Are the Denver Broncos done with Peyton Manning now?
Nov 22, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler (17) throws against the Chicago Bears during the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
Remember the Gatorade commercial with Peyton Manning, Yao Ming and Derek Jeter in it. They all went to a kid named Jimmy’s house to get him so they can play their respective sports with him. What the commercial didn’t show was the Sun start to set, the street lights come on and Jimmy’s mothers calling him to go home.
All those athletes are from the same Era and Ming went home in 2011 with Jeter going home in 2014. Well, the Sun has been setting for Manning for at least the last year but he has refused to go home. His body is falling apart but the Broncos wanted Manning to manage the game on the way to a Super Bowl with their great defense.
They were too worried about what youngster Brock Osweiler would do in a game to send him home. But then Manning tried to play with a mid-foot sprain and was so bad, they had to give Osweiler a chance. And in a 17-15 win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday, they saw what Osweiler can do.
The Broncos now know that Osweiler can manage a game and allow the defense to win it for them. Osweiler was 20-27 for 250 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions with a QB rating of 127.1. The running game was working with Ronnie Hillman and the ran their play-actions and waggles off of it.
Waggle and Manning are an oxymoron at this point in his career so he actually no longer fits head coach Gary Kubiak’s offense. They have to run all the same plays from the Pistol Formation because Manning can’t move. Osweiler can even make throws that Manning can’t so it might be about that time now.
But Kubiak was non-committal when asked if Osweiler would even start will start next week against the New England Patriots. This is a mid-foot sprain we’re talking about here and he won’t even commit to Osweiler for one more game. It sounds like Kubiak is blowing smoke at the Patriots so they spend a little less time game-planning for Osweiler.
Kubiak said at his press conference after the game, “I knew that was coming. Here’s the deal—we got healthier here today. We’ve got some guys on this team that we’re trying to get healthy, so that’s important. And we won our eighth game. So we’re going to focus on winning today and enjoy winning and we’ll go back to work next week.”
That didn’t tell us much, but you could read between the lines on other parts of his press conference.
Kubiak also said of Osweiler. “He can do everything. He’s a very composed young man and the more he plays, I think, the better he’s going to get.”
If that’s really how Kubiak feels, the Broncos should move forward with Osweiler from here on out. Waiting on the 2006 version of Manning to come back is going to ultimately cost the team like it did last year. Oh yeah, G.M. John Elway made Manning some promises to try to get him a Super Bowl win so he’ll probably try to do all he can to make that happen.
Word on the street is Manning plans to play in 2016 even if not for the Broncos.
If the Broncos are smart, the start the Osweiler era now!