2012 Broncos/NFL Preview Special Section -- The Denver Post by Peter Dettmann

Wednesday

6 section BB

september 5, 2012 B denverpost.com B the denver post

2012 broncos/nfl preview

the denver post

From his head to his toes, many elements make Peyton Manning one of the best ever. »3BB Relationship evolving between Broncos executive John Elway and Manning. »6BB Player capsules breaking down the Broncos’ offense and defense. »10BB, 11BB

Photo-illustration by Jeff Neumann, The Denver Post

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The mind of Manning Broncos happy to mix QB’s extraordinary football brainpower with their horsepower

Peyton Manning, the only four-time MVP in NFL history, can make a PowerPoint presentation on how to dissect a defense. His 399 touchdown passes are proof. AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post By Mike Klis The Denver Post

ike Martz was watching the Broncos practice, not like the television commentator he’s practicing to be but as the offensive coordinator he had been. Specifically, Martz was observing quarterback Peyton Manning, who is new to the Broncos but not to the NFL. Because anticipation is one of Manning’s greatest qualities, Martz explained, his greatest adjustment with the Broncos would be becoming familiar with his new set of receivers. “See that ball right there?’’ Martz said excitedly. As if on cue during the Aug. 24 practice, receiver Brandon Stokley sprinted forward from the slot with a defensive player backpedaling close by. Stokley came to a halt, still well covered, and cut to his right. As Stokley moved out of his cut, he gained a step on the defender. The ball was already airborne. The pass wasn’t hurried. Stokley’s fingers were not in peril. But as he turned, the ball was coming. Catch, gain of 10 yards.

“He threw the ball right out of the cut,’’ Martz said, marveling at the hardly simple completion. “He doesn’t have to gun it. Kurt Warner was like that. Neither one had the strongest arm, but that strong-arm stuff is overrated.’’ Jeff George could throw a tomato through a locomotive, as Martz put it. But like so many strong-arm quarterbacks, George too often waited for his receiver to come open first. Then he threw. By the time the ball arrives, no matter how fast the ball is humming, the receiver may no longer be open. Anticipation comes from the mind, which says something about how Manning thinks on the football field. He can see before the image has formed. Stokley wasn’t there, yet, but Manning saw him there anyway. There are times when Manning can tell merely by watching how a linebacker stands whether he is going to drop into coverage or sprint forward on a blitz. Manning can watch how his receiver comes off the line of scrimmage and tell whether he will be open 17½ yards down the field. The Broncos don’t have to put a tight end in motion to figure out whether the safety is going to chase, which would indicate man-to-man defense, or drop back into a zone. For going on a decade or so, Manning has been considered the NFL’s smartest quarterback. His cerebral reputation was primarily incited through his demonstrative commands at the line of scrimmage — well away from the secretive huddle and in front of God, a fan-filled stadium and television audience. What his many observers may not realize, though, is Manning’s mind is not a gift so much as it’s been developed. Genius was less a birthright than the product of mental exercise. “I can’t sit here and say he was smarter than everybody else in school, but he was always pretty driven to make good grades,’’ said Archie Manning, Peyton’s father. “He wanted to be at the head of the class. So it was work that got him there. He did work at it.’’ Manning’s mind isn’t wired in a way where he suddenly gets the urge to draw equations on the chalkboard, like Matt Damon’s character in “Good Will Hunting.”

Nor is Manning like Russell Crowe’s character in “A Beautiful Mind.” “I was more of a grinder,’’ Manning said. “I used to envy these kids who didn’t have to study and get grades.” He did use “Top Gun” characters to call his pass routes during his senior year at Isidore Newman High School in New Orleans. “We used to number our pass routes — 51, 52 — and he came up to me one day and said, ‘Coach, the receivers seem to be having difficulty learning the pass patterns,’ ’’ said Peyton’s high school offensive coordinator, Frank Gendusa, who later became brother Eli Manning’s prep head coach. “And I said, ‘OK, Peyton what do you suggest we do?’ ” A couple of days later, Newman’s offense was calling its pass routes “Maverick,” “Goose,” “Charlie,” “Ice.” If this sounds a tad sophomoric for the buttoned-up, ever-professional Peyton Manning, it’s because it was. “I’ve always been into word association,’’ Manning said. “Like for instance on a hook route, I came up with Captain. It was our backup quarterback who had the ‘Top Gun’ suggestions. So my suggestions got trumped. Maverick and Goose — there’s no word association. At the time, I’d ask, ‘Why is this called Maverick?’ ‘Well, because it is.’ ’’ It may have been nonsense, but Manning went along. Sometimes, a leader is better off going along, even if it rubs against every logical brainwave. In school, Manning got A’s because he studied. How do you ace a spelling test? By going over the word list over and over again. His is a mind heavy on common sense. Football has its teaching tools too. It has a playbook with X’s and O’s. And it has a film room where the X’s and O’s transform into blockers, tacklers and athletes. Manning looks at football film the way a Louvre curator gazes at the Mona Lisa. “Film study for me was kind of my way of, ‘How do you get an edge?’ ’’ Manning said. “I’m not going to throw it through them. I can’t outrun them. If I can know where they’re going before the play starts, I can get some kind of edge. Wheth-

Montana bests Elway With likely Hall of Famer Peyton Manning joining the Broncos this season, we asked a Denver Post panel of experts to pick its top 10 NFL quarterbacks of all time. Voting based on 10 points for the top pick, 9 for No. 2, etc.: Quarterback Points 1. Joe Montana 47 2. John Elway 38 3. Johnny Unitas 34 4. Peyton Manning 30 5. (tie) Tom Brady 22 5. (tie) Otto Graham 22 7. (tie) Roger Staubach 17 7. (tie) Bart Starr 17 9. Brett Favre 12 10. Dan Marino 11 Others receiving votes: Terry Bradshaw (9), Joe Namath (9), Steve Young (5), Sammy Baugh (2) Panel: Lindsay H. Jones, Mark Kiszla, Mike Klis, Jeff Legwold, Woody Paige

er you have an edge or not, at least you think you have one.’’

Attention to detail Science would be far more interesting to more students if the assigned project in lab class was to build the perfect quarterback. Start with John Elway’s arm. It’d be nice to have Michael Vick’s legs and Joe Namath’s release. Mix in a heavy dose of Joe Montana’s poise under pressure. Might as well throw in Tom Brady’s good looks because, you know, the perfect quarterback figures to be on his share of magazine covers. There is enough accuracy in the arms of Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers and Warner to fill an army of perfect quarterbacks. Manning’s mind would be the

“

no-brainer to the perfect-quarterback project. “I would say so,’’ said Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy. “He’s pretty special.’’ It’s not just smarts, though. There is so much gushing about Manning’s football intelligence that his physical skills become an afterthought. Manning has prototype quarterback size at 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds strong. His intelligence may have required work, but his dad told him from a young age that his textbook throwing motion was natural. Manning didn’t throw 399 regularseason touchdown passes during his 13 playing years with the Indianapolis Colts merely by thinking the ball to his receivers. Even if plenty of thought went into it. As former NFL quarterback Phil Simms once told The Denver Post: “I’m the smartest guy there is when you line us up for the 100 meters. Big deal. We run the 100 meters, I’m not getting the gold medal.’’ Still, distinguishing the physical attributes of the all-time best quarterbacks can be debated. Reading a defense before the snap, adjusting to a defensive disguise after the snap, understanding opponent tendencies on third down and vulnerabilities against the no-huddle — this is where Manning is the NFL’s valedictorian. “There’s no coach in the NFL who knows more offensive football than he does,’’ Martz said. And it’s not like Manning’s mind won’t stray to the creative reaches of the brain. In high school, he added shifts and motions to Gendusa’s plays. In the NFL, Manning has come up with plays he later saw other teams copy as he was watching film. “His attention to detail is out of this world,’’ McCoy said. “But he’s an out of the box thinker too. The other day he gave a five-minute dissertation to the other three quarterbacks about what he thinks about each of these six or seven concepts.’’

A home-schooled QB It can’t be a coincidence, can it? There has to be a connection between Peyton Manning having such a beautiful football mind and having Archie Manning as his father. “He sat across the kitchen table from an all-pro, college Hall of Fame quarterback all his life,’’ Gendusa said. “I think Peyton was a little bit ahead of most kids when

they come into school to learn football. He knew football. He was around football with his dad from when he was a little bitty kid.’’ But to hear Archie talk, Peyton and Eli grew up to become premier NFL quarterbacks through happenstance and self-sufficiency. “I can’t take credit,’’ Archie Manning said. “Football-wise, you have to consider he didn’t play organized football for the first time until seventh grade. Seventh grade quarterback is what it is: You hand off and you throw a few passes. Ninth grade is maybe where he started getting into the cerebral part of the game. He did ask me a lot of questions. His questions to me at that time were more about, ‘What’s my do’s and don’ts with the two-minute drill?’ Rather than, ‘Should I read the middle linebacker and the strong safety on this particular play?’ That wasn’t happening at age 15 or 16.’’ Peyton said his father would sit up on the top row during high school games. Archie didn’t come to practices. He never gave suggestions to the coaches. There were throwing sessions with Dad on Sundays — Peyton was 8 when his father played his final NFL season, in 1984. But Archie is more apt to talk about the five all-state receivers he worked with — most notably his oldest son Cooper — than any tip he may have passed on to Peyton or Eli. Archie insists Peyton got most of his coaching from his coaches. He’s getting instruction now from Denver quarterbacks coach Adam Gase. Even though Gase never played quarterback, no one in the past five months has been more inside Manning’s mind. “You have so much on your plate playing quarterback, you need somebody coaching you on your footwork, your mechanics,’’ Manning said. “Adam and I probably spend more time together than anybody else here. We have done intense studies prior to games. We’ve taken the film from every single angle on throwing motions. What I like about Adam is he is also what I would call a grinder. He has the same goal that I do, which is to play quarterback at as high a level as you can play. So he meets me early, we stay late. We talk on the phone. He’s been a big help to me.’’ Just because Manning knows more offensive football than his coaches doesn’t mean he’s not coachable. He’s smart that way.

Film study for me was kind of my way of, ‘How do you get an edge?’ I’m not going to throw it through them. I can’t outrun them. If I can know where they’re going before the play starts, I can get some kind of edge. Whether you have an edge or not, at least you think you have one.” Peyton Manning, Broncos QB

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The making of a Hall of Fame QB

f Peyton Manning never throws another pass in an NFL regular-season game, he’s going to the Pro Football Hall of Fame having already carved out a large slice of history. He’s the NFL’s only four-time MVP, he was Super Bowl MVP in a victory over the Bears, he has been named to 11 Pro Bowls and has thrown for at least 4,000 yards in 11 seasons. NFL reporter Jeff Legwold breaks down the elements that make Manning great:

St. Louis Rams coach Jeff Fisher, who faced Manning twice a season in their former lives as Tennessee Titans coach and Colts quarterback, has phrased it simply: “It’s like playing a video game with the guy who wrote the program to the video game and you never get to win. That’s how it felt at times, that even when you were right as a defensive playcaller, you weren’t right because he had moved on to the next move.’’ Show Manning a defensive look, he remembers when you did it before and how to beat it. And he does it at game speed, in mere seconds at the line of scrimmage. “He knows the whole picture,’’ said Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey. “Not only 3 has he mastered what he’s supposed to do, he knows everything you can do against it and remembers everything you’ve tried.’’

The seasons of Manning Peyton Manning started every game during his Colts’ career until the 2011 season. His worst year, statistically, was his rookie season, but his play has been consistent — and high — since then. TOUCHDOWNS

’98

56.7% comp.

1 2

71.2

Pass rushers often speak of how Manning doesn’t peek at the rush, or at least they don’t see him do it from the pocket. His eyes are always moving, back and forth, looking over their heads, down the field, where plays can be made. He almost never telegraphs his next move. He routinely uses his eyes to misdirect the safeties to only then snap his head around and make the throw the other way. “He doesn’t give you a hint,’’ said Broncos cornerback Drayton Florence. “A lot of guys, you just watch their eyes, watch them lock in and you know where the ball is going. With Peyton, you just don’t know.’’

