Denver Broncos: Wide Receivers Now Have to Be Wide Receivers?

If you watched the Denver Broncos last season and felt like the offense was a bunch of running around waiting for someone to get open, you may have been on to something.

Tim Tebow is known for his improvisational skills and creating plays, but now that the Tebow era is over in Denver and we are learning more about the offense—so are the Bronco receivers. 

When Peyton Manning signed with the Broncos, the receivers' eyes lit up. After working with Manning this offseason, Bronco receivers have seen a number of changes from the Tebow era.

Receivers are learning that Manning demands results. He has been hard on his receivers in OTAs, some even called him "demanding."

But recently, Bronco receiver Demaryius Thomas noted a change that is comically ridiculous.

Thomas, a first-round draft pick by the Broncos in 2010, is entering his third NFL season, and his first where he has to run routes.

“You’re gonna have to run the whole route tree now. The comebacks, the slants, the posts, the ins. And I didn’t have to do that much when I was my first couple of years in the league," Thomas said in the interview with 790 the Zone.

What?

My high school route tree had those routes—and I played at a high school that didn't have enough kids to field a junior varsity.

Wide receivers run routes, block on perimeter runs and catch passes. That's the position in a very condensed nutshell.

Thomas had a fairly decorated collegiate career at Georgia Tech. Despite the Yellow Jackets running a triple-option offense, I'm sure the receivers had to run routes at some point, right?

This is just another wrinkle in the Tebow/Manning saga. Tebow fans may believe that he is a quarterback and an outstanding player, but it appears Thomas has forgotten all about "Tebow Time."

“The thing that gets me is how well he knows the game, and he’s a leader. It ain’t just him talking to the offense. He talks to the whole team as a group, so I feel like that’s something big, because I never saw a quarterback that does that. And even when we’re in the weight room, he’s just a leader. You got something like that on your team, it can take you big places," Thomas said in the same interview.

I couldn't help but laugh at this development. I love the view of MJD of Yahoo! Sports.

"What were Broncos practices like before Peyton Manning?" MJD writes. "Everyone splits into their individual groups, and the receivers all run over to the receivers coach and ask, 'Hey coach, what are we working on today?' And then the receivers coach looks over and sees Tim Tebow launching footballs into the fourth row and says, 'I really don't think it matters, boys.'"

The funniest thing, I could see that actually happening.