The past two seasons, fans have expected big things from Denver Broncos receiver Cody Latimer but never saw him live up to expectations. The talented third-year player out of Indiana (sort of) blames Peyton Manning for his inability to live up to expectations.
“For me, it’s not being so nervous. I was always so nervous when Peyton was around. I didn’t want to mess up. It’s like a fresh start,” Latimer said, per Troy E. Renck of ABC7 in Denver. “If I mess up, I mess up. But I am going to run fast and make plays.”
A noted perfectionist who never hesitated to call out his teammates (dammit Donald!) if they didn’t live up to his perfectionist ways, it’s hard to imagine Manning is bothered by this one bit.
On the other hand, that Latimer is playing with more confidence now is undeniably true. After catching just eight passes during his first two NFL campaigns, he caught seven on Thursday when the Broncos traveled to Chicago to take on the Bears.
Losing weight surely helps, too. He showed up to camp this summer having dropped around 10 pounds compared to last year.
A natural athlete who wowed scouts at his pro day workout back in 2014 before being drafted in the second round. After missing workouts at the Scouting Combine due to foot surgery, he ran a 4.38-second 40-yard dash.
Unfortunately, the natural fluidity with which he’s capable of playing failed to emerge during the two years he played with Manning. Trying to perfect the technical aspect of the game, he played too tight, which led to mistakes and, ironically, a lack of concentration.
So it’s no surprise that Latimer is happy to have another shot to get into his groove this year playing with the Manning-less Broncos.
“I pride myself in knowing what I can do. And I know I have to go out there and do something,” Latimer said. “I’m more focused this year than ever. I know I am not going to lose when I am out there.”
If he can become a consistent threat on the field, then Denver will have quite the receiving corps, with Latimer joining Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders for a terrific one-two-three punch.