The Broncos are the center of attention in the NFL right now.
In the span of two days, they signed a Super Bowl champion and 4-time MVP quarterback and traded a young quarterback whose popularity easily outpaces his productivity.
What a start to the offseason.
There will always be much debate about the Broncos’ decisions to sign Peyton Manning and trade Tim Tebow. Opinion, debate and second-guessing are all part of what makes the NFL so popular.
I love the move to sign Peyton Manning. We’re not talking about any ‘ole quarterback. We’re talking about Peyton Manning, one of the absolute all-time greats, joining the Broncos.
This is no small thing. It is as big as it gets.
I also wish it were possible for Tim Tebow to have stayed with the Broncos. But let’s be realistic: It wasn’t possible. Tebow has it in his heart to be a starting quarterback. Manning’s presence makes that impossible to happen in Denver. Had the Broncos kept Tebow, the sideshow would have been a distraction and detrimental to the entire organization. It simply would have been an unworkable situation.
So here we are, Manning in, Tebow out.
1 – DECISIONS SUCH AS THESE ARE MADE ALL THE TIME IN THE NFL. It’s the nature of the league. John Elway made what he believed to be the best decision for the Denver Broncos organization. That is all he can do.
Given Tebow’s popularity, this could not have been an easy decision. Elway knew what the backlash would be from the ardent Tebow supporters but that could not override what he thought was best for the organization. And it didn’t.
Elway thought that having Peyton Manning be the starting quarterback was the best decision among the options that were available right now. I find it impossible to argue that. We know Manning’s resume. We know Tebow’s resume.
Even Tebow himself didn’t argue that.
“I understand what the Broncos are going through and what they’re dealing with,” Tebow told the New York media on Wednesday. “Not many times do you have (the) opportunity to sign someone like Peyton Manning. What a great quarterback he is. He’s one of the best to ever play the game.”
John Elway decided to go get one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game. Yes, Manning has had major health issues in the last year. Ultimately none of us know if he will hold up physically and return to his prior form.
Let’s be realistic, though. The Broncos would not have invested the kind of money they did in Manning if there were serious doubts about his long-term health. Could something happen? Of course. To think the Broncos made this decision knowing that something is likely to happen is silly.
In addition, there are no guarantees that had the Broncos stuck with Tebow that he wouldn’t have been hurt at some point. In fact, he was hurt in the playoff game against New England past year. There was real doubt that Tebow would have been able to play the next week had they defeated the Patriots.
2 – PLAYERS COME AND GO IN THE NFL. Roster turnover is part of life in the league. The Broncos want to win NOW. So they based this decision on trying to win NOW. They had the opportunity to upgrade the quarterback position and they seized upon that opportunity.
As a 49ers fan growing up, I remember when San Francisco won the 1981 Super Bowl. Shortly thereafter, GM/head coach Bill Walsh started replacing many of the veterans on the team who helped them win that title. It broke my heart.
It also enabled the 49ers to continue building towards sustained excellence. It wasn’t long after that Super Bowl title that the 49ers emerged as a major power in the league.
John Elway has been consistent in voicing his opinion that regular Super Bowl contenders must have a quarterback who is an excellent pocket passer. Tim Tebow has a lot of strong qualities but right now, he is not an excellent pocket passer. Could he become one? The answer to that question has been the subject of intense debate. Given Tebow’s work ethic and determination, I certainly think it’s possible. But by no means do I think it’s a certainty.
Ultimately, we do not know if Tim Tebow will ever become a great pocket passer. We do know that Peyton Manning is a tremendous pocket passer and has been one for many years. If someone has any doubts about Manning’s ability to throw the football, I won’t waste anyone’s time trying to convince that person otherwise.
Making a change at quarterback simply for the sake of making a change is not what the Broncos did here. The Broncos made a change from a young quarterback who needs to develop in many areas, especially in the most important area (throwing the ball from the pocket with accuracy and effectiveness) to one of the best passers the game has ever seen.
