Peyton Manning can lead the Broncos to new heights. (Credit: Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIRE)

Peyton Manning didn’t waste any time after he was introduced as the new starting quarterback of the Denver Broncos. As soon as the press conference was over, Manning got a locker, changed into some Broncos gear, and got to work.

Ever since he arrived at Dove Valley to stay, Manning has been a fixture in the gym and the training room. He has been organizing workouts with other players and getting familiar with them. He has been going over his playbook. He has even been sleeping at the facility on occasion. Essentially, he has been doing everything one would hope their starting quarterback would be doing during the offseason.

Even though Manning used to tear up the Broncos as an opponent and drove me crazy, I always respected him because I thought he had every quality that I would want the Broncos next franchise-type quarterback to have. Never did I entertain even the slightest idea he would one day play for Denver, but in one of the wildest couple of weeks I can ever remember in Broncos Country, that is exactly where we stand today.

In the modern day NFL, there are 2 classes of organizations: The Haves and The Have Not’s. The franchises that have an elite quarterback are serious Super Bowl contenders and the others are not. An elite QB such as Tom Brady or Peyton Manning makes every person in the front office smarter and every player on the field better. In a day in age when the player turnover from year to year is at an all-time high, the franchise quarterback is the one constant and the one guy who can provide true consistency from season to season. They can cover up a lot of holes in an organization. From weak spots on the roster to draft misses by the personnel department, an elite quarterback can overcome all of those things and win football games.

I would rather the Broncos had found their next franchise quarterback via the draft so they would be set for the next 10-15 years, but landing an older version of an all-time great who hopefully has 3 or 4 good seasons left is still worth celebrating. In this league, you take a franchise quarterback when you can get one. They are the most valuable properties a team can have, and Manning makes the Broncos a “Have” in the hierarchy of the league.

There are two statistics worth noting that makes the Manning signing even more of a slam dunk. The first is that there is about a 50% turnover rate when it comes to teams making the playoffs from year to year. Can you guess what teams that return to the playoffs in consecutive seasons have in common? That’s right, they have the best quarterbacks. The second statistic is that the last 9 Super Bowl champions were quarterbacked by the following 6 players: Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, Drew Brees, and Aaron Rodgers. If every person out there were to make a list of the best quarterbacks in the NFL right now, those 6 guys would be at the very top of all of them. Now think about this: one of those guys plays for the Denver Broncos!

So, now that Denver has one of the best quarterbacks in the league, they also have the high expectations that comes with him. The franchise and their fans will no longer be satisfied by making it to the divisional round of the playoffs. The Broncos have a legitimate Super Bowl window opening up right now, but they may only have 3 or 4 seasons to take advantage of it. Signing Peyton Manning may have been the easy part. Now more than ever, the franchise needs to operate with a sense of urgency.

Yes, the 2012 schedule is tough, but it is tough for every team. There are almost no easy wins in the NFL. The “strength of schedule” is one of the most fictitious statistics around. With a playoff turnover rate of about 50%, there are playoff teams from last year that will regress, and there are poor teams from 2011 that will make great strides in 2012. The bottom line is that you should expect every football game to be tough, and you hope that at the end of the day your team is more talented than the opponent. Most of the time, the more talented players make the plays necessary to win a game. I like Denver’s chances with Peyton Manning at quarterback.

The good news is that I believe the Broncos are already closer to being a Super Bowl caliber team than most people think. Manning is far from alone out there. I expect receivers Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker to have breakout seasons in 2012. I think the Andre Caldwell signing is underrated and that he will make a big impact. Joel Dreessen and Jacob Tamme have the potential be a dangerous tandem from 2 tight end sets. And probably most important of all, Peyton Manning’s presence will make the defense better and gives Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil an opportunity to absolutely terrorize opponents.

All of this will take some time however. There are a lot of new people and a lot of moving parts. It will take a little while for everyone to get on the same page, but once they do I expect the Denver Broncos to look every bit like the AFC West favorites. With an elite quarterback like Peyton Manning coming to Denver, success on the football field shouldn’t be too far behind.

Make sure to follow @MileHighMonday and @Predomorange on Twitter.

Peyton Manning (left) speaks during a press conference to announce his release from Indianapolis. The Colts decision to cut Manning could be a big gain for the Broncos. (US Presswire)

It’s never boring in Broncos Country and this week was no different. Denver was once again making national headlines as they made a serious run at free agent superstar quarterback Peyton Manning.

Manning became a free agent last week when he was cut by the Indianapolis Colts after 14 years. Most people, myself included, thought that Denver would not be a major player in the Manning sweepstakes. We couldn’t have been more wrong.

The Broncos not only pursued Manning, they quickly became one of his leading suitors and were the first team to get him for a recruiting visit. The Manning watch built up throughout the weekend, and last night Denver Sportscaster Vic Lombardi went so far as to tweet that the Broncos are “95% confident” they will sign Manning. Does this mean that it is a done deal? Of course not. Does it mean that excitement and debate is at an all-time high in Broncos Country? Absolutely!

Most of the controversy surrounding the possible signing of Manning centers on Tim Tebow. There isn’t a more polarizing figure in sports, so naturally any story involving him is equally polarizing. There is a hard-line contingent of Tebow supporters who want nothing more than for him to be quarterback and they are up in arms over the possibility of signing Manning. At this point, I believe that contingent of Broncos Country has lost their objectivity.

