Peyton Would Be the Man(ning) in Denver; Signals End to Tebow-Mania.

ESPN reported that quarterback Peyton Manning has narrowed his list with the Denver Broncos and Arizona Cardinals, the first two teams Manning visited, to be his two likeliest landing spots.

While both teams make sense as landing spots for Manning and we all know that Manning is calling the shots, I personally believe Denver is the front runner. The elephant in Denver’s room is the savior of the Broncos franchise, the greatest QB since sliced bread, a man capable of usurping every QB record ever set, the man, the myth, the legend, Tim Tebow.

While Tebow has been understandably quiet during the Broncos dalliance with Manning, this is not the first time John Elway and company have explored replacing Tebow as the QB of the future and Elway has been nothing if not mildly lukewarm to the idea of Tebow at the helm for the next decade.

Personally, I believe Manning to Denver signals a draft day trade shipping Tebow out of town.

Bear with me a moment and follow this stream of consciousness. Manning may be the consummate team-first player as is Tebow; but Manning is a legend (as is Tebow in a far more curious manner), a sure-fire Hall-of-Famer and arguably the greatest QB of all-time.

Above all else, Manning is a type-A personality, used to calling his own shots at both the line of scrimmage and in the boardroom. Does anyone really think he wants to deal with the “Tebow” chants that are sure to ring out from the stands in Denver every time he throws an interception or an incomplete pass?

Tebow has never garnered the complete support from Elway and John Fox. They’ve said all the right things and have done the right things with their pseudo-support for Tebow under center, but it’s all lip service to placate an excitable portion of Bronco Nation.

Elway’s proclamation earlier this year that Tebow would be the starter heading into training camp appeared to quiet those firmly entrenched in Tebow’s camp.

But when you break it down, all Elway did was tell the public that Tebow would enter training camp as the starter. That makes sense because the Broncos currently only have two QBs on the roster, Tebow and practice squad leader Adam Weber. Who else was going to be starter heading into camp?

The only way the Broncos can successfully ship Tebow out of town and alleviate the headache that they have viewed Tebowmania to be is if they can sign Peyton Manning. This is not to say that there won’t still be a faction that denounces the move, and proclaims Manning to be half the QB that Tebow is, but most of Bronco Nation will be ecstatic to have Manning under center.

Denver makes a ton of sense for Manning, as they have a young wide receiving core featuring Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker, and have both the need and cap space to bring in Reggie Wayne and potentially Dallas Clark, two of Peyton’s favorite long-time targets.

Additionally, Denver has a strong running back core with the resurgence of Willis McGahee and the up-and-coming Lance Ball. Still, they will look to add more via free agency or the draft.

Denver’s defense is also improving, and the addition of new defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio should improve the group. Lastly, Denver’s offensive line is strong and fast, which will help to keep Manning upright, but Denver also has a need at center, a position that Jeff Saturday, Manning’s long-time center can and will likely fill. 

Outside of a pure roster situation, Denver is also attractive to Manning because he would remain in the AFC where he has spent his entire 14-year career, and believe it or not, the weather (though not a dome) is attractive.

Many outside Colorado who envision Denver as being buried in snow half the year fail to realize that Denver’s climate is relatively mild and has drawn parallels to sun-soaked cities like San Diego.  Denver averages 300 days of sunshine a year and just over four feet of snow for the winter, with the first snow generally occurring in October and the last in late March or early April.

Even a heavy snowfall has generally melted off in a day or two due to the vast sunshine we experience.

Manning to Denver could become Indianapolis West, but would also instantly make Denver the AFC West favorite and one of the top five teams in the AFC.

Where does leave Tebow, you ask?

I expect Elway and company to take the first opportunity they get to engineer a draft-day trade that sends Tebow to anyone of a number of places, first on the list being Jacksonville, where he would be home and an instant sensation on a team with new ownership that would welcome every nickel that Tebowmania brings through the turnstiles.

Yes, Jacksonville drafted Blaine Gabbert high just one season ago. But as we have seen in Carolina draft Jimmy Clausen as their savior only to then take Cam Newton the next season, there is no loyalty in football.

Manning’s style is polar opposite of Tebow’s. While there is not one person that doubts Tebow’s work ethic, he’s just not capable at this point of time of running the type of offense that Manning would demand.

The Broncos would be best served to start Manning, draft a QB in the true-pocket passer mode and bring in a serviceable NFL veteran to back up Manning (Curtis Painter, anyone?).

Tebow is just enough of a project with enough of a track record now for a team to trade a third-round draft pick for him. The Miami Dolphins, if out of the Manning sweepstakes, are another possibility. My personal favorite dark horse, a long-shot destination is New England, where Tebowmania would instantly be tempered.

He would be reunited with Josh McDaniels, and Bill Belichick is the type of head coach that has proven he will design schemes specifically to fit the talents of one player.

While this is all conjecture at this point, the chances of Manning to Denver are far more realistic today than they were yesterday. The closer both sides come to making a deal, the more the Broncos will distance themselves from Tebow. Peyton would instantly become the Man(ning) in Denver, which leaves no room for Tebow.