Peyton Manning will have to win in different ways
One thing was readily apparent in Denver’s win against the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday night. Manning simply doesn’t have the same arm strength as he did in previous seasons. And while we chalked up his late-season struggles last year to a quad injury, this isn’t the same quarterback that has earned five MVP’s.
This doesn’t mean that it’s the end of the road for Manning, who threw some dead ducks on simple intermediate routes Saturday night. Instead, it’s all about him understanding his limitations and making up for it in other aspects of the game. With one of highest football IQ’s for a quarterback in the history of the game, there’s little doubt that he will be able to do that. While not yet comfortable in Denver’s new offense, Gary Kubiak’s scheme takes into account Manning’s limitations more than the scheme Denver ran last year under former coordinator Adam Gase.
The idea here has to be a run-first, ball-control attack. With C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman looking like an elite tandem, the Broncos will be just fine. They simply need to remain true to their strengths on offense.