Dating back to his college days at Tennessee, some scouts looked at his footwork in the pocket and said he had “happy’’ feet. That he was unsteady, nervous even. But a few thousand completions later, people know the truth. Manning’s footwork is impeccable, his drops are consistent, his base just the right width as he transfers his weight from his back foot to the front foot to throw. All of that movement with his feet gives Manning the ability to set his feet in any direction when he finds the target. A player who rarely leaves the pocket, Manning’s ability not only to see the whole field, but to get his hips and feet into the proper alignment to throw anywhere has been one of the reasons he routinely has been one of the league’s most accurate passers. It has also allowed him to be one of the least-sacked quarterbacks in league history. “He moves in that small area of the pocket with anticipation and timing. He’s hard to get to,’’ said Minnesota Vikings coach Leslie Frazier, a former Colts assistant.

Manning’s delivery is economical and, like most parts of his game, there is little wasted motion. He has a high release, a good shoulder turn and with his ability to collate information quickly, the time it takes for him to decide to make a throw, then actually get the ball out of his hand is short. He sees it and throws it. Sounds simple, but it is one of the most difficult parts of being a quarterback in the NFL. Some quarterbacks don’t see the opening until the window for the completion is about to close. Or they see it, but can’t get their feet set to deliver the ball. Manning also has the other hallmark of accuracy, the ability to repeat his delivery over and over, under stress, and maintain a consistent release point. Manning never has been below a 62.1 percent completion rate since his second season. He has completed 67 percent of his passes or better four times.

575 pass attempts ’99

62.1% comp. 26

533 pass attempts ’00

62.5% comp.

94.7

QB rating

’01

QB rating

23 547 pass attempts

’02

66.3% comp.

19 27

88.8

591 pass attempts ’03

67.0% comp.

Completion rate: 83.3% (25/30) vs. ATL, Dec. 14 Passing TDs**: 6 vs. NO, Sept. 28

Passing TDs in a season: 49, 2nd alltime behind Tom Brady, 50, 2007

99.0

QB rating 566 pass attempts ’04

67.6% comp.

121.1 QB rating

497 pass attempts 67.3% comp.

Perfect games: Manning has scored a perfect passer rating (158.3) 4 times.

QB rating

453 pass attempts ’06

65.0% comp.

1. Week 8, 2000 vs. NE, Colts win 30-23

101.0 QB rating

557 pass attempts ’07

2. Week 10, 2002 vs. PHI, Colts win 35-13

65.4% comp.

98.0

QB rating

6. GENETICS

7. NECK

Broncos coach John Fox had former Broncos wide receiver Rod Smith speak to the team during minicamp. To make a point about effort and the role it plays in success, Smith told the room he was about to “embarrass Peyton a little bit.’’ Smith asked Manning if the quarterback was ever the only player in the building some nights this past offseason. Manning replied quickly with a “yes.’’ And Smith pointed out that one of the most accomplished players in the league’s history was still working as if he was hanging onto a roster spot. That it was that approach that should be emulated. Broncos executive John Elway has said Manning “raises all boats’’ by setting an example. Manning’s intensity and desire to get things right is evident in practice with his attention to detail, willingness to show younger players the finer points and his competitiveness in even the most mundane practice drills. “I like to practice,” Manning said. “I like to compete. This is what I want to do, where I want to be.’’

In the fervor that is the Southeastern Conference, the Manning family is football royalty. Archie Manning’s pedestal status at the University of Mississippi, as evidenced by the “Speed Limit 18’’ signs that still are on campus, to his career in the NFL is the starting point. The three Manning sons — Peyton, Cooper and Eli — all played football in their youth until Cooper had to quit the game because of a congenital spinal condition that was discovered early in his freshman season at Ole Miss. Peyton and Eli have gone on to be the only brothers to have started, and won, Super Bowls. Both have been to multiple Pro Bowls; both have lived in the limelight since their days in high school. Peyton said one of his favorite memories comes from the archive when a story was being done on Archie’s sons and the game they all love. “I remember I was pretty young and there’s a video and I’m asked who my favorite quarterback is and I say my dad,’’ Peyton Manning said. “And they ask Cooper, and he’s about 3, and he says ‘Roger Staubach.’ That just tells you everything right there.’’

Ah, the neck, the $96 million question. Manning has been poked, prodded and evaluated by a vast array of doctors. He missed the 2011 season because of a “single level anterior fusion,” a common procedure when a disc is removed and two vertebrae are fused using bone grafts to alleviate back-and-neck pain because the damaged disc had pinched a nerve. However, the fusion is not the issue as his football career moves forward. Said Dr. Eric McCarty, chief of sports medicine at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus: “You do have to make sure that it’s healed and that the bones are completely fused to each other. But once that occurs, that’s not going to break.’’ The biggest issue for Manning going forward is the regeneration of the nerves that were damaged, and that can take significant time. Manning had weakness in his right (throwing) arm after the surgery and has been building his strength back since.But his nerves may not be fully healed for some time.

14 515 pass attempts

’08

66.8% comp.

3. Week 4, 2003 vs. NO, Colts win 55-21 4. Wild -card game, 2003 vs. DEN, Colts win 41-10

95.0

QB rating 12

555 pass attempts ’09

68.8% comp. 16

99.9

QB rating

Comebacks in a season: 7, 1st all-time

33 571 pass attempts

’10

66.3% comp.

91.9

QB rating

Passes completed in a season: 450, 2nd alltime behind Drew Brees, 468, 2011

679 pass attempts

Jeff Legwold: jlegwold@denverpost.com or twitter.com/jeff_legwold

’11 Photo by John Leyba, Infographics by Jeff Neumann, The Denver Post. Sources: NFL, Sports Reference, LLC

Completions: 37 vs. TEN, Nov. 3

QB rating

104.1

5. LEADERSHIP

Consecutive completions: 14 vs. OAK, Sept. 10

Longest pass: 86 (to Marcus Pollard for a TD) vs. NO, Nov. 18

62.7% comp.

84.1

Gamewinning drives in a season*: 7, 3rd behind Eli Manning, 8, 2011 and Jake Delhomme 8, 2003

Passing yards: 440 vs. JAX, Sept. 25

33 571 pass attempts

’05

Pass attempts: 52 vs. NE, Nov. 1

QB rating

4. FEET

3. RELEASE

QB rating

2. EYES

Top stats

INTERCEPTIONS

90.7

1. MIND

BRONCOS «3BB

DID NOT PLAY

* Also 7 game-winning drives in 2009 ** Also 6 passing TDs vs. DET, Nov. 25, 2004

4BB» BRONCOS

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’60s

GEORGE

BLANDA 1949 – 1975

UNITAS

1956 – 1973

JOHN

BART

BRODIE

STARR

1957 – 1973

1956 – 1971

1957 – 1975

1957 – 1974

196 1,808 3,149 57.4% 16.1 24,718 7.8 126.1 152 138 9-1 2-0

CHICAGO BEARS BALTIMORE COLTS HOUSTON OILERS OAKLAND RAIDERS

BALTIMORE COLTS SAN DIEGO CHARGERS

GREEN BAY PACKERS

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

PITTSBURGH STEELERS CLEVELAND BROWNS DALLAS TEXANS KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES WASHINGTON REDSKINS

Hall of Fame (1981); led AFL in completions four times; three-time AFL champion (1960, 1961, 1967)

Hall of Fame (1979); 10 Pro Bowls; five-time first-team Pro Bowl; three-time NFL champion (1958, 1959, 1970)

Hall of Fame (1977); five-time NFL champion (1961, 1962, 1965, 1966, 1967)

Threw for more than 3,000 yards twice; led league with 61.9 completion pct. in 1965

Hall of Fame (1987); seven-time Pro Bowler; led league in completion percentage six times

Hall of Fame (1983); five times led league in passing yardage

Attempts Attempts/game Yards Yards/per attemptYards/game Touchdowns Interceptions Postseason record Super Bowl appearances

211 2,136 3,741 57.1% 17.7 28,711 7.7 136.1 239 183 5-3 1-1

SONNY

JURGENSEN

211 2,830 5,186 54.6% 24.6 40,239 7.8 190.7 290 253 6-2 1-1

Completion %

201 2,469 4,491 55% 22.3 31,548 7.0 157.0 214 224 2-3 0-0

LEN

DAWSON

340 1,911 4,007 47.7% 11.8 26,920 6.7 79.2 236 277 2-2 0-0

Games

Completions

Team (s)

JOHNNY

218 2,433 4,262 57.1% 19.6 32,224 7.6 147.8 255 189 0-0 0-0

JOE

NAMATH 1965 – 1977

140 1,886 3,762 50.1% 26.9 27,663 7.4 197.6 173 220 2-1 1-0 NEW YORK JETS LOS ANGELES RAMS Hall of Fame (1985); led Jets to Super Bowl III upset; threw for 4,007 yards in 1967

The 1960s marked the unofficial beginning of the modern era of the NFL. The passing game opened up, because of the influence of the startup AFL and greats such as George Blanda, Len Dawson and Joe Namath. The Colts’ Johnny Unitas was in his prime, and no one was better under pressure than the Packers’ Bart Starr. Severiano Galván and Tyler Sapkin, The Denver Post

Different game now With apologies to Mario, the NFL’s Mendoza Line for QBs has become 60 percent By Terry Frei The Denver Post

The NFL’s on-field product has evolved, perhaps primarily because the players have gotten bigger, stronger, faster and more athletic on both sides of the ball. Defenses have benefited from that, plus increased use of packages tailored for down and distance. The days are long gone of naming 11 defensive starters, sending them out and leaving them on the field until a change of possession. Any team’s “base” defense — whether with a three- or four-man front — seems almost a rarity at times. Yet there also have been rules changes designed to open up the game and allow receivers to run their routes relatively unimpeded, and that definitely has added to the defense’s challenges. Along the way, the standards of evaluation for quarterbacks have changed too. The “acceptable” completion percentage has gone from the 50s to the 60s, and to steal a label from baseball, the Mendoza Line for conventionalstyle quarterbacks might be 60 percent. The NFL’s passer rating, while a statistical fixture for nearly 40 years, has become more often cited, although also increasingly criticized in recent years. The passer rating was instituted in 1973, and it can be retroactively applied to players of previous eras too. Don’t count Broncos executive and Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway among its fans. “It’s easy to go to that rating as a mechanism to compare quarterbacks,” Elway said. “But everybody’s in a different system. Some are going to be more friendly to a high quarterback rating. If you look at the history of the West Coast offense, it has been very friendly to a high quarterback rating. “The bottom line is that it is one way (to judge), but you have to dig deep in the evaluation process. You’re going to look at the passer rating, but you have to dig deeper into so many other scenarios.” He added, dryly: “I don’t even know how it works. It seems like you can be 1-for-5 with a touchdown and have a 150 rating and be 7-for-10 with one pick

Former Saints quarterback Archie Manning had a career passer rating of 67.1, which by today’s standards would be well below average. But he played in an era in which the rules were tougher on quarterbacks. Associated Press file and have ’em run it in from the 1-yard line, and you’re going to have a 40 rating. That’s why I take that with a grain of salt.” The changes in the game and the evolution of quarterback standards might best be illustrated using the Manning clan. Archie Manning was considered a solid NFL quarterback, even when

playing for the shaky Saints. He has marveled many times about the change in evaluation standards since his playing days, comparing them with those now used to judge the performances of his sons Peyton and Eli. The father completed less than 50 percent of his passes in two of his seasons, and cracked 60 percent only three times, from 1978-80. In every other season, he

was in the 50s. Hall of Famer Johnny Unitas’ singleseason best was 58.5 percent. He was operating in an era when his peerless tight end, John Mackey, had to fight through muggings from linebackers to get into his pattern, and defensive backs could harass wide receivers virtually all the way through their routes. Even Elway, Peyton Manning’s boss,

didn’t surpass 60 percent until 1993, his 11th NFL season. Yet among Hall of Fame quarterbacks, his 51,475 career passing yards and 300 touchdown passes are first, and he has a rather pedestrian (by today’s standards) 56.9 completion percentage. The perception that NFL teams throw the ball more than ever before is correct, but only marginally so. Last season’s team average of 34.0 passing attempts per game was the secondhighest in league history, but the highwater mark of 34.8 came a long time ago — in 1995. The per-team average of 229.7 passing yards per game last season was the highest ever, but the jump wasn’t startling. The average cracked 200 yards for the first time in 1981, and has been above that figure in 27 of the 31 seasons since. The NFL passer rating involves completion percentage, passing yards per attempt, percentage of completions that go for touchdowns and percentage of passes intercepted. The best possible rating is 158.3. A QB’s running ability and yardage, and even his on-field savvy and playcalling adjustments on the field, aren’t considered. Also, it’s not out of line to argue that the formula overemphasizes interceptions as a negative. Avoiding them at all cost also can indicate excessive caution. Great quarterbacks take chances too — or, more important, know when risk is more acceptable, depending on game situations and their teams’ characteristics. Because of Elway’s ability to move and keep a play alive, running when necessary, the passer rating never did Elway justice. His career rating was 79.8, paling in comparison with Aaron Rodgers’ league-leading 122.5 in 2011. Archie Manning’s career rating was 67.1. Peyton Manning, who comes into the season with a career rating of 94.9, is the only man in NFL history to have four “perfect” games of 158.3. Three have been in the regular season, plus a Jan. 4, 2004, AFC wild-card playoff game against Denver. The Broncos might be willing to settle for less than perfection — under today’s standards.

