5 Things We Learned from Peyton Manning's Preseason Debut

Though he only played one series, we finally saw Peyton Manning throw passes as a member of the Denver Broncos against the Chicago Bears on Thursday night, which means it's time time to discuss what was learned in his preseason debut. 

Remember, the preseason is, well, the preseason, and occurrences from Thursday don't necessarily indicate or foreshadow what we'll see from Manning throughout the 2012 regular season. 

However, it was the first live game action for Peyton in 579 days, so there's undoubtedly things to take away from his premiere with the Broncos. 

He's Still a Pre-Snap Adjustment Guru

During his first and only series, Manning was calling out the "Mike" and switching offensive line protections just like in his days with the Colts. 

Defenses hate when he does that. 

Manning's neck may have needed multiple surgeries over the last year, but his mind is undoubtedly still as sharp as ever before. 

Peyton's famous for his pre-snap adjustments, but they're not just for show. 

He's better than anyone in the business deciphering the defense before the ball is snapped and making the proper alignment tweaks and sometimes changing the play all together. 

A good sign for Broncos fans. 

He's a Little Rusty

Yeah, yeah, it's just the preseason. 

We can't condemn arguably the greatest quarterback of all time for two or three inaccurate throws after a near 600-day layoff, but you can't ignore the bad tosses. 

His first completion of the night should have been intercepted by Bears outside linebacker Geno Hayes. He undercut Manning's short pass to Jacob Tamme, but the ball simply bounced off him into the hands of Denver's tight end, who picked up 12 yards and a first down. 

Following a slightly overthrown ball into the end zone to Demaryius Thomas, Manning was intercepted by Major Wright at the goal line. 

While it's easy to say tipped picks are rarely a quarterback's fault, this one was. The throw was a shade behind former Colts slot terror Brandon Stokley, which allowed D.J. Moore to get his hands on the ball before it reached the receiver's hands. 

He Likes Eric Decker

Eric Decker was the most productive first-team wideout for the Broncos on Thursday, catching three passes for 29 yards after coming off a severe knee injury. 

Manning hit him on a 10-yard sideline completion, and he found him for a gain of 19 on 3rd-and-17 to get the Broncos inside the red zone.

Many aren't sure if Decker or Demaryius Thomas will emerge as Manning's favorite target in 2012, but Decker got the leg up on Thursday.  

He's Still Got Those Amazingly Happy Feet

Manning's happy feet are one of his trademarks, and as silly as it looks on occasion, they certainly help him drift around in the pocket and deliver the football downfield. 

The noticeable case of his happy feet occurred on the 19-yard laser he sent into the hands of Eric Decker on that 3rd-and-17 in Bears territory. 

Although the Broncos' offensive line formed a nice pocket around him, Manning was continually moving his feet as he worked through his progressions before finding a wide-open Decker between the hash marks. 

He didn't need to drift in any direction, but if protection broke down, Manning was ready to glide. 

The Offensive Line Protected Him Well

Ryan Clady's holding call that nullified an 11-yard completion to Demaryius Thomas was the lone bad play for the Broncos' offensive line. 

Manning was given ample time to look for all his pass-catching targets and step into all of his throws. 

Though there's a long way to go before the Sunday night season-opener against the vaunted Pittsburgh Steelers, Manning should be pleased with the way his offensive line played in front of him. 

After a series of significant neck surgeries, the last thing Manning, once the active iron man, wants is to be hit by James Harrison, or any edge-rusher for that matter.