My Manning Manifesto

Here's the deal. Twenty-nine years ago, as a young boy, I became a Denver Broncos fan. The year was 1984, John Elway was in just his second year as a pro, the Broncos won thirteen games, lost just three, and took the AFC West. I've been with them ever since, through Super Bowl defeats and Super Bowl triumphs, through Josh McDaniels and Tebowmania.

Peyton Manning was an enemy. The Colts crushed the Broncos in the playoffs in consecutive seasons (2003 and 2004) and were a major obstacle to AFC supremacy for most of the decade. I tired of hearing about Peyton Manning and the Colts and how great they were. I didn't care about Peyton and his commercials and SNL appearances. I cheered when Tracy Porter intercepted his pass in the Super Bowl and returned it for a touchdown, thus depriving him of a second Super Bowl ring.

On March 20, 2012, these two worlds collided when Peyton Manning, having been released by the Colts after sitting out a year due to injury, signed a free-agent contract with the Denver Broncos.

I was definitely in favor of the move and thrilled that he picked the Broncos over 30 other NFL teams. After all, we had just suffered through the turmoil of 2006-2011 which included Jake Plummer's benching, Brandon Marshall's continuous off-field drama, the murder of Darrent Williams, the firing of Mike Shanahan, the ill-advised hiring of Josh McDaniels, the trade of Jay Cutler, and the Tim Tebow Experiment. The Broncos didn't make a playoff appearance from 2006 through 2010, their longest stretch since the 1970s. And even though John Fox, Von Miller, and Tim Tebow led the Broncos to a playoff win over the Steelers in 2011, it was apparent that John Elway wanted Tim Tebow as his quarterback about as much as he wanted Dan Reeves as his offensive coordinator.

However, I remained very reserved in my excitement. Who knew how he was going to come back from his injury? And who knew how things were going to mesh together in Denver? I certainly didn't rush out to buy a #18 jersey.

Things got off to a rough start last season, but once the Broncos finished the year with 11 consecutive wins and earned home-field advantage in the playoffs, I finally decided that I was fully on board with these Manning-led Broncos, and I was excited to follow them on their journey to the Super Bowl.

But then came January 12, 2013, when the Baltimore Ravens came to town and upset the heavily favored Broncos 38-35 in double overtime. I lashed out at Peyton Manning on Facebook after the game, calling him the "greatest regular-season quarterback of all-time." Because what had happened to Colts fans so many times had just happened once again, to Bronco fans. After watching our team put on a show all season, we suddenly found ourselves flat on our backs, the rug to yanked right out from beneath us. I was mad Peyton couldn't come through in the clutch and win a cold weather came on his home field. I was frustrated that despite all of the fanfare that came with his arrival, he didn't get any further in the playoffs than Tim Tebow had the year before.

So my feelings towards Peyton Manning have been much like the weather was on that day - icy.

On Sunday there's a big game, with Peyton Manning returning to his old stadium to lead the undefeated Broncos against the 4-2 Colts on Sunday Night Football. Colts owner Jim Irsay made some remarks this past week that some construed as a shot against Manning and his postseason failures. Will Peyton use the remarks to go up and light up his old team on the football field?

It will be entertaining if he does. But it won't prove anything.

We all know Peyton Manning can dominate the NFL's 16-game regular season like no other. Some great things have happened already this season. Seven touchdown passes in a game. Setting a new Broncos single-game scoring record. Back-to-back 50-point games. Winning a shootout against Tony Romo and the Cowboys. An 11 to 1 touchdown-to-interception ratio. A seventeenth consecutive regular-season win. Whatever they're going to do to the Colts tomorrow night. 

Barring an absolute disaster, the Broncos will make the playoffs this season. But what will happen when the calendar flips over to January?

Based on how the early part of the season has gone, here are some possible locations for Broncos playoff games in January: Denver, Kansas City, New England, Cincinnati, and Indianapolis. Only Indianapolis has a dome, and there is a good chance the weather will be cold in the other cities. The Super Bowl, should the Broncos make it that far, will be held in New York. Peyton and the Broncos will probably have to win at least one playoff game in adverse conditions if they plan on hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in February.

The passing game will not be as effective in cold weather. Do the Broncos possess a good enough running game? Knowshon Moreno has put up some decent numbers, but how effective would he be without the threat of the passing game? Would the combination of Moreno, Ronnie Hillman, and Montee Ball be able to carry the team on their backs if needed? I don't think Bronco fans can feel good about the answers to any of those questions.


I'm not getting too excited about anything these Broncos do right now. I don't want to sound like a jerk, but Peyton has to prove to me that he can win big in the postseason in order to win me over completely. (How's that for a spoiled fan? That's what Super Bowls and Hall of Fame QBs do to you.) I hope he can pull it off - he needs another Super Bowl for his legacy. I'm a fan all the way, but I have my doubts about this team. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out.