3 – DOES THIS TRADE MAKE THE BRONCOS A BETTER TEAM RIGHT NOW? I know it’s hard, but for a moment let’s take all the emotion out of the trade and ask that key question.
The answer is overwhelmingly obvious: Yes. Peyton Manning makes the Broncos a better team right now.
There is not even a debate here.
People might point to some of Tebow’s stats being better than those of some other great quarterbacks at the same points in their careers. But as my 850KOA colleague Dave Krieger accurately points out the sample size of statistics for a player this early in his career is simply too small to draw any meaningful conclusions.
Sure, some of Tebow’s stats might compare favorably to some of those of, say, John Elway at an early point in Elway’s career. It does not logically follow, however, that based solely on those statistics Tebow will be as good as a quarterback as Elway was.
Tebow’s strengths as a quarterback lie in an option-oriented attack. There is no evidence that such an offense could have long-term success in the NFL. There are also really good reasons that NFL teams don’t rely on option-based offenses. Again, I’ll simply agree to disagree if someone honestly believes that the offense the Broncos ran under Tebow last year would put them in a position to consistently contend for Super Bowl titles. It simply won’t.
Signing Peyton Manning was a brilliant move by the Broncos. I believe over time it will be the turning point in the Broncos’ return to greatness.
Where do you stand? Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts.
Best,
Mike
Tags: Mike Rice
How many primetime games do you think we will get this year? 8????
I agree Mike. You could see at the end of last year when the Patriots and Chiefs got a second crack at Tebow that he became far less effective. The more tape that started to come out on him, the less effective he was. Obviously the Steelers game was an exception. Good article Mike
Welcome our newest Bronco:
TE Joel Dreessen 6’4 245lbs 29 years old
Great post Mike as always…and my answer to where I stand is,I totally agree with you when you say,”Signing Peyton Manning was a brilliant move by the Broncos. I believe over time it will be the turning point in the Broncos’ return to greatness.”
GO MANNING
GO BRONCOS!!!!!!!!!!
BFE
I’d rather have Clark,but I’ll take Dressen.Maybe we still get Clark or Tamme.
I got one question….if Manning is 6’5,Elway sure dosen’t look over 6′ standing next to him,maybe it’s Manning’s posture,lol.
Fantastic post Mike! I guess the toughest part about seeing Tebow go is that he managed to ignite my passion for the Broncos again. Seeing the 2009 debacle where 1 win would have brought us to the playoffs, the absurdity of the McDaniels regime and the mediocre Orton play had simply destroyed my fervor for Bronco football… I almost didn’t buy the Sunday ticket in 2011 when I heard Orton was going to start. Then something amazing happened and everything changed and WINNING was once again part of Broncos football. Evidently Manning was an easy decision comparatively speaking. Winning will continue to be part of the Broncos with superior quarterback play. Being an openly Tebow supporter I would always choose Manning over Tebow. I wish Tim the best but I know I will buy my Sunday Ticket this year to watch Manning operate. That alone is one of the highest pleasures of watching football and doing it for my beloved Broncos makes it that much better.
I am obviously excited about the benefit PM brings. I will always miss Tebow though. That kid is something else. I’ll still watch him play when the game’s locally televised. My dad’s family is from NY too, so the Jets are sort of a secondary home team for me. Don’t worry though, the Broncos are far and away my team, til the end!
Tough schedule this year…I’d be surprised if we come out with 10 wins or better.
Atwater, were did you learn that? Was it the DP, the nfl.com, or broncos blog or news?
We had a brutal schedule last year and won 8 games with Tebow,it wouldn’t surprise me to see us win 10-11 games this year with Manning,if we address DT!
I’d guess three Monday nighters, two Sunday nighters, and a Thursday game. Should be sweet, especially rocking the orange in most of them.
It was from Lindsay Jones of the DP. She said that Dreessen announced this morning that he has chosen to sign with Denver over the Texans
I don’t think we are done addressing the tight end position just yet. I think Tamme and Clark are both still possibilities. With Larsen out it looks like Virgil Green will play the Hback role.
