Peyton Manning: Fueled by the Doubters?

Oh, look. More “news” about Peyton Manning that isn’t news.

By now, you’ve heard the latest that Manning has told John Elway and the Denver Broncos he’s good to go for the 2015 season – both mentally and physically. Chris Mortensen of ESPN was the first to report the latest “news.” If Manning weren’t set to return, why would he tell Elway and the Broncos this?

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We’ve gone over and over and over what this means. From whether Manning should take a pay cut to whether some of this news is just click bait. It’s been examined ad nauseam.

One aspect of this whole thing that has gone unspoken, and not just about Manning, is how the Broncos are no longer discussed as a “contender.” Suddenly the team with the most talent in the NFL isn’t a threat to the mighty New England Patriots or Indianapolis Colts or even the Oakland Raiders. It seems most still give the edge to the Broncos over the Cleveland Browns, so they have that going for them.

All of this change at Dove Valley means that Denver is now an also ran. “There’s just too much change.” “How could Manning ever make it work in a brand new offense with two guys who run a completely different system.” “The time has run out.” “Manning has nothing left.” “He should just retire, and if he doesn’t, Elway and the Broncos must move on.”

I hope Manning is listening to all of this. He can say he doesn’t pay attention to the noise from the outside, but he’s human. Who doesn’t want to know what people think about them? Given how driven he is, and what unfolded the last time he was on a football field, this noise will only fuel him to come back even better.

Jan 11, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (18) against the Indianapolis Colts in the 2014 AFC Divisional playoff football game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Colts defeated the Broncos 24-13. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

By now you would think people would learn to not question PFM. He came back from four neck surgeries when no one thought or said it was possible. If Manning could come back from that, when he couldn’t even throw a football, he can come back from that dreadful performance in the playoffs. Or however long you want to say his play dropped off.