64.9% Peyton Manning’s career completion rate; John Elway completed 56.9% of his passes.

Manning aims to defy history of older QBs By Benjamin Hochman The Denver Post

Peyton Manning’s precedence got a concussion. Who knows? If Joe Montana hadn’t been knocked out of the 1993 AFC championship game, the Chiefs might have gone on to the Super Bowl. Instead, no superstar quarterback has switched teams late in his career and led his new team to a Super Bowl victory. Montana couldn’t do it. Brett Favre came close with Minnesota, but he also lost in the championship game. As for comparing these three, Rich Gannon said it’s apples and oranges. “Each situation is different — but there’s no question it presents some challenges,” said the CBS analyst and former Super Bowl quarterback. “For Peyton, he’s got a new play-caller, and there are differences to what they’re doing in their system. That can be very unsettling to a guy who has been in one

system his entire career. And then he has to get used to the personnel — it’s no longer (Pierre) Garcon, (Reggie) Wayne and (Dallas) Clark. That’s a challenge. “And on the flip side of it, (offensive coordinator) Mike McCoy has to find what Peyton’s comfortable with, what he likes in certain situations, how he responds to certain things. The offensive line has to get used to his tempo, his pace, his cadence. Receivers have to get timing. And with the changes to the offseason program, it makes it a little more difficult, but I don’t think it’s a huge concern, because the guy is a tireless worker.” Manning is maniacal. Asked if he’s fueled daily by a focus to reach the Super Bowl, Manning said: “Yeah, I am. … That’s our goal as a team every day. That’s why we’re working hard, that’s why we pushed through two-a-days, that’s why we’ll be lifting weights here, trying to get better. There is a lot of time, and a lot of things are going to

“

A lot of things are going to happen, between now and when the Super Bowl is played. Our goal right now is to get better this week.” Peyton Manning

happen, between now and when the Super Bowl is played. Our goal right now is to get better this week.” If Manning ends up in his hometown of New Orleans, winning this winter’s Super Bowl, he would be one of three signal-callers to start a Super Bowl for two teams (Manning played in two with Indianapolis). The others? Kurt Warner started two for St. Louis and one for Arizona, while, yep, Craig Morton played for the Broncos and Cowboys in the big game. And if he makes it to New Orleans, Manning will join a fraternity of nine other quarterbacks to have started at least three Super Bowls. But to win it after winning it for an-

other team has never been done (unless you want to get technical and say that quarterback Jim Plunkett won for the Raiders in both Oakland and Los Angeles). A lot will ride on his teammates. Gannon believes they will have “a heightened sense of awareness and urgency if you’re a younger player, knowing, ‘Hey, look — we got a special opportunity here. We’ve got to seize the moment.’ And that elevates everybody and makes everybody work harder. I think it’s going to be a special season, and I think he’s going to get back to playing at a Pro Bowl level, I really do.” We’ll see about Super Bowl level.

Close, but not quite Peyton Manning has accomplished a lot in his career, but now he’s trying to do an NFL first — quarterback two different teams to a Super Bowl title. Here are some famous close calls: Kurt Warner won XXXIV with St. Louis — and seemingly had XLIII won with Arizona — until Ben Roethlisberger’s famous gamewinning drive. Joe Montana was already a legend when he led Kansas City to the 1993 AFC championship game, but Montana was knocked out in the third quarter and Buffalo returned to the Super Bowl. Brett Favre was 1-1 in Super Bowls with Green Bay and led the talented Vikings into New Orleans for the 2009 NFC championship game, which the Saints won in overtime. Benjamin Hochman, The Denver Post

the denver post B denverpost.com B wednesday, september 5, 2012

’70s Games

Completions

Attempts Completion % Attempts/game Yards Yards/per attemptYards/game Touchdowns Interceptions Postseason record Super Bowl appearances

FRAN

TARKENTON 1961 – 1978

246 3,686 6,467 57.0% 26.3 47,003 7.3 141.1 342 266 6-5 0-3

Team (s) MINNESOTA VIKINGS NEW YORK GIANTS MINNESOTA VIKINGS Hall of Fame (1986); nine-time Pro Bowler; at time he retired, owned every significant NFL passing record

BOB

ROGER

GRIESE

STAUBACH

1967 – 1980

1969 – 1979

161 1,926 3,429 56.2% 21.3 25,092 7.3 155.9 192 172 6-5 2-1

131 1,685 2,958 57% 22.6 22,700 7.7 173.3 153 109 11-6 2-2

MIAMI DOLPHINS

Hall of Fame (1990); best known as leader of the NFL’s last undefeated team

DALLAS COWBOYS

Hall of Fame (1985); NFL career started late due to Naval commitment

TERRY

BRADSHAW 1970 – 1983

168 2,025 3,901 51.9% 23.2 27,989 7.2 166.6 212 210 14-5 4-0 PITTSBURGH STEELERS

Hall of Fame (1989); fiery leader for the team of the decade with four titles

KEN

STABLER

ANDERSON

1970 – 1984

1971 – 1986

184 2,270 3,793 59.8% 20.6 27,938 7.4 151.8 194 222 7-5 1-0

192 2,654 4,475 59.3% 23.3 32,838 7.3 171.0 197 160 2-4 0-1

OAKLAND RAIDERS HOUSTON OILERS NEW ORLEANS SAINTS “The Snake” won one Super Bowl, led NFL in passing completion percentage twice

BRONCOS «5BB

ARCHIE

MANNING 1971 – 1984

151 2,011 3,642 55.2% 24.1 23,911 6.6 158.4 125 173 0-0 0-0

CINCINNATI BENGALS

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS HOUSTON OILERS MINNESOTA VIKINGS

Four-time Pro Bowler, led NFL in passing yards twice

Peyton’s Peyton’s dad spent bulk bulk of of his his career career with dreadful dreadful Saints’ teams

In the 1970s, passing game gurus such as Bill Walsh in Cincinnati emphasized precision. Completion percentages among top quarterbacks soared past 60 percent, but it was Pittsburgh’s Terry Bradshaw, known more for making the big play, who became first to win four Super Bowls. Severiano Galván and Tyler Sapkin, The Denver Post

Manning’s updraft History says elite QB likely to make Broncos better — as in win more games By Mike Klis The Denver Post

Not only has Peyton Manning won, there have been times when he seemingly won all by himself. Take his two Super Bowl appearances with the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts won it all in the 2006 season despite finishing 32nd in rushing defense. The next time Manning brought the Colts to the Super Bowl, in the 2009 season, his offense finished 32nd in rushing. Yes, Manning promises to make the Broncos a better team. History suggests he makes the Broncos legitimate Super Bowl contenders. Even while returning from a year-long neck injury, Manning would have to be universally considered a top 10 NFL quarterback. A top 10 quarterback has won the Super Bowl every year since the 2003 season: Tom Brady (twice), Ben Roethlisberger (twice), Eli Manning (twice), Manning, Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers. There may be 32 teams in the NFL, but based on recent history, the Broncos are one of only 10 teams who have a chance to win it all. In Manning’s last nine playing regular seasons from 2002-10, his Colts’ never won fewer than 10 games, and their average record was 12-4. But that does not necessarily mean Manning will make other segments of his team better, at least not statistically. The running game, for instance. The Broncos, with a running quarterback in Tim Tebow last season, finished No. 1 in the NFL in rushing. It’s not likely the Broncos will finish No. 1 in rushing this year. In Manning’s nine consecutive 10-win seasons, the Colts never ranked higher than 15th in rushing, and their average ranking was 23rd. “I think the passing game with Peyton will help the running game,’’ Broncos tailback Willis McGahee said. “I think he’s going to enjoy the balance. I don’t think he wants to throw 40 times a game.’’ Colts running back Edgerrin James had consecutive 1,500-yard rushing seasons in 2004-05, so McGahee could well have a big year. But in the modern NFL, the 100yard path of least resistance is through the air. As for how much Manning will help the Broncos’ defense, it’s not like the Colts were ever confused with the 1985 Bears. During Manning’s nine-year run of 10-plus wins, Indy’s defense averaged a 15th ranking in total defense and 12th in points allowed. Indy’s defense was No. 1 in scoring defense in 2007 and No. 2 in 2005. So there’s a good chance Denver’s defense should improve from 2011, when it ranked 20th in total defense and 24th in points allowed. Where the Manning-led 2012 Broncos are similar to the Colts of Manning’s past is how their defenses are constructed. The Colts’ defensive strength was at end, where Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis were two of the league’s most feared pass rushers.

Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, center, is in front of backup Caleb Hanie, left, on the depth chart. Adam Weber, right, got cut Friday. Manning supports his backups, including rookie Brock Osweiler, when sharing his extensive knowledge of the game. AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post

Manning makes time for mentoring QBs By Lindsay H. Jones The Denver Post

Brock Osweiler and Adam Weber, two guys not long out of college, spent this summer much like that of their peers. They sat in meetings, listened to their more experienced co-workers and picked up some of the less-fun tasks that go along with their jobs, such as poring through old game film to scout a variety of blitz schemes. You know, just a normal summer apprenticeship. Much of Osweiler’s and Weber’s on-the-job training came from watching and shadowing Peyton Manning. Osweiler, a second-round pick; Weber, in his second season; and fiveyear veteran Caleb Hanie competed to be Manning’s backup, a competition Hanie won. Each understood that Manning didn’t have to help them, which made them all the more appreciative when he did. “It’s a crazy business,” Weber said during training camp. “You can be here one week and gone the next, but for the time we have, whether it’s that particular day or that particular meet-

The idea was for Manning to build an early lead and let Freeney and Mathis put heat on the opposing quarterback without regard to stopping the run. The Broncos are similarly equipped with Elvis Dumervil and Von Miller, who combined for 21 sacks last year, and rookie Derek Wolfe, who led all NCAA Division I-A tackles with 9½

ing, he’s interested in your development, interested in making you a better quarterback and maybe helping you understand how he might see something.” Weber’s words were prophetic. He was among the Broncos’ final cuts last weekend, and signed with Tampa Bay a day later. Manning didn’t always need to be a teacher. In his early years in Indianapolis, the Colts organization chose to surround him with veteran backups. When Manning was a young starter, he shared a quarterback meeting room with guys such as Kelly Holcomb, Steve Walsh, Billy Joe Hobert, Mark Rypien and Brock Huard. It wasn’t until 2004, Manning’s seventh season, that the Colts drafted a backup — Jim Sorgi, in the sixth round. They drafted another, Curtis Painter, in the sixth round in 2009. It isn’t an easy life being Manning’s backup. In Indianapolis, Manning rarely shared practice reps and was “maniacal” in the classroom, said Huard, Manning’s backup in 2002-2003. “I thought of myself as a pretty good note taker, and maybe I’d have four or five pages of notes getting ready each week. Peyton would have

sacks last season at Cincinnati. “I had an offense like this in college, and it was a crazy year,’’ said Dumervil, who had 20 sacks and NCAA-record 10 forced fumbles as a Louisville senior when Brian Brohm was his quarterback. “We have some premier pass rushers on the edge, and now we have a chance to pass rush that much more.’’

