BREAKING NEWS: Peyton Manning to start next week

[ATL96Steeler]

Osweiler was benched because the offense was sucking not so much Osweiler himself. If you actually watch the game Osweiler played actually pretty decent. His first drive the team scored a touchdown. 2nd drive he threw a great pass and Sanders was streaking down the sideline looking like he might score to then fumble at the 10 yard line. So the game should have been 14-3 and instead the turnover negated that opportunity. Next drive on a 3rd and 1 Osweiler throws a perfect pass to a wide open receiver that hits him right on the hands and bounces off for an interception. I mean these are things Osweiler can't really control yet they were happening.

To me it was like watching a baseball game where the starting pitcher is actually throwing great strikes yet his infield is committing error after error on ground balls. Well you don't usually have enough decent players on the bench to pull everybody else around the pitcher so you end up pulling the pitcher hoping maybe the change shakes the rest of the team up and they make some plays.

I thought after the adversity the OFC kinda stalled...whether the hook was too quick or not, is up for debate I guess. In terms of this game...I think you know I would go with Manning but have Brock ready to go if I start seeing that Peyton can't get the ball there.

 

[cdumler7]

I thought after the adversity the OFC kinda stalled...whether the hook was too quick or not, is up for debate I guess. In terms of this game...I think you know I would go with Manning but have Brock ready to go if I start seeing that Peyton can't get the ball there.

Don't get me wrong I see why Kubiak is doing this. You have a future HOF QB who is known to possibly have the greatest mind football has ever seen. When he is on he is about impossible to beat even with a weak arm as he has had that his entire time with Denver.

I do look though at the teams we could possibly face in this next round and they rank 3rd, 4th, and 5th in sacks this year. Our OL isn't all of a sudden going to become this All-Pro looking group. Manning has really struggled this year with pressure. He has to be able to step into his throw to have any chance of it being on time and accurate. So going against some of the top pass rushing teams in the league doesn't look like a recipe for success. That is maybe the biggest reason I honestly would rather have Brock in this one is he can escape some pressure and can make the throws without having to always step into it.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Don't get me wrong I see why Kubiak is doing this. You have a future HOF QB who is known to possibly have the greatest mind football has ever seen. When he is on he is about impossible to beat even with a weak arm as he has had that his entire time with Denver.

I do look though at the teams we could possibly face in this next round and they rank 3rd, 4th, and 5th in sacks this year. Our OL isn't all of a sudden going to become this All-Pro looking group. Manning has really struggled this year with pressure. He has to be able to step into his throw to have any chance of it being on time and accurate. So going against some of the top pass rushing teams in the league doesn't look like a recipe for success. That is maybe the biggest reason I honestly would rather have Brock in this one is he can escape some pressure and can make the throws without having to always step into it.

This largely depends on what Manning really has left mobility wise, can he take hits, etc. IF PIT gets by CIN, they head to DEN...from an opponent standpoint I'd still rather face Brock with decent pass rush but a weak secondary.

As you said...if Manning is on, you know the ball is coming out quick and most likely to the right guy....tough call. To be honest...Manning might be the better guy out of the bullpen if that was to come into play.

 

[cdumler7]

This largely depends on what Manning really has left mobility wise, can he take hits, etc. IF PIT gets by CIN, they head to DEN...from an opponent standpoint I'd still rather face Brock with decent pass rush but a weak secondary.

As you said...if Manning is on, you know the ball is coming out quick and most likely to the right guy....tough call. To be honest...Manning might be the better guy out of the bullpen if that was to come into play.

It is a tough call and I'm glad I wasn't the one having to make the decision. I'm sure Kubiak has the pulse of the team in mind and has factored in much more than me. Right now though that 4 interception game against the Chiefs stands out much more than the San Diego come back win. Obviously I hope Manning is more like his old self where he is throwing 4 touchdowns a game as that probably means my team is winning games but I will probably be holding my breath every time he drops back to pass that it isn't straight to the other team. Now I will say his 2 best games of the season did happen right after the Bye Week (at least according to PFF as they say he played like the 3rd best QB in the league during that stretch) so maybe a 7 week time of being off and now another bye week after playing only a half of football and he comes out very refreshed and throwing all over the field. I will be hoping for that to be the case.

 

[Malibu]

How Manning played at the end of last year and the beginning of this year gives me no reason to think he can play at a high level. I hope I am wrong but I am not thrilled with this decision at all.