Dreessen is more of a complete tight end in terms of being able to block and catch. Unless Denver is really high on Julius Thomas, I bet they go get Tamme now
I bet the Jets have more Primetime games than the Broncos…
The nation wants Tebow… the Nation will get Tebow… Day in Day out… too bad no one here has the foresight to keep him Orange and Blue…
My Grandma this morning speaking of the delay in the Tebow Trade…
“It’s a shame really to trade Tebow, and what were they thinking paying that much for an old crippled up guy like Manning… seems foolish”
you guys would love my Grams… 5′ nothing, 90 pounds of Cattle woman!!!
She loves the Broncos also, but is not going to watch this year because of the TT trade… sucks
BFE, I hear ya’. Manning looks way taller than Elway! If Elway is 6′ 5″ than Manning is 6’9″. LOL. I know people get shorter with age because their vertebrea compress due to dealing with gravity over many years. My Dad used to almost be 6’6″! He is know 68 and has had his knee replaced and two back surgeries and he is about 6′ 3.5″.
you guys act like Tebow will just go away because he is traded… He’s been a news story since Florida, and we were lucky enough to have him as a part of our organization…
My Grandpa’s friend from church was out for Coffee Yesterday and he had this to say…
“funny that one of the worst moves in NFL history was the Colts trading away John Elway, now Elway eclipses that move by Trading away Tim Tebow… ”
There is not alot of ground swell here for the Manning Experiment yet, but that will change with the first W…
B-R-O-N-C-O-S BRONCOS BRONCOS BRONCOS
Peyton looks so tall because he has like 6 inches of forehead! haha
Nice write-up Gray, and I’m glad that Peyton chose the Broncos, but like you, I’m sad to see him go.
As far as the Broncos being worried about Tebow getting hurt though, that’s a concern for any other player on the team, and especially so for Peyton. I have a hard time buying that as ONE of the reasons for his trade.
Also, I guess where Elway and the organization felt that Tebow wouldn’t/couldn’t work out as a back-up for Denver, Rex Ryan and his organization felt completely the opposite. More than a touch of irony there.
Again, Gray, nice post, and I’m moving on from Tebow with this final comment about him. Bottom line though, in my opinion, is that he, and all that he AND his fans brought to the table, were not wanted in Denver, and Payton Manning’s release from the Colts certainly gave them a way to be rid of it. Some of us will miss him here. Others won’t.
Go Broncos, and good luck to Peyton and Tim in their new roles with their new teams.
What’s with all the “ÃÂâÃÂÃÂÃÂÔ in the article??
Glad you have that too, Brian. Thought it was just my computer. Even rebooted to try to get rid of it.
Adam Schefter
Denver signed a new target for Peyton Manning: former Texans tight end Joel Dreessen.
Saturday is close to signing with the Pack………….thought for sure he’d be a lock to stick with PM.
Not to be a negative nancy but why did we only sign Porter to a 1yr/$4M contract? Is there something long term we need to be concerned about?
That gibberish wasn’t there when the article first posted
Maybe they are afraid he gets suspended with the whole bounty thing
I thought it was my mobile device that caused all those A things to appear. Lol
Great Article Mr. Rice. Almost makes your last one seem kind of prophetic in nature. Lol
Turtle, you’re right. The Tebow thing will never go away. I guess the race is on Manning vs. Tebow. First one to a superbowl……………..wins!!!!!
Broncos Country Strong 2012!
Good, I’m glad Saturday is likely going to be a Packer. Walton is a good player and we need to keep our young Oline in tact.
I imagine we will re-sign Porter next year, I think we want to see what he has in him or somthing…not sure…Idk why people are so irked about the Tebow trade, I love the kid to death, but he was a minimum 3 years away from elite status (if ever)…We need to move on, and considering we have a QB that can arguably be considered better than Elway was, I’m just going to sit back and watch the show. All I know is that If our O can have as much success in the running game with the addition of a consistand passing game, doubled with our up and coming D Denver will be an extremely difficult team to beat. I’m ok with seeing Tebow go, only because I’m confident the organization has set us up to win AT LEAST 10+ games this year!