“

He’s interested in your development, interested in making you a better quarterback and maybe helping you understand how he might see something.” Adam Weber, former Broncos QB, on Peyton Manning

50 pages of hieroglyphics,” Huard said. “But he’d understand it, and most important, he can regurgitate it in the moment of truth when you have to win a football game. He’s never harder on any teammate than he is on himself, and because of that, he demands the ultimate respect. Sure, he’s demanding. He’s a pro and wants to win world championships. Can he be demanding? Yeah. But he is just as demanding on himself as anyone else.” When Manning’s ailing neck — four surgeries have been performed on it — forced him to the sideline in 2011, he watched Painter struggle. After Manning signed with Denver, he encouraged John Elway to use a high

Not that Manning’s impact should be segmented. It doesn’t matter whether the Broncos win by running or passing the ball, or primarily through offense or defense. What matters is whether they win. In their previous five seasons without Manning, the Broncos have gone a combined 35-45, or an average of 7-9.

draft pick on a young backup, a player he could mentor and help prepare to be a starter. Denver selected Osweiler in the second round. Manning, indeed, feels personally invested in the growth of the younger backups. “We’re all in there together, all trying to win,” Manning said. “These guys are getting ready to play. I’m getting ready to play. We’re all trying to help each other at the same time. When those guys have questions, I certainly am glad to answer them....I try to share everything I can with them for that. I’m not their coach and don’t pretend or try to be. But I do try to be there as a resource for them when they have questions.”

In Manning’s previous five active seasons, his record was 61-19, an average of 12-4. With two Super Bowl appearances. “It changes the whole scheme of things,’’ Dumervil said. “When you play the Broncos, you really have to come ready now. I think it’s exciting to have that no-huddle type offense in the altitude of Mile High. It’s going to be crazy.’’

32nd Colts’ rushing offense in 2009 — a season Indy finished playing in the Super Bowl

6BB» BRONCOS

wednesday, september 5, 2012 B denverpost.com B the denver post

’80s Games

Completions

Attempts Completion % Attempts/game Yards Yards/per attemptYards/game Touchdowns Interceptions Postseason record Super Bowl appearances

JIM

PLUNKETT

DAN

FOUTS

JOE

THEISMANN

1973 – 1987

157 1,943 3,701 52.5% 23.8 25,882 7.0 164.9 164 198 8-2 2-0

181 3,297 5,604 58.8% 31.0 43,040 7.7 237.8 254 242 3-4 0-0

167 2,044 3,602 56.7% 21.6 25,206 7.0 150.9 160 138 6-2 1-1

SAN DIEGO CHARGERS

WASHINGTON REDSKINS

SAN FRANCISCO 49ers KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

NEW YORK GIANTS

Hall of Fame (1993); threw for more than 4,000 yards three times

Outstanding all-around athlete, led Redskins to win in Super Bowl XVII

Hall of Fame (2000); led 49ers to four Super Bowl championships

Led Giants to 39-20 victory over Broncos in Super Bowl XXI, going 22-of-25 passing for 268 yards

Blossomed late in his career, leading Raiders to two Super Bowl victories

1979 – 1994

PHIL

SIMMS

1971 – 1986

Team (s) NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS SAN FRANCISCO 49ers OAKLAND/L.A. RAIDERS

1974 – 1985

JOE

MONTANA

192 3,409 5,391 63.2% 28.1 40,551 7.5 211.2 273 139 16-7 4-0

1979 – 1993

164 2,576 4,647 55.4% 28.3 33,462 7.2 204.0 199 157 6-4 1-0

JIM

MCMAHON 1982 – 1996

BOOMER

ESIASON 1984 – 1997

120 1,492 2,573 58.0% 21.4 18,148 7.1 151.2 100 90 3-3 1-0

187 2,969 5,205 57.0% 27.8 37,920 7.3 202.8 247 184 3-2 0-1

CHICAGO BEARS SAN DIEGO CHARGERS PHILADELPHIA EAGLES MINNESOTA VIKINGS ARIZONA CARDINALS GREEN BAY PACKERS

CINCINNATI BENGALS NEW YORK JETS ARIZONA CARDINALS

Drew as much attention for his off-field antics as quarterback for the Bears

Left-hander made four Pro Bowls, kept Bengals relevant for a decade

In the 1980s, Bill Walsh got his first NFL head coaching job, in San Francisco, and his West Coast offense revolutionized the game. He had the perfect triggerman in Joe Montana, a third-round draft choice out of Notre Dame who went on to win four Super Bowls. Severiano Galván and Tyler Sapkin, The Denver Post

Finally! An elite QB Broncos coach John Fox finally got his guy. Now can he get his Lombardi? By Benjamin Hochman The Denver Post

For six consecutive seasons, the NFL coach had a different starting quarterback, prompting Dave Wannstedt to famously say, “I told my wife, on my tombstone I’m going to put, ‘If he only had a quarterback ...’ ” Denver’s John Fox has had a nice career, but he has never had a transcendent signal-caller, a champion, a guy who people know by just his first name. Until now. Now he has Peyton.

“

It’s not very often that somebody like that comes available. We’re happy as heck that he’s with us.” Broncos coach John Fox

John Elway, now the Broncos’ front-office chief, went out at the very top: MVP of the Super Bowl in the final game of his Hall of Fame career. He took the handoff in early 1999 from Terry Bradshaw, another Hall of Fame quarterback. Denver Post file

Manning’s boss: been there, done that By Terry Frei The Denver Post

In the nearly six months since his signing with the Broncos, Peyton Manning has been patient and cooperative with the Denver media, but — even using the traditional quarterback standards — not particularly revealing. So, at least early on in his first season in Denver, Manning wouldn’t be drawn into an extensive discussion of his relationship with John Elway. They have so much in common, though, including coming from “football” families, viewing their fathers (Jack Elway and Archie Manning) as their mentors, succeeding at both the college and NFL levels, and even holding aloft the Lombardi Trophy. And now they are working together, Elway as the Broncos’ executive who was in the forefront of the recruiting pitch that helped bring Manning to Denver; and Manning as the quarterback hoping to make at least one championship run in the twilight of his career. During training camp, Elway often stood behind the offense and watched practice, well back from the pack and frequently alone. He wasn’t about to jump in to say: Hey, Peyton, why don’t you ... Yes, there was occasional kibitzing between the men as practice ended, but extensive interpersonal reaction rarely played out for the benefit of

The future met the past on March 20 when the Broncos and Elway announced the signing of Peyton Manning. RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post prying eyes or cameras. It’s fair to say the relationship is a work in progress, as they define the parameters. Boss and quarterback? Compatriots with so much in common, including life and professional experiences? Friends? “Certainly, John’s out here at practice every day,” Manning said. “I think he’s available to all the players. He’s in there eating lunch, in there at a table. It certainly seems to me that he has a pulse on everything. He and Coach (John) Fox have told all the

players they have an open-door policy, that if there’s any question or concern, to come in and see them. It’s nice to have that policy.” But what of the direct Manning-Elway relationship? “Certainly, during training camp, we’ve been pretty much homed in on to the routine that all the other players are in,” Manning said. “I’m meeting with (offensive coaches) Mike McCoy and Adam Gase, and Coach Fox comes in there and watches film.

John doesn’t come in there to watch film with the coaches and the players. He does that on his own. “John’s been very helpful to me, and I think all the quarterbacks use him as a resource when it comes to playing quarterback.” The two men crossed paths and became acquainted over the years, and that came into play when Denver pursued Manning last winter. “I’ve gotten to know him better than I knew him before,” Elway said of Peyton. “I’d always had contact with him when I was playing. When he was coming into the league, my last year was his first year. When I retired, I’d run into him at several functions. “Since he’s been here, I’m not involved in the football side. I let the coaches coach. I’m at practice every day, but again, I wouldn’t characterize it as a buddy-buddy relationship. He’s the quarterback and we’re trying to put people around him that give us a chance to win a championship. He’s been everything we expected him to be, and more.” Do lines need to be drawn? “I’m not worried about the line,” Elway said. “Having been in the situation he’s in, I understand that there’s a line, and he’s got a line as far as the way he’s looked at by his teammates. So there’s an unwritten line, but I’m not worried about it. I won’t be out of place having dinner with him or playing golf with him.”

Super Bowls Peyton Manning (2) and John Elway (5) have played in.

Fox said he jumped in the air when he got the news that Peyton Manning would sign with Denver — though admitting, “I wasn’t Olga Korbut or anything,” in reference to the high-flying Olympic gymnast from the 1970s. “It’s not very often that somebody like that comes available,” Fox said. “We’re happy as heck that he’s with us. … He’s a very smart football player — as well as very skilled — and coaches can’t do it on their own. You have to have players buy in, right the ships, control the locker room. It’s called leadership.” The Broncos are Fox’s team but, really, they’re Manning’s team too. The fate of the 2012 Broncos is in the right hand of the 36-year-old quarterback and, perhaps more accurately, in his neck. So here’s the question for Fox. Can there possibly be any problems with, if you will, dating a supermodel? “I don’t believe so,” Fox said of having a perennial Pro Bowler. “This game is only fun when you win. Peyton has been a part of a lot of winning teams. Like all great players, they want to do what’s necessary to win, whether it’s passing or running they don’t care. He understands the game. He’s as good as anybody who’s ever played the game in getting you out of a bad play and into a good play.” The Broncos’ offense will obviously look different from last season, when Denver had the underwhelming Kyle Orton, whom Fox benched for the unpredictable Tim Tebow. The 2011 Broncos, with an offense tailored to Tebow’s game (in other words, not passing much), totaled 2,434 passing yards. Manning has never thrown for fewer than 3,739 yards, which he did as a rookie. Manning understands he’s on the clock. A historian of the game, he knows quarterbacks are measured largely by Super Bowl titles. And he’s 36, not 26. That, in part, is why he handpicked Denver — the potential relationship with Fox and team executive John Elway — and a team rated no worse than the favorite to win the AFC West.

the denver post B denverpost.com B wednesday, september 5, 2012

’90s

DAN

1983 – 1998

242 4,967 8,358 59.4% 34.5 61,361 7.3 253.6 420 252 8-10 0-1

234 4,123 7,250 56.9% 31.0 51,475 7.1 220.0 300 226 14-7 2-3

MIAMI DOLPHINS

DENVER BRONCOS

Games

Attempts Completion % Attempts/game Yards Yards/per attemptYards/game Touchdowns Interceptions Postseason record Super Bowl appearances

WARREN

ELWAY

1983 – 1999

Completions

Team (s)

JOHN

MARINO

Hall of Fame (2005); Nine-time Pro Bowler; led league in completions six times

MOON

1984 – 2000

208 3,988 6,823 58.4% 32.8 49,325 7.2 237.1 291 233 3-7 0-0 HOUSTON OILERS MINNESOTA VIKINGS SEATTLE SEAHAWKS KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

Hall of Fame (2004); put Broncos’ franchise on his back, leading Denver to five Super Bowls

Hall of Fame (2006); Nine-time Pro Bowler, threw for 4,689 and 4,690 yards in back-to-back seasons

STEVE

JIM

YOUNG

KELLY

1985 – 1999

1986 – 1996

169 2,667 4,149 64.3% 24.6 33,124 8.0 196 232 107 8-6 1-0

1989 – 2000

160 2,874 4,779 60.1% 29.9 35,467 7.4 221.7 237 175 9-8 0-4

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS Hall of Fame (2005); led NFL in completion percentage five times

TROY

AIKMAN

BUFFALO BILLS

Hall of Fame (2002); brilliant career but most remembered for 0-4 Super Bowl run

165 2,898 4,715 61.5% 28.6 32,942 7.0 199.6 165 141 11-4 3-0

BRONCOS «7BB

BRETT

FAVRE

1991 – 2010

302 6,300 10,169 62.0% 33.7 71,838 7.1 237.9 508 336 13-11 1-1

DALLAS COWBOYS

ATLANTA FALCONS GREEN BAY PACKERS NEW YORK JETS MINNESOTA VIKINGS

Hall of Fame (2006); Led Cowboys to three Super Bowl championships

Fierce competitor and fan favorite; ranks high in every key statistical passing category

A true golden age for quarterbacks, with future Hall of Famers dueling on a weekly basis. Denver’s John Elway pulled off a Hollywood ending to his remarkable career, winning Super Bowls in his final two seasons.

