet that Peyton Manning's arm and body have gone through the most comprehensive examinations possible.
No one knows the future, but the most likely scenario here is that Peyton Manning, working with John Fox, will lead an invigorated Denver offense that will score a lot of points and make Denver a much stronger team.
Last year, with Manning out, the Indianapolis Colts promptly tanked, showing that they weren't much without Manning. Denver won't be a one-man team. We won a playoff game last year, and we're pretty good to begin with.
This means Tim Tebow will have to go. You can't have Tebowmania sitting on the bench when you're trying to promote Manningmania. That's regrettable, but Tebow, at best, is going to take some years to really develop. You can't blame the Broncos for wanting to win with Manning right now.
People said Tebow wasn't a good passer, and it's true that he let fly a screaming duck every now and then. He wasn't that bad, though. On some occasions, such as the throw that won a playoff game against Pittsburgh, he could thread the needle.
So welcome, Mr. Manning. Have a great year.
Photo: Jed Jacobsohn, Getty
Tebow was awful. Manning's a risk, but one worth taking, and I assume Elway and Fox have seen him throw.
Posted by: Hypatia | March 20, 2012 at 06:14 PM
I assume so too. I want to stick up for Tebow (a little bit). I don't care for his pious posturing, but I think he's potentially a better quarterback than people think. He needs to make a switch from a college-style quarterback (one who runs, in other words) to a pro-style. We'll see if he can do it.
Posted by: John Petty | March 23, 2012 at 11:15 AM
"Screaming Duck" - very funny... one should name a drink a "Screaming Duck" - I'd try one. But then again, I'd try just about anything.
As for Tebow, sticking up is good... the SNL parody of his piety... priceless.
Posted by: tvgunten | March 25, 2012 at 03:43 PM