How Much Does Peyton Manning Need Denver Broncos Running Game?

When the Denver Broncos signed Peyton Manning they answered one of the team's biggest questions, but they create several more in the process. How will Manning gel with his new teammates? Will Manning's neck be fully healed?

Many of the answers to these questions will not be answered until the season starts, but one question can be answered today.

The Broncos don't need anything more from the running game than they got last year, excluding the yards from Tim Tebow as long as Manning is healthy. If Manning isn't the same Manning we all remember, the running game is going to have a tough time.

The Broncos had 1,972 rushing yards and averaged 4.7 yards per carry without Tebow in 2011, and that's actually more than any rushing offense Manning ever had in Indianapolis. From an attempts, yards and yards per carry standpoint, the Broncos need to do nothing more than repeat their 2011 performance as long as Manning is healthy.

Yards is not the only thing to consider, when it comes to the running game. The Broncos do need to do a better job is scoring touchdowns, even if Manning is himself. Partially to blame is the opportunities, as the Broncos were not frequently in the red zone, but converting opportunities will also need to be a focus for the Broncos.

A legitimate passing game will certainly benefit the rushing game, and its ability to covert red-zone opportunities into points.

It's pretty much assured that the running game will be perfectly fine with a healthy Manning running the offense. There's a deeper question here—one that few fans would want to explore. That question is terrifying because it involved a scenario no fan wants to consider. Can the running game carry the load if Manning's health limits his effectiveness?

That's really the question isn't it? If Manning is his old self, it doesn't matter that much how bad the running game is because he will just keep throwing. If Manning isn't his old self, you have to ask if the running game can carry an increased load.

Once you put the running game under the microscope, you have to question whether the running game was more or less effective because of Tebow. The only sample we have is the first four games of 2011 where Tebow did not play more than a handful of snaps.

In those games, non-quarterbacks rushed 93 times for 350 yards at a 3.8 yards per carry average. Perfectly fine for a healthy Manning, but for a unhealthy Manning, that's not going to get the job done.

Perhaps, realizing the need for a better running game or because Willis McGahee is 30, the Broncos drafted Ronnie Hillman. Adding another quality running back to the stable is not a bad idea, but the Broncos failed to address the offensive line, outside of adding center Philip Blake, which was the real problem in 2011.

As Sam Monson explains for ProFootballFocus, the Broncos successfully schemed their way to better rushing statistics with the help of Tebow. Willis McGahee also had an impressive season, breaking 33 tackles on the year. There's a legitimate concern that Broncos will have a hard time running the ball effectively with the same exact offensive line as last season.

If Manning can't play at all due to injury, that's a death sentence on Denver's season, but perhaps, much more likely is that Manning starts to decline or the injury limits his effectiveness. Manning missed an entire year and is 36 years old, and he was already showing signs of age.

Manning's QB Rating was 91.9 in 2010, and he threw 17 interceptions, that's his lowest QB Rating and most interceptions since 2002. It should have been no surprise that the Colts won 10 games in 2002 and 2010 but didn't drop below 12 wins in the seven seasons in between.

If Manning is healthy and effective, he needs little help from the running game, but if Manning isn't healthy or as effective as he used to be, he'll need a running game that can muster more that a 3.8 yards per carry.