Not a Super moment

Severiano Galván and Tyler Sapkin, The Denver Post

Manning’s postseason production proves to be a bit of a mixed bag with 9-10 record As time passes, the image of Tracy Porter isn’t of him running toward the end zone as much as him floating, a seemingly supernatural Super Bowl ending. “Peyton Manning is a legend, you can say that,” said the Broncos defensive back, whose interception return for a touchdown clinched Super Bowl XLIV for New Orleans against Indianapolis. “A guy that watches the amount of film that he watches, for me to be able to capitalize on a mistake that he made, which he rarely makes, words can’t describe it. Everybody asks me how I felt picking him off, and I always ask them back, ‘Have you ever won the lottery?’ ” It’s hard to believe Manning has won but one Super Bowl. Yes, he will forever be a Super Bowl MVP, putting him in an elite pantheon. But Manning is a pedestrian 9-10 all time in the playoffs. Manning lost his first three

19 games for No. 18 Peyton Manning is 9-10 in the playoffs, all with the Indianapolis Colts: Year Rec. 1999 0-1 2000 0-1 2002 0-1 2003 2-1 2004 1-1 2005 0-1 2006 4-0 2007 0-1 2008 0-1 2009 2-1 2010 0-1

“

playoff appearances with Indianapolis. His first playoff victory, sure enough, was a fivetouchdown game against Denver on Jan. 4, 2004. In his 19 career playoff games, Manning has an 88.4 quarterback rating, compared with 94.9 for his ca-

Broncos looking at three-year title plan By Mike Klis The Denver Post

Pat Bowlen is 68, and though the Broncos’ owner remains fit, trim and actively involved with the team, he no longer is out front. He didn’t invest a potential $96 million to get Peyton Manning with the idea of going another 14 years without a Super Bowl. “I was tired of not playing in the Super Bowl,’’ Bowlen said March 20, the day he signed Manning. In signing Manning, the Broncos aren’t rebuilding for the future. They have a threeyear plan to win as many Super Bowls as possible. One would be great. Two would be better. None would be a disappointment. John Fox is 57, the NFL’s sixtholdest head coach. Only Tom Coughlin (66), Romeo Crennel (65), Chan Gailey (60), Bill Belichick (60) and Mike Shanahan (60) have more crumply birth certificates.There aren’t many five-year plans for 57year-old head coaches. Manning is 36 and coming off a season when he didn’t take a snap. He is the NFL’s third-oldest quarterback — behind Charlie Batch (37) and Matt Hasselbeck (37 on Sept. 25). If Manning wants to finish his career as did his new boss, Broncos executive vice president of football operations John Elway, he’ll have to hurry. Elway won his two Super Bowl rings

at 37 and 38, then retired. Manning will turn 37 on March 24, seven weeks after the 2012 season’s Super Bowl XLVII will be played in his hometown of New Orleans. “I really have tried to play with a sense of urgency since I’ve been 22 years old,’’ Manning said. “I think it’s only fair to the players on that current team that you give your very best. The same players aren’t on the team in 2012 as they are in 2013, so it’s only fair to the people here that you’re giving your best effort in trying to have a sense of urgency, in trying to win now.” Champ Bailey at 34 is the NFL’s fourth-oldest cornerback, behind only Ronde Barber (37), Charles Woodson (36 in October) and Antoine Winfield (35). Bailey has reached the playoffs only three times in his past eight seasons with the Broncos, getting no further than the 2005 AFC championship game. In all, Bailey has 11 Pro Bowl selections and no Super Bowl appearances. Think his primary goal going forward is a 12th Pro Bowl? “I want the ring,’’ Bailey said. “We have a lot of veterans on this team, and our job is to make sure all these young guys understand there is no playing for tomorrow. In the NFL, it’s always day to day. You can’t be thinking you’re going to be around a while. Nothing matters more than taking care of today.’’

5 NFL coaches older than John Fox (57)

Everybody asks me how I felt picking him off, and I always ask them back, ‘Have you ever won the lottery?’ ” Broncos defensive back Tracy Porter, who intercepted a Peyton Manning pass while playing for New Orleans in Super Bowl XLIV

reer, skewed slightly by his 71.2 rating as a rookie. Asked about Manning’s roller-coaster postseasons, CBS analyst Rich Gannon, a former NFL MVP, said in a phone interview, “Well, I don’t know, does defense have anything to do

with it? Maybe the running game? We make so much about how many Super Bowls the guy has won; the guy is a four-time NFL MVP, he put that franchise on the map and he’s one of the most-productive quarterbacks in the history of the game. But one guy can’t do all. But if there’s anyone who gets pretty darn close, it’s Peyton Manning. His ability to elevate that football team and make the players around him better, maybe no one has done it better than he has. And I think that’s what you’re going to see in Denver.” Manning and Porter, of course, are now teammates. Yet, they’ve never talked about Porter’s interception with New Orleans up seven and 3:24 left in Super Bowl XLIV. “Though we haven’t talked about it, it’s kind of understood that the play happened,” Porter said. “He and I now, we’re working together — we’re both from Louisiana, both trying to get back to New Orleans.” Which is, of course, the site of this season’s Super Bowl.

Broncos cornerback Tracy Porter, then with the Saints, runs back an interception off Peyton Manning, then with the Colts, in Super Bowl XLIV. Getty Images file

Reach the writers Terry Frei: 303-954-1895, tfrei@denverpost.com or twitter.com/terryfreidenver Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294, bhochman@denverpost.com or twitter.com/nuggetsnews Lindsay H. Jones: 303-954-1262, ljones@denverpost.com or twitter.com/lindsay_h_jones Mike Klis: 303-954-1055, mklis@denverpost.com or twitter.com/mikeklis Jeff Legwold: jlegwold@denverpost.com or twitter.com/jeff_legwold

ColoradoGamingNews.com

1ST & 3RD FRIDAYS IN THE DENVER POST

By Benjamin Hochman The Denver Post

8BB» BRONCOS

’00s Games

Completions

Attempts Completion % Attempts/game Yards Yards/per attemptYards/game Touchdowns Interceptions Postseason record Super Bowl appearances Team (s)

wednesday, september 5, 2012 B denverpost.com B the denver post

KURT

PEYTON

WARNER

MANNING

1998 – 2009

1999 – PRESENT

125 2,666 4,070 65.5% 32.6 32,344 7.9 258.8 208 128 9-4 1-2

208 4,682 7,210 64.9% 34.7 54,828 7.6 263.6 399 198 9-10 1-1

TOM

DREW

BRADY

BREES

2000 – PRESENT

154 3,613 5,479 65.7% 35.6 40,742 7.4 264.6 281 146 5-4 1-0

ST. LOUIS RAMS NEW YORK GIANTS ARIZONA CARDINALS

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS DENVER BRONCOS

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

Four-time Pro Bowler; with late-career surge played his way into Hall of Fame consideration

Now, the big question. Can he show the Hall of Fame form with the Broncos he displayed in Indy?

With three Super Bowl titles, and still going strong, many believe he’s the greatest ever.

2004 – PRESENT

114 2,090 3,313 63.1% 29.1 26,579 7.7 233.1 165 100 10-4 2-1

SAN DIEGO CHARGERS NEW ORLEANS SAINTS Overcame serious shoulder injury to become one of the game’s most efficient passers

ELI

ROETHLISBERGER MANNING

2001 – PRESENT

161 3,397 5,321 63.8% 33 39,979 7.5 248.3 300 115 16-6 3-2

BEN

AARON

RODGERS

2005 – PRESENT

121 2,291 3,921 58.4% 32.4 27,579 7.0 227.9 185 129 8-3 2-0

PITTSBURGH STEELERS

Has 10 playoff victories, two Super Bowls and entering prime of his career

69 1,381 2,113 65.4% 30.6 17,366 8.2 251.7 132 38 4-2 1-0

NEW YORK GIANTS

Has shown amazing knack for making the clutch throw when it’s needed most

GREEN BAY PACKERS

Brett who? Got his chance after Favre was let go, and proved he’s every bit as good, if not better

Tom Brady or Peyton Manning? Who was better? That was the raging debate, as Brady’s Patriots and Manning’s Colts battled for supremacy and put themselves in the conversation as the best ever. Severiano Galván and Tyler Sapkin, The Denver Post

He is nobody’s fool Those who have tried to hoodwink Manning played with fire and usually got burned By Jeff Legwold The Denver Post

You may have to excuse the guys with first-hand knowledge, those temple-rubbing defensive coordinators who have tried to solve the riddle that is Peyton Manning. They understand Manning has had four neck surgeries. They get that he’s 36 and that he’s fighting the checkered history of future Hall of Fame quarterbacks who tried to recapture glory late in their careers with a new team. But they say Manning is different because of his mind. Now that’s a terrible thing to face. “I appreciated it before, let me assure you,’’ said Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio, a former Jacksonville Jaguars head coach and AFC South rival of Manning’s Colts. “I knew about his preparation, his attention to detail, his knowledge of the game. But seeing it from this perspective, on his team, it’s all even well beyond what I thought it was. I’m on his side now, and I’m not telling if there is a good way to defend him. I’m not even saying there is, but I do know it looks a lot better to me now than it did before.’’ Those who have spent countless hours watching video say Manning’s offense makes mistakes from time to time, and he doesn’t always pick out the right receiver. But what Manning does better than almost any quarterback, they say, is consistently make the right decisions, get the ball to the right receiver and put defenses on their heels. Detroit Lions coach Jim Schwartz, who faced Manning twice a year as the former Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator, has described it as “trying to fool someone who remembers every time he’s been fooled, even a little, and remembers why. And maybe he remembers them all because there weren’t that many.’’ This season the Broncos have an array of the game’s uber quarterbacks on the schedule, but they also face five of the top 10 in scoring defenses from 2011, including Pittsburgh in Sunday night’s season opener. The Steelers led the league in scoring defense last season, the Ravens were No. 3, the Texans No. 4, the Browns No. 5 and the Ben-

“

Manning quiz

Here’s the thing. I saw the guy walk out of the press conference where he held up a jersey and was introduced as a Bronco and walk into the film room and stay until like 9:30, 10 that night. That’s on his first day with the team and he hadn’t even met everybody. He’s tough to fool because he works so hard not to be.”

You thought you knew all there was to know about Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning? Test your knowledge with this miniquiz: 1. Which award has Manning not won? a. SEC freshman of the year b. Heisman Trophy c. NFL most valuable player d. NFL Walter Camp man of the year 2. Which company hasn’t featured Manning in commercials for its products? a. MasterCard b. DirecTV c. McDonald’s d. Sprint 3. Manning and his wife, Ashley, have how many children? a. 3 b. 2 c. 1 d. 0

Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio Manning is so good at reading defenses because he’s studied them all for years. AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post gals were No. 9. Manning has faced all of those teams a variety of times, including most of the coaches on the defensive staffs. “And that’s why I’ve always said it’s like a video game,’’ said Rams coach Jeff Fisher, the former Titans coach. “He not only has studied what you did in the games leading up to when you play him, but he’s studied what you did for years, against a lot of different offensive schemes. “So, even when you feel pretty good that you made it look like you are going to do something on defense when your intentions are to do something else, he’s already ahead of you. He knows your intentions and he knows what to do, all before he snaps the ball.’’

And given that defense is often built on disguise and deception, of hiding coverages, cloaking extra rushers, the matchup leans decidedly toward the offense if Manning solves the puzzle before the snap. It’s why Manning has a losing record as a starter against just five of the league’s 31 teams he has faced — Miami (5-7), New England (6-10), Chicago (1-2), Green Bay (1-2) and Carolina (1-2) — and why teams that played him the most had the most difficulty. Manning routinely dissected AFC South defenses. He was 16-2 against the Texans, 14-5 against the Jaguars and 13-5 against the Titans during his time in Indianapolis. And with that kind of success, Manning affects every decision an

opponent makes, starting with the opening kickoff. Fisher once tried to shake things up by using an onside kick the first three times the Titans kicked off in a game against the Colts. New England’s Bill Belichick once went for a fourth-down play deep in his own territory, with the lead in the final minutes, in order to avoid giving Manning the ball back. It backfired. “Here’s the thing. I saw the guy walk out of the press conference where he held up a jersey and was introduced as a Bronco and walk into the film room and stay until like 9:30, 10 that night,’’ Del Rio said. “That’s on his first day with the team and he hadn’t even met everybody. He’s tough to fool because he works so hard not to be.’’

Scheduled: Big Ben, Brady, Brees ...

