What Should Denver Broncos Expect from Peyton Manning in 2015?
The Denver Broncos have undergone massive changes this offseason. The biggest change might be at the head coaching position as Gary Kubiak takes over for John Fox as the lead man.
The offense won’t be as wide-open with the passing game under Kubiak. Instead, the team should be more balanced offensively so Manning doesn’t have to do everything.
Most people are wondering how Manning is going to mesh in the Kubiak offense. His system is going to be a lot different from what we’ve seen Manning operate during his Broncos career.
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Kubiak liked what he saw from Manning earlier this year during workouts.
“I think he’s throwing the ball really well. I think he’s getting real comfortable with what we are doing and then there are times we’re turning loose with what he’s done and obviously that’s an easy comfort zone for him.” Kubiak concluded, “But he’s been steady with what he’s doing.”
So what can we truly expect from Manning this season? In this article, we will examine the upcoming year from all angles.
Under Center
We’ll see Manning under center more often than we have at any time during his Broncos career. The shotgun formation is not going to be utilized as much as we’re used to seeing with Manning in Denver.
Kubiak was the offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens last year, and he helped quarterback Joe Flacco put up solid numbers as a passer. Those numbers were mostly compiled from under center.
| Att | Comp | Yds | TD | |
| Peyton Manning | 514 | 336 | 3904 | 33 |
| Joe Flacco | 213 | 130 | 1534 | 8 |
| NFL Average | 361 | 230 | 2594 | 15 |
Manning has worked hard this offseason to get to a proper comfort level with this offense.
“The repetitions that you get hopefully shows some improvement from OTAs into training camp," Manning said. "Everybody has been working hard, but we’ve still got to improve the rest of this week. I think next week is important. I think training camp will be really important.”
Manning’s comfort under center will need to be at a high level in order for this offense to run as designed. We could see more shotgun under Kubiak than we did last year, and the Broncos might incorporate more pistol formations in order to find a happy medium.
Play-Action Passing
The Broncos will use a punishing ground game to set up play-action passing. C.J. Anderson enters training camp as the starter, and he has the potential to lead the league in rushing in the Kubiak offense.
Manning is excited about Anderson’s potential.
“[RB] C.J. [Anderson], obviously I’m getting more repetitions with him. C.J., if you talk to him, you think he’s been a 12-yaer veteran starter and he’s only started six games (laughing). I’m getting a ton of reps with him.” Manning emphasized, “The sky is the limit for him, I will say that. I’m glad to be in there working with him.”
Manning’s air yards per target (8.46) were barely above what Flacco had (8.4) in the same category last year. Even though Manning should be using play-action passing more than he did last season, the length of the passes should be about the same compared to what we’re used to.
Flacco’s average time before pass (2.54 seconds) was around the league average in 2014 (2.53), but was slower than Manning (fastest time in the league) at 2.2 seconds. We could see that time elevate a bit for Manning working in this system.
Two Tight Ends
A staple of the Kubiak offense is the two-tight end formation. Last year under Kubiak, Flacco had 143 passing attempts with two or three tight ends on the field. By comparison, Manning only had 126 passing attempts in such formations. Both totals are much lower than the league leader, Tom Brady, who had 317 passing attempts in that personnel grouping.
Utilizing more than one tight end is not foreign to Manning. What’s going to take some getting used to is the loss of both Julius Thomas and Jacob Tamme in free agency. The Broncos responded to losing Thomas and Tamme by adding Owen Daniels from the open market.
Daniels believes he can build chemistry with Manning.
“We’ve been putting in a lot of work together," Daniels explained. "Whether it’s on the field or just being around each other, lifting or conditioning—he throws little tidbits my way even when we’re not on the field. [For example], this is also a signal this or this is also what we’ve done in the past. I think it’s been good.”
Daniels continued, “It’s kind of hard not to create chemistry right away with that guy. The ball is always in the right spot and if I do something wrong he’s a great coach about giving good tips and how to improve on that. I love it so far, I’m looking forward to more.”
In addition to Daniels, we’ll see Virgil Green utilized more as a receiving weapon. He’s developed into one of the best blocking tight ends in the league, and Green is a seriously underrated receiver. Daniels is likely to be the lead tight end, but Green should be used to move the chains as well.
A tight end who is listed at fullback, James Casey, is likely to be utilized as a receiver out of the backfield. Casey is a natural athlete, and he creates mismatches when going against linebackers in space. We could see Casey snare a similar number of passes to Green.