Make no mistake about it, I love Tim Tebow. If you go back and read my articles from the 2011 season, you would be hard-pressed to find someone who supported Tebow as ardently as I did. He led the Broncos to a great year and provided an excitement in Broncos Country that has been missing for a long time. Denver won the AFC West title and a playoff game for the first time since 2005, and he revitalized the organization and put them back on the league map. This is a team on the rise for the first time in several years, and most fans believe the dark days of 2010 are behind us to stay. There are a lot of people to thank for this turnaround, including John Elway, but Tebow deserves a large share of the praise.

Yet, with all that said, Denver is still a young team that has a lot of work to do if they want to contend for a championship. Moreover, a lot of that work needs to be done by Tebow himself. He has to improve measurably as a passer if he is going to take the Broncos offense to the next level. I do believe that he can be an effective quarterback in this league, but I also realize that he has a long way to go to become elite.

Many of the fanatical Tebow supporters believe that pursuing Manning is an indictment on Tebow by the organization. That couldn’t be further from the truth. It simply boils down to the fact that in the rare instance when an all-time great quarterback is available as a free agent, the Broncos have to look into it and do their due diligence. They would be doing a disservice to the fans otherwise. The main goal after all, is being the very best they can be at every single position.

The bottom line is this: Peyton Manning will make the Broncos a Super Bowl contender immediately, period. The Broncos will simply be a better team in 2012 with Manning behind center. I know he is coming off a major injury, I know he is going to be 36 years old soon, and I know there is no guarantee he can get back to 100%. However, he still makes the Denver Broncos better. In a league that is absolutely driven by the quality of your quarterback, taking this risk is worth it. Denver would automatically become the favorite in the AFC West and a Super Bowl window would open up. A legitimate Super Bowl window is priceless, and teams need to take advantage of that opportunity when it arises. It has also been reported that Manning will be willing to write his contract to help protect the team that signs him financially. He essentially comes with his own insurance policy! This will ease the risk on the Broncos and makes signing him even more worthwhile.

Speaking of finances, some critics believe that Denver should spend their money on several other marquee free agents in order to fill multiple holes rather than use it on Manning. While it’s true that a guy like Peyton Manning won’t come cheap, the Broncos are currently more than $40 million under the salary cap. So not only do they have the spending power available to outbid other suitors for Manning, but they will certainly have a pile of cash left over to go after additional free agents. And if there is one thing I know for sure, it’s that sports stars like to play together. There is no doubt in my mind that if the Broncos manage to sign Manning, Denver will automatically become THE free agent destination in the NFL. He could be the first of several impact players to head to the Rockies. Guys like Mario Williams, Dallas Clark, LaRon Landry, Reggie Wayne, and Vincent Jackson would all at least take a look at what’s going on in Denver. The possibilities are endless.

In a perfect world, Tim Tebow would stay in Denver and learn under Manning in the event he becomes a Bronco. Tim could not only work on his mechanics and skills, but he could improve mentally and get an education from one of the best to ever play the game. That essentially is what Aaron Rodgers did in Green Bay, and that seems to have worked out just fine. Unfortunately, the word from several outlets is that Tebow would not remain in Denver if Manning comes aboard. He understandably is shaken from this whole ordeal and would most likely want to move on. Denver would probably trade him for picks to help bring in more talent. This outcome would be disappointing, especially since I have cheered so hard for Tim Tebow and am grateful for his work as a Denver Bronco. Nevertheless, the only thing a sports fan can truly ask of their team is that they seriously try and win the Super Bowl, and signing Peyton Manning is an indication that the Broncos want to contend NOW. John Elway believes this move is for the best, and I for one agree with him.

Make sure to follow @MileHighMonday and @Predomorange on Twitter so we can talk Broncos football every day.

These Denver Broncos are a team in every sense of the word. (Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)

Thoughts on the thrilling win over the Minnesota Vikings at Mall of America Field (In no particular order):

• One of my favorite things to do after the Broncos win is read thoughts on the game from the players themselves. Interacting with NFL players is one of the most attractive features of Twitter and is why I’m an avid user. After the win yesterday, offensive lineman Zane Beadles tweeted the following:

Another W!!! Can’t say enough about our defense!! Turned it on in the second half on O! #newresolve #Broncos #lovethisteam

• In my mind, that is pretty much all that needs to be read in order to understand why Denver’s winning ways continue even in the face of doubt by a majority of the national media. This is a TEAM in every sense of the word. We all know that the defense forced 3 turnovers yesterday that were absolutely pivotal, but for the most part they had a rough day. It was the offense who picked up the defense this weekend rather than the other way around. Yet, here is an offensive player who gives the initial credit to the defense. Not only that, but he openly states that he loves this team. This is exactly what you wish for as a fan. All you want to see is that the players on the field care about the outcome as much as you do. You want to see them play together and win games. You hope for a time when everything seems to come together and your team goes on a magical run that you simply have to see to believe. In a sense, this is what sports are all about, and it has been a long time since a Denver Broncos team has made the game this much fun for their fans. What a great time to be a member of Broncos Country!

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