Denver, let’s talk about your beloved #18. The man who saved
this franchise along with the other beloved quarterback of this franchise, Mr.
John Elway. As I scroll through all of my social media feeds every Sunday, I most
enjoy the posts about Manning and the Broncos. The mix of emotions that most of
you go through are just about the best comedy of the week for me. And it’s not
because I hate the team and enjoy your turmoil, it’s because I can’t figure you
guys out. I have counted at least 5 of you who have publicly benched, started,
released, praised, traded, and killed Peyton off, all during one game. Let’s
pump the breaks a little bit. Denver is one of the deepest and most loyal fan
bases in all of the NFL, but damn, don’t pin everything on Manning! Is Peyton
having a difficult season? Hell yeah he is. Is Peyton the sole reason the Broncos
haven’t looked great all year, despite their record? No, he isn’t. This team has
some other issues that are contributing to what you fans are considering a
rough year (you’re 7-2, back away from the ledge). Over the rest of this
passage we will talk about some of the other factors and what things look like
going forward for your QB and this team.
Injuries
Monday we learned that Manning is all kinds of messed up. Shoulder, ribs, and a plantar fascia tear in his right foot. Reports surfaced this week that Peyton was having trouble walking at all last week. Gary Kubiak came out and took the blame for playing him during all of these issues, but yes, Peyton you should shoulder some of that blame as well. Understand people, Manning is an all-world talent, first ballot Hall of Famer, and arguably the greatest QB to ever play the game. If Kubiak asks him if he is good to go and he says yes, he has earned the right for the coach to allow him to make the decision. In this situation though blame falls on both sides, Manning should have said he is banged up and needs to heal up. If Peyton couldn’t admit that, Kubiak needed to step in and sit him. I assume many, if not all of you, watched ESPN and Trent Dilfer’s break down on what was wrong with Peyton, to quote “Manning’s body can’t cash checks his mind is writing”. This is true to an extent. Dilfer is wrong to think that this is just due to old age. His injuries play the biggest factor here. Can’t plant his foot and drive into throws hurts any and all QB’s from ages 9 to 45. He gets healthy, the zip on the ball will back.
Manning – Kubiak Offensive Contrariety
These guys are STILL not on the same page. At this point,
the stubbornness of Gary Kubiak is hindering this offense which is really
hurting the team as a whole. Kubiak is always going to be a Broncos
legend. He didn’t just carry John Elway’s jock as his back up, he was a key
piece in building the offense that won two Super Bowls, as he was the whiz offensive coordinator. Why do
I bring that up? Because he will have plenty of time to bring that offense back
to this team after Peyton retires. Why be a stalwart now? You have the greatest
QB ever, who himself is like an offense coordinator on the field. His offense
has proven to win games, even games in the playoffs- when he has a defense to
support him. Throughout his entire career Manning has helped elevate the
offense with stellar pre-snap reads and syncing with his wide receivers, making
everyone better. He has the scariest defense in the league in his back pocket,
let the man be the man. If, over the next couple of weeks, backup Brock
Osweiler comes out and runs Kubiak’s offense as it is supposed to be ran, the
Manning boo birds are going to come calling like they were a group of prophets,
when in reality they won’t acknowledge the offense is different from when
Manning is taking the snaps. Here I am calling you out before it happens, of
course this may not happen at all because…
Atrocious Offensive Line Play
This offensive line has been terrible. In Peyton’s three
years prior to 2015 he has been sacked 21, 18, and 17 times TOTAL in each of
those seasons. This year? 15 sacks through just 9 games. He is getting hit at a
rate that forces him into throws he otherwise wouldn’t make. It’s rarely talked
about now, but the draft day trade the Broncos made to jump up a couple of
spots and take Shane Ray hurt this team offensively. Manny Ramirez was a good
linemen who helped solidify a stout offensive line, without him, they gained
agility but lost the ability to create a comfortable pocket for the QB. Of
course it’s not just sacks that hurt the ball club, the inability to run the ball is also a major factor. I talked earlier about Dilfer’s analysis of Manning’s play this year,
he made a point to show clips of defensive backs and linebackers sitting on routes
waiting for the ball to come their way so they could jump in for an
interception, he said that these players could just sit back wait for Manning
to throw the duck because he can’t make the strong throws. Why didn’t he talk
about the defense being able to drop 6 in coverage blanketing those routes,
daring this team to run the ball? It started with a running back controversy,
Anderson or Hillman. Even I got in on the act, thinking Hillman was built much
better to run in Kubiak’s offense. But the line has created zero holes for either
one of these men to run through. If the line doesn’t do a better job, Kubiak’s
offense is going to struggle with Brock as well.
Interceptions
Yes, there are 17 of those pesky turnovers to talk about,
but I will be short. All the issues previous to this one are major factors into
that number. Manning is at fault alone for 7 by my count. This is the stat that
makes me laugh most during those social media Sundays. Tips, bad routes, and
alligator arms have made this stat line skewed for Manning. Next time, before
you post on Sunday, watch the replay, look for that receiver and Manning’s
reaction. More than half of the time you will see Manning drawing the route in
the air, because that receiver wasn’t where he was supposed to be. Yes 7 is still too many when
Manning has only thrown 9 TD’s, but it will be better if Kubiak allows the change.
This season has no doubt been one of the strangest I have
seen, and I am not even a fan of this team. Let Brock run your offense Koob’s.
Give the fans a taste of what they can look forward to once 18 retires, but
when 18 gets healthy, let the man run his offense. The line will look better,
the receivers will look better, Peyton will be back in the fan bases heart, and
you will look smarter. This defense paired with a Manning offense takes you to
the promised land, at which point you can throw your hat in the ring of who
has the best steakhouse in Denver…
