Marquice Cole Not Confident He Can Help Peyton Manning

Oct 27, 2013; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots defensive back Marquice Cole (23) is congratulated by teammate New England Patriots defensive tackle Chris Jones (94) after intercepting a Miami Dolphins pass during the fourth quarter of their 27-17 win at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

Marquice Cole, a cornerback who had been released by the Patriots four times this season, recently signed with the Denver Broncos.

It’s probably no coincidence that he was signed the week the Broncos play the Pats for the AFC Title, and I’ve already decided to give him the nickname “The Mole”. However, his arrival doesn’t automatically mean the Broncos have all the answers, and he said as much, per Mike Klis of the Denver Post.

“When you have people like Peyton, I’m pretty sure he knows more about the defense than even I would. Same thing with (Patriots QB) Tom (Brady). What could I say to Peyton Manning, you know? What, ‘They’re going to be in cover-one, they’re going to be in cover-two, they’re going to be in cover.’ It is what it is. He is going to do his scouting, which I’m pretty sure he’s been doing before I even signed here, so there isn’t much I can do to help out.”

How do you argue with that? Cole makes a good point. There’s probably nothing he can tell Peyton Manning about the Patriots’ defense that Peyton hasn’t already seen on tape. The Broncos already played the Patriots once this season, and Manning’s been scouting them since Monday morning after beating the Chargers.

It’s interesting to get a player’s take on this situation, but while Cole doesn’t think he’s going to be much help to Manning, he could certainly be help to defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio and the group of guys in the defensive backfield.

We’ll see if he’s even active on Sunday afternoon, but hopefully the signing of Cole means more than just arbitrarily filling a roster spot.