Let’s hope he meshes well with manning……….and gets his cadence down. I’m sure he’s up for the challenge…………saturday is officially a packer.
And now Saturday is officially a Packer.
Porter said in an interview that he was not ever interviewed about the bounty program. That’s a good sign.
I’m really glad to see the free agency pick-ups we’ve accumulated now. Our team is really starting to take shape.
I will miss Tebow and wish him nothing but the best. Thank you Tim for bringing your positive message and play to our dismal team at the time.
Things are brighter and better with each passing day as a Bronco fan.
Go get em’ Broncos!
Porter probably just wanted a 1 year to make sure the Manning thing pans out.
If Manning for whatever reason can’t play and Porter signed a 5 year deal, he gets stuck in a 4 year rebuilding project instead of a contender.
Bummer about Saturday.
Tebow = We all know what he could do, does he have the potential to become an elite QB?
Manning, = We all know what he could do, does he have the potential to get back to being an elite QB?
I find it funny that Mays and Porter are making the same amount of money.
I’m just bummed out Broncos won’t be playing the Jets this season- unless it’s in a post season game. Maybe THATS why he was traded to the Jets, lol.
I am always going to miss that special magic Tim Tebow brought to the down and out Broncos of 2011. Best season I have ever seen, even though the end result wasn’t a SB ring. Well, I guess I’d say it was equal to Elways 1st SB season. that was incredible too, getting in on the wildcard.
GO BRONCOS!!! I’m ALMOST down with PM. Bronco fever always takes over as the season gets closer, so maybe by then. Of course, I am excited about the possibilities already. I like the calibur of players we are starting to sign, and it doesn’t go unnoticed that they are coming on because of PM.
NEW BLOG
Mr. Rice as usual you have oneof the greatest articles to read, I always read your input, they just make since.
My thought is the same as you. I like TB and wished we oculd keep him, as he definately would help your team win, in some sort of way other than starting QB. When you get a chance at a great caliber player as Mr. Manning is, you DO NOT pass that opportunity up, especially the situation the Broncos where in this new year 2012, with the salary cap room and TB’s unorthodox playing ways.
GOOOO BRONCOSSS!!!!
Bill
Mr. Rice as usual you have one of the greatest articles to read, I always read your input, they just make since.
My thought is the same as you. I like TT and wished we could keep him, as he definately would help your team win, in some sort of way other than starting QB. When you get a chance at a great caliber player as Mr. Manning is, you DO NOT pass that opportunity up, especially the situation the Broncos where in this new year 2012, with the salary cap room and TT’s unorthodox playing ways.
GOOOO BRONCOSSS!!!!
Bill
Mike, you are one big chicken waitng till all the Tebow kooks left the blog to post that! LOL It will be nice to have Bronco football back where it belongs and the blog too for that matter. Looking forward to the 2012 season. Go Broncos!.
Thanks to all for your thoughts. A few responses.
Atwater4HOF..Thank you. Tebow was 1-4 in his last five games as the Broncos’ starter last year. That record got Orton a seat on the bench. Just sayin’.
BeastFromEast92…Thank you. Really appreciate all the people like you who are faithful readers of the blog and share your thoughts. We agree on this one and I’m sure in the future there will be things on which we disagree. That’s great, too.
O&BinCostaRica…You are totally correct…Tebow did a lot to re-energize the fan base. With the moves the Broncos are making, I think they’ll build off that just fine. If someone isn’t still energized, then I submit that person is more of a Tebow fan than a Broncos fan.
Bronco_Turtle…Please remind your grandpa’s friend that John Elway’s skill set as a QB, especially in the passing game, was always light years ahead of Tebow’s skill set. Period. Anyone who thinks differently is simply uninformed. That doesn’t mean Tebow won’t be a great QB one day. But it absolutely means that Elway was way closer to being a sure thing than Tebow has ever been.
sndvl…No, it wasn’t your mobile device. Technology wizard that I am messed some things up for a bit! But the real experts got them straightened out for me! Thanks for hanging in there through it.