4. Manning has thrown 399 touchdown passes in his NFL career. How many more is that than John Elway threw? a. 56 b. 99 c. 5 d. 23 5. During Manning’s career with Indianapolis, which AFC West team did he have the best winning percentage against? a. Denver b. Oakland c. San Diego d. Kansas City Lindsay H. Jones, The Denver Post

Answers: 1. b, 2. c, 3. b, 4. b, 5. d (5-1 vs. Chiefs)

Heavy duty

The Broncos will face a murderers’ row of star quarterbacks this season. A game-by-game look at who they will meet: Sept. 9: Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers 4,077 passing yards, 21 TD, 14 INT in 2011 With a new offensive coordinator in Todd Haley, Roethlisberger will try to avenge a devastating playoff loss to the Broncos last season. Sept. 17: Matt Ryan, Falcons 4,177 passing yards, 29 TD, 12 INT Has taken his team to the playoffs in each of his four seasons, while breaking most franchise records along the way. Awful in Falcons’ 2011 playoff loss, though. Sept. 23: Matt Schaub, Texans 2,479 passing yards, 15 TD, six INT Coming off a serious foot injury, Schaub will look to continue his success in Houston. He holds almost every franchise record. Sept. 30 and Dec. 6: Carson Palmer, Raiders 2,753 passing yards, 13 TD, 16 INT Will begin his first full season as the Raiders’ starting quarterback in attempt to get back to his Pro Bowl form. Oct. 7: Tom Brady, Patriots 5,235 passing yards, 39 TD, 12 INT Peyton Manning’s biggest rival is coming off an impeccable season.

Oct. 15 and Nov. 18: Philip Rivers, Chargers 4,624 passing yards, 27 TD, 20 INT Rivers attempts to bounce back after a season full of disappointments, when his team missed the playoffs and he threw for the most interceptions of his NFL career. Oct. 28: Drew Brees, Saints 5,476 passing yards, 46 TD, 14 INT With a new contract from an organization in turmoil, Brees will try to duplicate his massive numbers from last season.

Nov. 25 and Dec. 30: Matt Cassell, Chiefs 1,713 passing yards, 10 TD, nine INT An injury to his hand ended his already disappointing last season. And to think he was in the Pro Bowl after the 2010 season. Dec 2.: Josh Freeman, Buccaneers 3,592 passing yards, 16 TD, 22 INT A new coach and a new weapon in Vincent Jackson have Freeman looking to get back to his 2010 form, when he passed for 25 touchdowns and threw only six interceptions.

Nov. 4: Andy Dalton, Bengals 3,398 passing yards, 20 TD, 13 INT After putting up impressive numbers as a rookie and being selected for the Pro Bowl, Dalton has even higher expectations going into his second season.

Dec. 16: Joe Flacco, Ravens 3,610 passing yards, 20 TD, 12 INT Entering his fifth year, Flacco is looking to take his team to its fifth consecutive playoff appearance, as well as cementing himself in the Ravens’ record book.

Nov. 11: Cam Newton, Panthers 4,051 passing yards, 35 TD (14 rush), 17 INT A stellar first year that included NFL records for passing yards by a rookie and most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback, Newton is poised for another strong year.

Dec. 23: Brandon Weeden, Browns Rookie The Broncos face the 28-year-old rookie quarterback in the season’s penultimate game.

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wednesday, september 5, 2012 B denverpost.com B the denver post

Broncos offense The team’s base formation includes two tight ends Reserves No. 6 Brock Osweiler, QB 6-8, 240, 21 years old, rookie, Arizona State The Broncos selected him in the second round of the draft to be Peyton Manning’s backup, and he didn’t disappoint in training camp.

No. 16 Caleb Hanie, QB 6-2, 222, 26 years old, 5th season, Colorado St. Hanie struggled at times in his preseason outings, but the Broncos saw enough in practice and like his experience behind Manning.

No. 21 Ronnie Hillman, RB 5-10, 190, 20 years old, rookie, San Diego State When he’s on the field, Hillman flashes the game-breaking ability the Broncos want. But his twice-injured hamstring is a concern.

No. 35 Lance Ball, RB 5-9, 215, 27 years old, 4th season, Maryland Ball isn’t flashy, but he runs well when he gets the opportunity. And he plays on special teams. But fumbles are an issue.

No. 27 Knowshon Moreno, RB 5-11, 200, 25 years old, 4th season, Georgia He started slowly in training camp as he tried to regain confidence in his surgically repaired knee, but closed strong and the Broncos see him as a third-down option.

No. 49 Chris Gronkowski, FB The quarterback who threw the famous TD pass to Demaryius Thomas is gone, but the passing game will be improved. Joe Amon, The Denver Post

Starting lineup No. 88 Demaryius Thomas, WR 6-3, 229, 24 years old, 3rd season, Georgia Tech Thomas should get plenty of action in the red zone, and the Broncos believe he still has plenty of upside as he continues to smooth out the rough edges in his route running. Was one of the top two receivers through the preseason. Did you know? Thomas had 35 catches for 745 yards in the Broncos’ final seven games of the 2011 season — playoffs included — and averaged 21.4 yards per catch.

No. 74 Orlando Franklin, RT

No. 23 Willis McGahee, RB

6-5, 316, 24 years old, 2nd season, Miami Franklin could move inside to guard at some point during the season, after playing there during training camp at Dove Valley and in the Broncos’ preseason games. He’s far more advanced in the running game than he is in pass protection in the early stages of his career. Did you know? Franklin is one of two Denver offensive linemen who spent much of their childhood in Canada — rookie Philip Blake is the other.

6-0, 235, 30 years old, 10th season, Miami (Fla.) He’s coming off a 1,000-yard rushing season at 30 years old. He will turn 31 in October and is clearly the Broncos No. 1 option in the backfield. The Broncos would like to reduce his workload some in the running game and get him more involved as an option in the passing game. Did you know? McGahee and Ricky Watters are the only two running backs in NFL history to have rushed for at least 1,000 yards with three different teams.

No. 78 Ryan Clady, LT 6-6, 325, 25 years old, 5th season, Boise State The Broncos and Clady could not reach an agreement on a long-term contract and shut down negotiations. Clady wanted more guaranteed money than the Broncos offered. One of Clady’s incentives is to play well enough to draw an offer more to his liking from the Broncos. Did you know? Clady is one of three players from the NFL draft class of 2008 to have started every game in his career. Joe Flacco and Brandon Carr are the others.

No. 50 J.D. Walton, C 6-3, 305, 25 years old, 3rd season, Baylor Like his 2010 draft classmate Beadles, Walton will have to show he can keep Peyton Manning off the ground to stay here over the long haul. Walton was flagged for only three penalties in 2011 — all holding. Did you know? Walton has missed only one snap in his two seasons as a starter.

No. 73 Chris Kuper, RG 6-4, 303, 29 years old, 7th season, North Dakota Kuper is one of the team’s most respected players. Kuper suffered a fractured bone in his left forearm just before the Broncos’ second preseason game and could miss a month of the season. Manny Ramirez is expected to line up at Kuper’s right guard position in the early going. Did you know? Kuper has missed only two starts in the past four seasons combined — one in 2010 and one in 2009.

6-0, 194, 36 years old, 14th season, Northwest La. Stokley was not expecting to play this season, then worked out with Peyton Manning at Duke and was signed to be Manning’s third-down security blanket.

No. 17 Andre Caldwell, WR 6-0, 190, 27 years old, 5th season, Florida Caldwell has said that he made the Broncos “my first choice’’ as soon as Peyton Manning joined the team. Caldwell gives the Broncos a deep-speed option.

6-0, 190, 28 years old, 5th season, UCLA Willis is another player who performs well when he gets the opportunity. He has made himself a productive special-teams player, in coverage and in the return game.

No. 80 Julius Thomas, TE 6-5, 255, 24 years old, 2nd season, Portland St. Thomas missed the offseason workouts because he was recovering from ankle surgery. He was inconsistent catching the ball in the preseason, but Virgil Green’s suspension gives him an chance early in the season. Running back Willis McGahee rushed for 1,199 yards and four touchdowns last season for the Broncos and is their top back heading into 2012. Hyoung Chang, Denver Post file

No. 84 Jacob Tamme, TE

No. 18 Peyton Manning, QB

6-3, 236, 27 years old, 5th season, Kentucky Tamme caught more than 19 passes in only one of his four seasons with Indianapolis, but the Broncos signed him in free agency because they believe that one season — he had 67 receptions in a 10-game span in 2010, playing with Peyton Manning — shows what he can do as a starter in their offense. Did you know? His high school team — Boyle County in Danville, Ky. — won four consecutive state championships and Tamme was the title game MVP twice.

6-5, 230, 36 years old, 15th season, Tennessee With a whirlwind recruitment by team executive John Elway, Manning became the greatest catch of the league’s free-agent era. The Broncos will fit him into an offense that features more commitment to the running game than his offense had in recent seasons with Indianapolis. Did you know? Manning has at least a .500 record as a starter against 27 of the league’s 31 teams he has played against.

No. 81 Joel Dreessen, TE 6-4, 245, 30 years old, 7th season, Colorado St. The Broncos believe he can be a consistent receiver and blocker at the position and should get plenty of playing time this season. He has carved out a productive career after sitting out the 2006 season, when he was released by the Jets. Did you know? With an eye toward his post-football career, Dreessen attended the NFL’s broadcast boot camp this year.

No. 87 Eric Decker, WR 6-3, 218, 25 years old, 3rd season, Minnesota Decker lined up as one of the Broncos’ top two receivers throughout the offseason program and training camp. He built an early rapport with Manning during summer throwing sessions. Did you know? Decker had only two catches in his last four games combined to close out the 2011 season, including one playoff game. Right guard Chris Kuper has had bad luck with injuries. John Leyba, The Post

No. 14 Brandon Stokley, WR

No. 12 Matt Willis, WR

No. 68 Zane Beadles, LG 6-4, 305, 25 years old, 3rd season, Utah The Broncos tinkered with the offensive front during training camp, with an eye toward moving Chris Kuper into this spot. Beadles has started 30 games in his first two seasons, but will have to improve in pass protection to stay here over the long term. Did you know? Beadles had only one holding penalty in 2010 and no holding penalties in 2011. He had one illegal use of hands penalty in 2011.

6-2, 245, 25 years old, 3rd season, Arizona The second of the Gronkowski brothers to play for the Broncos, he will be the reason Peyton Manning plays more in a twoback set in Denver than he ever did with Indianapolis.

Special teams No. 5 Matt Prater, PK 5-10, 195, 28 years old, 6th season, Central Fla. Missed the team’s offseason program as he tried to work out a long-term contract. The Broncos agreed to a deal that makes him one of the league’s highest-paid kickers. Why? He’s 28-of-29 in career attempts in the fourth quarter and overtime. Also, he led the league in kickoff touchbacks in 2011. Did you know? Prater was waived by three teams — Detroit, Miami and Atlanta — before finding a home with the Broncos.

No. 46 Aaron Brewer, LS 6-5, 225, 22 years old, rookie, San Diego State Brewer got his roster spot the old-fashioned way, he earned it. He finished the preseason by winning the job from 13-year veteran Lonie Paxton with consistent work snapping the ball as well as his hustle in punt coverage. Coach John Fox consistently lauded the rookie’s athleticism. Did you know? Brewer was a four-time All-Mountain West selection who appeared in every game — 50 — of his college career, including 12 games as a true freshman.

No. 75 Chris Clark, T 6-5, 305, 26 years old, 3rd season, Southern Miss Clark played as the second-team right tackle in the preseason and has found a niche lining up as the extra tight end in short-yardage situations.

No. 65 Manny Ramirez, G-C 6-3, 313, 29 years old, 6th season, Texas Tech Ramirez likely will open the season at Chris Kuper’s replacement at right guard. A powerful blocker in the running game, Ramirez has to maintain his footwork in pass protection.

No. 64 Philip Blake, C 6-3, 320, 26 years old, rookie, Baylor Blake turns 27 during the season. The Broncos used him more and more as the No. 2 center as the preseason wore on. They see him as a long-term option there.

No. 54 C.J. Davis, C-G 6-2, 308, 25 years old, 3rd season, Pittsburgh Backup linemen have to be multitaskers, and Davis fits the job description. He played center and guard in the preseason. Also, he played for John Fox with Carolina in 2010.

