We all know Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning is not the most nimble of foot, but when it comes to throwing on the run?
“I feel that I throw pretty well on the run, to tell you the truth,” said Manning himself.
Questions about Manning’s ability to make plays on the run have risen thanks to the new scheme being installed by Gary Kubiak. Manning explained even further his ability to throw on the run at the Broncos’ first training camp practice on Friday.
“I never had as many designed roll-outs or scrambles, but I’ve sprinted out through the years. I do that in the red zone a lot—throwing on the run and sprinting out. I actually think I throw pretty well on the run for a guy that doesn’t really run well.
I actually throw well on the run, maybe even better than some guys that actually run well. I will say, my dad did throw real well on the run and could run well at the same time. He did at a young age kind of teach me about throwing on the run. There is a couple of little things that he taught me that I still carry through.
I’ve always felt I’ve been a pretty accurate thrower on the run. A lot of times you see quarterbacks sprinting out, you see a guy wide open, you see the pass is inaccurate, goes into their feet or over their head because the quarterback is not as accurate throwing on the run. So I’ve always kind of worked it through the years and feel I can do a pretty good job of that so I feel like I can get out there when a guy’s open I can be able to get him.”
Manning also discussed Gary Kubiak’s play-calling system. It’s unclear at this point whether the storyline people are looking for is whether Manning is worried about playing under center or whether he’s worried about having to move outside of the pocket on play-action. Whatever it is that reporters are looking to squeeze out of Manning, he’s not giving it to them.
“Coach Kubiak said it last night. It’s football. There are not that many new plays out there. However you call them or whatever that is, it’s not that big of a deal. It’s about executing them. I know I’ll get the plays in and we’ll be able to kind of have the plays that everybody feels good about.
We’re going to try to find out during this training camp, kind of see what receivers do certain routes well and the running plays that [RB] Montee [Ball] does best, [RB] C.J. [Anderson] does best or [RB] Ronnie [Hillman], whoever that may be, and then try to give everybody the best chance to succeed. I think that makes a lot of sense.”
This is Peyton Manning we’re talking about. Of course, he doesn’t run well to begin with but playing a lot of games last year with a torn quad, it was worse than usual. Manning’s ability to execute Gary Kubiak’s offense, however, should not be in question. This is not a matter of ‘if’ he can play in this offense, it’s about how great can the Broncos be with he and Kubiak working together.
My guess is, the fruits are going to be sweet.