Tide Bronco…Given Tebow’s time here, I just don’t see how it would have worked had he stayed. It would have been unfair to Tim and unfair to Peyton, too.
rkittyreed…Thanks for the thoughts. I understand it takes some time when a favorite like Tebow is no longer around. It was so much fun during that winning streak last year.
WGBronco…Thanks for the kind words. I appreciate your note.
imready…No chicken here whatsoever…if you listened to “The Gridiron Grill” post-game Broncos talk show even once last season, you will know that what I have written specifically about Tim Tebow in this piece is what I have been saying for over a year. There is nothing new in my opinion that I don’t know if Tebow will be a great pocket passer one day. If you think it’s new, then you haven’t been listening, which is fine. But please don’t come across like you have been.
Also, as long as Tebow was here and was being given the chance to be the long-term QB, I’m going to look for reasons to hope that will work. I was honest in my opinion about Tebow…that he could very well turn out to be great but that I didn’t know if he would, indeed, be great.
There was no reason to write about why I prefer Peyton Manning over Tim Tebow when Manning was with the Colts. It would have been like writing how I would prefer Aaron Rodgers or Tom Brady or Drew Brees over Tim Tebow.
My point is you are implying that I’m taking a shot at Tim Tebow because he is now with another team. Nothing can be farther from the truth. I have been 100% consistent with what I have said about Tebow from the start until now.
Thanks again to all.
Mike
Mike, I`m running a little late on your right-up, but as usual I enjoy your insites and knowledge of whats going on and in the makings. Thanks for the heads up. I`ll be looking forward to your show on the grid iron when the season gets under way. rock On!!!!
Mike, first off, my apologies for calling you Gray. I thought he had written this. Secondly, I realize it wouldn’t work with Tebow backing up Manning, and all the reasons why. My contention was that it was ironic that Rex Ryan thinks he can back up Sanchez. We’ll have to see on that one.
The injury thing….well, as I said, that can happen to any player, and losing Peyton to one would be pretty serious, too.
At any rate, I just wish them both well, and look forward to more from you. Thanks for all you, Gray, and Stuart do to keep us informed.
Mike,
Great article! I couldn’t agree more, and I too am so happy with the direction our beloved Broncos are going! I respect Tim Tebow, and appreciate all of his contributions he made to our team. With that said, there was NO way he could remain on the team, mostly due to his fanatical fans in my opinion.
Anyway, I live in New York, and I have front row seats to see how this all plays out with the Jets.. The media out here is already having a field day with the Jets, saying this was all Woody Johnson’s doing, being all about selling the PSL’s that go along with their season tickets, as well as the luxury boxes that remain empty… There is already a huge Tebow Jockey billboard in Manhattan, to give you an idea of where this is going..
New Yorkers are a tough bunch, and while they will initially buy into to all the hype, it will all come down to results… There is not the ultra religious folks out here, so Tebow will only be supported as long as he produces on the field.. If he gets his chance and doesn’t perform, they will turn on him as quickly as they bought into it.. I wish Tebow luck and hope he does well, but he is certainly NOT in Kansas anymore….
Tide Bronco…No worries on the name. Shoot, I’ve been called much worse before! I see your point. You are right, Tebow is 100% the back-up right now. If Sanchez struggles out of the gate, we shall see. At least all of that hoopla is in a different place now.
strandoftds…Hey, thanks for checking in. Always glad to hear from you. Thanks for your kind words.
OrangeTsunami…Thank you…and enjoy the circus which just pulled into town. Better yours than ours. To me, the whole thing was just draining. I really do like Tim and think he is a genuinely good person who has his heart in the right place.
What bothered me most was that there never seemed to be room for football discussion. If one questions Tebow or his skill set or his performance, then his ardent supporters attack you for hating the guy. When the Broncos won, it was because of Tebow. When they lost, it was always someone else’s fault, at least according to the Tebowmaniacs.
What is most interesting is that the Tebowmaniacs don’t actually listen to what Tebow himself says or how he conducts himself. The Tebowmaniacs are gnashing their teeth over what they say is “unfair” treatment from the Broncos. Really? Did they hear or read Tebow’s quote from above? He completely gets why the Broncos went after Peyton Manning.
