December 30, 2012; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning reacts on the sidelines during the second half against the Kansas City Chiefs at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Broncos won 38-3. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

On Tuesday night, the Colorado Rockies hosted some very special dignitaries during their 2-0 win over the New York Yankees at Coors Field: the Denver Broncos. Well many of them anyway. Peyton Manning, Orlando Franklin, Eric Decker, Champ Bailey, Von Miller, and Wes Welker were among the lot of Broncos who occupied a suite for the game. While they were probably there to watch the game and engage in a team-building adventure, Manning and Decker had ulterior motives. It seems that quarterback sent his favorite possession receiver on a post pattern to perpetrate a prank on the mountainous Franklin.

The plan, as described by Root Sports’ Jenny Cavnar on the Evans and Klatt Show on FM 104.3 The Fan Wednesday morning was to interview Franklin, creating a distraction (and trust me, the lovely Ms. Cavnar is quite the distraction). So during this interview, Decker was to come up from behind the big man and give him the whipped cream pie in the face. The prank was pulled off without a hitch. What is even more intriguing about, this per Cavnar is that Decker approached her ahead of time and simply asked where she would be doing the interview so he could plan out his route to Franklin. However that was too simplistic for Manning. True to form, the future hall of fame QB and world class prankster practically took over the production of the interview segment. According to Cavnar, he started to talk about the placement of her and the “mark”, which direction they should face, and all sorts of seemingly miniscule details.

There are two parts this story which are encouraging as a Broncos fan. First of all the camaraderie of the team, including the newly acquired Welker. The fun, close-knit environment that I picked up on while watching this prank play out appeared to be similar to the vibe that we felt around that team in the late 1990′s when the Broncos hoisted the Lombardi Trophy twice. Secondly, the precision in which Manning directed the prank clearly showed that this is in fact his team. In addition, there is the vigilance which he approaches aspects outside of football. We  knew this already about Manning, but he seems as determined to create the harmony within the team off the field as the game plan on it. I am guarded about crowning the Broncos anything before the first weekend in February but I am getting THAT feeling again. I just hope it is an omen instead of indigestion.

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Denver Broncos tackle Orlando Franklin (74) protects in the third quarter against the Cleveland Browns at Sports Authority Field. The Broncos defeated the Browns 34-12. (Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports)

Just because you protect Peyton Manning on the field doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s going to do the same for you off the field. Manning orchestrates pranks as well as he orchestrates the no huddle, and Tuesday night provided further proof.

Manning got his teammates together for a little field trip to the Colorado Rockies v. New York Yankees game. With a 0-0 ballgame and rain coming down, Manning and Eric Decker teamed up to set up right tackle Orlando Franklin. Keep in mind that this was Franklin’s first professional baseball game.

I’m sure Decker enjoyed being on Manning’s side this time.

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Jan 12, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (18) talks with center Dan Koppen (67) against the Baltimore Ravens during the AFC divisional round playoff game at Sports Authority Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Slow and steady wins the race? Not for Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos offense. The big bosses at Dove Valley no doubt have big plans this off season to turn the offensive line into a speed machine; and there is no better man to help that area than one of the greats at reading lines. Even though Manning’s debut year was only last year, that gave the four-time MVP enough to analyze on what he can do to make most of him being at the helm. Under Peyton’s leadership, the Denver Broncos had 190 offensive possessions during the 2012 regular season. The Broncos scored 481 points. Each time Manning and and his offense had their hands on the football, they averaged 2.53 points, according to a source at the Denver Post. In fact with Manning leading the way, the Broncos were 2nd in league scoring in 2012. Not bad for his debut run after sitting out a year and recovering from numerous neck surgeries.

The goal isn’t to be second place, it is to be first place and win Super Bowls. You can bet that Manning knows the key to this is speed. “Hurry! Hurry!”, sound familiar? I swear that is all I heard watching the games on TV was Manning yelling that phrase, but it’s true. “For whatever reason, our offense plays better the faster we go.” Peyton tells Mark Kiszla from the Denver Post at the team’s practice facility Monday. ” I think that was clear cut last season. The receivers liked it; they got into a rhythm. Anything we can do as an offense to build off that, anything we can do to make us more efficient as an offense, that’s what we’re looking to do.”

It is not only about being fast, but being efficient with that speed. As the team begins their off-season conditioning practices, there is a lot to work on with the receivers. Wes Welker, Demaryius Thomas, and Eric Decker have already had opportunities to practice with Manning at Duke University recently. Imagine what they will be like with the team in a few months. I remember when Manning first began practice with the Broncos and the time he took to truly build a working relationship and rapport with each player. Being 2nd in the league for scoring and the 13-3 record is a direct result of excellent team communication.

Tomorrow, the NFL is expected to release the dates of the regular season home and away opponents. Next week, the NFL Draft begins. The best is yet to come!

Go Broncos!

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