Peyton Manning has found his new home: the Denver Broncos. After tons of speculation, rumor, and media attention, Manning finally chose his new team after his release by the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts felt secure in their position to draft Andrew Luck and decided to move on from the legendary but injured Manning, raising questions of whether Manning would play again, and if so, where. Those have been answered, but a new question arises: will he succeed?
Denver was desperate for a franchise quarterback. After trading the skilled but inconsistent Jay Cutler to the Chicago Bears, uncertainty rocked the franchise. Kyle Orton played well for a while, but his weaknesses soon came through and fans grew impatient. Then, Tebow happened. After leading the Broncos to an improbable playoff berth and a stunning first-round upset of the Pittsburgh Steelers, it looked like Tebow was the future.
Not anymore. John Elway and the Denver front office couldn't get rid of him any faster, trading him to the Jets almost immediately after signing Manning. Now, Tebow is off in another quarterback controversy and backup Brady "Who?" Quinn is left to ponder what could have been.
Now, the Broncos think they've found their answer. But Manning, after multiple neck surgeries including a spinal fusion, is no sure thing. Once the pinnacle of quarterbacking skill, Manning is surrounded by doubt. Is he going to be himself once the season starts? Will he be more cautious and less decisive after his time in recovery? And is he just one inevitable hit away from retirement or, God forbid, paralysis?
Those are questions of the future that will have to be answered later. But what about the X's and O's? All speculation on Manning's health aside, will the Broncos be a successful team with him? Are they good enough to become the new Colts, a consistent contender who can practically etch its name into the playoff bracket?
The Broncos succeeded last season because of (among other things) two big factors: a strong running game and solid defense. With the resurgence of Willis McGahee and a stellar blocking line, the Broncos gave Tebow the best chance to succeed by making him not have to be, well, Peyton Manning. There was always the threat of a run from McGahee or Tebow, forcing defenders to the box and giving Tebow favorable matchups on his beloved deep throws. Meanwhile, the Broncos defense, led by Champ Bailey and Von Miller, made opponents work harder at scoring than the Broncos offense had to.
Manning, on the other hand, comes from a situation where his team's success hinged almost solely on him. The Colts were not a running team nor a hard-nosed defensive team, but they won anyway because of their nigh-unstoppable passing game. It helped that for many years Manning had an incredible receiving duo of Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne catching his pinpoint passes, propelling the Colts to a Super Bowl victory.
The Broncos don't have quite that pedigree, but do have promising young talent in Eric Decker and Demarious Thomas. They succeeded with Tebow under center, and its not a stretch to imagine even greater things with Manning throwing. Manning, though, is known as a field general. He makes the calls and runs the system. Will the younger players be able to catch on quickly enough and recreate that synchronicity? The option to hand the ball off to McGahee should theoretically help that development, but will Manning be satisfied with that? Coach John Fox did a brilliant job instilling the discipline in his team that let them succeed in a Tebow-fied offense, but will Manning upset that?
Manning seems like a walking playoff spot. How could he not take the Broncos to the playoffs after having done it so many times for the Colts? But it's not that simple. He's switching teams. He's switching philosophies. He's injured. This is a new situation with new circumstances and possibly new results. This is the grand Manning experiment, and the NFL awaits the conclusion.
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