 

[dkmightyhammer]

How Manning played at the end of last year and the beginning of this year gives me no reason to think he can play at a high level. I hope I am wrong but I am not thrilled with this decision at all.

With your defense you only need him to be a capable game manager for 3 games and you can win the SB. Even as depleted as I think Manning is I think he can hold it together for 3 games. Especially since he would get this bye week plus another bye week if he managed to be playing in the SB so he would be able to get lots of rest for his body.

 

[Broncos6482]

Ultimately, I think once the Broncos switched to Manning against the Chargers and they came back to win, it was inevitable that Manning would get the start once the playoffs rolled around.

The good news is that he should certainly be fresh, and I did notice against the Chargers his passes had more spin on them then I'd seen all season. Maybe that means he's healthy and feeling good since he's had 7 weeks off from taking hits. And although the line is still a mess, Manning is much better than Brock at reading the defense and getting the ball out quickly, so that should keep him from taking all the hits that Brock was.

My biggest concern is that the running game will regress with Manning back in there, but hopefully with a healthy Anderson and improved run blocking that won't be too much of an issue.

We just need 3 weeks of decent Manning, then he can retire a champion like Elway did.

 

[redseat]

Honestly as a Bronco fan I understand the decision but I don't like the decision. So many people got excited about him coming in for a half and the team responding by putting up 20 points in that 2nd half. To me Manning didn't do a whole lot. He went 5-9 for 69 yards if I remember right. All of his completions happened within 15 yards. All of his deep shots he threw probably 5 yards too far just like he was doing earlier in the year. I am one that I can't look past the first 9 games and think that Manning has all of a sudden found the fountain of youth.

Thank you for being a reasonable fan. He didn't put up the stats at all when he came in but he did change the outcome with him being able to pick up the blitzes. But it's hilarious how all of a sudden the run game picked up when he came into the game.

Will he have a short leash to play with?

 

[Broncos6482]

With your defense you only need him to be a capable game manager for 3 games and you can win the SB. Even as depleted as I think Manning is I think he can hold it together for 3 games. Especially since he would get this bye week plus another bye week if he managed to be playing in the SB so he would be able to get lots of rest for his body.

That's exactly what I'm thinking and I'm sure it's what the Broncos are thinking, too. With all his time off he should be feeling better now than he has in January in years, and he only needs to get through two games before he gets another bye. Playing 3 and a half games in 5 weeks gives him a lot of time to recover.

 

[Malibu]

With your defense you only need him to be a capable game manager for 3 games and you can win the SB. Even as depleted as I think Manning is I think he can hold it together for 3 games. Especially since he would get this bye week plus another bye week if he managed to be playing in the SB so he would be able to get lots of rest for his body.

That's all well in good but how many QB's would get to start a playoff game after leading the NFL in interceptions while only playing 7 games? All I hear is "oh Manning hasn't been healthy " but I don't buy that b.s. and anyway there aren't QB's in the NFL that are 39 that are healthy. Ive see Manning and his performances for the Broncos in the playoffs and the truth is Manning was benched for Oz and had nothing to do with health. Like I said I hope Manning has something left but I have my doubts. Hoping I am wrong.

 

[redseat]

That's all well in good but how many QB's would get to start a playoff game after leading the NFL in interceptions while only playing 7 games? All I hear is "oh Manning hasn't been healthy " but I don't buy that b.s. and anyway there aren't QB's in the NFL that are 39 that are healthy. Ive see Manning and his performances for the Broncos in the playoffs and the truth is Manning was benched for Oz and had nothing to do with health. Like I said I hope Manning has something left but I have my doubts. Hoping I am wrong.

Especially considering it seemed like OZ (minus the last game) had a lot of chemistry with the team and they were winning. Though Manning has the same if not better chemistry (sure timing might be slightly off) with everyone as well.

 

[Broncos6482]

Thank you for being a reasonable fan. He didn't put up the stats at all when he came in but he did change the outcome with him being able to pick up the blitzes. But it's hilarious how all of a sudden the run game picked up when he came into the game.

Will he have a short leash to play with?

I don't think the run game really picked up much with Manning, the Broncos were running the ball well with Osweiler in there, too. The offense moved the ball all day, they just stopped turning it over once they switched qb's.