Enjoy the show….
Mike
Great posting Mike and to all of the fans on this blog, Tebow was my guy. He is a winner but lets be honest PM is simply the best QB in this era of football.Nuff said. John Elway is not only the greatest QB in to ever don the Blue and Orange….He single handedly made us a perianial contender and we all know that is true and yall know what ? He still is. But I never knew in addition to being one of the all time greatest( some say Greatest ever QBS) in history and a Scratch Golfer, Now we learn of his world class skills as an Angler cause he just landed the BIGGEST DANG FISH IN HISTORY!!! Thanks John I new all we really needed to get back to the dance was Old number 7. My most cherrished piece of Broncos memorabelia is an old clipping I have framed out of the Honolulu Star Bullitin news paper from the night the Duke gave the Raiders their first loss on Monday night football, the caption reads ” It took the King of Comebacks to defeat the Lords of Monday Night!” God I love that Guy!
I was hoping . . . I was praying . . . for the Denver Broncos to sign Peyton Manning. I hated the way Kyle Orton seemed to not care about the team or winning. I wanted Tim Tebow to start, but once he started and became so popular, I wondered how the Broncos would ever get rid of him becasue of his inability to throw the short pass and read the defense. I totally agree with all you say, Mike, and hope that with Manning steering the ship that the Denver Broncos are sailing in the right direction. I am very excited about the 2012 season and wish it would start now, as I am ready for some Broncos football!
I am a huge BRONCOS fan and have been one since 1983. I know my team and I love them very much. I live in Baltimore but the Broncos are my heart I went to the last two games the Broncos came here to play the Ravens . We lost both games to the Ravens but I was still blessed to have been able to see my boys play. We are coming to Baltimore this year to play the Ravens again this year but this time, the results should be much different. We have Manning, Porter, Dumerville healthy, Miller, and a host of other guys that will help us beat the Ravens. I am not saying that it will be easy at all but we will be able to pull it off. I hope we play them early in the season rather then later. we will have a better chance of beating the Ravens. I think we will meet the Raven in the play-offs too. We will see but remember that I ( IWILLX2 ) told you first. GOO Broncos !.
Elway is doing a great job so far. He brought great guys to our team that has made our team alot better and guys that will give us a great chance of winning the division, winning the conference, and winning the superbowl. Elway has had to make some very difficult decisions but ones that had to be made in order for our team to grow and to be a better team. I truly LOVED Tim Tebow but he must have seen something that made him, Fox, Xanders, and Bowlen believe that we the Broncos could not win it all with his (Tebow) style of play and that Tebow could not improve his throwing enough to be able to compete with the likes of Brady, Rivers, Shaub,Flacco,Rothlisberger etc… I did not want us to let Tebow go. I believed that Tebow could learn under Manning and take over once Manning got hurt or carrer was over but Elway, Fox and the others just did not believe in Tebow for what ever reason. The are much more experienced in football and know way more about football than I could ever imagine so I will trust their decision about the matter and will believe that they done what was best for our team. My heart want for Tebow to retire a Broncos and I thought Tebow would get better and good enough to compete with the other elite qb’s in the league but Elway, Fox, Xanders, and most importantly Bowlen didnt believe in Tebow and his up side. I will trust in them and root for my team The Broncos. Go Broncos ! I wish the BEST for TEBOW, he was a hell of a guy and I still believe he is a winner and will become a great NFL Qb. I styill believe he will win a Superbowl before his carrer is over, I just hope it is not at the expense of us BRONCOS ! IWILLX2
Remember how we all hated watching Peyton Manning with the Colts just toying with the Broncos? The no-huddle, with him calling out the plays at the line of scrimmage,while our defense was sucking wind,and couldnt get backups in because of the no huddle. Just imagine with the altitude in Denver,how late 3rd quarter,or 4th quarter how the other teams defense will be exhausted! I am so excited and can’t wait for the season to start!!!