Suspended No. 85 Virgil Green, TE 6-3, 249, 24 years old, 2nd season, Nevada Jeff Legwold, The Denver Post

the denver post B denverpost.com B wednesday, september 5, 2012

BRONCOS «11BB

Broncos defense Denver’s defense is a 4-3 scheme Reserves No. 96 Mitch Unrein, DT 6-4, 299, 25 years old, 2nd season, Wyoming Unrein, an Eaton native, has worked plenty hard and transformed himself from practice-squad player to a regular in the defense’s rotation up front.

No. 97 Justin Bannan, DT 6-3, 312, 33 years old, 11th season, Colorado Bannan missed time in training camp with a calf injury, but when healthy he is clearly in the rotation at defensive tackle.

No. 91 Robert Ayers, DE 6-3, 274, 27 years old, 4th season, Tennessee The former No. 1 selection — 18th overall in the 2009 draft — lost some altitude on the depth chart in training camp, but Jason Hunter’s injury has allowed him to get back in the mix.

No. 70 Malik Jackson, DT/DE 6-5, 270, 22 years old, rookie, Tennessee The fifth-round pick has shown better power than expected on the inside and can play at end in some packages if the Broncos need him to.

No. 53 Steven Johnson, LB 6-1, 237, 24 years old, rookie, Kansas Johnson spent most of the preseason as a backup at middle linebacker. He showed good instincts to the ball and the Broncos like his potential on special teams. Elvis Dumervil has shown he can pressure quarterbacks, as he’s doing here in sacking San Diego’s Philip Rivers, but he’s been suspect playing the run in his career. The Broncos are challenging Dumervil and Von Miller to improve stopping the run. Joe Amon, The Denver Post

Starting lineup No. 92 Elvis Dumervil, DE 5-11, 260, 28 years old, 7th season, Louisville Dumervil has seen three of his past four seasons dissolve into a battle with injuries, including missing all of 2010. The Broncos will be aggressive in the pass rush with Jack Del Rio calling the defensive shots, so Von Miller and rookie Derek Wolfe should help pull some of the blockers’ attention away from Dumervil. Did you know? Dumervil has averaged 0.7 sacks per game over the past six seasons, good for third best in the league behind DeMarcus Ware and Jared Allen.

No. 59 Wesley Woodyard, LB 6-0, 222, 26 years old, 5th season, Kentucky He has become the Swiss Army knife of the defense, filling in for the injured — or suspended, in D.J. Williams’ case. He has also played run downs, and passing downs in most of the team’s specialty packages, and has been one of the captains of the special-teams units. Did you know? Woodyard has been a captain for each of the past three seasons.

No. 26 Rahim Moore, S 6-0, 202, 22 years old, 2nd season, UCLA Moore was in a three-man rotation at the position in the starting defense when training camp began, but made the most of his time after Quinton Carter had arthroscopic knee surgery. His ability to keep the spot will depend on cutting down on missed tackles. Did you know? Moore started the first five games of his rookie season, but only two over the last 11 games of the regular season and was a game-day inactive once.

No. 94 Ty Warren, DT 6-5, 300, 31 years old, 10th season, Texas A&M Warren spent the past two seasons on injured reserve, including 2011 with the Broncos, and hasn’t played in a regular-season game since 2009. The Broncos’ defensive plan will take a hit if he’s not up to the challenge of being one of the team’s primary interior defenders. Did you know? Among the Broncos’ defensive starters, only Von Miller (No. 2) and Champ Bailey (No. 7) were selected higher in the draft than Warren (No. 13, by New England).

No. 56 Nate Irving, LB 6-1, 240, 24 years old, 2nd season, N.C. State Irving has performed better under new defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio, who moved him from the middle to the strong side.

No. 57 Keith Brooking, LB 6-2, 240, 36 years old, 15th season, Georgia Tech He suffered a hamstring injury just after his arrival, but the Broncos signed him to be an early-down option on the weak side during D.J. Williams’ suspension.

No. 59 Danny Trevathan, LB 6-1, 232, 22 years old, rookie, Kentucky He missed some time with an ankle injury in training camp, but Trevathan has shown a nose for the ball and knack for beating blocks.

No. 25 Chris Harris, CB 5-10, 190, 23 years old, 2nd season, Kansas He’s tenacious in coverage, plays on several special-teams units and the Broncos often use him in their nickel and dime packages.

No. 32 Tony Carter, CB 5-9, 175, 26 years old, 4th season, Florida State Broncos executive VP of football operations said it best when asked why the team kept the speedy Carter over veteran Drayton Florence: “(Carter) played better.’’

No. 99 Kevin Vickerson, DT 6-5, 330, 29 years old, 7th season, Michigan St. Vickerson suffered a concussion the day before the Broncos broke training camp leading up to the second preseason game. Justin Bannan or Mitch Unrein have usually taken Vickerson’s spot with the starters when Vickerson is out. Vickerson gained about 40 pounds to anchor the middle of this defense. Did you know? Vickerson did not start a game until his fifth season in the league — in 2009 with the Titans.

No. 95 Derek Wolfe, DE 6-5, 305, 22 years old, rookie, Cincinnati The Broncos selected Wolfe in the second round of the draft with the idea he could be an aggressive, upfield player at defensive tackle, then play some at end. But in preseason workouts, he showed himself to be a big-time match-up problem at end and will play there much of the time. Did you know? Wolfe ranked No. 1 among defensive tackles in all top college programs with 21½ tackles for a loss last season.

No. 31 Omar Bolden, CB

Veteran safety Mike Adams was the Broncos’ first major free-agent acquisition in the offseason, signing a few days ahead of Peyton Manning. John Leyba, The Denver Post

No. 51 Joe Mays, MLB

No. 20 Mike Adams, S

5-11, 250, 27 years old, 5th season, N.D. State He will spend a little more time on the field on passing downs in Jack Del Rio’s defense, but his main job is to be the thumper. For Del Rio’s “wide-9’’ scheme to work, the linebackers must be sure tacklers. Did you know? Mays did not play organized football until he was a junior in high school in Chicago.

5-11, 200, 31 years old, 9th season, Delaware Adams was the Broncos’ first free-agent signing. He has started at cornerback and safety, so the Broncos believe he will help against three- and four-wide receiver sets. He has played both the free and strong safety spots in the Broncos’ scheme. Did you know? Adams has been honored by the New Jersey House and Senate for his off-the-field works.

No. 58 Von Miller, OLB 6-3, 232, 23 years old, 2nd season, Texas A&M Though Miller won the league’s defensive rookie of the year award last season, the Broncos see plenty of room for improvement, hoping Miller never has to come off the field as he did at times last season. He has worked hard to be more reliable in his assignments on early downs to go with rush skills that are a given. Did you know? Miller was just the second rookie in franchise history to be selected to the Pro Bowl. Kicker David Treadwell was the other.

No. 24 Champ Bailey, LCB

Against the Bears and beyond in the preseason, rookie Derek Wolfe has been impressive. AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post

6-0, 192, 34 years old, 14th season, Georgia Few players were as excited for the Broncos’ pursuit of Peyton Manning as Bailey, an 11-time Pro Bowl selection. At 34, he still is among the league’s elite at the position and has been remarkably durable, having started at least 13 games in 12 of his 13 seasons. Did you know? Of his 50 career interceptions, none has come against Peyton Manning. Bailey has intercepted Eli Manning once.

No. 22 Tracy Porter, RCB 5-11, 186, 26 years old, 5th season, Indiana After years of trying 30-something cornerbacks (Dré Bly and André Goodman) opposite Champ Bailey, the Broncos signed Porter to a one-year deal to make teams pay for throwing away from Bailey. He had micro-fracture surgery on his knee before the 2011 season, so that could bear watching, but he played in 14 games last season, starting 11. Did you know? He intercepted Peyton Manning and Brett Favre in the Saints’ run to a Super Bowl win during the 2009 season.

Special teams No. 4 Britton Colquitt, P 6-3, 205, 27 years old, 4th season, Tennessee The Broncos didn’t bring in a punter or kicker to compete with their regulars this year. In 2011, Colquitt set Broncos’ singleseason franchise records for gross (47.4) and net (40.2) punting averages. Did you know? As a high school junior, Colquitt played for the No. 1 soccer team in the nation (Bearden H.S. in Knoxville, Tenn.).

5-10, 195, 23 years old, rookie, Arizona State He has flashed good man-to-man skills but gets caught leaning at times. A quality developmental prospect who can play special teams.

No. 28 Quinton Carter, S 6-1, 200, 24 years old, 2nd season, Oklahoma He will play a regular role in the starting defense, especially on early downs when the Broncos need his sure tackling.

No. 30 David Bruton, S 6-2, 217, 25 years old, 4th season, Notre Dame Bruton is one of the team’s fastest players and as his two deflected punts showed in the preseason, he’s an impact player on special teams.

No. 36 Jim Leonhard, S 5-8, 188, 29 years old, 8th season, Wisconsin The veteran was signed despite still rehabbing after last December’s knee surgery, but the Broncos believe he can contribute at strong safety.

Suspended No. 55 D.J. Williams, OLB 6-1, 242, 29 years old, 8th season, Miami (Fla.)

Text by Jeff Legwold, The Denver Post

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wednesday, september 5, 2012 B denverpost.com B the denver post

Milestones to look for

Game after big game Sept. 9 vs. Pittsburgh 6:20 p.m., KU SA-9 Peyton Manning’s debut will come in a rematch of last season’s playoff game, won by Denver in overtime in thrilling fashion.

By Lindsay H. Jones

Oct. 7 at New England 2:25 p.m., KCNC-4 Manning vs. Tom Brady is the No. 1 story line. Denver’s 2011 season ended with a 45-10 playoff loss to Brady and the Patriots.

Oct. 15 at San Diego

Sept. 17 at Atlanta 6:30 p.m., ESPN Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan and wide receivers Roddy White and Julio Jones should be a big test for Denver’s revamped secondary.

Sept. 23 vs. Houston 2:25 p.m., KCNC-4 With star running back Arian Foster, big-play wide receiver Andre Johnson and an elite defense, the Texans should be contenders for an AFC championship.

Sept. 30 vs. Oakland 2:05 p.m., KCNC-4 The Broncos haven’t defeated the Raiders in Denver since 2007. Can Manning break that four-game losing streak?

6:30 p.m., ESPN The Broncos’ fourth prime-time game in San Diego in five years is again a critical division game.

BYE Oct. 28 vs. New Orleans 6:20 p.m., KUSA-9 Yet another game against an elite quarterback, this time Drew Brees. The Saints will have interim head coach Joe Vitt back from suspension.

Nov. 4 at Cincinnati 11 a.m., KCNC-4 The Bengals, a playoff team in 2011, are led by QB Andy Dalton and WR A.J. Green. Denver’s last regular-season game at Cincinnati ended with Brandon Stokley’s miraculous reception in 2009.

Nov. 11 at Carolina 11 a.m., KCNC-4 John Fox returns to Charlotte, N.C., to face his former team for the first time. Carolina is led by quarterback Cam Newton, the No. 1 pick in the 2011 draft.

Nov. 18 vs. San Diego 2:05 p.m., KCNC-4 The Broncos will wear their navy blue jerseys for the only time this season in a home game against Philip Rivers and former Denver wide receiver Eddie Royal.

Nov. 25 at Kansas City 11 a.m., KCNC-4 The Chiefs, now coached by Romeo Crennel, have former Broncos running back Peyton Hillis and quarterback Brady Quinn. Oddly enough, Hillis and Quinn were traded for each other in 2010.

Dec. 2 vs. Tampa Bay 2:05 p.m., KDVR-31 The Broncos wrap up the NFC South portion of their schedule against Josh Johnson and the Bucs.

Dec. 6 at Oakland 6:20 p.m., NFL The Broncos face their former defensive coordinator, Dennis Allen, for the second time. Allen is in his first year as head coach of the Raiders.

Dec. 16 at Baltimore 11 a.m., KCNC-4 Trips to Baltimore haven’t been kind to the Broncos, who lost there in 2009 and 2010.

Dec. 23 vs. Cleveland 2:05 p.m., KCNC-4 In Game 15, Brandon Weeden shouldn’t be considered a rookie QB anymore as he leads the Browns into Denver.

Dec. 30 vs. Kansas City 2:25 p.m., KCNC-4 The Broncos finish the regular season with a home game against the Chiefs for the third time in four years. The Chiefs won the finales in 2009 and 2011.