The biggest difference was the offensive line play improved, and there were two factors for that. One, Manning is probably the best in the league at understanding what the defense is doing and adjusting the line, as well as getting rid of the ball extremely quickly. The other factor is that the Broncos finally benched Michael Schofield (who's a decent run blocker but an awful pass blocker) and replaced him with Tyler Polumbus at right tackle. Everyone was so focused on Manning that the switch to Polumbus was overlooked, but Polumbus preformed much better than Schofield.

 

[dkmightyhammer]

That's all well in good but how many QB's would get to start a playoff game after leading the NFL in interceptions while only playing 7 games? All I hear is "oh Manning hasn't been healthy " but I don't buy that b.s. and anyway there aren't QB's in the NFL that are 39 that are healthy. Ive see Manning and his performances for the Broncos in the playoffs and the truth is Manning was benched for Oz and had nothing to do with health. Like I said I hope Manning has something left but I have my doubts. Hoping I am wrong.

I get all that, but unlike other years when Manning was the whole team in Indy or Denver he now has the #1 Defense. He can go the Trent Dilfer route and just play well enough not to lose and your defense has the potential to carry you to the SB. Of course that is all Oz would have to do too so I guess it's a wash, but Manning has tons of playoff experience so that is probably got him the start in the end.

 

[Broncos6482]

That's all well in good but how many QB's would get to start a playoff game after leading the NFL in interceptions while only playing 7 games? All I hear is "oh Manning hasn't been healthy " but I don't buy that b.s. and anyway there aren't QB's in the NFL that are 39 that are healthy. Ive see Manning and his performances for the Broncos in the playoffs and the truth is Manning was benched for Oz and had nothing to do with health. Like I said I hope Manning has something left but I have my doubts. Hoping I am wrong.

That's bs. Was Manning just wearing a walking boot for the fun of it? We can debate the extent of his injury, but there's no doubt he was hurt.

 

[redseat]

I don't think the run game really picked up much with Manning, the Broncos were running the ball well with Osweiler in there, too. The offense moved the ball all day, they just stopped turning it over once they switched qb's.

The biggest difference was the offensive line play improved, and there were two factors for that. One, Manning is probably the best in the league at understanding what the defense is doing and adjusting the line, as well as getting rid of the ball extremely quickly. The other factor is that the Broncos finally benched Michael Schofield (who's a decent run blocker but an awful pass blocker) and replaced him with Tyler Polumbus at right tackle. Everyone was so focused on Manning that the switch to Polumbus was overlooked, but Polumbus preformed much better than Schofield.

Good catch, never saw the switch! I guess maybe I was just paying more attention to the "running game" once Manning came in so it made it seem like it picked up when he came in.

Now who's decision was it to start Manning, (His, Kubiak's or Elways?) That's the real question

 

[Bolts]

Congrats to whoever plays Denver in the divisional round(my guess is the Steelers) on making it to the AFC Championship game.

 

[Broncos6482]

Good catch, never saw the switch! I guess maybe I was just paying more attention to the "running game" once Manning came in so it made it seem like it picked up when he came in.

Now who's decision was it to start Manning, (His, Kubiak's or Elways?) That's the real question

I would guess that Kubiak and Elway made the decision together, probably based on how Manning played, as well as how he was feeling. He took one really big hit in the game, I'd imagine he was pretty sore from that one for a few days.

Honestly, though, I wish the Broncos hadn't announced who was staring. Tell the players, but let the other team prepare for both qb's.

 

[Broncosr0k]

My biggest concern is that the running game will regress with Manning back in there, but hopefully with a healthy Anderson and improved run blocking that won't be too much of an issue.

This is my concern too. We did stick to the run quite a bit in the second half of the chargers games so maybe Manning is willing to let the run game and defense carry the load.

 

[redseat]

I would guess that Kubiak and Elway made the decision together, probably based on how Manning played, as well as how he was feeling. He took one really big hit in the game, I'd imagine he was pretty sore from that one for a few days.

Honestly, though, I wish the Broncos hadn't announced who was staring. Tell the players, but let the other team prepare for both qb's.

or better yet, list both QBs as "questionable" But yeah, not the brightest idea announcing this so early. But just because he has announced it doesn't mean he has to start, right? I mean there's no rule against that, right?

How much control does Kubiak really have? Elway have more control (yes I know GM verse Coach) but who really can tell the other person who he wants to start?

 

[Scooby-Doo]

The Broncos are a good team, but with this decision, it wouldn't surprise me if they are one and done. In addition, there is not better way to say "Brock, we don't believe in you" than this decision.