Peyton Manning Trying To Follow John Elway’s Path In Denver

The comparison has been made a lot. John Elway won two Super Bowls at the end of his career well into his late 30’s. Peyton Manning is trying to do the same thing. The only difference is Manning has already won a Super Bowl ring as he tries to close out his career on a strong note.

“I really have tried to play with a sense of urgency since I’ve been 22 years old,” Manning said after Thursday’s practice. “I think it’s only fair to the players on that current team that you give your very best.”

The question has to be asked. What kind of a relationship do Elway and Manning have as it stands right now. Is it a teacher-student relationship? A confidant relationship? A ‘let’s watch game film together’ relationship?

According to Manning, Elway maintains the same type of ‘boss’ relationship with him as he does with the rest of the team.

“John’s out here at practice everyday,” Manning said. “I think he’s very available to all the players. When we’re eating lunch, he’s in there at a table. He seems to have his pulse on everything…He and coach [John] Fox have told all they players they have an open door policy.”

Elway actually watches film on his own for the record.

While Elway owns that famous 98-yard touchdown drive called “The Drive,” which helped the Broncos beat the Cleveland Browns in the AFC Championship Game,  Manning has orchestrated 45-game winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime to rank second in NFL history behind only Dan Marino.

The Elway-Manning relationship is an interesting one to follow, but it will be even more interesting to see if Manning can follow the path that Elway carved out in Denver.

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