Let the record show NFL reporters and columnists predict the Broncos’ record this season:

Lindsay H. Jones: 10-6 If the Broncos can survive the brutal front half of the schedule, they should have double-digit wins for the first time since 2005.

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Mark Kiszla: 10-6 Peyton Manning will need to rally the team to a 3-1 finish in order to make the playoffs.

Jeff Legwold: 10-6 No matter the state of the roster or schedule, when Peyton Manning is the QB, his team wins 10 games. He’s done it 11 times.

Mike Klis: 9-7 Postseason schedules aren’t as tough as the Broncos face through Game 9. Yet Peyton Manning will be the better QB in almost every game.

Woody Paige: 10-6 Peyton Manning is worth three extra victories in a brutal schedule.

In his first season in Denver, Peyton Manning has the chance to reach some significant career quarterback milestones. But he’s not the only Bronco trying to make personal history: Peyton Manning, quarterback • Needs 4,000 passing yards to become the first player in NFL history with 12 4,000-yard seasons. Manning is the only one with 11 4,000-yard seasons. • His first touchdown pass of 2012 will be No. 400 in his career. He needs 22 touchdown passes to pass former Miami quarterback Dan Marino (420) for second place all time. • He has 4,682 career completions, and needs 286 more to pass Marino for second all time (4,967). • He needs two more four-touchdown games to pass Brett Favre (23) for most all time. Other players Willis McGahee, running back • He needs 634 rushing yards to reach 8,000 yards for his career. Only 42 players in the NFL have reached that mark. San Francisco’s Frank Gore also can reach the 8,000-yard benchmark this season. Ryan Clady, left tackle He’s trying to become the second player in team history to start every game in his first five seasons, joining tackle Claudie Minor, who had a streak of six seasons from 19741979. Clady has not missed a game since the Broncos drafted him at No. 12 in 2008. Champ Bailey, cornerback • He has played in 11 Pro Bowls in his first 13 seasons. If Bailey earns another trip to Honolulu this season, he will tie former Vikings tackle Randall McDaniel and Kansas City guard Will Shields for most Pro Bowl games played in NFL history. Elvis Dumervil, defensive end • He can move up the career sack chart. Dumervil, eighth in team history with 52½ sacks, is chasing Paul Smith (55½), Trevor Pryce (64) and Lyle Alzado (64½) to move into the top five. Denver Broncos • The defending AFC West champions will tie the Oakland Raiders for the most division titles (12) if they are able to repeat. • The team opens the 2012 season at home Sunday against Pittsburgh. The Broncos are 38-13-1 in home openers. That .745 winning percentage is the best in the NFL. • The have scored in 309 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the NFL. It is the second-longest scoring streak in league history. • They have sold out every home game — regular-season and playoffs — since 1970, for a streak of 341 consecutive sellouts. Lindsay H. Jones

the denver post B denverpost.com B wednesday, september 5, 2012

BRONCOS «13BB

The league picks Patriots and Packers will be the regular-season elite ... again

Tom Brady can’t both throw and catch the passes, but the stars seem aligned for him to lead the Patriots to another division championship — and perhaps more. Dominick Reuter.

AFC West (In predicted order of finish)

AFC North

NFC East

NFC South

Denver Broncos (8-8 last season)

Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4)

New York Giants (9-7)

Atlanta Falcons (10-6)

Prediction: 10-6 Ho-hum. Sign a future Hall of Fame quarterback and send possibly the most popular player in the NFL on his way. Just another offseason with the Broncos as the Peyton Manning-for-Tim Tebow decision will be the headline of what becomes of 2012. That said, it is Jack Del Rio, the Broncos’ seventh defensive coordinator in seven years, who may really hold the key.

Prediction: 11-5 Former Chiefs coach Todd Haley is running the offense, the Steelers’ biggest unknown, especially since WR Mike Wallace didn’t end his holdout until the last week of the preseason.

Prediction: 10-6 Coach Tom Coughlin always has preached the benefits of running the football, but the Giants won their second Super Bowl in five years this past season with a rushing attack that ranked 32nd in the league. Rookie Ryan Williams will improve those numbers as the defense and QB Eli Manning keep them in the postseason discussion.

Prediction: 10-6 This is their chance. They have loads of offensive potential, especially if WR Julio Jones can maintain his preseason momentum. It hinges on how their defense does.

Kansas City Chiefs (7-9) Prediction: 8-8 The signing of veteran offensive tackle Eric Winston may have been one of the league’s best offseason maneuvers. But the Chiefs raised just as many eyebrows when they drafted nose tackle Dontari Poe with the 11th pick in the first round.

San Diego Chargers (8-8) Prediction: 8-8 They have issues on the offensive line, losing left tackle Marcus McNeill and left guard Kris Dielman to retirement. They also lost No. 1 wideout Vincent Jackson. The heat may be on coach Norv Turner.

Oakland Raiders (8-8) Prediction: 7-9 On the upside, regulars Stefen Wisniewski, Darren McFadden, Colorado Springs’ LaMarr Houston, Darrius Heyward-Bey and Jared Veldheer are 25 years old or younger. The chief issue, however, will be how 32-year-old quarterback Carson Palmer and 39-year-old head coach Dennis Allen handle all that comes with their jobs.

AFC East New England Patriots (13-3) Prediction: 12-4 The Tom Brady-Bill Belichick combination is again the team to beat not only in this division but perhaps the AFC. The only blip may be the Patriots having to play four of their first six games on the road. But if their division brethren can’t take advantage, the Patriots are looking at their ninth division title since 2001.

Buffalo Bills (6-10) Prediction: 9-7 The Bills are young on defense, have just four games against teams that made the playoffs last season and signed the second-biggest free agent on the market behind Peyton Manning in defensive end Mario Williams. If they keep to their business and keep RB Fred Jackson in the offense, this should be their first playoff appearance since 1999.

New York Jets (8-8) Prediction: 8-8 Whether or not Tim Tebow or his most avid followers like it, many NFL personnel executives consider him the biggest distraction in the league to go with a dismal performance in the preseason. How this team manages the Tebow-Mark Sanchez dynamic will determine whether locker room issues take down a roster good enough for the postseason.

Baltimore Ravens (12-4) Prediction: 9-7 They’re shaky up front in the offensive line. QB Joe Flacco is not a scrambler, so the pressure up the middle will be a problem, especially if center Matt Birk can’t fight off injuries or Father Time.

Cincinnati Bengals (9-7) Prediction: 8-8 Wide receiver A.J. Green spent the offseason trying to improve his ability to get off bump coverage. But the team’s refurbished running game, including free-agent signee BenJarvus Green-Ellis, could control its offensive fate.

Cleveland Browns (4-12) Prediction: 4-12 New owner, same old problem: talent. Rookie RB Trent Richardson has had his knee repaired twice since his last carry at Alabama. Rookie QB Brandon Weeden will have to ride out the rough spots. He turns 29 this season, so the clock is ticking.

AFC South Houston Texans (10-6) Prediction: 10-6 Their salary cap woes meant they lost more talent than they acquired in the offseason. Still, they should have enough with their defense, and if 30-something WR Andre Johnson can stay in the lineup, they will win a weak division.

Tennessee Titans (9-7) Prediction: 8-8 Coach Mike Munchak has always been lauded for his composure under pressure. But he spent most of the preseason trying to decide on a quarterback. They really need Chris Johnson to be the Johnson of 2009 (2,006 yards), but may even settle for the Johnson of 2010 (1,364 yards).

Jacksonville Jaguars (5-11) Prediction: 6-10 RB Maurice Jones-Drew’s holdout didn’t help make QB Blaine Gabbert the polished second-year pro they need behind center. First-year Jaguars coach Mike Mularkey will have to keep his locker room together.

Indianapolis Colts (2-14) Prediction: 4-12 Rookie QB Andrew Luck will ride at least a small wave of optimism this season, but the learning curve will be steep. Even though Reggie Wayne re-signed with the team, a look at the Colts’ roster doesn’t reveal great offensive support.

Prediction: 10-6 A talented group, but many still don’t believe. They see a team that could run the ball even better, but rarely commits to doing it. They see defensive players lined up where they shouldn’t be, and they see not enough oars in the water to make the whole boat go. If rookie DT Fletcher Cox lives up to his potential quickly, this defense will be good enough to make this a playoff team.

Dallas Cowboys (8-8) Prediction: 8-8 The Cowboys are looking for RB DeMarco Murray, a third-round pick in 2011, to step forward and help power what is expected to be a two-back attack far more this season. Former CU fullback Lawrence Vickers was signed as the lead blocker, and the team wants to take some heat off QB Tony Romo.

Washington Redskins (5-11) Prediction: 6-10 They traded a boxcar-load of premium draft picks to land rookie QB Robert Griffin III and spent a pile of owner Daniel Snyder’s money on wide receivers. Coach Mike Shanahan waited until the 12th game of Jay Cutler’s rookie season in 2006 to anoint him the Broncos’ starter, but times change and patience wears thin. He didn’t wait until he was through the team’s first minicamp to give R.G. III the job.

NFC North Green Bay Packers (15-1) Prediction: 12-4 This just in: A look at the game video from the Packers’ playoff loss to the Giants last season shows seven dropped passes by Green Bay’s receivers. They haven’t lost their way. They still have Aaron Rodgers and a young, talented roster, and they are a wellrun operation top to bottom.

Detroit Lions (10-6) Prediction: 10-6 Too much drama off the field always affects a team’s performance on the field. And this team has had plenty of drama off the field, with a series of player arrests. Still, the Lions are already offensive power brokers with potential for a dominant defense. But they have to cut the penalties and find some discipline, and the wins will follow.

Chicago Bears (8-8) Prediction: 9-7 They’ve tried to put the band back together. Unfortunately, the band played its best in 2008 when Jay Cutler and wide receiver Brandon Marshall powered the Denver offense.

Prediction: 8-8 When this team won a Super Bowl, many of the folks inside the organization credited coach Sean Payton with being the driving force. So, the Saints now face a season without Payton because of the suspension for the bounty scandal.

Carolina Panthers (6-10) Prediction: 7-9 QB Cam Newton is certain to get a few different defensive looks this time. The Panthers’ top wideout, Steve Smith, is 33 and their top linebacker, Thomas Davis, is trying to return from his third ACL surgery on the same knee. Their defense surrendered an average of 26.8 points per game last season.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-12) Prediction: 6-10 The Bucs committed more than $140 million worth of contracts to veteran free agents, then dipped into the college ranks to hire a new head coach: Greg Schiano, from Rutgers. Schiano does have experience as an NFL assistant, though.

NFC West San Francisco 49ers (13-3) Prediction: 10-6 Those who crunch the statistics always say to be wary of a team that had something like the uncanny plus-28 turnover margin the 49ers had last season, because it’s illogical to expect it again. This still is a powerfirst team in a weak division.

Arizona Cardinals (8-8) Prediction: 7-9 They failed to land Peyton Manning in the grandest free-agency derby the league has seen. That means they are unsettled at their most important position and unsettled on the offensive line.

Seattle Seahawks (7-9) Prediction: 6-10 Give them this — they are risk takers. They lavished a large contract on former Packers backup QB Matt Flynn, whose résumé is basically potential wrapped in a singular 480-yard passing performance filling in for Aaron Rodgers. But rookie Russell Wilson won the starting QB job anyway.

St. Louis Rams (2-14) Prediction: 4-12 Jeff Fisher landed in a place with a franchise quarterback, one with the potential to be special, in Sam Bradford. But there’s plenty of work to do around him. Text by Jeff Legwold, The Denver Post

Minnesota Vikings (3-13)

Miami Dolphins (6-10) Prediction: 6-10 The Dolphins have issues at quarterback, led by Ryan Tannehill being a rookie. Their defense looked shaky all preseason — in a division where that simply won’t cut it.

Philadelphia Eagles (8-8)

New Orleans Saints (13-3)

Reggie Wayne returns to Indy. Getty Images

Prediction: 5-11 They will be better, but they also might play in the most difficult division in which to show improvement. The other teams all have quarterbacks who have been named to the Pro Bowl; the Vikings hope Christian Ponder can get there someday. Questions about RB Adrian Peterson’s knee don’t help.

Sam Bradford is the Rams’ future. Reuters

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wednesday, september 5, 2012 B denverpost.com B the denver post

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