New Offensive Line
The offensive line is going to look vastly different this year compared to the unit that finished the 2014 season. Four of the five positions are going to have new starters, and there’s plenty of inexperience with the guys who could be playing significant snaps.
Left tackle Ty Sambrailo was a second-round pick in the 2015 NFL draft. He was expected to compete at right tackle as a rookie, but after Ryan Clady went down with a knee injury in minicamp, Sambrailo will now be asked to protect Manning’s blind side.
Left guard Ben Garland was a defensive lineman only two seasons ago. He spent the offseason working with the first-team unit, and now enters camp as the starter. However, he’s going to have to hold off veteran free-agent addition Shelley Smith.
Center Gino Gradkowski started every game for the Ravens in 2013, but he was replaced by Jeremy Zuttah in 2014 and barely played. He’s out to prove that he can be a quality starter, and he’ll have to outperform second-year pro Matt Paradis in training camp.
Right tackle is going to come down to either Chris Clark or Ryan Harris. Clark began the 2014 season as the starting right tackle, but he was replaced due to poor play. Perhaps Clark can show better with a large role in the zone-blocking system.
Manning is looking forward to building chemistry with the guys up front.
“We’ve still got a lot of time during training camp to get a lot of reps and form that kind of chemistry that you’re trying to form," Manning said. "You’re also going to be looking to form it during the season as well. It’s an ongoing process. The key is to try keep improving.”
No quarterback was blitzed more than Flacco last year. His blitz-per-dropback rate (37.3 percent) was well above the league average (30.3) and Manning’s rate (27.7). Defenses may try to blitz Manning more this year in the Kubiak system, and this offensive line has to be ready for that challenge.
Audibles
Manning is famous for changing the play before the snap. He’s been given carte blanche during most of his NFL career, but that might not be the case under Kubiak.
There have been adjustments to Manning’s game, and that’s not seen as a bad thing.
“I’m committed and I’m all in on trying to make any adjustments that I have to. At the same time, [I’m] trying to do some of the same things that I’ve done well," Manning explained. "I’m going to hopefully try and keep doing those things well and improve on things that I need to improve on.”
The veteran quarterback has been energized by learning a new offense.
“I think change—instead of being stymied by any type of change, you can be stimulated by them," he said. "That’s been true for me and I think that’s been a real positive, to tell you the truth.”
Manning has to be allowed to change plays at the line of scrimmage. He may be directed to do that less often, but in critical situations it’s wise to let Manning audible to the best play.
Age Catching Up With Him?
Many fans are wondering if age has caught up with Manning after the way he struggled through the second part of last season and in the playoff loss to the Indianapolis Colts. The beating he took against the St. Louis Rams in Week 11 certainly started the downfall of his production. A quad injury against the San Diego Chargers in Week 15 really slowed Manning down.
Simply put, Manning doesn’t see his age as a negative.
“You always try to use your experience as a teacher. I’ve always tried to learn something from every repetition and situation—defense, the best way to counter it," Manning explained. "Hopefully you’ve got a pretty good storage file up there in your mind and in your memory that you can use to figure out kind of what works and kind of what you should do to adjust to different things.”
Manning summarized, “So I think that you try to use your experience in any way to help you. When you’re dealing with some changes and adjustments, I think experience can help you that way as well.”
Manning is not washed up—not by a long shot. He’ll be able to prove that he can play at a high level this season—so long as he can stay healthy.
Summary
Many people have questioned how Kubiak and Manning will coexist this season. The answer is simple: fabulously. Both are among the best in the game, and they have the common goal of winning the Super Bowl in 2015.
Manning is engaged like never before.
“I think everybody likes continuity and some consistency in what you’re doing, but I will say at age 36 when I got here and now 39, that I have been stimulated by the changes, which I do think keeps you engaged and energetic and focused in meetings." Manning continued, "I can tell you one thing: I am not bored in the least bit. I’m stimulated. I’m studying and I feel like I’m engaged and trying to learn something new from Gary Kubiak.”
What should the Broncos expect from Manning in 2015? Nothing but the best.
All quotes and injury/practice observations obtained firsthand. Record/statistical information provided via the Broncos' media department unless otherwise noted. Advanced stats via ESPN's employees-only database.
Contract and salary-cap information provided by Spotrac. Transaction history provided by Pro Sports Transactions.
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